AUSTRALIA • Kiesha ABRAHAMS, 6 ~ Sydney

HOMICIDE detectives have taken the extraordinary step of interviewing the three-year-old sister of missing girl Kiesha Abrahams without her parents being present. As the search for the missing child enters its 100th day today, police confirmed they spent several hours with her younger sister Breeana in their quest for information.Breanna's mother Kristi Abrahams and stepfather Robert Smith were not allowed in the room.Breeana was accompanied by a social worker who has been in close contact with the family since Kiesha was reported missing from her Mt Druitt home on August 1, as well as homicide detectives who have worked on the case.Specialist investigators trained in working with children were brought in for the interview late last week, which included role playing to encourage the girl to speak to the officers.But Ms Abrahams said yesterday she doubted if police achieved much by interrogating her youngest daughter."I know for a fact they got nothing, she doesn't talk," Ms Abrahams said.She said the child is not comfortable around people she doesn't know, including the police."She doesn't talk to the police, she doesn't talk to anyone," she said.Ms Abrahams said Breeana has not been talkative since Kiesha went missing. But she said Breeana often comments on her older sister's absence from the family, and says "Sissy gone".Police would not comment on what had prompted them to formally speak with the child, one of the youngest people in NSW to be interviewed by police, other than to say it was about "right timing".Six-year-old Kiesha was reported missing from her family's Woodstock Ave home in early August.Her mother and step-father have denied any involvement in her disappearance, and insist she was kidnapped or wandered off and met with foul play.Residents in western Sydney yesterday held a candle ceremony on the 100th day anniversary since her disappearance.The ceremony is one of dozens which have been held at a shrine outside her home."We have to keep doing things for Kiesha, to keep her name out there, to get answers ... we have to," organiser Sharyn Greeves said.Her mother said the family had their own shrine set up in their home, and would mark the occasion in a private way."Every day is hard, it doesn't matter how long it's been, it's all hard," Ms Abrahams said.

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Missing Child: Kiesha Abrahams


Kiesha Abrahams is reported missing at 10:00am on Sunday 01 August 2010.

Her
mother states she put the 6-year-old to bed the previous night, at
9:30pm, but in the morning discovered the little girl's bed was empty.
The front door, possibly left unlocked overnight, was found ajar. There
appeared to be no sign of a forced entry.

Family friends have said that Kiesha was not in the habit of wandering off.

[Note: Sydney is 9 hours ahead of UK/Portugal i.e. a report posted in Sydney at 11:00am equates
to 02:00am UK/Portugal]

	Family photo
	Kiesha Abrahams, centre, seen with her mother and Robert Smith, her mother's partner. (family photo)

Search for missing six-year-old – Mount Druitt, 01 August 2010

Search for missing six-year-old – Mount Druitt NSW Police Force Sunday, 01 Aug 2010 11:26am *** Editors note: A photo of Keisha will be available from the NSW Police Force Media Unit later today. *** Police are conducting an extensive search in the Mount Druitt area after a six-year-old girl was reported missing this morning. Kiesha Abraham was reported missing about 10am after her mother could not locate her this morning. Keisha was last seen when she was put in bed about 9.30pm yesterday. It is not known whether she wandered off on her own but police have been told the front door was found unlocked this morning. Police from Mount Druitt with assistance from the Police Dog Unit are scouring the local area and Polair has been called to assist. Keisha is described as being about 140cm tall with a slim build, blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing pink pyjamas and a purple 'Pumpkin Patch' jacket. Anyone who has seen the girl or knows her whereabouts should phone Mount Druitt Police Station on 9675 0000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police quiz missing Kiesha's sister, 3, as search enters 100th day



Rob Smith and Kristi Abrahams said their daughter doesn't talk. Picture: John Grainger Source: The Daily Telegraph


Breenana, right, has not been talkative since Kiesha disappeared, according to the girl's mother Source: Supplied Police quiz sister, 3, without parents present

• Search for missing Kiesha enters 100th day
  
• Police spent several hours quizzing toddler
  

HOMICIDE
detectives have taken the extraordinary step of interviewing the
three-year-old sister of missing girl Kiesha Abrahams without her
parents being present.
As the search for the
missing child enters its 100th day today, police confirmed they spent
several hours with her younger sister Breeana in their quest for
information.

Breanna's mother Kristi Abrahams and stepfather Robert Smith were not allowed in the interview room.

Breeana
was accompanied by a social worker who has been in close contact with
the family since Kiesha was reported missing from her Mt Druitt home, in
Sydney's West, on August 1, as well as homicide detectives who have
worked on the case.

Specialist investigators trained in working
with children were brought in for the interview late last week, which
included role playing to encourage the girl to speak to the officers. Cover-up: Officer investigated

• Our Kiesha is alive and well - mum Herald Sun, 10 Sep 2010
  
• Kiesha's mother's letter of thanks Daily Telegraph, 8 Sep 2010
  
• Twist in Kiesha investigation The Australian, 23 Aug 2010
  
• Police return to Kiesha's home Daily Telegraph, 9 Aug 2010
  
• Police return to Kiesha's home Herald Sun, 9 Aug 2010
  

But Ms Abrahams said yesterday she doubted if police achieved much by interrogating her youngest daughter.

"I
know for a fact they got nothing, she doesn't talk," Ms Abrahams
said.She said the child is not comfortable around people she doesn't
know, including the police. "She doesn't talk to the police, she doesn't
talk to anyone," she said.

Ms Abrahams said Breeana has not been talkative since Kiesha went missing.

But she said Breeana often comments on her older sister's absence from the family, and says "Sissy gone".

Police
would not comment on what had prompted them to formally speak with the
child, one of the youngest people in NSW to be interviewed by police,
other than to say it was about "right timing".
Six-year-old Kiesha was reported missing from her family's Woodstock Ave home.

Her
mother and step-father have denied any involvement in her
disappearance, and insist she was kidnapped or wandered off and met with
foul play.

Residents in Western Sydney yesterday held a candle
ceremony on the 100th day anniversary since her disappearance.The
ceremony is one of dozens which have been held at a shrine outside her
home.

"We have to keep doing things for Kiesha, to keep her name
out there, to get answers ... we have to," organiser Sharyn Greeves
said.

---

April 22, 2011 8:14PM "Suffice to say we will remain out there until we find what we're looking for."
Updates: Remains found as Kiesha Abrahams' mother, stepfather charged with murder

ALL
the latest on the discovery of remains in the search for missing girl
Kiesha Abrahams - and the charges of murder against her mother and
stepfather - will be posted here.


* Unidentified remains at "a number of locations"
* Mother, stepfather charged with murder
* Grim discovery on Kiesha's 7th birthday
* Pictures: Body found in dense bushland
6.48pm The original missing persons flyer for Kiesha was handed out at the vigil in her honour tonight:

Kiesha vigil



The flyer seeking help to find Kiesha was handed out at a vigil after remains were found / Picture: Katherine Danks

6.40pm The vigil for Kiesha is starting to break up, after about 150 people turned out to remember her on her seventh birthday. The Daily Telegraph's Katherine Danks has been there:

Group of children singing "Arms of Angel" and all wearing matching #kiesha t-shirts. Numerous candles burning in crowd.

Residents singing happy birthday for #kiesha, including three cheers at the end.

Picture: Jeff Herbert

Kiesha Abrahams



NEWS:
Friends, family & members of the public hold a candle light vigil
at the shrine honouring murdered Mount Druitt 6 year old Kiesha
Abrahams. Her mother Kristy Abrahams & stepfather Robert Smith were
arrested & charged with her murder overnight. Family & friends
who formed the group A Voice for Kiesha wearing purple t-shirts sing
songs & read poems.
Source: The Daily Telegraph

5.46pm Police are still unwilling to discuss how they discovered the location of the shallow grave.
One possibility that has been raised is that Keisha's mother and
stepfather were overheard talking about visiting parkland near their
home today. One suggestion from the scene is that Kristi Abrahams and
Robert Smith were "about to pay their respects" at one site in the park - on Kiesha's seventh birthday - when they were arrested.

But police are insisting that it is just a coincidence that the arrests came on the same day as Kiesha's birthday.

The question remains: Why did police pick the pair up at 1am on Kiesha's birthday in a laneway leading to the grave site?

5.16pm This image from News Ltd photographer Brad Hunter
shows the density of the bushland in which police specialists are
searching, and just how painstaking a search it will have to be:

Kiesha: Police search bushland



Police search dense bushland near where Kiesha Abrahams lived, after remains were found / Picture: Brad Hunter
Source: The Daily Telegraph

4.41pm Police
have been searching bushland around where the remains were found for
nearly nine hours. Homicide squad Detective Inspector Russell Oxford
says they could stay there well into the night.
4.25pm A candlelight vigil will be held outside Kiesha's home tonight. It is reported that Kiesha's biological father Chris Weippeart could be one of those attending.
3.27pm Sydney's Daily Telegraph is promising to reveal the full story behind the breakthrough which led to today's dramatic developments in the Kiesha case. That will be in tomorrow's print, web and tablet editions.
1.46pm There have been angry scenes as Kristi Abrahams and Robert Smith were driven to a police station.
Locals
in western Sydney screamed at the police van carrying the pair as they
were driven past Mt Druitt police station. Several officers were forced
to go into the alleyway to control the growing crowd and stop them
chasing after the van.

Kiesha Abrahams charges



Locals shout abuse as a police van carrying Kiesha Abrahams' mother and stepfather is driven past them Picture: Daily Telegraph
Source: The Daily Telegraph

1.08pm Police have confirmed remains have been found in a park. It is reported the remains are "at a number of locations", but a shallow grave in the bushland was also discovered.
"The
remains, which have yet to be positively identified, will be taken to
Glebe Morgue for forensic examination, police said. "A post mortem will
also be conducted to establish the cause of death."

A crime scene
has been set up at the site, on land off Stoney Creek Road, at Shalvey
in Sydney's west. Scores of officers have been searching the area around
the grave.

Kiesha Abrahams charges



Police investigating the disappearance of Kiesha Abrahams scour bushland after remains were found Picture: Daily Telegraph
Source: The Daily Telegraph






12.46pm Kristi Anne Abrahams, 28, and Robert Terry Smith, 31, have faced Parramatta Bail Court in a brief session. Neither applied for bail, which was refused.
Their solicitor told the Magistrate Ms Abrahams was "immensely distraught this morning".
Read below for the full story of the dual arrests and charges of murder.

---

Ms
Abrahams and Mr Smith were arrested in a laneway in Freya St, Shalvey
at about 1am and taken to Mt Druitt police station in western Sydney to
be questioned by homicide detectives.

After today's brief court appearance, they will remain in custody until they appear at Penrith Local Court next Friday.

Court
documents say police allege the pair murdered Kiesha at Mount Druitt
between July 20 and July 27 last year, about a week before she was
reported missing.

An emotional Detective Inspector Russell
Oxford, from state crime homicide squad, said he was proud of police
efforts in this case. He said it had been a long and arduous
investigation Robert Smith's mother Rebecca is in Mt Druitt hospital
after experiencing chest pains early this morning.

Kiesha was
reported missing from her home in Woodstock Avenue last August, and
since then Ms Abrahams and Mr Smith have been interviewed by police on
at least two occasions. Police set up a task force named Strike Force
Jarocin last year to investigate her disappearance.

The pair
issued a plea for information just days after they reported Kiesha
missing, with a tearful Ms Abrahams begging people "anyone that's seen
her can they please go to the police''.

Mr Smith also said during
their appeal that he had no idea where his stepdaughter was, saying "If
I had any idea we'd be there looking".

No peace for little Kiesha Weippeart as funeral may be delayed

A FUNERAL for little Kiesha Weippeart may not be held for several weeks because of the amount of trauma to her body.
Police yesterday confirmed they have more tests to do on the remains of the alleged murder victim because extensive injuries to her bones have made it difficult to find the exact cause of death.
The news came as a devastating blow to Kiesha's natural father Chris Weippeart and grandmother Liz, who said they are desperate to put the child to rest and give her some much-needed dignity.
"I'm not sure how much more of this sort of bad news we can take," Ms Weippeart said.
"We just want her back, to be able to bury her and give her some peace ... she is just a baby."
DNA tests carried out on the skeletal remains found in a shallow grave in western Sydney bushland on April 22 confirmed they belonged to six-year-old Kiesha. However, police have told the Weippeart family that officers need to do more forensic analysis on the remains before they can be released and buried.
"We don't know how long that will be. It could be anywhere between two weeks and six weeks but we hope it won't be that long," Ms Weippeart said.
Meanwhile, police have confirmed all formal documentation relating to the child will bear her birth surname of Weippeart.
Ms Weippeart and her son have fought to have the little girl known by the name on her birth certificate, rather than by a name her mother took on when Kiesha was a toddler.
"She is Kiesha Weippeart. That is on her birth certificate, that is her name," Ms Weippeart said.
Funeral arrangements have been put on hold until the coroner is satisfied all the necessary tests have been carried out.
Ms Weippeart said the only positive thing to come from the delay is that the family has some more time to ensure Kiesha's send-off is "just perfect".
"I can tell you this: We will do whatever we can to give that little girl the best goodbye, then put her to rest in peace," Ms Weippeart added.
Kiesha's mother, 27-year-old Kristi Abrahams, and stepfather Robert Smith, 31, have been charged with her murder.
Police allege Kiesha was fatally assaulted in her Mt Druitt home on or about July 20 last year.
The little girl's remains lay undiscovered for nine months before they were located in a shallow grave in bushland at Shalvey.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/no-peace-for-little-kiesha-weippeart-as-funerla-may-be-delayed/story-e6freuzi-1226049408918

Skeletal remains confirmed as Kiesha Abrahams’

May 2nd, 2011

By Clementine Cuneo

THE skeletal remains discovered in a shallow grave in Sydney’s west have been confirmed as that of allegedly murdered child Kiesha Abrahams.

The six-year-old girl’s biological father Chris Weippeart and grandmother Liz were this morning delivered the dreaded news by police.

photo: mccannexposure.wordpress.com

“We knew this was coming…it doesn’t make you feel any better or worse, you just have to keep going the best you can,” Ms Weippeart said.

The skeletal remains found at Shalvey on April 22 were taken to the Glebe Morgue for forensic testing and a post mortem examination.

But the initial results were inconclusive, meaning DNA testing had to be carried out to formally identify the remains.

However, results over the weekend confirmed the identity of the remains as that of Kiesha’s.

“Chris is coping with the news as best he can… It’s yet another blow for him,” Ms Weippeart said.Kiesha’s mother Kristi Abrahams and step-father Robert Smith have been charged with her murder.

A police spokesman confirmed the DNA results had shown the identity of the remains to belong to Kiesha.

“That’s all that can be said, the rest is up to the Coroner to release if they choose to,” the spokesman said.

Funeral arrangements for Kiesha are being made by Guardian Funerals.

A full service is expected to be carried out later this week.


http://news.maars.net/blog/2011/05/02/skeletal-remains-confirmed-as-kiesha-abrahams/

Kiesha Abrahams' mother and stepfather denied access to her funeral

18 May 11 @ 09:01am

by Stacy Thomas


Dave Ngawaka, Judie Lowe, Liz Whymark and Alison Anderson at the memorial.
Picture: DAVID MARSHALL.

RUMOURS that Kiesha Weippeart’s mum and stepfather, who have been charged with her murder, would apply to attend the girl’s funeral have been quashed.

Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham recently announced that Kristi Abrahams and Robert Smith would not be allowed at the funeral.

Former friend to Miss Abrahams, Alison Anderson, said she was shocked when she found out they wanted to attend the funeral.

She caught up with the Standard this week at the bush grave where the missing girl’s remains were discovered and which is now surrounded by a purple picket fence donated from community members.

The fence brightens up the bush, which now has a well-worn track from people wanting to pay their respects.

``The day is about Kiesha and the focus needs to stay on that,’’ she said. ``In the meantime we will continue to do as much as we can to be a voice for Kiesha.’‘

Matt Lowe built the fence and Emerton Hardware donated the paint, which Mr Lowe’s two daughters helped paint.

Since Saturday, when the fence was erected, dozens of messages have been left on the palings.

Kiesha’s biological father Chris Weippeart said his family were arranging the funeral.

``We are organising the best send-off for Kiesha that she deserves.’‘

The little girl’s funeral has been delayed while police determine how she died.

Relatives of Ms Abrahams, 27, and Mr Smith, 31, said the couple should be allowed to attend.

``They are innocent until proven guilty,” Mr Smith’s mother Rebecca Smith said.



http://mt-druitt-standard.whereilive.com.au/news/story/kieshas-accussed-funeral-request-denied/