Hard to believe it’s been one year since Kristi Cornwell was abducted in Georgia. Kristi’s mom, Jo Ann Cornwell, told me over the phone on Tuesday, “I am not giving up hope, I have not been given any reason to believe she is not alive… it hurts my heart.”
The last anyone heard from Kristi was one year ago today when she was exercising in Blairsville. Investigators say around 9:00 p.m. Kristi was on the phone with her boyfriend, who was in Atlanta at the time, when a car approached her. There was a struggle, and she was never seen again. A reward of $50,000 is offered for information leading to the safe return of Kristi, or the arrest/conviction of the person responsible for her disappearance.
Kristi’s family is extremely proactive in this case. They started a website, they have frequent, sometimes daily searches of the area where she went missing, and they even auctioned off the family’s lake house property over the weekend to raise money to help find this missing mother. More than 80,000 post cards have been purchased and distributed with Kristi’s face on them. “Somebody out there has got to know something, or someone has seen something and doesn’t think it’s important yet,” said Jo Ann.
Norma Lopez MISSING (photo of the shirt she was wearing the day she vanished)
Norma Lopez vanished in broad daylight four days ago in Moreno Valley, California and now there is an all out search to find this beautiful teen. Police told me Norma left her summer school classes at the Valley View High School and was supposed to meet her sister, but she never made it to the location. Investigators believe she may have taken a short cut from Dracaea Avenue leading out to an area on Cottonwood Avenue, but somewhere in between authorities believe she may have been kidnapped. In fact, some of her personal belongings were found in a field, and there could be signs of a struggle. Investigators believe she was taken against her will and may have been thrown into a newer model green SUV. That vehicle was seen fleeing from the area at a high rate of speed.
I spoke with S.A. Billy Cox with the St. Louis FBI, and he confirms that the Amber Alert to find 4-year-old Alisa Maier is still active. He said the child was playing with her brother in the front yard of her Louisiana, Missouri home when she was snatched around 8 p.m. last night. Right now the FBI has a command post set up to assist the police department with fielding important leads. I spoke with Sally Hunt who lives in the area and is volunteering at the local Elk’s Lodge in Louisiana, Missouri. She said there are 130 volunteers in the field searching and passing out fliers right now. “There is a tremendous outpouring of support,” said Sally. Many of the volunteers are also going door-to-door.
The official autopsy report for 7-year-old Aja Johnson was hand delivered to her biological father J.J. Johnson on Friday. Six months after the little girl went missing, the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s office lists the child’s official cause of death as “violent death with possible neck injury.” The bodies of Aja Johnson and Lester Hobbs were located in a rural area in Norman, Oklahoma nine weeks after he abducted her. A law enforcement source on the ground told me that because of the decomposition, Hobbs and Aja most likely died about a week after the initial murder of Tonya Hobbs in January. “He got in that area, probably to lay low for a few days, got in there with the storm and maybe got trapped. One thing led to another, couldn’t get the vehicle out, and would have to walk out on foot… he chose to stay.” My source says Aja’s body was found outside the vehicle and Hobbs was found inside the car. The medical examiner’s report indicates Hobbs died from drinking antifreeze, and there were not any signs of antifreeze in Aja Johnson.
A three month old baby, who was allegedly thrown by her father off a parkway bridge, may have been found over the weekend. New Jersey State Police say they are waiting to positively identify the remains, but the body appears to be that of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem. This information is based on the clothing and wrappings found on the child.
Investigators say Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, the baby’s father, allegedly snatched the child from her grandmother’s home on February 16, 2010 and threw her off the bridge. Reports indicate Abdur-Raheem tried to strike the grandmother with a minivan after choking her when she tried to stop the abduction. The child’s mother was working on a temporary restraining order against Abdur-Raheem before the baby was killed.
Abdur-Raheem is currently being held on a $2 million bail, and pleaded not guilty last month.
It’s been 60 days today since Aja Johnson was abducted and her mother Tonya was found beaten to death inside an RV. Since then, investigators in Oklahoma have issued a warrant for Lester Hobbs arrest charging him with first degree murder and kidnapping. I spoke with Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Templeton out of the Lawton office again today, and he said there has been no activity on the case. A couple of weeks ago he stated that they have, “not had anything viable on the vehicle, Aja Johnson, or Lester Hobbs,” and sadly that is still the case today. Templteton did mention that he has a meeting with the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations later today, and they have plans to discuss new ideas to keep this case in the spotlight.
When this case originally broke, there was a massive ice storm that swept through most of the state of Oklahoma. The storm paralyzed the region for 8 – 14 days. During that period, many folks were without power, so some have not even heard about the Amber Alert or the murder. That ice storm is long gone, and there are still no signs of this child.
Aja Johnson & Lester Hobbs (police say photo was taken just hours before the murder)
The United States Marshal Service held a press conference in Oklahoma today. Authorities released brand new pictures and information in the Aja Johnson case. It’s been more than a month since Aja Johnson was abducted and her mother Tonya was found beaten to death inside an RV. Since then, investigators in Oklahoma have issued a warrant for Lester Hobbs arrest charging him with first degree murder and kidnapping. I spoke with Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Templteton out of the Loughton office earlier, and he said there has been no activity on the case. He stated that they have, “not had anything viable on the vehicle, Aja Johnson, or Lester Hobbs.”
When this case originally broke, there was a massive ice storm that swept through most of the state of Oklahoma. The storm paralyzed the region for 8 – 14 days. During that period, many folks were without power, so some have not even heard about the Amber Alert or the murder.
Two weeks have passed since Aja Johnson was abducted and her mother Tonya was found beaten to death inside an RV. Since then investigators in Oklahoma issued a warrant for Lester Hobbs arrest charging him with first degree murder and kidnapping. Hobbs is a convicted felon, and according to court documents was not supposed to have any contact with Aja. Police say they’ve received leads about possible sightings of Hobbs, the United States Marshals service sex offender unit is involved, but so far nothing has panned out. The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshal service put out a $20,000 reward, hoping someone will bring them the information they need to find this child. Funeral services for Tonya Hobbs are scheduled tomorrow for 11 a.m.
Last week I spoke with Alice Dunkin, Tonya Hobbs mother, and missing 7-year-old Aja Johnson’s grandmother. She told me she screamed bloody murder and “blew up” when she learned her daughter was killed. It is devastation to Alice especially because she said her son was shot and killed nearly three years ago, and now she has to go through this with her daughter. Along with losing both of her children, Alice fears what may happen to her granddaughter Aja,
UPDATE: Sadly, 8-month-old Eddie Salazar was found in the Spring River, just east of Carthage earlier this afternoon. Police say Eddie Salazar Sr., the baby’s father, is charged with filing a false police report, and is now considered the prime suspect in his son’s murder. This case is very similar to the Aveion Lewis case in Roanoke, Virginia where investigators say Aveion’s step father filed a false police report that his step-son was abducted, and a few weeks later the toddler’s body was found in a landfill.
Police say Eddie Salazar was abducted late last night by two masked men. He is only 8-months-old, and has a lung-shaped birthmark on his right bicep. Investigators say two men broke into Eddie’s home, beat his father, and left with the child. It appears, at this point, the abduction was random. If you have any information, please call: (417) 237-7200
An active amber alert (Levi’s call) in Georgia is out for 4-year-old Christian Guevara. Police say the abduction occurred around 9:15 a.m. at a trailer park in Cobb County. Christian is a Hispanic male who is only 3 feet tall, weighs 30 pounds, and has brown shaggy hair. He was last seen wearing pajamas with cars on them. Initial reports say he was abducted by two men wearing ski masks and they were seen fleeing in a white Chevrolet Suburban with unknown tags. Last seen address: 750 Six Flag Road – Lot 37
If you have any information, please contact: 770-801-3483
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....
