Archive for the ‘missing child’ Category
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Investigators are working to locate a missing family of four. Authorities say Joseph McStay, 40, his wife Summer, 43, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, vanished on February 4, 2010. Four days later, the families white Isuzu Trooper was found and towed from the Mexican border in San Ysidro. San Diego County police say they may have the McStay family on surveillance crossing the U.S. border into Mexico. The video is not clear enough to say for certain if it is the family, but according to police there are two adults and two children seen walking across the border around the same time the family vehicle was abandoned.
Unable to reach them, Michael McStay, Joseph’s brother, reported the family members missing to police 11 days after they went missing. Investigators dispatched to check on the family’s welfare, and found no signs of them. Their animals had been left in the yard without food or water, and it didn’t appear as if they had packed up and gone on a vacation. Investigators told me early on the family is going through a major renovation project, so it is hard to tell if they were packing up to leave or not.
Tags: border, mexico, missing family of four, new lead in McStay case, police, San Diego
Posted in Unsolved, missing adult, missing child | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
John Albert Gardner
In light of the recent tragedy in San Diego where 17-year-old Chelsea King was raped and murdered, the fact that convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner could be the man responsible is sparking an outrage across America. The big question is how can a man who should have spent 10 years behind bars, serve five and be on probation for mere three?
Gardner was convicted in 2000 of sexually assaulting and attacking a girl in his own home. He punched the 13-year-old in the face numerous times during the attack. If Gardner is guilty of murdering Chelsea, one has to wonder if giving him the maximum sentence could have prevented this horrific incident.
Then, over the weekend, the bones of Amber Dubois were found. This teen went missing more than a year ago, on February 13, 2009 as she walked to school. We are waiting for the autopsy and toxicology reports to come back, and if this is, in fact, a murder, there may be evidence linking Gardner to her death as well. Gardner was also charged with assault for an attack he allegedly committed on December 27, 2009 on a woman in the same park where Chelsea was found. Investigators throughout the area are opening up cases on women who say they were attacked to see if Gardner could be linked to them as well.
Tags: Amber Dubois, convicted sex offenders, GPS for sexual predators, hometown, Huggington Post, Inside Edition, Jim Moret, John Albert Gardner, national center for missing and exploited children, programs, take 25
Posted in Endangered Missing, SAFETY PROGRAM, Sex Offenders, missing child, murder, predator | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
You can host a TAKE 25 event right in your own community to help educate children and parents on safety. This program, offered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children aspires to get communities across America involved and to hopefully prevent abductions. It was created in honor of National Children’s Day to encourage parents and guardians to take 25 minutes to educate their children about safety topics. The goal is to help children make better decisions in life, set limitations on what they do, and give parents and guardians the tools they need. Some of the topics covered are Internet, school, out and about, and at home safety. Take a few moments to read more about Take 25 and consider becoming a volunteer or hosting a program in your own neighborhood.
Tags: child safety prevention, guardians, national center for missing and exploited children, predators, sexual predators, take 25, tools
Posted in SAFETY PROGRAM, missing child | No Comments »
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
- Remembering Amber Dubois
Investigators confirm the skeletal remains found in a remote area of San Diego County are those of Amber Dubois. Amber went missing on February 13, 2009 as she was walking to her high school in Escondido, California. Investigators will not say if convicted sex offender, John Albert Gardner is responsible for her death, or if he has any connection to her case. Gardner is currently behind bars, and is charged with the murder and rape of 17-year-old Chelsea King. Chelsea went missing a little more than a week ago as she was jogging through a San Diego County park. Gardner is also charged with a December 2009 assault of a woman in the same area. As we learn more about the investigation… we will bring it to you.
Tags: Amber Dubois body found, Amber Dubois remains found, assault, body found, Chelsea King, convicted sex offender, John Albert Garnder, murder, rape, san diego county
Posted in Sex Offenders, missing child, predator, unsolved murder | No Comments »
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
Remembering Chelsea King (family photo)
Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner is charged with murder in the disappearance of missing teen Chelsea King. The District Attorney filed the charges and the complaint was read at an arraignment earlier this week when Gardner made his first appearance. Gardner entered a plea of not guilty. I spoke with the District Attorney in San Diego, and he tells me that a status hearing will take place next week, and a preliminary hearing is set for March 18, 2010. At the preliminary hearing, the court will decide if there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial. The charges come after a body was found earlier this week in Lake Hodges, an area near where Chelsea King went missing while she was running through the Rancho Bernardo Community Park. We are still waiting for a positive ID on the body. Investigators say that Chelsea, 17, was a runner for her high school, and parked her car nearby as she went to exercise. Inside her vehicle, police found a cell phone and other personal belongings.
Tags: Chelsea King, John Albert Gardner, sex offender
Posted in Endangered Missing, Sex Offenders, missing child | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Morgan Lockett (left) Brandon Lockett (right) - mugshots
Aveion Lewis mother, Morgan Lockett and her husband, Brandon, were indicted this week and charged with second degree murder and child neglect and cruelty. Police say a hoax abduction report was filed by Brandon Lockett, Aveion’s step-father on January 15, 2010 claiming the toddler was abducted by masked men who broke into his home. Sadly, the 2-year-old was found dead in a nearby landfill 12 days later. Police said they tracked the trash collected along the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue, and that is what led them to the discovery of the body. Thankfully, the trash company keeps very good records, and police were able to locate the truck in route to the landfill before it made a deposit. The truck emptied its contents in an isolated area at the landfill, and investigators sifted through the garbage.
Early on, investigators charged Brandon Lockett with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after the false report was filed. Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place. Although conflicting statements were given to authorities early on, they were still able to come to this conclusion in a timely manner.
Tags: amber alert, Amber Alert hoax, aveion lewis, biological mother, body dumped, Brandon Lockett charged, child neglect, cruelty, garbage, landfill, Morgan Lockett charged, murder, second degree murder, toddler missing, warrant
Posted in Endangered Missing, amber alert, missing child, murder | No Comments »
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
The FBI Crimes Against Children division is stacked with specialized agents in child safety to accomplish two main goals:
1- Innocence Lost initiative – To prevent child prostitution, and take down the “pimp” predators.
2- CARD Team – To rapidly deploy a CARD Team anywhere in the country to provide expertise and assist law enforcement during the most critical time period following abduction.
INNOCENCE LOST INITIATIVE
The Innocence Lost initiative specifically works to take down predators who are pimping out children for money. The goal is not only to take down the bad guy during undercover sting operations, but more importantly to safely take the children out of the environment. According to the FBI, there is a nationwide domestic child prostitution problem in which young girls are losing their innocence and held captive in a horrific lifestyle. The misconception by some is that this form of child prostitution only occurs overseas, but in reality, if there is adult prostitution in a community, there is probably child prostitution going on as well. This project began in June 2003 in conjunction with the Department of Justice Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Another goal is to tackle the growing problem of child prostitution and sex trafficking, specifically in the United States. Since its inception in 2003, with 37 task forces in place, there have been nearly 900 successful recoveries and more than 525 convictions.
Tags: against prostitution, CARD Team, child prostituion prevention, Crimes against children, fbi, guarding, Innocence Lost initiative, keeping children safe, pimp, predators
Posted in missing child, predator | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
John Albert Gardner (mugshot)
Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner is charged today with murder in the disappearance of missing teen Chelsea King. The District Attorney filed the charges and the complaint was read at today’s arraignment when Gardner made his first appearance. Gardner entered a plea of not guilty. The charges come after a body was found yesterday in Lake Hodges, an area near where Chelsea King went missing last week while she was running through the Rancho Bernardo Community Park. We are waiting for a positive ID on that body. Investigators say that Chelsea, 17, was a runner for her high school, and parked her car nearby as she went to exercise. Inside her vehicle, police found a cell phone and other personal belongings.
Registered sex offender John Albert Gardner was arrested on Sunday and held on preliminary charges of suspicion of murder and rape in the disappearance of the missing teen. Gardner has a conviction for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, and served five years in prison. He was staying with his mother in the Rancho Bernardo Community where Chelsea went missing. It is widely reported that 10 years ago, Dr. Matthew Carroll, a psychiatrist who spent time and interviewed Gardner after his conviction said he lacked remorse for the incident, making him “an extremely poor candidate for any sexual offender treatment.”
Tags: charged with murder, Chelsea King, convicted sex offender charged with murder, district attorney, high school, John Albert Gardner, Rancho Bernardo, running in a park, San Diego, sex offender
Posted in Endangered Missing, Sex Offenders, missing child, murder, predator, rape | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
- Melvin Duclos (family photo)
UPDATE 8:00 a.m. This Amber Alert is canceled, thankfully Melvin was found. The abductor is in custody…
There is an active Amber Alert in Jacksonville, FL to find baby Melvin Duclos. He was born on February 8, 2010, and authorities believe he was abducted by a woman who is 20 to 22 years old, 5-feet tall, and 150 pounds. He was last seen at his home 7300 block North Ironside Drive around 4:45 p.m. The suspect is believed to have shoulder length natural black hair and a silver post in her nose. The abductor and Melvin could be traveling in a brown four door Honda Accord. There are reports that the suspect may have followed the family home from the hospital when the baby was born earlier last month, and could have been watching them ever since. Melvin was wearing a light yellow onesie and a blue t-shirt.
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of this endangered person, please contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-487-4438 or 911
Tags: active alert, amber alert, FL, Honda Accord, Jacksonville, Melvin Duclos, suspect, woman sought
Posted in amber alert, missing child | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
Chelsea King MISSING (family photo)
6:45 p.m. BREAKING NEWS COMING IN… Investigators confirm human remains were found in the area they were searching for missing teen Chelsea King. Authorities say the body was covered in a shallow grave, and was near the area where evidence was found a few days ago. At this time, the remains appear to be Chelsea King. The medical examiner will make an official confirmation on those remains by tomorrow morning.
Since last Saturday, more than 4,500 volunteers have donated their time to look for missing teen Chelsea King. Right now the focus is on and near Lake Hodges where she went missing. Authorities say Chelsea vanished last Thursday after she went for a jog at the Rancho Bernardo Community Park. Chelsea, 17, is an avid runner for a local high school. She left her car in the park nearby, and her cell phone was inside the vehicle.
Registered sex offender, John Albert Gardner, is being held on preliminary charges of suspicion of murder and rape in the disappearance of missing teen, Chelsea. Gardner has a conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, and he was staying with his mother in the Rancho Bernardo Community where Chelsea went missing. Gardner is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in San Diego Superior Court, and investigators have 72 hours to file official charges.
Tags: cell phone, Chelsea King, convicted sex offender, high school, John Gardner, lake, missing teen, runner, sex offender
Posted in Endangered Missing, Sex Offenders, missing child, predator | 1 Comment »
