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.

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.

3) Where is Skelton now?  Skelton is currently behind bars and is held on a $30-million bond.  His next arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 5.

4) What charges is he facing?  Skelton is facing kidnapping charges. He had a hearing this week and waived his right to a preliminary exam.  This means he will go straight to trial on those charges of parental kidnapping.

5) What’s next in the case?  The official searches that were taking place in the beginning are not happening on a daily basis anymore.  However, investigators will continue to go out on leads as solid information comes in on the case.  

If you have any information, please contact the Morenci Police: (517)458-6828 ]]> http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/12/update-missing-in-michigan-five-facts-about-the-brothers-disappearance/feed/ 0 http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/08/france-court-rules-jean-paul-lacombe-will-return-to-united-states/ http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/08/france-court-rules-jean-paul-lacombe-will-return-to-united-states/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:09:12 +0000 Michelle Sigona http://www.michellesigona.com/?p=5783 BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Great news!  Judges in France just ruled that Jean Paul will go home with his mother Berenice.  The panel granted custody to Berenice (which she had in America all along).  FOX San Antonio has a reporter imbedded with Berenice and they broke the news just a few hours ago.  We do not know when Jean Paul will return from France, but this is a positive leap in the right direction… More to come..

Jean Paul Missing

This case was running through my mind this morning. I was searching through my files and the date December 18, 2009 popped up. That was the last time I brought you the case of Jean Paul who was taken illegally from his bus stop. Since then, a grand jury issued a felony indictment for the felony offenses of kidnapping, aggravated perjury and interference with child custody against his father, Jean Philippe Lacombe.

Investigators say Jean Paul Lacombe was abducted by his non-custodial father, Jean Philippe Lacombe, on October 15, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. Lacombe allegedly gave the court invalid Mexican Documents to overturn the case, and the judge gave him custody. Lacombe was supposed to show back up for a court hearing on Monday, October 19, 2009, but instead he fled with his son.

HISTORY OF CUSTODY:

Cliff Herberg with the Bexar District Attorney’s office in Texas says there are 1,400 pages pertaining to this case that have accumulated over the years in Mexican court. He has not had a chance to review every single page, but Mr. Herberg was able to provide a timeline and background of custody between the parents.

2003: Divorce proceedings began

2004: Divorce is finalized, and both parties agree Jean Paul will live with his father, and his mother will have “extended access” meaning she would still see her son on a daily basis by picking him up from school, taking him home, eating dinner with him.

March 2005: Father closes off son to the mother, she couldn’t see him.

 Because the father was in violation of the extended access agreement, the Mexican court gave full custody to Jean Paul’s mother.

Jean Philippe Lacombe

June 2005:

July 2005: Father abducts son and takes him to France.

July 2007: After two years of searching, mom finally locates her son and his father in France. She hires a French attorney, and the court ordered the boy be returned to Mexico.

2006 – 2007: According to the District Attorney’s office, basically, the father files criminal charges against the mother citing allegations of attempted murder against him. The Mexican government says these were unfounded allegations. During this period, the court ordered suspending the obligation to return the child to the mother (temporarily) suspending custody resolution. A piece of paper on this resolution was given to the father. Once the charges were unfounded, the Mexican government gave the full custody paperwork back to the mother.

2007: Mom moves to Texas with her family to give her son a better life.

October 2009: Unknown to the mother, the father hires two attorneys and meets with a judge. The father swore under oath he has custodial rights to his son, and shows the judge the original custody paperwork from 2004 and the suspended custody resolution from the year prior that says he should have custody. The judge orders the son to be taken from his mother.

October 19, 2009: Father and son were supposed to show back up to court, but instead fled. They are possibly out of the country.

I spoke with Jean Paul’s mother Berenice Diaz early on, and she says her son likes to go by the name Paul only. He loves to play soccer, and he’s a very good student in school. When Paul grows up, he wants to be a pastry chef. Paul speaks English, Spanish and French, and was last seen with his father, Jean Paul Lacombe. Prior to October, it had been nearly two years since Paul last saw his father. Berenice says her son did not want to talk to or see his father, and he told her he would let her know when he was ready.

There is a warrant out for Jean Philippe Lacombe’s arrest. Berenice was married to Jean Philippe for seven years before they were divorced in Mexico. She says this is not the first time Lacombe kidnapped their son. In 2005, Lacombe took off with Paul for two years before they were found in France. Later in 2007, Berenice decided to move her family to San Antonio, Texas to give her son a safer environment to live. If you have any information, please call police.

Fox 29 in San Antonio has video of police taking Jean Paul from his bus stop.

Douglas Alward (prison photo)

UPDATE – 2 p.m.  Authorities closed in on Alward today in a cornfield in Colorado… Story developing…

This is the fourth time Douglas Alward, 48, has slid away from the hands of law enforcement.  A career criminal known for his jail breaks escaped from the Sterling Correctional State Facility in Colorado late Sunday night and hasn’t been seen since.  Late Tuesday, authorities announced a $15,000 reward.

Katherine Sanguinetti, Spokesperson for the Colorado State Prison, says authorities aren’t releasing the details of this escape because the investigation is ongoing, but she did say that he is a dangerous criminal who needs to be found. 

Alward was serving time for first degree attempted murder, burglary and kidnapping.  Although he was eligible for parole in 2005, and a hearing was set for this October, he decided that breaking out from a secure perimeter would be better than waiting around.  He was housed in a facility with 2,500 other inmates and had been behind bars there since 2001.

Sanguinetti says Alward’s first escape from the law was December 2, 1980.  Alward was in a prison transport vehicle when the van got lodged on something and couldn’t move.  “He grabbed an inner tube and ran and jumped into the Arkansas River,” said Sanguinetti.  She added that he was caught later that day down river.  You can only imagine the water temperature in the middle of December.

The next escape was five years later, August 22, 1985 specifically.  Alward scaled a state prison facility wall that was built in 1871.  Once out in the wide open, he broke into a state highway building and stole a dump truck.  Later the dump truck was found in a Colorado Springs ditch, and on October 3, 1985 Alward was nabbed across state lines in Arizona.

On July 7, 1991, inside the Freemont County courthouse, Sanguinetti says Alward and another inmate overpowered a deputy, took his (or her) weapon and kidnapped a woman.  Alward was only on the run for seven days that time before his capture. 

I spoke with Alward’s father today, who does not wish to be identified.  He said he does not speak to his son, and he does not think he will ask for his assistance.  Alward’s family lives near Colorado Springs.

Alward is tall and thin, 6’1” and 152 pounds.  He has some other family in El Paso County, but he is known to cross state lines.  He could be wearing standard inmate green pants and shirt, or grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt along with athletic shoes.  Alward is missing a toe on his left foot.

Police sketch

Investigators say Morgan vanished on October 17, 2009 while attending a concert outside the John Paul Jones arena in Virginia. She was separated from friends around 8:30 p.m. when she walked out of the front entrance. Authorities say Morgan called her friends inside and told them she was finding a ride home, and that they shouldn’t wait for her. State police officials report Morgan was last seen by the ticket office on the University Hall side of the building. Morgan’s body was found on a farm in Albemarle County a little over three months after she vanished from the Metallica concert. Investigators told me her body could have been on the farm as many as 100 days.

Earlier this month, investigators released shocking information. They say the man who may have killed Morgan could be the same suspect that committed a sexual assault against a female in 2005. Virginia State Police officials confirm there is a forensic link between the 2005 assault and the murder. It’s quite interesting how the connection was made: police spokesperson Corinne Geller told me that the Virginia Department of Forensic Science processes and analyzes all of the evidence and lab work for every department. A hit came up in their internal database and they notified the Virginia State Police of the link in the cases. The authorities from the state police contacted the Fairfax City Police in Virginia and took a couple of days to compare notes. It appeared the cases stacked up, and this latest development was released to the public earlier this week.

Geller said, “It’s one of those things, you never know what the next phone call is going to bring.” She added, “We know he (the man in the sketch) had contact with her (Morgan) the night of her disappearance, but they don’t know if he is responsible for her death. We are looking to identify and question him, and put the next pieces of the puzzle together.” Within 24 hours of releasing the sketch, the state police had 50 leads. Right now their time is spent eliminating duplicates between the departments and prioritizing the tips.

In the September 2005 incident, police say a female was walking along Rock Garden Drive in Fairfax City from the Giant when she was attacked from behind. Authorities say she was dragged to a park and sexually assaulted next to a pool. I spoke with Sgt. Pam Nevlud with the Fairfax City Police department and she said, “We’ve gotten quite a bit of calls. That is very inspiring and we are hoping this leads to something.” As far as someone recognizing the sketch, Nevlud said, “People have little things that happen to them that they think are odd and that they don’t report to the police.” There’s a chance that there could be more victims who haven’t come forward, or others who have crossed his path, but haven’t called.

Last week, Alvin T. Daniels, 51, from Alexandria, Virginia was convicted of obstruction of justice in this case.  Investigators say he called in a false tip to Virginia State Police and accused another man of kidnapping Morgan.  Authorities checked out the lead, and determined the man accused of the kidnapping was not involved.

BACKGROUND OF MORGAN’S DISAPPEARNCE: According to a Virginia State Police press release: “During the course of the investigation, police have been able to establish a timeline of Miss Harrington’s movements once she ended up outside of the arena at approximately 8:30 p.m. After talking to her friends on her cell phone, she then walked through the parking lot of University Hall and was also seen in the Lannigan Field athlete parking lot, which is also used for RV parking. At around 9:30 p.m., she was seen walking on the Copeley Road bridge near Ivy Road.”

According to Virginia State police, based off independent witness accounts, investigators believe on October 17, 2009 (the night Morgan Harrington went missing) that she was hitchhiking along Copeley Road Bridge. Investigators are now searching for a vehicle they believe stopped in the middle of the bridge and possibly picked up Morgan. Also, investigators need the public’s help in finding a young woman the night of the Metallica concert that may have loaned her cell phone to Morgan.

ABOUT THE FARM: I spoke with Nancy Bass, owner of the Anchorage farm for more than 30 years, and she says the area where Morgan’s body was found is not accessible by vehicle. Nancy and her husband David have an SUV, and there’s no way they could get down there. If it wasn’t for David on the tractor yesterday checking fences, Morgan may have never been found. David spoke out and said as soon as he saw the remains he instantly thought of Morgan. I asked Nancy about the hunters on her property, and she says when they first moved on the farm they did not allow hunting, but because of the trespassing, they decided to allow hunters assigned to different areas hoping that would keep an eye on things. Nancy says the main gate on the property is always open, it is never locked, but the pasture where Morgan was found is closer to a subdivision, only about 30 feet away. However Morgan got to that location may have been through the housing development, which isn’t too far of a walk. The Bass family owns more than 700 acres total, and the farm is only a few miles away from interstate 64. Police say the hayfield was cut in August, and Morgan’s body could have been there any time after mid-October when she went missing. Although investigators say they have not searched this area because they didn’t have a need to, I spoke with the CUE center for Missing Persons and they had a search scheduled with Morgan’s family and 1,600 volunteers at the end of this month.

The State Police told me the red digital camera Morgan was carrying the night she went missing still hasn’t been found. It is a Sony or Kodak. The suspect was described as a black male, between 25 and 35 and around 6 feet tall. In the 2005 attack, he was wearing a black pullover sweater with a zipper and light-colored pants.

On the FindMorgan website, her family posted this: “ We continue to work diligently with Law Enforcement to find justice for Morgan Dana Harrington and apprehend her killer(s). This is a difficult task during our worst nightmare with our limited energy and abilities. We will be successful though because of the strength we derive from the outpouring of love we have received from across the nation and beyond. Your support carries us as we continue to fight for Morgan and other precious children. We are so grateful to each of you. 2 4 1 The Harrington’s”

Virginia State Police have a tip line, please call them with any information: (434) 352-3467 or send them an e-mail: bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov or for to give information on the sexual assault, please contact Jefferson Crimestoppers: (434) 977-4000.

Remembering Morgan (family photo)

Sarah Foxwell (left) Thomas Leggs, Jr. (right)

The State’s Attorney for Wicomico County issued a release today stating, “The Grand Jury for Wicomico County indicted Thomas Leggs, Jr. for the First Degree Murder of Sarah Foxwell, in addition to First Degree Burglary, Kidnapping, Kidnapping of a Child, and First and Second Degree Sexual Offense.”  Leggs is currently being held without bond.  According to the press release, “The State will file Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty and the Notice of Intent To Seek Life Without Possibility of Parole before the end of February.”  

I spoke with Sheriff Lewis of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office earlier this afternoon and asked him about other victims of Leggs. Sheriff Lewis says, ”We have had many people call us with their own personal relationships or run ins with Thomas Leggs.  We believe Thomas legs committed this alone.  We will be seeking the death penalty.  All he has to do is request a change of venue (regarding a courtroom), and a judge cannot deny him of that.”

BACKGROUND: The Sarah Foxwell case came to a tragic end on Christmas morning, just a couple weeks ago.  The 11-year-old child was allegedly abducted from the bedroom she shared with her 6-year-old sister in the middle of the night. Convicted sex offender, Thomas Leggs, is the prime suspect. Police say Leggs knew the family because he dated Sarah’s aunt, who is Sarah’s legal guardian.  Police believe Sarah was snatched around 1 a.m. on December 22, 2009.  Her 6-year-old sister told police she woke up to “Mr. Tommy” in their bedroom talking to Sarah. Investigators were called at 10:02 a.m. and, based on the information they compiled, police were able to arrest Leggs and charge him with abduction and burglary within two hours.  Sarah’s aunt told investigators that she had not seen Leggs since 32 days before the abduction. On Christmas morning, thousands of volunteers, including parents and children, gave up opening gifts to search for Sarah. Sheriff Lewis of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office told me that one little boy even emptied his piggy bank, put it in a baggie and handed it to the Sheriff to donate to the fund to find Sarah.

Sadly, Sarah’s body was found on the Maryland-Delaware line later that day.  Her autopsy is complete, and the Sheriff told me Sarah had many causes of death, all related to the homicide, but he is not ready to release details about the struggle at this point. Leggs is not only a sex offender in two states, (Maryland and Delaware), but he is also facing charges out of Ocean City, Maryland for an incident that occurred on September 11, 2009. During that incident, police say a woman woke up in the middle of the night to a naked Leggs standing at the end of her bed masturbating.  If Leggs is, in fact, guilty and responsible for Sarah’s death, (and Sheriff Lewis thinks he is), there is an obvious escalation in sexual attacks between the alleged September 11, 2009 incident and the abduction of Sarah. Either before, or in between, police fear there may be other victims who have not yet come forward.  Sheriff Lewis told me on February 8, 2010 that Leggs appeared in an Ocean City, Maryland court and requested to have a jury trial for that case.  An official date has not yet been set.

To me, the most interesting part of this case is that out of the 171 convicted sex offenders living in Wicomico County, Sheriff Lewis says high risk offender Leggs was one of the few offenders they checked on regularly, though they didn’t have to.  According to the law, Leggs only had to register two times a year with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office, and the Sheriff’s office wasn’t required to check on him – but they did.  Sheriff Lewis says in 2009 alone they visited the residence Legg’s shared with his parents seven times.  They found Leggs living in an 8×14 portable shed in the backyard, and doing cabinetry work for his family’s business. Investigators also found Legg’s sister and her three children living on the same property.  This information has launched a new investigation to see if those children are victims as well. On a side note, Sheriff Lewis says he frequently visits the school that Sarah’s younger sister, Emma, attends, to have lunch with her. He says the child is doing well. 

We need to reach out to the public right now, and we need to know if there are other victims.  We encourage you to come forward.  Please contact the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office at:  (410) 548-4891

Sarah Foxwell missing

Rest peacefully Sarah

Very sad news to report this Christmas.  Just a few hours ago missing 11-year-old, Sarah Foxwell’s body was found by searchers near the Maryland-Delaware line.  Nearly 3,000 volunteers gave up their Christmas to search for the missing child throughout the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  Investigators say Sarah went missing on Tuesday from her home, and authorities believe Thomas J. Leggs, Jr., 30, a convicted sex offender, is the one who kidnapped her.  Leggs is charged with kidnapping and burglary, and more charges are likely to follow.  It is believed that Leggs did know the child, and may have been a former boyfriend of Sarah’s aunt, who is her legal guardian. Police fear there are other children who are victims of Thomas Leggs, and they are working to identify those children now.  If you have any information, please contact the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office: (410) 548-4891

ALLYSON CORRALES MISSING

ALLYSON CORRALES KIDNAPPING

The FBI needs your help finding Allyson Corrales.  Investigators say Allyson has been missing since March 6, 2009 after her mother was found deceased.  Agents think she could be in the company of her father, Luis Corrales who does not have custodian rights to the child.  The FBI says Allyson’s mother had a full order of protection against Luis Corrales.

Height:  3′8″

Weight:  40 pounds

Hair:  Brown

Eyes:  Brown