Jaliek Rainwalker MISSING

Jaliek Rainwalker (age enhanced)

James Lee, Suspect

It was a four hour standoff at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C. today before three hostages were released and the man who held them captive was shot and killed.  Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said James Lee, 43, a frequent protestor, was upset with Discovery’s environmental programming for some time now.  Just after 1 p.m. he burst through the lobby of the headquartered building with a gun and canisters strapped to his body.  The canisters appeared to be explosives and Manger said the device went off, but he wouldn’t elaborate on the details. 
Witnesses report hearing multiple shots when Lee entered the building, but investigators have not verified that information either.  Lee has protested the network in the past because he believed Discovery had very little to do with actually saving the planet, and their focus was more on products to make money.  In 2008 Lee was arrested in Silver Spring for throwing money in the air and trying to draw crowds and attention to his message about the network.

1,900 people work inside the Discovery building and thankfully no one was injured.  The building also housed a daycare which is known to have at least 90 children at most in its facility.  The babies were wheeled out of the center in cribs and others were carried to a local fast food restaurant. 

 Montgomery County Police and the FBI did a fantastic job at working with the suspect and taking appropriate action to keep the hostages in this situation safe.

More to come as this story develops… ]]> http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/09/gunman-shot-dead-at-discovery-channel-headquarters-hostages-safe/feed/ 0 http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/09/where-is-shantina-smiley-2/ http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/09/where-is-shantina-smiley-2/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:44:52 +0000 Michelle Sigona http://www.michellesigona.com/?p=5809

Shantina Smiley (left) Remembering Azriel (right)

Almost six months have passed since Shantina Smiley and her 8-year-old son Azriel Carver went missing off a beach in Washington State. Sadly, Azriel’s body was found shortly after they disappeared, but there’s been no sign of Shantina.  She has vanished. I spoke with Lt. Chris Mealey from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office recently and he said, “It’s still an open case and if we get information we will move on it as quickly as we can.” He also said that the leads have fizzled out and there is a chance she went into the water with her son, but they have no official confirmation on that.

I confirmed with the Medical Examiner’s office in Tacoma that Azriel’s death is officially ruled an accident and drowning is the cause of death. The area where his body was found is west of Tacoma, Washington, and about 12 miles from where Azriel and his mom’s mini-van was found on a private beach. Azriel’s father flew in from Lancaster to help look for his son initially, and was near the location when Azriel was found. Several memorial services have been held on Grand Island in memory of the child and Shantina.

Police say Shantina and Azriel left their home in Silverdale, Washington around 5 p.m. on March 13, 2010 and were heading to her step-father’s home in Castle Rock. Shantina’s van was found early the next morning, abandoned near the North Gull Harbor, nowhere near her destination. Police say the doors were open, cash, license and a credit card were left inside, but Shantina’s purse was gone. The search continued for days to find the family. Robb Simmons, Shantina’s fiance, created a websitewith his timeline of events. Lt. Chris Mealey from the Thurston County Sheriff’s office told me investigators were initially focusing on a lead from a resident who claims someone was knocking at his door around 1 a.m. the morning after they went missing, but that lead turned into a dead end.

Lt. Mealey says his team has identified contents found on a beach. Some belong to Shantina and Azriel, and some do not. Lt. Mealey also mentions that they could have fallen out of the family mini-van because the doors and hatch were left open:

Remembering Azriel...

• Wine bottle (Shantina was seen purchasing this earlier in the night at the Handy Pantry around 7:55 p.m., it was found on the beach, half empty with the cap on it)

• Baseball (not identified)

• Orange ball (does belong to Azriel)

• Possibly a men’s shoe, size 13 (not identified)

• Asthma inhaler (belongs to Azriel)

• Two water bottles (unidentified)

• A woman or man’s shoe size, 9w (does belong to Shantina)

I spoke in length with Robb about Shantina. He says he and Shantina have been together for two and a half years, and they have a blended family. He has two children, and Shantina has Azriel. Robb and Shantina are both Cub Scout Leaders in the community, and active with their children. He says Shantina had a lot of exciting job interviews coming up, and they were looking forward to starting their life together as husband and wife. Robb said Shantina is a recovering alcoholic, and had a relapse last week, but he does not think the relapse contributed her disappearance. Robb says he is having some health problems, and that is what set Shantina over the edge.

This timeline is based off my conversation with Lt. Chris Mealey.

5 p.m.– Shantina and her son leave their home in Silverdale, Washington. Their destination was Castle Rock, Washington.

6:45 p.m.– Shantina stops off at an unknown location and calls her fiancé Robb Simmons. She tells him her cell phone was left at home, and she was hoping he could bring it with him on his way to Castle Rock later.

7:55 p.m.– Lt. Mealey says there is video of Shantina stopping off at the Handy Pantry, where she made a purchase and left.

9:08 p.m.– Shantina stops off at the Martin Way Diner and orders one corndog to go. This is odd because this is a sit down diner, not an establishment you order carry out from. Although she placed the corndog order, she did not pick it up. Instead, police say Shantina walked outside, tripped before getting into her van, and drove off with her son.

9:55 p.m.– Lt. Mealey says there is more surveillance video of Shantina stopping off at a local store on a rural county road. The store was closed, so she left.

10:00 p.m.– Shantina and her son stop off at a residence occupied by an elderly couple. She used the phone in the residence and called her grandfather to say she was lost, and there was an accident of sorts, but she did not elaborate. The elderly couple fed her son a slice of pizza and gave her directions to get back on the main road.

Shantina left the residence, and made a wrong turn. Somehow, she ended up about five miles away on an abandoned beach. When found, her mini-van doors were open, and it was stuck in the sand. It appears she drove far out, and tried to come back to the road. The van got stuck, and she left it there.

I confirmed that Shantina was employed with the Kitsap Medical Group in the billing department, and everyone is distraught that she is missing. Investigators are currently diving into her bank account and cell phone records. Investigators need your leads on this case.

If you have any information, please contact the Thurston Sheriff’s Office: 360-786-5500

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, people who have legitimate access to children are some of the same individuals who are producing child pornography. It is a federal crime to have child porn in your possession. The Cyber Tipline was created to report these types of crimes against children. You can call the tip center with information on people who manufacture, distribute or have child pornography in their possession. If you know of children who are being recruited for these disgusting acts, please report that to the tip line as well. It is also a federal crime to send obscene material to any child under the age of 16. Take a look at the helpful information under the Cyber Tipline to understand more about protecting the youth.

FBI ATLANTA PHOTO

Gun wielding, wig wearing bandits could be responsible for three bank robberies in Atlanta, Georgia.  Agents say since July 27, two black males wearing women’s wigs have hit Wachovia banks in close proximity.  The suspects order workers and bank patrons to the floor and have fled the locations with an undisclosed amount of cash in a silver Lexus.  Special Agent Stephen Emmett told me today that the vehicle was discovered last week at an undisclosed location in the Atlanta area and the car is being processed.  “It’s never as fast as you see on CSI,” said Emmett, but his team is working diligently to uncover information that could lead to the suspects’ arrests. 

Emmett also added that there are two other robberies in the area where the suspects were not wearing wigs, but the motive is the same.  “Thankfully we do not see a lot of take over style bank robberies when they are prompting  people to the floor and taking over customers.”

According to the FBI website, the robbers are described as follows:

Robber #1 is described as a black male, 20-30 years in age, wearing a short black wig, glasses, and t-shirt.
Robber #2 is described as a black male, 20-25 years in age, wearing a shoulder length wig, black in color, shorts, work style boots, stocky build.

Both robbers brandished handguns throughout the robbery and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information regarding this matter should contact the Atlanta office FBI at tel. (404) 679-9000     

FBI Atlanta Photo

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Judy Forrest (left) Kanika Powell (right)

Kanika Powell’s case is a mystery to detectives in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Sunday marked the two year anniversary since her murder. I met Kanika’s mother, Judy Forrest, last year at the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims in Washington, D.C. Judy continues to stand tall and is full of faith that the person who took her daughter’s life will be caught, and I share that faith with her.

Kanika graduated from Largo High School in 1998, and enlisted in the Army two years later. She served in Korea, and returned to her home in Prince George’s County after her tour. She then took on a job as a security contractor at Hopkins laboratory. Kanika was very private about the work she did for the laboratory, and would sometimes travel for days at a time to handle a work project before returning. Although Judy says she always knew where her daughter was going, Kanika’s family and friends were aware that she was not allowed to discuss what she did when she got there.

Kanika lived alone in her garden style apartment in Laurel, Maryland. On Saturday, August 22, 2008 she heard a knock at her door. Judy says Kanika told her she peeked through the hole and a man was holding up a badge claiming he was an FBI agent. Kanika wouldn’t open the door without seeing ID, and the mystery man left. She called 9-1-1 and police came to her apartment, but nothing was found. Judy says Kanika was planning to install a security system thereafter. The incident jarred her so much that she wrote this e-mail to share with her friends and family:

E-MAIL SENT FROM KANIKA: “I just wanted to share with you the scariest thing that happened to me this weekend. Saturday evening around 7pm a man was knocking at my door (as all of you may know I live alone). I asked who it was and he didn’t answer, so once I got close to the door and looked out of the peephole I saw a male figure that was not familiar to me at all. I asked who he was and all he stated was that he was from the FBI and that he was looking for Kanika Powell. It freaked me out completely because this man knew my name. He held a shield up but no picture ID and he never gave his name. He told me he was looking for me in regards to an investigation. I told him that I had no idea as to what he was talking about and that he would need to show me documentation as well as a warrant of some sort. So he left and I looked out my bedroom window and saw him walking. I also heard a voice tell him to walk in the opposite direction. The whole situation was scary and seemed so false. So because of this incident not only did I get NO sleep for the rest of the weekend but I am now trying to get an alarm system installed in my apartment. I had one in my old apartment, but I just hadn’t had it transferred over to my new one. As far as everything that happened with the guy. I did call the FBI and they told me that it was more than likely bogus because they never come to your door by themselves and they always leave a card of some sort so that you can contact them. I called the local police as well to give them a description just in case someone is out there trying to rape or harm single woman…pass this on ladies.. This is not a fake Forward this happened to ME Kanika…Who knows who these guys are and what they are doing and in what areas other than mine.”

Remembering Kanika Powell

A mere five days later on August 27, 2008, Kanika had another knock at her door. It wasn’t an FBI agent this time, but someone claiming they had a package for her. Again, Kanika wouldn’t open the door, and a package was never left. The very next morning, another knock at the door, the same routine, Kanika would not answer. Judy says the police were called again and an officer came out to speak with her, but again nothing was found.

After the police left, Kanika decided to leave to run errands. When she came back, the unknown person who had claimed to have the package was now waiting in the hallway. The suspect opened fire, shooting Kanika on the first landing of her apartment. She was transported to the hospital, but sadly Judy says her daughter never regained consciousness and died the next day.

On March 2, 2010, I spoke with Detective Kelly Rogers, the lead investigator on this case. She told me new information has come to light, and she is going to see how much value this information has. Detective Rogers says, “It was a surprise to get it, and something we are moving forward with.” This information may not break the case wide open, but could breathe new life into this mystery. She says they are again looking into original persons of interest in the case.

Kanika would have turned 30 on January 31, 2010. She wasn’t married and didn’t have children, but her mother Judy says, “What makes her so remarkable was that she was a donor. I signed the papers and two people in the metropolitan area were able to receive her kidneys. We also donated some tissue and bone and her liver was donated to a research lab.” Let’s find justice for Judy and Kanika Powell’s family.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the county’s Crime Solvers hotline at 866-411-TIPS (8477). Crimesolvers is offering a $25,000 reward in this case.

According to the MCVRC, “The event honors the lives of those taken by violence; publicly recognizes the impact of homicide on their surviving family members and friends; and pays tribute to those organizations that work with and provide services to survivors of homicide victims.” 

There are scholarships available for travel costs.  You can find out more about those on the Parents of Murdered Children’s website.

SCHEDULE:

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – “Supporting Survivors:  A Forum for Discussion” – This portion of the day will focus on exploring issues that survivors face and helping to meet their needs.

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – CEREMONY – This will highlight the unveiling of the “Murder Wall” to honor victims’ memories.  This is an exhibit provided by POMC, and will have thousands of victims’ names inscribed in the wall. 

If you are interested in attending, please visit this LINK to sign up for your FREE ticket.

Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Al-Quso

The FBI needs your help tracking down Fahd Mohammed Ahemd Al-Quso.  He was indicted in the southern district of New York for his alleged part in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. During this attack, sadly17 American sailors were killed. Agents say Ahmed Al-Quso speaks Arabic, uses a list of aliases. At this point, he could be hiding out anywhere in the world.

You could receive a $5 million dollar reward for information leading to the direct apprehension or conviction, in any country for Al-Quso.  The Counterterrorism Calendar indicates he is 5’6” and weighs 150 pounds.  He was born on November 12, 1974 in Aden, Yemen and has a Saudi Arabian citizenship.

The reward is offered by the Rewards for Justice program. The FBI says, if you have any information, please contact your Local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Holly Trimble Missing

There has been no sign of an Ohio woman who’s been missing for almost a week.  Investigators and family members say Holly Trimble, 37, vanished and hasn’t been seen since 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 19.  Columbus Police have searched the fields near her home, but no clues in this case have surfaced. 

Holly’s keys, cell phone and wallet were left inside her home along with her vehicle.  Holly, who is a Senior Pricing Analyst for Nationwide Insurance, did not show up for work this week.  Her family has plastered her local town with fliers hoping to gain exposure and lead to her whereabouts.

She is 5″9″ – brown hair – brown eyes.

If you have any information, please contact the Columbus Police: 

(614) 645-4545