Hassani Campbell is a 5-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy – he wears braces on his ankles and a big smile on his face. Police say Hassani went missing from Oakland, California on August 10, 2009 outside a shoe store parking lot. Sadly, he has not been seen since.
Police arrested his foster parents early on in the investigation, but then released them due to lack of evidence. Investigators are calling this case a homicide investigation.
It’s been a year since a family of four vanished in California, and authorities think the McStays may have planned a trip to Mexico before they disappeared.
Five things you should know about this case:
1) Joseph McStay, 40, his wife Summer, 43, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, went missing on February 4, 2010. Authorities said they found e-mails from Joseph and Summer asking about passport information and entry into Mexico before February 4th, a clear indication that they may have planned their getaway. But the question is, why? It doesn’t appear the family had any financial or marital problems, Joseph left behind his teenage son, and their home was left in working order.
2)Who reported the family missing? Michael McStay, Joseph’s brother, reported the family missing to police 11 days after the vanished.
3)What did the family leave behind? The McStay’s family pets were left in the yard without food or water. Investigators say perishable food was left on the counter along with other personal items left in the home.
Photos courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
This strange story unraveled just after Thanksgiving when three little boys went missing about 75 miles southwest of Detroit. Their father, John Skelton, 39, told police he handed his children, 5-year-old Tanner, 7-year-old Alexander and 9-year-old Andrew off to a woman named Joann Taylor. In December, Skelton said he gave the children to someone from “an organization.”
Skelton appeared again in court Friday, this time for a hearing relating to his divorce. The judge asked Skelton if he was prepared to turn the boys over to their mother, and Skelton answered, “I can’t.” Investigators have said they are not expecting a positive outcome in this case.
1) Who reported the children missing? The boys were reported missing by their mother, Tanya, the day after Thanksgiving when their father didn’t return them home.
2) Does the mystery woman exist? Police say there’s a good chance “Joann” does not exist, even though Skelton claims he met her on the Internet four years ago. Skelton also claims he tried to commit suicide before handing the children off, but authorities are doubting that story as well.
Phylicia Simone Barnes was visiting her older sister in Baltimore, Md. over the holiday when she vanished.
1) Phylicia Barnes, 16, disappeared on the afternoon of Dec. 28 from a Northwest Baltimore apartment.
2) The FBI has joined the case to help find her, and investigators are leaning toward foul play.
3) Authorities focused their search efforts earlier in the week on Leakin Park. Unfortunately, no clues from that search have led them to Phylicia.
4) Phylicia is from Monroe, N.C., about 25 miles from Charlotte. Her goal was to move to Maryland when she finished with high school.
5) Her family said Phylicia does not have a history of running away, and the last message she sent her sister indicates she may have left to get something to eat.
Phylicia was last seen wearing a navy blue pea coat with a hood, a turquoise thermal shirt, blue jeans, and white slipper-boots and was carrying a caramel-colored purse.
A search continues today for a young Texas girl has been missing for more than a week, and the search to find the teen is intensifying. Today’s search will continue to focus on an area near the Colorado River. Hailey Dunn, 13, was last seen before the New Year on Dec. 27. Authorities say she told her mother’s boyfriend she was going to a friend’s house to spend the night.
There is specific criteria in each state to issue an Amber Alert and in most cases you need to have a confirmed abduction and in some cases a vehicle and tag description is helpful. There is not an Amber Alert issued in this case.
Hailey is a white female, 5’1, 120 pounds, brown hair, and hazel eyes.
If you have any information, please call the Colorado City Police: (325) 728-5294
It’s been nearly a year since a family of four vanished in California, and authorities think the McStays may have planned a trip to Mexico before they disappeared. Tonight, Discovery ID is airing a full feature into this case at 10 p.m. EST. Tune in to watch every twist and turn of this case over the last 11 months.
1) Joseph McStay, 40, his wife Summer, 43, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, went missing on February 4, 2010. Authorities said they found e-mails from Joseph and Summer asking about passport information and entry into Mexico before February 4th, a clear indication that they may have planned their getaway. But the question is, why? It doesn’t appear the family had any financial or marital problems, Joseph left behind his teenage son, and their home was left in working order.
2) Who reported the family missing? Michael McStay, Joseph’s brother, reported the family missing to police 11 days after the vanished.
3) What did the family leave behind? The McStay’s family pets were left in the yard without food or water. Investigators say perishable food was left on the counter along with other personal items left in the home.
UPDATE:Investigators confirm they have found Zahra Baker’s remains in North Carolina. Authorities found the bones earlier this week in an isolated location, dug beneath the earth in a large grave. A “no fly” zone was erected above the area where investigators were searching, that zone would not allow news choppers above.
Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins said earlier today at a press conference, “I’ve been dreading this moment [since] early on in this investigation. As investigators we are trained to follow leads, but never give up the hope the evidence may take us in the wrong direction and the outcome may be different. We have recovered enough physical evidence to believe we have found Zahra.” Chief Adkins continued to say that he and his staff are devastated.
Zahra’s mother has arrived in the United States from Australia. Stay tuned for updates on this case…
Today is Susan Powell’s 29th birthday. Her friends and family will honor the day with a massive two state balloon release, one in Utah and the other in Washington. Everyone from the public is welcome to attend.
Winter is approaching quickly, summer has come and gone and Susan Powell has not been found. Over the last ten months since she went missing on December 7, 2009, many bodies have been found in the desert. When her family and close friends would get word, they simply held their breath and waited.
Over the summer a couple of searches took place in the area where Susan’s husband Josh Powell says he went camping the night she disappeared. Josh is still officially a “person of interest” in this case, but investigators have not moved forward with any official charges. When Susan went missing last December Josh told investigators he took his two small children out in the middle of the night in the West Desert. Since then many searches have been executed, but unfortunately nothing has been uncovered.
Investigators announced the Amber Alert initially activated for a missing 10-year-old girl has been canceled. The investigation has now shifted to a homicide investigation. Zahra Clare Baker was just reported missing over the weekend, but authorities indicate there is a chance she hasn’t been seen over the last month.
This story has captured national attention for a number of reasons. The Amber Alert is initially what drew the nation into this case, but Zahra’s medical conditions made many hearts break. Zahra is a bone cancer survivor, uses hearing aids and has a prosthetic leg to walk. This child has endured enough in her lifetime and to think that she may have been killed is a lot for her family, community and folks who have never met her to understand.
Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa Baker, is currently behind bars; not for Zahra’s disappearance, but for obstruction of justice in this case. She had a court appearance earlier today. Authorities say Baker admitted to writing a ransom note found inside the family home after Zahra was reported missing. Burke County Sheriff John McDevitt and his team are working to figure out exactly how long Zahra has been missing by closing in a timeline.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
A search continues today for a young Texas girl has been missing for more than a week, and the search to find the teen is intensifying. Today’s search will continue to focus on an area near the Colorado River. Hailey Dunn, 13, was last seen before the New Year on Dec. 27. Authorities say she told her mother’s boyfriend she was going to a friend’s house to spend the night. 
