The U.S. Marshals are working to track down a daycare provider from Texas who fled to Nigeria. Authorities say Jessica Renee Tata was operating a daycare center inside her Houston home when she left seven children, aged 18 months to 3 years, unattended to go shopping. When Tata returned home, her house was on fire, and the toddlers were trapped inside, killing four.  Investigators believe she left a pot of oil on the stove.

Tata was not taken into custody or charged right away. At some point last weekend, authorities say she hopped on a flight out of the country.

Court documents detail information about a video from a local Target store where Tata shopped for about 15 minutes before leaving for home. Based on a timeline put together by officials, the first 911 call indicates Tata was gone from the daycare for at least 20 minutes on February 24.

Tata’s family established a fund called “Houston Benefit of Day Care Victims,” but the District Attorney urges the public to be careful about any and all solicitations.

Anyone with information on Tata’s whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Office.

Remembering Trooper Wesley Brown

A Maryland State Police Trooper was shot and killed Friday morning as he worked part-time, and over the weekend investigators arrested a person of interest in the case.  Authorities also announced a news conference planned for today at 2 p.m. EST.  This is where we will learn more about the shooter, and more arrests made.  Investigators say Trooper Wesley Brown was working off-duty at an Applebee’s in Forestville, Maryland when he was shot multiple times as he stepped outside to make a call.

There is a possibility Trooper Brown may have been killed by a customer who he had to escort out earlier in the night. Investigators have released video of the person of interest, and that person may be charged with his murder.  At this point he has not been publicly identified.  Authorities say Trooper Brown was talking on his cell phone at the time of the incident, and may not have seen the suspect approaching. Cadets were pulled from the Maryland State Police academy and are on the ground right now performing a grid search.  They are set to be there throughout the day, and possibly the weekend.  

Detectives say the suspect may have fled on foot, and today authorities need anyone who saw anything to come forward.  The suspect is described as a black man, between 5 foot 6 and 5 foot 8, weighing about 135 pounds. He was last seen wearing a Hugo Boss style jacket.

Trooper Brown was a 3 1/2 year police veteran, and leaves behind a fiancé.  He was also extremely active in his community, working as a youth mentor.  According to his site, Young Men Enlighting Younger Men he says, “My name is Wesley Brown and I am the founder of Young Men Enlightening Younger Men (YMEYM).  In September, 2007, my friends and family and I came together to show the young men in the community that there is a bigger and brighter future ahead of them with unlimited possibilities.  YMEYM meets together as a group at least once a month to take a field trip somewhere outside of our community and spend time bonding and mentoring.  Between field trips, the mentors stay in touch with the young men and encourage them to stay in school, do the best they can in school and in extracurricular activities, respect themselves and each other, and to talk out any conflicts instead of resorting to violence. All of the mentors have committed much of their personal time and finances during this formation period.  YMEYM’s meeting location was my residence, where we would sit back and talk about whatever was on the boys’ mind.  Our goal is to listen and understand their problems and issues.  Then we talk together to reach positive solutions to solve the problems.  This way, the young men can think before they act, which sometimes results in unjustified punishment.”   

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those he left behind.  Please call 1-866-411-TIPS with any information.

Eddie Salazar MISSING

Aveion Lewis (family photo)

The search is back on today to find Aveion Lewis, yesterday searchers were forced to stop looking for the toddlers body due to inclement weather in Roanoke, Virginia.  According to the Roanoke Police Department, teams will focus on the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue and a wooded area along the river today.  Aisha Johnson, a Spokesperson for the police department says, “(we) have utilized the assistance of trained search teams from across Virginia and other states… the department thanks the community for its overwhelming support during this investigation… additional assistance from citizens is not requested at this time.”  Investigators charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after a false report was filed that Aveion was abducted.  Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place.  Authorities say they were able to get this information and come to this conclusion after conflicting statements were given to authorities early on.  Although police say Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the Amber Alert was issued, investigators do not know exactly where the child’s body could be. 

Brandon Lockett (booking photo)

According to an unsealed search warrant from the Roanoke City Circuit Court I obtained this morning, the information paints a clearer picture into Aveion’s life before his death, “Aveion Lewis was removed from the custody of his biological mother and stepfather, Morgan and Brandon Lockett, in May 2008 due to a “failure to thrive.”  Aveion was 14 months old, weighed less than 9 pounds, and the parents were not complying with the medical instructions for his care.  After approximately 45 days in foster care, Aveion doubled his weight.  Investigation has indicated Aveion recently sustained contact burns on both legs, which resulted in blistering from a home heater.  Aveion was described as having a “high threshold for pain” and medical attention was not sought for the burns due to a prior history with DSS.  Aveion Lewis was removed from the home by authorities in May 2008 and returned in September 2009, sixteen months later.  A significant change in the Lockett’s family structure occurred in September 2009, when Aveion was returned to the home.  This was approximately 4 months prior to Aveion’s disappearance.  Investigative interviews determined that upon Aveion’s return to the home 4 months ago, the Locketts had begun toilet training.  Research in child homicide has reflected that toilet training accidents are often the provocation for physical punishments, sometimes resulting in death.  Aveion Lewis was born with a medical condition which resulted in surgery to remove a portion of his intestines and thereafter he required a strict schedule of feeding and proper medication.  Failure of the parents to comply with this schedule resulted in his removal of the home.  The Locketts have four children, including Aveion, all under the age of four.  The family also experienced financial hardships (cable was disconnected) prior to Aveion’s disappearance.  The stepfather was unemployed at the time of Aveion’s disappearance and the mother was employed at a minimum wage job.  The investigation has uncovered instances of illegal drug activity by the stepfather prior to the incident.  Brandon Lockett has a prior drug conviction from Georgia as well as two arrests involving family violence in 2006 and 2007.  Aveion Lewis is 2 years of age and will be 3 years old on January 26^th.  According to a 2006 study by the Department of Health and Human Services, children younger than 4 years of age are at greatest risk of severe injury or death by their parents or caregivers.”

Yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Robin Haldiman, CEO of the Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP) of Roanoke Valley.  She told me their agency was involved with Aveion and his family from an early age.  CHIPS makes monthly visits to families to help teach them parenting skills, coordinate health care, and to make sure the child is developing appropriately for their age.  They currently have a waiting list, and are helping about 1,100 children per year.  The agency staff are mandated reporters who are required to report abuse and child neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS) if they see issues in the home.  If a report is made, CPS will conduct a separate investigation, and if it is necessary they will remove the child.  Sadly, this is exactly what the agency had to do with Aveion.  Robin says the child was taken out of his home with his mother and placed with a loving foster family in May 2008.  Robin says the court system put Aveion back with his mother, not CPS, and when the CHIP organization came back to the home to do monthly visits, Robin says they were turned away and his mother would not sign a consent form to enter the home again.  This is probably due to the fact that the CHIP organization filed the original complaint with CPS about Aveion’s welfare.  The CHIP service is voluntary, not mandatory, and they work hard to ensure children are safe. Robin confirms that when Aveion was 15-months-old he was underweight, only eight pounds, and when he was placed with his foster family, he began to become healthy again.  Robin and the members of her staff who worked with Aveion from early on are heartbroken about the loss of this child, and as you can imagine, they grew close with the toddler since he was born.

BACKGROUND: Police initially said Aveion was snatched from his home on January 14, 2009 when three men allegedly broke into his apartment, assaulted Aveion’s step-father Brandon Lockett, and abducted the toddler.  Investigators say not only was the child taken, but his 4-year-old sister was tied up and gagged in a corner.  Investigators said early on they believed the suspects could be traveling in an early 1990’s model white SUV, and they collected surveillance from nearby businesses.  The FBI along with local law enforcement have been searching for the child by air, on the ground, and going door-to-door seeking answers.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of  where Aveion Malik Lewis body could be, please call Roanoke City Police Department at (540) 853-2211 or Virginia State Police at (800) 822-4453.