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.
Lindsey Baum went missing one year ago on June 26, 2009. She was only 10-years-old and hasn’t been seen since. Lindsey vanished from a small town of 1,500 in Washington state as she walked home from a friend’s house. Over the weekend, to mark the one year disappearance, her family and friends gathered for a large event to help remember this beautiful child and help remind the public of the faces of other missing persons throughout the Pacific Northwest.I spoke with Michele Bart who helps to represent families of missing children, and also sits on the advisory committee of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s “Take 25” program. She’s been working hand-in-hand with Lindsey’s mom Melissa since last October. She told me that throughout the day about 300 people attended the event including the grandparents of a missing boy and Susan Powell’s parents, Judy and Chuck Cox. There was plenty of food, music and sunshine. The Cox family shared their plans to open a foundation in honor of Susan Powell. The foundation is geared towards public awareness on domestic violence. Another positive note was the recovery of a teen that ran away nearly seven months ago. She showed up at the event, and eventually came clean with who she really was, and was reunited with her family. Michele says there will be an annual event of this caliber to help honor those who have vanished from the lives of loved ones.
It’s been more than three months 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. I spoke with Lt. Chris Mealey from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office this morning 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 the child’s body was found is west of Tacoma, Washington, and about 12 miles from where he 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.
A few days ago human remains were found off a beaten path in Idaho. The location where the body was recovered is a little less than four hours away from where missing mom Susan Powell was last seen. It’s been more than four months since Susan went missing from her home in Utah. Although the case has faded fast from the spotlight, it is still personally close to my heart and mind. I keep in touch with Capt. McLaughlin from the West Valley City Police Department, and he told me they are looking into the possibility that the remains could be Susan, but investigators in Idaho believe they could be the remains of a woman who went missing three years ago. Capt. McLaughlin says, “They aren’t 100% sure, until they get positive ID through dental records.” It could take a few weeks to make a positive ID.
It’s been more than a week 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 late last week, but there’s been no sign of Shantina. On Friday, 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 the child’s body was found is west of Tacoma, Washington, and about 12 miles from where he 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 last week, and was near the location when Azriel was found. Over the weekend, a memorial was held on Grand Island in memory of the child. Family and friends are working on a benefit to be held in memory of Azriel on April 18, 2010 at the Macaroons in Cheektowaga. Investigators are continuing to follow up with leads, and will continue searching as long as necessary to locate Shantina.
A mother and her 8-year-old son vanished over the weekend, creating a mystery that is leaving investigators stumped. Shantina Smiley and her son Azriel went missing on Saturday evening in Olympia, Washington. They left their home in Silverdale, Washington around 5 p.m. 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. Police say the doors were open, cash, license and a credit card were left inside, but Shantina’s purse was gone. The search continues today to find this family as investigators put divers in the water, helicopters in the air, and aresending police patrols door-to-door. Robb Simmon’s, Shantina’s fiancé, has created a website with his timeline of events.
I spoke with Lt. Chris Mealey from the Thurston Sheriff’s office, and the following is based off the timeline he has constructed on this case:
5 p.m. – Shantina and her son leave their home in Silverdale, Washington. Their destination was Castle Rock, Washington (about 50 miles away).
This weekend, a three month vigil will be held to remember Susan Powell.It’s been three long months since the mother of two vanished from her Utah home. Since then, her husband, Josh Powell, has been named a person of interest. He abandoned their family home in Utah, and moved their two small children to Washington State. Susan’s friends and family have come together, and by using social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, have kept this missing mom’s face in the media spotlight. Susan’s family and friends honored their friend recently with a week of service. They asked everyone across the country to lift a needle and donate handmade items to women’s and children’s shelters in honor of Susan. You can find out more about this effort at HEARTSKNITFOR SUSAN.
Today is moving day for Susan Powell’s husband Josh. Although his wife has been missing from their home for more than a month, he is packing up his house in Utah, and moving 800 miles away to Puyallup, Washington. Friends of the Powell family told me earlier this week that Josh was fired from his job, cannot get work, and is having trouble keeping up with the payments on his home. He feels it is best to pack up his children and move where he has more support… and most likely, more privacy. Josh reached out to friends of his church and neighbors to help him move out. Anyone who wants to help is asked to arrive at 1 p.m. EST
Investigators have served multiple search warrants on the Powell home, one for the family vehicle, and one to retrieve Josh Powell’s DNA. Police say they are still awaiting DNA results from the crime lab on evidence seized from the warrants. While the family van was being searched, investigators told me Josh rented a car, and drove for several hundred miles. They do not know where he went, and they are working to figure out where he went during that time.
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....
