JEHESSYE SHOCKLEY - 5 yo (2011)/ Charged: Mother; Jerice Hunter - Glendale AZ

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A massive search has been launched for a
5-year-old girl who disappeared from her home in a Glendale apartment
complex.

Officers from the Glendale, Phoenix, Chandler and Scottsdale Police
Departments were joined by an FBI squad and bloodhounds with Arizona's
Child Abduction Response team Wednesday in the search for Jehessye
Shockley.


Police believed the girl had wandered away from her home, possibly
through the front door, shortly before her mother returned home and
called police about 5 p.m. Tuesday.

They initially said there was nothing suspicious about the
disappearance; however, concerns grew when the child was not found
overnight.

Glendale Police Sgt. Brent Coombs said officers had searched dump sites
and swimming pools in the area of 45th Avenue and Glendale and had done a
reverse 911 operation.

They also went to the private school where the girl attended kindergarten to contact people who might know her.

In addition, 45th Avenue was closed between Glendale and Ocotillo
Wednesday morning as police stopped cars coming out of the neighborhood.

Coombs said police would like to talk to a woman, 25 to 35 years old,
who was seen putting a young female into a car -- described as a 1998 to
2000 Chevrolet, possibly a Malibu -- about 5 p.m. Tuesday in the area
of 45th Avenue and Glendale. He said the child offered no resistance
when put into the car and it was not known if the incident was related
to the Jehessye's disappearance.

Jehessye is described as black, about 3-feet, 5-inches tall, 55 pounds
with black hair and brown eyes. She has long hair in a ponytail. She was
last seen wearing a white t-shirt and jeans.

Anyone with information was asked to call Glendale Police at (623) 930-3000.
http://ktar.com/category/local-news-articles/20111012/Five~year~old-missing-from-Glendale-apartment/

Poster's Note: Last I heard this case was being upgraded to an AMBER ALERT!

Police in Glendale, Ariz., said they were looking for a woman seen
putting a girl into her car who matched the description of a missing
5-year-old.
Jahessye Shockley is believed to have wandered out the front door of
her home between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, The Arizona Republic
reported.

Police said they were looking for a woman who was seen putting a girl
matching Jahessye's description into a dark-colored Chevrolet
resembling a Malibu that might be a 1998 to 2000 model.

The woman was last spotted driving on a street near where Jahessye went missing.

Police said they hope to talk to the woman to determine whether she
has any connection to the missing girl. The girl being put into the car
appeared to resist, the newspaper said.

Jahessye's mother told police she returned from an errand to find her
daughter missing. The girl had been in the care of three siblings, the
oldest 13, police spokesman Sgt. Brent Coombs said.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/10/12/Ariz-police-search-for-missing-girl-5/UPI-60211318466448/#ixzz1ad3odEgN

Search to Find Missing 5-Year-Old Continues Thursday
May have been abducted, amber alert issued

Updated: Thursday, 13 Oct 2011, 6:18 AM MST
Published : Tuesday, 11 Oct 2011, 9:48 PM MST

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Glendale Police are asking for the public's help in locating a 5-year-old girl who went missing from her family's apartment a little before 5 p.m. Tuesday -- and as the hours go by, concern for the girl's safety grows.

Jahessye Shockley went missing from an apartment near 43rd Avenue and Glendale. Shockley somehow wandered away from her siblings and she may have left through the front door.

The girl's great-aunt talks about how her mother has been doing as the search continues. She said, "Mom is not holding up that well at all. You know, this is, I'm sure, the toughest thing for a mother to face."

Police said the girl is well-known in her neighborhood, is curious and able to execute tasks, such as opening doors, that some 5-year-olds may not be capable of doing at that age.

Two bloodhounds were brought into the investigation Wednesday morning from Florence, Ariz. The search is also being conducted by air, and officers are examining surveillance video from nearby businesses.

Canals and vehicles have also been searched, and everyone in the area has been called by authorities using reverse 911.

On Thursday morning, officers were again searching the area with the bloodhounds.

They also brought in a second mobile command center, the same one they used for the Super Bowl.

Police have also updated the missing poster to include a clear picture of the girl in color.

Police are investigating a tip that may or may not be connected to the missing girl.

A black woman between the ages of 25 and 35 was seen putting a girl in a 1998 or 2000 4-door black Chevrolet Malibu at about 5 p.m. at 45th Avenue and Glendale. The girl seen matches the missing girl's description. Police are looking for the woman, who is described as 5'8" tall and weighing 120 pounds, wearing a white tank top and blue jeans, which were rolled to mid-calf. She has brown eyes and her hair was styled in a bun.

Sgt. Brent Coombs with Glendale Police said, "The person that provided that tip was fairly certain the child involved looked very close to our missing girl."

The FBI joined in the search Wednesday morning, although there has been no explanation on why the agency is involved in this case.

Shockley attends private school, and authorities are interviewing people there.

Tuesday, the child's mother returned home from work to find she was not with her other siblings, who were supposed to be watching her, and called police.

Shockley is a black female, 3' 5" tall, 55 pounds, with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a solid white T-shirt, blue jeans shorts and pink flip flop sandals. Her hair was in a ponytail.

Police are stopping each car that drives through the neighborhood and searching it, as well as handing out fliers with the girl's picture on them. The investigation has extended to checking sex offenders' residences and area garbage bins.

Late Wednesday night, the search grew east and north of Glendale.

At first police believed there was nothing suspicious involved, but an Amber Alert was issued Wednesday morning after the department received the tip about the possible abduction.

If you have any information about this case, call the Glendale Police Department.

TIPLINE: 623 -930-HELP (4357)

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/glendale/5-year-old-girl-missing-in-glendale-10-11-2011


NCMEC poster
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/AmberExternalFCServlet?act=retAmberCase&amberId=9134

Witness tip propels search for missing Glendale girl

by Stacey Delikat - azfamily.com

Posted on October 13, 2011 at 5:20 AM
Updated today at 5:33 AM

PHOENIX--The search for a missing Glendale girl was in full force Wednesday night, as investigators continued to work off a tip from a woman who lives in the neighborhood who believes she was one of the last to see Jahessye Shochley.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she saw a girl matching Shochley's description wandering the neighborhood near 45th Avenue and Glendale on Tuesday afternoon.

"She was crying and she said where's mommy?" the woman said in an interview with 3TV.

The woman says the girl ran off and she attempted to follow her but could not keep up.

The neighbor told police she saw the girl being pulled into a black sedan through the passenger door and then saw the car take off, heading east-bound on Glendale Avenue.

"I was too far away to get plates or to get a very clear description of the woman who got out of the passenger side, but she grabbed [the girl's] wrist and her arm and the next thing I knew she had picked her up and they were gone and they were going East on Glendale," the neighbor said.

Police have gotten few other tips to corroborate that information, but are continuing to look for a black 1998-2000 Chevy Malibu.

The woman in the passengers seat may have been black, 25-30 years old, wearing a white tank top and blue jeans rolled to the cuff.

The neighbor says she did not call police at the time because she was unsure who the child belonged to, and whether the person in the car was a stranger.

She says she only realized the girl she saw was reported missing when police swarmed the neighborhood later in the evening, and she saw Jahessye's picture.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/Witness-tip-propels-search-for-missing-Glendale-girl-131719663.html

Mother of missing 5-year-old has criminal history

Posted: 10/13/2011
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

GLENDALE, AZ - The ABC15 Investigators have learned the mother of a missing 5-year-old Glendale girl has a criminal history.
According to court documents , Jerice Hunter served prison time in California for "injury to a child."
Police are not calling Hunter a suspect or even a person of interest in her child's disappearance.
Glendale police Officer Tracey Breeden said police are aware of Hunter's criminal history, but declined to provide specific details, saying, "our primary goal remains focused on Jahessye's safe return."
Hunter pleaded no contest to four counts of causing injuries to her children. In the words of the California trial court that heard this case, the records state Hunter "never ever should have had children."
In October 2005, the children's grandmother called police after she noticed a cut on her 3-year-old granddaughter's leg. Three other children in the home also had cuts and scars on their bodies.
Records show Hunter's 14-year-old son told police she had repeatedly punched him and whipped him with sticks over a two-year period.
Police said Hunter's husband -- a registered sex offender -- also participated in the abuse by holding one of the children down.
The records include statements from one child who told police the husband whipped her sister five to six times a day, up to three times a week, and all of the children said the abuse occurred for years.
In January 2006, prosecutors dropped torture charges against Hunter in exchange for a plea of no contest. Hunter's lawyers asked for probation, but the state's probation department said she was a threat to the well being of her children. Hunter was sentenced to eight years in prison.
She appealed the sentence, but the court denied her appeal.
Hunter's eight-year sentence was imposed in early 2006, and we don't know why she is now out of prison. We're checking with authorities in California for the circumstances behind her release.
Jahessye Shockley was reported missing around 5 p.m. Tuesday from an apartment near Glendale and 43rd avenues. An Amber Alert was issued Wednesday morning and remains in effect as authorities continue canvassing around the Valley.
Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs said Thursday that police have received a couple dozen tips regarding this case, from as far as northern Arizona.


Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_west_valley/glendale/mother-of-missing-5-year-old-has-criminal-history#ixzz1aiTBjI8p

Jerice Hunter court documents

http://media2.abc15.com/html/pdf/JahessyeShockley.pdf

GLENDALE - Former Phoenix Police Sgt. Paul Penzone, who also worked
for ChildHelp, an organization working with the prevention and treatment
of child abuse, is shedding some light on the developments in the
missing girl case.
48 hours have gone by, and police have dismantled the command post. That means they are done with the search.
Although they will continue to follow up on and investigate leads, they will not be actively searching.
We
asked Penzone, after all this time has gone by, what are the odds of
good turnout? And does the fact that her mother previously served time
for child abuse play into the investigation?
Thursday, FOX 10
learned Jahessye's mother served prison time in California for child
abuse and endangerment. To that, Glendale Police told us: "Our primary
goal remains focused on Jahessye's safe return and understanding the
circumstances surrounding her disappearance."
Police have said they do not suspect any family members in Jahessye's disappearance.
Press play to hear Penzone's comments.

Retired Sergeant Theorizes on Child's Disappearance: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Description: Jahessye
is a black female, 3' 5" tall, 55 pounds, with shoulder-length black
hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a solid white T-shirt,
blue jeans shorts and pink flip flop sandals. Her hair was in a
ponytail.
TIPLINE: 623 -930-HELP (4357)
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/investigative/retired-sergeant-theorizes-on-childs-disappearance-10-13-2011

Based on the fact that LE has discontinued the active search for this little girl I am moving the storyline to "Missing"

Amber Alert for Jahessye Shockley canceled, girl still missing
by KTAR.com (October 14th, 2011 @ 11:54am)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Amber Alert for a missing 5-year-old girl in Glendale has been canceled.

The reasoning for the cancellation was standard procedure.

Bart Graves, Department of Public Safety PIO, said Friday morning the Amber Alert had been issued for 48 hours and there were unable to locate Jahessye Shockley.

"Normally Amber Alerts are put out for a short period of time," Graves said of the cancellation. "This has been a couple of days now and there's no new information developed."

Just because the Amber Alert has been called off, that doesn't mean the investigation has been stopped or that the Amber Alert could be reissued.

"We conferred with the Glendale PD, the investigation is still ongoing into her disappearance but until there is new information, more descriptive information we will take down the Amber Alert at this time," Graves said.

Police took down their command post where Shockley went missing Tuesday night. Detectives have searched dumpsters and pools, but came up empty handed with any new evidence.

"Once we get new information, for instance a better description, a more exact description of the vehicle, we will reissue it," Graves said.

The Glendale Police Department says the investigative work will be more "behind the scenes" going forward. They had approximately 15 tips from Thursday to Friday. None of those have led to significant breaks in the case.

More than 100 state, local and federal officers were involved in the hunt for the girl who vanished between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday after her mother left her with three siblings and went to run an errand.

Police said their most solid tip was a report that a woman was seen putting a child matching Jahessaye's description into a black car, possibly a Chevrolet Malibu, near the girl's home about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

An Amber Alert in the case was initially issued Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

http://ktar.com/6/1462028/Girl-still-missing-Amber-Alert-canceled

Grandma: Missing Glendale girl's sisters taken by CPS

The grandmother of a missing Glendale 5-year-old said Sunday that state Child Protective Services has removed the girl's three siblings from their pregnant mother.

Glendale police said Sunday they are continuing their investigation into the disappearance of Jahessye Shockley and that the mother's criminal history of child abuse is part of the probe.

Jerice Hunter's conviction in a child abuse case "is part of what we are looking at," Glendale police Sgt. Brent Combs said. "They (investigators) are aware of her criminal history.

Glendale police have said that Hunter is not a focus of the investigation and that they are exploring many aspects of the case.

In 2006, while living in California, Hunter, then 32, pleaded no contest to four counts of corporal injury to a child. She had four children at the time, a teenage boy and three young girls. Jahessye was not yet born.

Court papers say that between April and October 2005, Hunter and her husband, convicted sex offender George Shockley, did "willfully and wrongfully inflict cruel and inhuman corporal punishment and injury, resulting in a traumatic condition" upon all four children.

Hunter was sentenced to eight years in prison. It is unclear why and when she was released.

A court-appointed psychologist concluded Hunter deeply regretted whipping one of the children with an extension cord and that counseling would help her learn more effective parenting skills, according to court records.

On Sunday, the children's grandmother, Shirley Johnson of California, said the family is devastated that Jahessye's three sisters, ages 13, 7 and 9, are no longer at home. Worse, she said, is that they have been split up and are staying with three different foster families.

"What kind of message is that sending their sister?" Johnson asked, referring to Jahassye. "That they can be taken too?"

Hunter said she had returned from running an errand earlier Tuesday when she discovered Jahassye, whom she had left with her other children, was gone.

Combs, the police spokesman, confirmed that the children "are in a safe place." CPS could not be reached for comment.

In an interview last week, Johnson acknowledged her daughter's troubled past but said she had turned her life around and was devoted to her children.

" I need a lawyer to help me get these other kids," she said.

Police ask anyone with information about Jahessye's whereabouts to call 623 930-43



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2011/10/16/20111016glendale-missing-girl-siblings-taken.html#ixzz1b06hScLA

Police looking for a 5-year-old Arizona girl who has been missing six
days said Monday they now believe she was most likely kidnapped,
because otherwise they would have found her.Jahessye (JES'-ee)
Shockley was last seen by her three older siblings last Tuesday at her
Glendale home while their mother was running an errand. Police believe
she left their apartment through the front door but don't know anything
about what happened next.
"If it was just her walking away, we
would have found her by now," Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs told The
Associated Press. "Obviously she's not with us. Somebody knows
something or somebody has interacted with her and put her in a place,
and we just haven't found her yet."
Police have no suspects, evidence or promising leads — nothing that points them definitively to what happened.
Coombs said the girl's mother is not a suspect despite comments she made to reporters.
"They're
treating me like that — the interrogations and the way I've been spoken
to," Jerice Hunter, Jahessy's mother, said Monday in an interview with
the AP. "(They're) very disrespectful."
Coombs said police have
treated Hunter no differently than any other mother of a missing child.
They conducted an initial interview as well as follow-ups because
"people remember things, details, as time goes by."
He said Hunter might believe she's a suspect because "emotions are speaking."
Meanwhile,
Jahessye's grandmother told The Arizona Republic on Sunday that Child
Protective Services removed Hunter's three other children from her home
and put them in foster care.
CPS spokesman Steve Meissner said
Monday he couldn't immediately confirm or deny the agency's involvement.
He cited an Arizona law that allows for information about children to
be released only if there has been a death or near death caused by child
abuse, abandonment or neglect.
Coombs declined to comment about the children's whereabouts, saying only that they're in a safe place.
Hunter also declined to speak about her other children but pleaded for Jahessye's safe return.
"I
would really appreciate anybody who has any information, anyone who
thinks they have seen anything, to contact the police," she said. "If
you have my child, please take her to a safe place, a public place where
she can be located."
She added: "The family will not be the same until the child is returned, and I will be relentless in my search."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMKB-fTM3wCe4c_I0ExRhCS_gEig?docId=5cbadcf145b8414d8a589bf7088f2bb3

One week after a 5-year-old Glendale girl was
reported missing from her mother’s apartment, police returned to her
neighborhood Tuesday afternoon to re-canvass the area and try to develop
new leads.

Although authorities spent several days last week searching the area
around Jahessye Shockley’s home and interviewing neighbors, Glendale
Police Department Commander Rick St. John said it is common for
investigators to return on the same day of the week and time that a
person went missing and speak to people who may only pass through once a
week.
Jahessye Shockley.






Jahessye’s mother reported her missing around 5:00 pm on October 11
when she returned home from running an errand and the girl was gone. The
mother told police Jahessye’s older siblings were supposed to be
watching her.

“Hello, hello, hello. I need, I need an officer at my house. I can’t
find my daughter,” Jerice Hunter said in her call to 911, which was
released Tuesday.

“We don’t have information at this time…to call this an abduction or
kidnapping,” St. John said at a press conference Tuesday, but he added
that police were still considering all possibilities.

While there is no “hard evidence” of a kidnapping, St. John said he
wanted the public to be aware that an abductor may have changed
Jahessye’s appearance by now. He urged people to look at her photo and
imagine what she might look like with different clothing, a different
hairstyle or with glasses.

Police have investigated hundreds of leads so far, according to St. John, but most have been inconclusive.

“There is someone out in our community that knows the whereabouts of
Jahessye. They have the information that we’re seeking. We need that
person to call in,” St. John said.

To anyone who may be withholding information because they are afraid
of retaliation, he said, “Put your fear aside. Think of this 5-year-old.
Think of the impact this case has on the family.”

Jahessye’s three older siblings have been removed from her mother’s
home by Child Protective Services and placed in separate foster homes,
but police were not involved in that decision and did not ask CPS to
keep the kids apart. Although he declined to address why the children
were taken away, St. John said the police investigation has not revealed
hard evidence of any abuse in the home.

Detectives are aware that Jerice Hunter pleaded no contest to causing
injuries to her other children in California in 2006 and admitted to
whipping one of them with an extension cord at the time. Police
spokesman Sgt. Brent Coombs has said Hunter’s criminal history is part
of the investigation, but she is not a suspect in Jahessye’s
disappearance.

“I don’t have any concern over what she’s saying,” St. John said
Tuesday when asked if police have been able to corroborate Hunter’s
version of what happened on October 11. She has not been given a
polygraph test, but investigators have been using other tools to try to
determine if she is telling the truth.

No suspects have been named in the case, but police have “many”
persons of interest, a category that St. John said includes family,
friends and anyone else who has had contact with Jahessye over the last
month.

St. John also revealed that authorities have secured the section of a
nearby landfill where trash from Jahessye’s neighborhood from the days
before and day of her disappearance would have been taken, but they do
not have plans to search the landfill at this time.

Anyone with information about Jahessye Shockley’s disappearance is
asked to call the Glendale Police Department tip line at 623-930-HELP
(4357).
http://nancygrace.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/19/police-re-canvass-missing-arizona-girl%E2%80%99s-neighborhood/?hpt=ng_mid

PHOENIX - The grandmother of a 5-year-old Arizona girl missing
for more than a week pleaded Thursday for more attention from
police investigators and the national media, saying her
granddaughter's disappearance hasn't been made a priority because she's black.

Jahessye Shockley was last seen Oct. 11 by her three older
siblings at their Glendale apartment in suburban Phoenix while
their mother was out running an errand.

Glendale police believe Jahessye left the home through the front
door. They have no suspects, evidence or promising leads despite
search efforts by more than 100 officers and volunteers.

Jahessye's grandmother, Shirley Johnson, told reporters that
"The Glendale Police Department … botched this investigation. I
believe it's because she's a little black girl."

Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs said race does not matter to
investigators. "What matters is there's a 5-year-old girl missing," he said.
"It's the department's No. 1 priority."

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-regional/relative-faults-cops-in-search-for-girl/article_86bfaba5-7337-5e5b-92ee-8484264abf85.html#ixzz1bPRYrwA4

$11,000 Reward Offered for Missing Arizona Girl
Glendale police announced Wednesday that they
are now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the
recovery of a 5-year-old girl who has been missing for over a week.

This is in addition to up to $1,000 already being offered by Silent
Witness, bringing the total official reward for information about
Jahessye Shockley to $11,000. Jahessye’s mother reported her missing
from her apartment on October 11.

The mother, Jerice Hunter, said she had left Jahessye in the care of
her older siblings while she ran an errand that afternoon. When she
returned home around 5:00 pm, Jahessye was gone.
Jahessye Shockley






Police conducted an intense, multi-day grid search of the surrounding
neighborhoods last week and returned to re-canvass the area on Tuesday.
At this point, their resources are primarily devoted to following up on
tips from the public and other investigative leads.

Sgt. Brent Coombs said Thursday that police believe Jahessye would
have turned up within the first couple of days if she had wandered off
on her own. Now, nine days into the search, he said the odds of finding
her safe diminish by the hour.

“We’d be very short-sighted” not to consider foul play in the disappearance, Coombs said.

“It’s likely that she’s in the company of somebody,” Coombs added, and that could be someone “who had some sort of ill will.”

Police have no suspects in the investigation, but according to
Coombs, “everybody is a person of interest,” including family, friends
and anyone who visited their Glendale apartment in recent weeks.
Hunter’s other children have been removed from the home and placed in
separate foster homes by CPS since Jahessye’s disappearance, but police
say they had nothing to do with that decision. The children’s
grandmother told CNN affiliate KNXV that CPS said they were in danger
but would not give her a more specific explanation for the removal.
Hunter pleaded no contest to charges of causing injuries to her older
children in California in 2006.

One lead that authorities investigated early on involved a sighting
of a child who resembled Jahessye being placed in a black Chevy Malibu
by a 25- to 30-year-old black woman. “We still don’t know for certain
whether it’s linked,” Coombs said Thursday, expressing concern about the
reliability of the description based on the witness’ distance from the
situation and their eyesight.

Jahessye’s grandmother has recently criticized the way police have
handled the case and suggested that authorities have not done enough to
find Jahessye because she is black.

“It’s her race and it isn’t their child and she doesn’t have blue eyes and blonde hair,” Shirley Johnson told KNXV Wednesday.

Coombs said he understands Johnson’s frustration and emotions, but he
maintained that police are doing everything they possibly can to locate
the missing girl.

“This is a 5-year-old girl we’re trying to find…The color of her skin
absolutely makes no difference in the world to us,” Coombs said.

To be eligible for the $11,000 reward, tips must be called in to
Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377). The only exception, Coombs
noted, is if someone thinks they see Jahessye or if it is an emergency
and they cannot remember the Silent Witness number. In that case, they
should call 911 immediately. All callers can remain anonymous.


http://nancygrace.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/20/11000-reward-offered-for-missing-arizona-girl/?hpt=ng_mid

GLENDALE, AZ - It has been 10 days since 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley
was reported missing. Now, a cousin who helped raise her is talking
about how the familly plans to keep her face out there, and is also
opening up about allegations of child abuse.
Lisa Vance, from Glendale, says she helped raise Jhessye for four years while Jhessye's mother was in prison.
She tells ABC15 Jhessye was an intelligent girl with dreams of becoming a ballerina.
"You cannot help but love her. I miss everything about her," Vance said.
Jerice Hunter, Jhessye's mother, has a record of child abuse , and was
sentenced to jail in California back in 2006. Vance says Hunter took Jhessye
back last year when she was released.
"We did not give her back willingly," Vance said. "We didn't think Jerice
was ready. She needed to get to know Jhessye. Jhessye was two weeks old when she left."
Vance, who does not have contact with Hunter anymore, alleges Hunter abused Jhessye.
"Absolutely," she said. "At our functions, and get-togethers, Jhessye was not
herself. I've seen marks that led me to believe she was being abused in Jerice's home."
Police have not called Hunter a suspect in the missing child case
nor have they confirmed that Jhessye was abused.
CPS currently has custody of Hunter's three other children, but would not
release details about why they were removed from the home. The children
were taken away after the investigation into Jhessye's disappearance began.
Despite Hunter's past, Vance says the focus should remain on finding Jhessye.
"My own opinion is someone has Jhessye and she's still living. I just wish they would return her," Vance said.
Vance is planning a candlelight vigil at 45th and Glendale avenues Saturday at 6pm.
"It will not stop until she comes home," Vance said about the family's effort.

Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_west_valley/glendale/jhessye-shockley%27s-cousin-says-missing-child-was-abused#ixzz1bRciKWGb

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- It's been 11 days since a 5-year-old girl vanished from a Glendale neighbor and there's still no sign of her.

In recent days, Jahessye Shockley has been pushing for national media
attention, working to get their story out. Now it's happening.

Jahessye's photo first appeared on cable's Headline News Friday
morning. On Saturday morning, the little girl's grandmother, Shirley
Johnson, and aunt, Tammy Hunter, were on CNN.

"You want to get it as far as you can, because people can hop on the road and just drive," Hunter said.

During that CNN interview, Johnson and Hunter answered questions
about Jahessye's mom, who served time for child abuse in a California
prison in 2006. She was released just last year.

"Are you sure in your heart of hearts that Jahessye's mother has nothing to do with her disappearance?" the anchor asked.

"I feel comfortable saying that," Johnson answered. "I just don't
think she' capable of that, to do anything to her child. I just can't
see that."

Early on, the search for Jahessye focused on the Glendale
neighborhood where she was last seen, expanding in the nearby areas in
the days after she went missing. Now, nearly two weeks later, the
5-year-old could be anywhere.

At this point, police do not have any suspects in Jahessye's
disappearance. There is an $11,000 reward for information leading to
Jahessye.

Investigators have no concrete evidence indicating that Jahessye was
kidnapped, but they are following up on every lead they get.

Jahessye is black, approximately 3 feet 5 inches tall, 55 pounds with
shoulder length black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen at her
family's apartment near Glendale and 45th avenues.

Anyone with information is asked to call 623-930-HELP (4357).

Jahessye's family planned another vigil for her Saturday evening.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Jahessye-Shockley-Missing-5-year-olds-grandmother-aunt-on-CNN-132388363.html

Observation from Moderator:
Would somebody please give us the correct spelling of the victim's name?
I have seen at least 4 or 5 attributions and it is starting to grate on my nerves.

The case of a missing 5-year-old girl in Arizona is not getting proper attention from law enforcement because she is black, the girl's grandmother claims.
Jahessye Shockley vanished about 5 p.m. on Oct. 11 while she was with her three siblings at the family's home in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, authorities said. Her mother, Jerice Hunter, was out running an errand at the time.
The
girl was locked inside the house while the other children were playing
outside. When Hunter returned home, the door was unlocked and the
5-year-old was gone.
"If you have my child, please take her to a safe place, a public place where she can be located," Hunter told The Associated Press. "The family will not be the same until the child is returned, and I will be relentless in my search."
It
is believed the young girl let herself out and wandered off. None of
her siblings - the oldest being 13 years-old - saw her leave,
authorities said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/10/24/2011-10-24_missing_girl_jahessye_shockley_not_getting_attention_because_shes_black_grandmot.html#ixzz1bkFZW1sn

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Fliers have been posted on storefronts. Detectives
have gone door to door. An Amber alert has been issued to sound the
alarm that a girl is missing.
The disappearance of 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley from this Phoenix
suburb on Oct. 11 has, in some ways, stuck to the script of what occurs
coast to coast when children cannot be found. But the case of little
Jhessye, whose name is pronounced Jessie and who was last seen wearing
blue jean shorts, a white T-shirt and pink flip flops, has troubling
elements all its own.
Relatives of Jhessye, a black girl who has been missing for more than
two weeks, have criticized the news media for not giving the case the
same national attention that they say is given to white children who
have disappeared. But the considerable media scrutiny that has been
focused in Arizona on the missing child has riled the family as well,
with some of the suspicion for Jhessye’s disappearance directed at her
mother, Jerice Hunter.
Before Jhessye was born, Ms. Hunter pleaded no contest in California to
abusing her other children. She served three and a half years in state
prison, during which time Jhessye, who was born before her mother’s
sentence began, and the other children lived with relatives.
It was Shirley Johnson, Ms. Hunter’s mother, who reported that abuse to
the authorities, although she is now convinced that her daughter turned
her life around and was taking good care of the children when Jhessye,
her granddaughter, went missing.
“All the time and energy that’s focused on my daughter’s past should go
toward looking for Jhessye,” said Ms. Johnson, who flew in from northern
California to help in the search. “The press needs to go beyond my
daughter. They’re paying attention to one thing. I believe someone was
watching Jhessye and knew her routine. It was a predator. As soon as you
let your guard down, they snatch.”
Since Jhessye went missing, however, relatives who helped take care of her while her mother was in jail have come forward to air their suspicions that the girl was suffering from abuse.
Recounting a conversation she had with Jhessye at a family barbecue in April, one of those relatives, Mahogany Hightower told the Arizona Republic:
“She cried really bad, telling us she wanted us to take her home. She
wanted to go home now. We told her you can’t come home with us now but
you will later. She goes, ‘I can’t go later. I’ve got to go now.’ ”

Ms. Hunter, the mother, angrily dismissed those claims.
Ms. Hunter appeared outside the State Capitol on Monday with friends and
family, most dressed in Jhessye’s favorite color of purple, to draw
more attention on the case. She criticized the Glendale police for not
doing enough to find Jhessye and for focusing too much attention on her
and her criminal past.
A television reporter asked the mother, point-blank, whether she had
hurt Jhessye, prompting Ms. Hunter, who is eight months pregnant, to
emotionally deny that she had done anything wrong and to ask the
reporter whether she hurt her own children.
“It is very unfair to ask me that,” she said, her voice rising. “Do I
look like I hurt my daughter? Do I look like I hurt my daughter? Do I
look like I hurt my daughter?”
The police say that they consider Jhessye’s disappearance a high
priority and continue to have a team of detectives following up on
leads. Jhessye’s skin color does not enter into their investigation at
all, they said.
At a news conference on Oct. 18, a week after the girl’s disappearance,
Cmdr. Rick St. John of the Glendale Police, who is overseeing the
investigation, said that everyone who has come into contact with Jhessye
is a person of interest in the inquiry.
He said he had no concerns about the mother’s version of what occurred,
although he also said that the police were considering administering a
polygraph test to corroborate her account.
Ms. Hunter said that she left Jhessye in the house and her three older
children in the backyard when she went out to run some errands that
afternoon. When she returned, she found the front door unlocked and
Jhessye gone. She called 911.
“Hello, hello, hello, I need an officer at my house,” she said
frantically, telling the emergency operator that she could not find her
daughter.
Ms. Hunter also knocked on the doors of neighbors, including Karla
Brown, who lives two apartments away. “She knocked on my door and said,
‘Did you see my baby?’ ” Ms. Brown recalled.
Ms. Brown had been sitting out front and saw Ms. Hunter leave earlier in
the afternoon in a taxi. But Ms. Brown said she then went inside her
apartment and did not see Jhessye come out the front door, which is what
relatives believe occurred.
As for Ms. Hunter’s criminal past, Ms. Brown said she did not consider
that relevant to Jhessye’s disappearance. “She paid her dues,” Ms. Brown
said. “I have never seen welts or bruises on those kids. She’s strict,
yeah, but she keeps those kids out of trouble.”
Still, Arizona’s Child Protective Services recently removed Ms. Hunter’s
three other children, who range in age from 7 to 13, from the home.
Stephen Meissner, a spokesman for the agency, confirmed that the
children were in state custody but declined to comment further, citing
privacy rules.
Meanwhile, the police said they continue to hold out hope that the girl would be found.
“There are several possibilities,” Commander St. John said. “We can’t
rule out any possibility until the evidence and facts of the case rule
it out.”
As for a visit that detectives made to a nearby landfill, Commander St.
John said that was not a signal that the police believed that the girl
had been killed. Rather, he said that the police spoke to supervisors
there to ensure that garbage from the neighborhood where Jhessye went
missing was preserved “just in case.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/us/search-in-arizona-for-missing-girl-jhessye-shockley-leads-some-to-question-her-mother-jerice-hunter.html

Police Flooded With Tips On Missing 5-Year-Old Girl

Written by NewsOne Staff on October 27, 2011 10:36 am

Arizona police are receiving a flood of tips in the case of a missing 5-year-old from Glendale.
Kindergarten student, Jhessye Shockley, was reported missing two weeks ago.
RELATED: Eddie Murphy Addresses Controversies

RELATED: Family Of Missing Girl Slams Police Calling Lack Of Attention Racism
There have been tips coming in all the way from Ohio.

Police detectives in Glendale followed up on a tip about some clothing
spotted near a drainage canal, but they determined the garments belonged
to an adult transient, the Republic reports.

Monday, police in Mesa, Ariz., followed up on a tip from a bounty
hunter who said he’d spotted the little girl in a vacant home, but
police did not find her, according to the Republic.

“We’re looking for that break, and it just hasn’t come yet,” police Sgt. Brent Coombs says.
http://newsone.com/nation/newsonestaff2/jhessye-shockley-missing-5-year-old/

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In a reversal of what they've been saying, some
members of Jhessye Shockley's family now seem to be wondering if the
5-year-old's mother could have had something to do with the little
girl's disappearance.

Jhessye vanished from her Glendale home nearly three weeks ago while her mother was out running an errand.

Until now, the family has insisted that Jhessye's mom, Jerice Hunter, was not involved in the disappearance of Jhessye.

Hunter served time in a California prison in 2006 on charges of child abuse. She was released last year.

Over the weekend, Jhessye's grandmother, Shirley Johnson, and aunt,
Tammy Hunter appeared on CNN. Johnson was staunch in her support of her
daughter.

"Are you sure in your heart of hearts that Jhessye's mother has nothing to do with her disappearance?" the anchor asked.

"I feel comfortable saying that," Johnson answered. "I just don't
think she' capable of that, to do anything to her child. I just can't
see that."

Earlier in the week, Hunter herself expressed anger with the media when a reporter asked her if she hurt Jhessye.

"It's very unfair for you to ask me that," she said. "Do I look like I
would hurt my daughter? Do I look like I would hurt my daughter?"

In something of an about face, Josie Hunter, another of Jhessye's
aunts, appeared on Headline News Thursday evening and said she could not
say definitively whether Hunter was involved in whatever happened to
Jhessye.

"If the police find evidence of whoever did it, including Jerice … I
feel whoever did it should be held accountable," she said. "I, right
now, cannot say that I know for sure that Jerice did this or anything
like that. I want them [police] to look at everyone. She does have a past …."

Police say at this point Hunter, who is due to give birth any day, is not a suspect in the case.

Anyone with information about Jhessye Shockley is asked to call
623-930-HELP (4357). There is a reward of at least $11,000 for
information that leads police to the little girl.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Jhessye-Shockleys-aunt-wants-police-to-look-at-everyone-including-girls-mom-132794543.html

Jahessye Shockley, 5, has been missing since Oct. 11, 2011.

Possible Location(s):

• Arizona
  
• United States of America, USA
  

Police Search For Missing Five Year Old in Arizonia

Police and community members continue to
search for 5-year-old Jahessye Shockley who disappeared on October 11,
2011 from Glendale, Arizona.

»The Full Story
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/brief.cfm?id=78797


Last updated October 27, 2011

The mother of a missing Glendale girl has given birth to another
baby, who is now in the custody of state Child Protective Services,
according to the family.

CPS on Monday would not confirm the newborn has been taken from the mother, Jerice Hunter.

The agency previously confirmed that three of Hunter's other children
were removed a day after her 5-year-old daughter went missing. Jhessye
Shockley was reported missing three weeks ago today.
Hunter called 911 on Oct. 11 to say she had returned home after
running an errand to find Jhessye gone. The mother said the girl had
been at home near 45th and Glendale avenues with her other siblings, the
oldest of whom is 13, at the time.

A police search of the area, an Amber Alert, multiple rallies and
media attention have failed to turn up the missing kindergartner.

Glendale police Monday said that they had no new leads to report.
Throughout the investigation, they have said it is unclear whether the
girl wandered off, was abducted or was the victim of foul play.

Within the past week, police assigned a homicide detective as the
lead investigator on the case, though authorities say missing-person and
child-crimes detectives continue to probe Jhessye's disappearance.

A Glendale police spokesman, Sgt. Brent Coombs, said solving the case
would probably be more a matter of time passing than any big breaks.

Police on Monday continued to say Hunter is not a suspect.

Investigators have yet to give Hunter a polygraph test, though they say they are working with the FBI to schedule one.

Hunter came to police attention six months before Jhessye went missing.

A family member had alleged Hunter might have been abusing two of the children, and Glendale police followed up.

A police report from April said Hunter's parental rights to some of
her other children had been revoked in California, where she served time
for corporal punishment involving her children. A pretrial report
indicated Hunter's family history of abuse played a role in the way she
disciplined her children, but a court-appointed psychologist concluded
the mother deeply regretted whipping one of her children with an
extension cord and that counseling would help her learn effective
parenting skills.

Hunter had given birth to Jhessye shortly before beginning to serve
3½ years in a California prison. Family members in Arizona say they
cared for Jhessye. Hunter's mother, Shirley Johnson, had custody of the
other children, according to the April police report. The report said an
Arizona CPS worker talked with Johnson, who had said she returned the
children to Hunter after she was released from prison and moved to
Arizona.

Glendale police closed their investigation after finding no signs of abuse, noting CPS was looking into the matter.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2011/11/01/20111101glendale-missing-girl-mom-gives-birth.html#ixzz1cSzPaKMk

Glendale homicide detectives take over case of missing Glendale girl


GLENDALE, Ariz. — Glendale homicide detectives are now investigating
the case of missing 5-year-old Jahessye (Jesse) Shockley. The Arizona
Republic (http://bit.ly/sA2d0d ) reports that within the past week, police assigned a homicide detective as the lead investigator.

Authorities say missing-person and child-crimes detectives continue to probe Jahessye's disappearance.

Police said Monday the girl's mother Jerice Hunter is not a suspect.

Investigators have yet to give Hunter a polygraph test, though they say they are working with the FBI to schedule one.

Jahessye Shockley has been missing since Oct. 11 after
police believe she wandered from her apartment in Glendale, outside
Phoenix, while her mother was running an errand.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/d98018e270d34554821751fd53b961d1/AZ--Arizona-Missing-Girl/