JOSHUA DAVIS - 18 Months (2011) - New Braunfels (NE of San Antonio) TX

The family of a missing toddler held a prayer vigil Tuesday night
outside their home. 18-month-old Joshua Davis Jr. was last seen in the
home Friday evening.

Dozens of friends, family members and even
strangers showed up to show their support for family members, who insist
Joshua was abducted.

Police believe the child wandered away from
the home, however, Lt. Mike Penshorn says they are "confident" he is
not within a mile radius of the home. Law enforcement officers expanded
their search area by another mile Tuesday and used dive teams and
drones to search the area surrounding the home in the 2600 block of
Savannah Hill Circle.

Investigators also removed a tarp and a
bucket from the backyard of the home, which could be considered
evidence. Penshorn could not say how long the items had been there or
why they were taken.

Police also talked to Joshua's pediatrician
who said the boy would not have survived more than 24 hours outside in
the below freezing weather. Joshua suffers from asthma and requires
medical attention for his condition.

The FBI has also joined the investigation and they are not ruling out the possibility Joshua was kidnapped.

Comal County Crime Stoppers is now offering up to a $5,000 reward for anyone with information about Joshua's disappearance.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Family-holds-prayer-vigil-for-missing-toddler/IL_MUv0pl0irrjzzrP3_VQ.cspx

TomTerrific0420 wrote:

kiwimom wrote:

TomTerrific0420 wrote:

“Although we are still searching, we are shifting more toward a (criminal) investigation,” said Lt. Michael Penshorn of the New Braunfels Police Department.
“We'll still search, but we're going to focus more on other areas of
interest.”Those areas included forensic evidence as well as statements
from the family and friends, said Police Chief Thomas Wibert.

---Kudos to always, she picked up on the "hinkiness" in the story right from day one. I also had my doubts when I started looking into the mechanics of toddlers length of gait.

I agree. It's looking ominous now as I believe they would have found his body by now as he couldn't/wouldn't have gone very far on his own steam yet there seems to be no trace of him in the immediate area. How far away is the nearest pond/water? That might be the only explanation for not having found him yet as it's hard to find a small body in a lake/river etc.

---As I read what you wrote about water I got a chill and a thought. I saw a well or some sort of underground tank.
The liquid thing triggered something

I hope they search it again even if they have done it once. Last year a toddler the same age went missing under similar circumstances here in Auckland and they searched for days and she was eventually found drowned in a drain on a neighboring property. They had searched it initially but went back for another look with special equipment and found her a long way into the drain.

Forensics Now the Focus in Search for Missing Toddler



(New Braunfels, TX) -- The focus has shifted again in the search for missing 18-month old Joshua Davis Jr, who has been missing for nearly a week now. New Braunfels Police officials say their focus is now honed in on investigating certain forensic leads, although the ground and air search for signs of the missing boy continues to expand, now out to the 2-mile radius surrounding the boy’s home on Savannah Hill Circle, which sits off of Klein Road and Walnut Avenue. New Braunfels Police Lt. Michael Penshorn says that in the last 24 hours there’s been a significant increase in the number of FBI agents that are now participating in the investigation, as many as 30 agents, many of which are from the San Antonio Field Office and their forensics analysis team. That forensics team spent most of yesterday searching the boy’s home and going over evidence collected from early on in the investigation, along with new evidence, including a bundle that was taken from the backyard of the home that Penshorn identified as a tarp and a bucket that had been identified as items of interest. But despite that kind of investigative activity, police officials say that they do not have a particular suspect or person of interest in mind. And they say that as the process of elimination continues, the tips they get through Crimestoppers will play a larger and larger role, and anyone with any information about the boy, his whereabouts, or how he went missing is asked to call Crimestoppers. You could be eligible for a reward of up to 5-thousand dollars. Call 620-TIPS or log on to http://comalcrimestoppers.org.



http://kgnb.am/news/forensics-now-focus-search-missing-toddler

One Week Later: Searchers Seeking More Tips on Missing Toddler


(New Braunfels, TX) -- K-9 dog teams continued searching areas around the home of missing 18-month old Joshua Davis Jr. yesterday, but they also searched areas far from his home, on the other side of town. For the 2nd time in the last week, investigators were back in the area of Hunter Road and Country Ridge Drive with dog search teams scouring more densely wooded areas, searching for signs of the missing boy. New Braunfels Police officials wouldn’t say specifically why they were in that area yesterday, but did say that they were following up on any and all tips they get from the public, and that yesterday’s search off Hunter Road was one of those places they were following up on.
At 8:30 tonight, 18-month old Joshua Davis Jr. will have been missing for 1 full week. New Braunfels Police officers were on scene within minutes of the initial phone call reporting him missing, and immediately began searching the neighborhood and fields off Klein Road and Walnut on one of the coldest nights this winter. That search, and the questioning of family and friends that were at the home the night the boy disappeared, continued into the next morning, when over 100 community volunteers showed up to help look for the missing toddler. And over the last week, the search has now covered a full 2-square mile radius surrounding the boy’s home, the boy’s parents have been interviewed a number of times by police, along with other family members, friends, and neighbors.

read more>
http://kgnb.am/news/one-week-later-searchers-seeking-more-tips-missing-toddler

Friday marks the first full week since a toddler vanished from his home in New Braunfels.
This weekend the family of Joshua Davis Jr. is stepping up their
search efforts to bring him back home. The family plans to conduct
their own volunteer search effort Saturday and is asking for volunteers.

Authorities released a new picture Friday of 18-month-old Joshua
Davis Jr. They said it was taken hours before he was reported missing
last Friday.
In addition to federal, state and local agencies canvassing the area
searching for the toddler, Texas State Prison bloodhounds have been
added to aid with the search.
“I know God will make sure my son's okay," said the toddler’s father Joshua Davis Sr.
The 18-month-old boy's family has been helping out as well, by spending their days passing out fliers.
Joshua's father said his spirits have been lifted recently by
reported sightings in nearby communities of a child matching the boy's
description.
"Someone has seen my son in Seguin Texas at a laundromat... and
another caller seen him so hopefully that leads to something," Davis
said.
Police said they do not believe the toddler was kidnapped, however
the family believes otherwise. So Saturday the family along New
Christian Fellowship Church and other local churches plan to search
beyond the two mile radius where law enforcement officers have been
looking.
"Anyone who wants to come and pass out fliers and pray for us
anything like that could come out and do so on Saturday," Davis said.
The volunteer search effort is set to begin Saturday at 12:30 pm at
the family's home at 2619 Savannah Hill Circle in New Braunfels.

http://www.kens5.com/news/Family-steps-up-search-efforts-for-toddler-missing-for-one-week-116032244.html

Keeping you in my prayers Joshua.

This fish is smelling worse, what the hell did they do to this precious child? How did he "get out" of the house, at that time of night and NOBODY noticed??? Waterboard, waterboard, waterboard I say.

The volunteers gathered in prayer before walking door-to-door
and handing out flyers. Angie Flack was one of the volunteers. She has a
son around the same age and believes Baby Joshua is still alive.

“If
this was my child and I know he has walked out the door before and a
lot of mothers struggle with this. But we are hoping we will be able to
bring him home,” said Flack.

Joshua's parents believe he walked out of their New Braufels home last Friday afternoon.

If you have any information, contact Comal County Crime Stoppers at (830) 221-4100.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Volunteers-go-door-to-door-searching-for-Baby/yhS7fMMwGEyrugEmeOW75Q.cspx

Hope fading in search for missing New Braunfels toddler


The search continues, but hope is fading for the safe return of a missing 18-month-old boy.
The New Braunfels toddler was reported missing by his parents one week ago Friday night in the freezing temperatures.
Over the weekend, volunteers banded together to search for Joshua Davis Jr. They were joined by police, DPS troopers and the FBI.
The boy's parents say they won't give up until joshua is found.http://www.kens5.com/news/Hope-fading-in-search-for-missing-New-Braunfels-toddler-116157964.html

February 17th 2011


NEW BRAUNFELS — The search for missing toddler Joshua Davis Jr. continues, but police can't find a any clues about the disappearance of the 18-month-old.Instead, said Lt. Michael Penshorn, Texas Rangers,
FBI agents and New Braunfels police have worked around-the-clock for
two weeks poring over interviews, re-examining witnesses' statements and
checking into any tips that come in.Wednesday, for example, a resident reported seeing vultures hovering over a sealed trash can on E. Common Street.“We sent someone and there was nothing there,” Penshorn said. “But we're checking out anything and everything.”Police say the boy, who vanished from a mobile home crowded with adults on Feb. 4, didn't wander off. Tracking dogs haven't been able to pick up
his scent, and exhaustive searches of a two-mile area around the boy's
home have turned up no signs.Police and abduction experts also have ruled out the possibility of a kidnapping.


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Search-for-missing-New-Braunfels-boy-continues-1018806.php#ixzz1EGZ2JeZh

Posters Note: So if they are correct and he didn't wander off and he wasn't abducted they must believe he was killed by someone in the house?

NEW BRAUNFELS - The search for Joshua J. Davis has taken
investigators across state lines, seeking information.

And authorities believe that someone, somewhere, knows more than
they're telling about the toddler's Feb. 4 disappearance.

Lt. John McDonald of the New Braunfels Police Department
criminal investigation division said FBI investigators have been
talking to individuals far away from the Savannah Hill Circle
neighborhood where 18-month-old Joshua vanished into thin air three
weeks ago.McDonald said the FBI has talked to individuals out of state who
might have knowledge about the personalities of individuals
connected to the case in some way."There's probably nothing more serious than a child case," he
said. "Every day we chase new leads that come in."This week, a fresh batch of rumors were circulating that Joshua
had been found, but as of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to
dispatch, there was no new information in the case.The leads are, for the most part, consistent in the areas they
recommend searching or scenarios they recommended exploring,
McDonald said."I do believe there are people out there who know some facts
that we don't have, and I urge them to come forward," McDonald
said.The Texas Rangers and the FBI are still in town, working on the
case, but time is of the essence, McDonald said.Interviews are still being conducted, and the polygraph or "lie
detector" has been used.Baby Joshua's dad, Joshua Akeem Davis, has taken the polygraph
and the baby's mother, Sabrina Benitez expressed interest in taking
a polygraph, McDonald said.Authorities said earlier several agencies have ruled out
abduction or kidnapping. Ground and air searches in a two-mile
radius have failed to yield any clues. Search and cadaver recovery
dogs were reportedly stymied when the trail on Joshua's scent
cooled at the edge of the family's yard, which would seem to
counter theories that the youngster could have toddled off on his
own into the cold evening around 8 p.m., the time witnesses at the
Davis home believe he disappeared.
http://seguingazette.com/news/article_d612621c-407b-11e0-99bc-001cc4c03286.html

What happened to Joshua???????
NEW BRAUNFELS — The reward for information leading investigators
to missing toddler Joshua J. Davis just quadrupled, and his father
is hoping money talks.

Crimestoppers’ reward had been $5,000, but it was doubled Tuesday
and then matched by the FBI. The reward is now $20,000, said Joshua
Davis Sr.

http://herald-zeitung.com/news/local_news/article_0a96f4e0-5048-11e0-8724-001cc4c03286.html

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) - Crime Stoppers is
offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of a
Texas toddler missing for six weeks.
Joshua Davis Jr. of New Braunfels was 18 months old when he was reported missing Feb. 4 from his family's mobile home.
Texas Rangers and the FBI have joined the investigation.
Crime Stoppers of Comal County on Thursday announced the updated reward.
New Braunfels is 20 miles northeast of San Antonio.http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=14276069

http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/news/slideshow/The-search-for-Joshua-Davis-Jr-2757.php

A billboard for baby Joshua

Friday, April 1, 2011

• 
  This billboard near Interstate 35 and Texas 46 in New Braunfels
  reminds passing drivers that Joshua Davis Jr., the toddler who went
  missing in February, still hasn’t been found
  

NEW BRAUNFELS — Friends of Joshua Davis Jr.'s family have put up a billboard on Interstate 35 to keep the toddler's mysterious disappearance in the public eye.

The sign, located near the Texas 46 intersection, shows one of the most recent photos of the boy, who was 18 months old when he who disappeared on Feb. 4 from his parents' house and mentions a $5,000 reward. The cumulative rewards made available for the information, put up by Comal County Crime Stoppers and the FBI, total $20,000.Police, Texas Rangers, FBI agents and even prison system dog teams scoured the city for weeks to no avail. But with no leads and no arrests, says a family friend, the case has been out of the news for weeks.

The billboard, like the website www.joshuadavis.com, was donated to the cause.“We're just trying to do anything we can to keep the name out there,” said Angie Flack. “There's not a lot of publicity and there's still a child missing. People need to remember that.”

Parents of missing New Braunfels toddler plead for help



4/12 9:24 pm
NEW BRAUNFELS-- The parents of a missing New Braunfels toddler are pleading for your help to find their son.

Sabrina Benitez and Josh Davis are reaching out to the community in hopes that
someone can provide information about the whereabouts of their son.

"It breaks my heart. Every day it feels like part of me is missing. I'm
empty without him," Benitez said about her son, 18-month-old Joshua
Davis Jr.

The two clutched Joshua's favorite blanket as they begged for someone to come forward.

"I miss waking up to his kisses and going to sleep with him in my arms. I
sleep with his blanket every night in my arms. I sleep with it and
pretend like it's him I'm holding," she said.

Joshua disappeared from the family home 67 days ago, on February 4th. Police believed the
child may have wandered off from the home that night, however, search
dogs never picked up a scent of the child. Investigators have not ruled
out that possibility, or the possibility that the child was abducted. No
sign of the child has been found. They say, at this point, everyone
remains a person of interest.

A $22,000 reward is offered for any information about where Joshua may be. You can call Comal County Crime Stoppers at (830) 620-TIPS.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Parents-of-missing-New-Braunfels-toddler-plead/aGrydk_4M02V8wHcD--eDQ.cspx

No updates.

kiwimom wrote:No updates.

Oh so sad, such a darling little guy

:O( Still missing.

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas -- Sabrina Benitez and Josh Davis sat on the steps outside their New Braunfels home with photos of their missing son on the front door and windows, pondering Casey Anthony's acquittal of her 2-year-old daughter's murder and ultimately brief sentence for lying to investigators.

Both said her judgment day awaits.

"She should not have gotten away with it," Benitez said.

Her husband said most troubling was that "no one gets convicted or does any time for it."

"I'm hoping nothing like this happens in my son's case," Benitez said if her 18-month-old son Joshua's fate is sadly the same as Caylee Anthony's.

Unlike Caylee's mother who did not notify Florida authorities for 31 days, Joshua's mother said, "I called within 10 to 15 minutes."

She said New Braunfels police were summoned after friends and family already at their house had searched the premises.

Yet like Casey Anthony, the couple said some in the community cast doubt and suspicion on them.

"It kind of ate me up like, wow, people really think we would be that cold-hearted to do something to our son or make him disappear," Davis said.

However, Joshua's father said he has learned to ignore those sentiments.

"People are going to have their opinions anyway, so there's nothing I can do to change that," he said. "God knows we had nothing to do with his disappearance."

Adding to their ordeal, they said their new baby Jayden, born two weeks after Joshua vanished, was turned over to a family member by Child Protective Services.

Mary Walker, CPS spokeswoman, said it was done only after the mother showed traces of marijuana.

"(Benitez's) mom was taking care of him. Now we're living with him, so we did everything we needed to do," Davis said.

Although Jayden is only five months old, his mother said he responds to Joshua's photographs.

"We remind him of his brother and every time he hears his name, he smiles," she said.

His father said they also tell him, "That's brother. Tell brother to come home."

Instead of the "Beautiful Life" tattoo that Casey Anthony had done after her daughter's death, Benitez has the names of her sons Joshua and Jayden on her wrists.

Also unlike Anthony who often partied with friends in the weeks before Caylee's body was discovered, Benitez said she only attends family gatherings.

"We have a family prayer for him. We think about him," she said.

Davis said Joshua is constantly in their minds and hearts.

"We talk about him. Pray for him. Pray about him," he said.

Benitez cried as she said the family is in turmoil, "not knowing where he's at, who has him, if he's all right."

She said, "We just want answers. We want him back already."

Joshua's father said miracles happen every day.

He said, "I'm praying God has one of those miracles in store for us."
http://www.ksat.com/news/28479776/detail.html

Joshua’s parents hold out hope that son is alive

Posted: Thursday, August 4, 2011 12:00 am

NEW BRAUNFELS — It’s been six months since Joshua Jayvaughn
Davis Jr. was last seen.
Despite all of the effort his parents, law enforcement, concerned
friends, relatives, and even strangers have put into finding him,
there’s still no sign of the toddler, who will turn 2 years old in
a few weeks.


Sabrina Benitez cries as Joshua Davis Sr. talks about their missing son,
Joshua Davis Jr., on Wednesday.
http://herald-zeitung.com/news/local_news/article_f7eb5dbc-be39-11e0-a153-001cc4c03286.html

Parents mark birthday of missing New Braunfels toddler with prayer


NEW BRAUNFELS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Enlarge Photo

Joshua Davis Jr., who vanished from his home six months ago, was born two years ago on August 16.


Ralph Barrera /AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Enlarge Photo

Joshua Davis Jr.'s parents have moved to a different home than the one
he disappeared from Feb. 4 but keep this large banner in their front
yard.


Ralph Barrera /AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Enlarge Photo

Joshua Davis Jr.'s grandfather Jerome Davis still lives in the mobile home where the boy who was watching TV was found missing.


Updated: 7:27 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011

NEW BRAUNFELS —
It was bitterly cold the February night that Joshua Davis Jr. went missing
from his home in New Braunfels.

It had snowed that morning, so the 18-month-old's parents, Joshua Davis and
Sabrina Benitez, said they had kept him indoors. The cold aggravated
Joshua's asthma, a condition that had sent him to the hospital a handful of
times since he was born.

Benitez said Joshua was last seen watching TV with family in the living room
just before 8 p.m.

And then he was gone.

The search involved the FBI, Texas Rangers and search-and-rescue dogs.
Hundreds of volunteers combed brushy scrubland and dense thickets near the
subdivision where the family lived.

Six months later, Joshua is still missing. No body has been found. No
suspects. And no solid leads.

Still, Davis and Benitez are hopeful he's alive. Today, they plan to mark his
second birthday, which is on August 16, with a prayer vigil.

"It's still his day," Davis said. "It's still his birthday."

Jerome Davis, Joshua's grandfather, said he had been resting in his bedroom —
his knees were aching from arthritis — when Benitez came in to ask if he had
seen Joshua that night in February. They searched the house, and then, he
said, he called 911 because Benitez couldn't — she was shaking too hard.

"He was the sweetest little kid you would ever want to see," the
elder Davis said, shaking his head. "That was my baby. Always smiling."

Davis and Benitez no longer live at the house on Savannah Hill Circle. They've
moved in with Benitez's mother, who lives about three miles away, with their
new son, Jeidan. Benitez gave birth to him two weeks after Joshua was
reported missing.

But an 8½-by-11-inch poster taped to the door of the trailer, where Davis'
father still lives, asks anyone with information about Joshua's
disappearance to call the New Braunfels Police Department.

Back on Savannah Hill Circle, Gracie Muñoz, a kindergarten teacher who lives
with her family next door, said the police scoured their home that night,
including the refrigerator. In all, the home was searched three times, she
said, once with dogs sniffing under the trailer.

In daylight, Joshua's street is quiet. His home is nestled among two blocks of
mobile homes, most tidy and well-maintained. Most front yards looked played
in, with swing sets and overturned bikes cluttering the lawns.

Joshua loved playing with toys, Benitez said. Her son enjoyed taking baths and
the movie "Toy Story 3."

Davis said his namesake just liked being with them.

Lt. Heath Purvis with the New Braunfels Police Department said the
investigation is ongoing and a high priority for the department but that
detectives are only receiving about one tip a week. In the beginning of the
investigation, police received as many as four tips a week, totaling about
250 in the past six months.

Purvis wouldn't say whether investigators believe Joshua was abducted.

"One of the things we've never had is a good, solid tip that allows us to
move in any particular direction, to really get it going, really dive into
the investigation," he said. Without any new leads, it could become a
cold case, he said.

Detectives have exhausted every lead, Purvis said, and the Texas Rangers and
FBI are still assisting as needed.

"A lot of this stuff remains a mystery," Purvis said. "We're
always looking for that extra clue that will help us break the case open."

Benitez and Davis said they suspect someone close to the family abducted
Joshua. Nine friends and family were at the house the night Joshua was
reported missing, Benitez said. She believes someone close to the family is
responsible.

"He didn't just vanish into thin air," Davis said.

Benitez said people in their community have pulled away from her and Davis
since Joshua disappeared. Some people thought they were guilty, she said,
judging her by her appearance, including her tattoos.

Sitting in front of a coffee table on which a poster of his missing son rests,
Davis said people questioned his devotion to his son.

"People say, 'Maybe he couldn't put up with being a dad,'" Davis
said. Leaning forward, elbows on his knees, he added: "That's my man.
He's a part of me."

Independently, Benitez and Davis have hired a private investigator, she said,
and continue to pass out fliers with Joshua's picture. A banner in front of
Benitez's mother's house offers a $5,000 reward for his recovery.

"We're living on our faith," Davis said. "Keeping our faith
alive. Keeping our trust in the Lord alive."

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/parents-mark-birthday-of-missing-new-braunfels-toddler-1735414.html

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas -- The case of
missing 11-month-old Baby Lisa Irwin has been in the national media for
weeks. Irwin was last seen about a month ago and investigators are still
following up on leads.Alonzo Washington, who says he works as a
voice for the parents of missing children, said Sunday that while the
attention out there for Baby Lisa is good, there's one child in Texas
who has been forgotten—18-month-old Baby Joshua Davis."I'm all
for helping children of all races and colors," Washington said. "But, it
seems as if there's a prototype for the ones that get national
attention and none of that prototype fits African American."Washington,
an activist and artist, who has been using YouTube and his artwork to
try and help get leads in these cases of missing children is also hoping
to get Baby Joshua's case some national attention.Joshua Davis
Jr. disappeared from his home in New Braunfels in February. Baby Joshua
is still missing, but his parents were happy to hear about Washington's
mission."It's real good that he's doing this because it can bring
awareness to someone who may not be aware of this case anymore," said
Joshua Davis, Baby Joshua's father. "Because, it's not so much on the
news anymore.""The media shouldn't look at him as a minority for
statistics," said Sabrina Benitez, Baby Joshua's mother. "All children
should have national media coverage. All children deserve to be brought
back home."Benitez said they plan on reaching out to Washington
not only to thank him for bringing attention to their case, but also to
see if there's more they can do to try and find their son.
http://www.ksat.com/news/29566555/detail.html

NEW BRAUNFELS - Nearly a year after a New Braunfels toddler disappeared
from his home, his parents still have no information about where the boy could be.

Joshua Davis, Jr. was last seen February 4th of 2011.
Police searched several miles around his home but found no sign of him.
His father, Josh Davis, said police are "starting fresh" with the case.

"It's kind of hard, because I wonder why it's been so long. I wonder why
start over now? Why couldn't they have started over eight months ago?
Why couldn't they have started over two months ago?" he asked.

Davis said he's not giving up hope that his son will be found and returned
safely to the family. The toddler was 18-months-old when he vanished
from his home and has missed holidays with his family and the birth of his baby brother.

"I don't see how anyone could take someone's
child or withhold information about the disappearance of someone's
child. I feel like if you have information and you're not coming
forward, you're just as guilty, whether you played a part in it or not," Davis said.

There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to
Joshua's whereabouts. Call New Braunfels Police or Comal County Crime
Stoppers at (830) 620-TIPS with any tips.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Missing-toddlers-parents-plea-for-information/-ZMTcb3Oy0qGwpkkfvIrzg.cspx