NEVAEH BUCHANAN - 5 yo (2009) - Monroe MI

Nevaeh's mother talks to CNN
She faces tough questions on the 'Nancy Grace' show

Tanveer Ali, Steve Pardo and Mark Hicks / The Detroit News

Monroe --In her first national, sometimes heated, interview,
Nevaeh Buchanan's mother was grilled by CNN Headline News' Nancy Grace
about her relationship with a convicted sex offender. During
the Monday night broadcast, Jennifer Buchanan, the mother of the
5-year-old, missing since May 24 and whose body is believed to have
been found along the River Raisin in Monroe on Thursday, said: "... I
have made a lot of bad choices. ... And who hasn't? And I know that
somehow," she said of her relationship with George Kennedy, 39. Grace
interjected: "Whoa, you know what? You can stop right there. You can
just stop right there, Miss Buchanan, because most mothers that I know
have never knowingly exposed their little girl, a 5-year-old little
girl, to a sex offender. So when you say who hasn't? I for one haven't.
I haven't."
Buchanan then replied: "Well, I just believe that everyone deserves a second chance." Earlier
in the broadcast, Buchanan said she wonders if an acquaintance could
have been involved. "All these scenarios are just running through my
head constantly," she told Grace. "All these thoughts are just running
through my head." Buchanan described the last time she saw her
daughter. But her responses sometimes did not fully address Grace's
hard-charging queries. Grace pointed out discrepancies in her recounting the exact time Nevaeh left, and what she was doing. In
the interview, according to transcripts, Grace asked... "So your child
is out. It's been 30 minutes since you last saw her. Did you think
maybe I should check on my preschooler? See if she's dead or alive? I
mean did that cross your mind?" Buchanan responded, "No,
because I knew that she was upstairs at her friend's house until the
little girl came up to me and said that Nevaeh was out riding her
scooter in the road. That's the point I'm. .." Grace interrupted: "How did you know she was upstairs? Did you check on her? Did you go up there ever?" "No,
she's -- I watched her walk in through the door," Buchanan said, to
which Grace replied, "Really? Because earlier you said she went out the
door..." After several more exchanges and trying to defend
herself, the show went to commercial break. During the break, Buchanan
and a friend who had joined her both exited the interview. Earlier,
when Grace asked Buchanan about another interview in which Buchanan
said Kennedy "may have owed somebody some money," Buchanan said: "I'm
not too sure... I'm not too sure on anything." Grace said, "How
could that possibly be linked to your daughter's disappearance, the
fact that this sex offender, friend of yours, owed somebody some money?
How could that remotely be linked to your child's disappearance?" Buchanan replied, "I honestly don't know..." Meanwhile
Monday, stuffed animals and artificial flowers, a Precious Moments
princess and a fairy with butterfly wings share space on a guardrail on
the remote, two-lane Dixon Road. Fifteen feet from the guardrail, the ground drops a precarious 60 degrees, falling 30 feet to the River Raisin. It's
a muddy climb down to the water, but several made it. There are more
artificial flowers. And someone planted a cross on or near the spot
where a body was found, covered with quick-set concrete. "It's
a violation. A violation of humanity," said David Marietta, who lives
off the river a few miles away. "People here, they're hugging their
babies a little harder now." But answers to the tragedy remain elusive. Wayne
County Medical Examiner Carl Schmidt said in a statement Monday that it
could be weeks before test results come in. Tissue samples were sent
for special testing. Investigators have also been stymied by a
lack of fingerprints or dental records for the girl, forcing them to
rely on time-consuming DNA identification. Though authorities say the
body appears to be Nevaeh's, the delay in testing puts off the closure
that the family has sought since the girl went missing May 24. "It's
lonely now not hearing her voice in my back seat. I just hope nobody
else has to go through this again," said Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's
grandmother and legal guardian.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:Nevaeh's mother talks to CNN
She faces tough questions on the 'Nancy Grace' show

Tanveer Ali, Steve Pardo and Mark Hicks / The Detroit News

Monroe --In her first national, sometimes heated, interview,
Nevaeh Buchanan's mother was grilled by CNN Headline News' Nancy Grace
about her relationship with a convicted sex offender. During
the Monday night broadcast, Jennifer Buchanan, the mother of the
5-year-old, missing since May 24 and whose body is believed to have
been found along the River Raisin in Monroe on Thursday, said: "... I
have made a lot of bad choices. ... And who hasn't? And I know that
somehow," she said of her relationship with George Kennedy, 39. Grace
interjected: "Whoa, you know what? You can stop right there. You can
just stop right there, Miss Buchanan, because most mothers that I know
have never knowingly exposed their little girl, a 5-year-old little
girl, to a sex offender. So when you say who hasn't? I for one haven't.
I haven't."
Buchanan then replied: "Well, I just believe that everyone deserves a second chance." Earlier
in the broadcast, Buchanan said she wonders if an acquaintance could
have been involved. "All these scenarios are just running through my
head constantly," she told Grace. "All these thoughts are just running
through my head." Buchanan described the last time she saw her
daughter. But her responses sometimes did not fully address Grace's
hard-charging queries. Grace pointed out discrepancies in her recounting the exact time Nevaeh left, and what she was doing. In
the interview, according to transcripts, Grace asked... "So your child
is out. It's been 30 minutes since you last saw her. Did you think
maybe I should check on my preschooler? See if she's dead or alive? I
mean did that cross your mind?" Buchanan responded, "No,
because I knew that she was upstairs at her friend's house until the
little girl came up to me and said that Nevaeh was out riding her
scooter in the road. That's the point I'm. .." Grace interrupted: "How did you know she was upstairs? Did you check on her? Did you go up there ever?" "No,
she's -- I watched her walk in through the door," Buchanan said, to
which Grace replied, "Really? Because earlier you said she went out the
door..." After several more exchanges and trying to defend
herself, the show went to commercial break. During the break, Buchanan
and a friend who had joined her both exited the interview. Earlier,
when Grace asked Buchanan about another interview in which Buchanan
said Kennedy "may have owed somebody some money," Buchanan said: "I'm
not too sure... I'm not too sure on anything." Grace said, "How
could that possibly be linked to your daughter's disappearance, the
fact that this sex offender, friend of yours, owed somebody some money?
How could that remotely be linked to your child's disappearance?" Buchanan replied, "I honestly don't know..." Meanwhile
Monday, stuffed animals and artificial flowers, a Precious Moments
princess and a fairy with butterfly wings share space on a guardrail on
the remote, two-lane Dixon Road. Fifteen feet from the guardrail, the ground drops a precarious 60 degrees, falling 30 feet to the River Raisin. It's
a muddy climb down to the water, but several made it. There are more
artificial flowers. And someone planted a cross on or near the spot
where a body was found, covered with quick-set concrete. "It's
a violation. A violation of humanity," said David Marietta, who lives
off the river a few miles away. "People here, they're hugging their
babies a little harder now." But answers to the tragedy remain elusive. Wayne
County Medical Examiner Carl Schmidt said in a statement Monday that it
could be weeks before test results come in. Tissue samples were sent
for special testing. Investigators have also been stymied by a
lack of fingerprints or dental records for the girl, forcing them to
rely on time-consuming DNA identification. Though authorities say the
body appears to be Nevaeh's, the delay in testing puts off the closure
that the family has sought since the girl went missing May 24. "It's
lonely now not hearing her voice in my back seat. I just hope nobody
else has to go through this again," said Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's
grandmother and legal guardian.

Unfortunatly DNA has confirmed this is Nevaeh Buchannan. Rest in Peace sweet child :sadness:

Police: Body found near river is missing MI girl


1 hour ago
"MONROE, Mich. (AP) — A girl's body found buried along a Michigan river was confirmed as that of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, who has been missing since last month, authorities said Tuesday.
DNA testing positively identified her, the Monroe County Sheriff's office said in a statement. An autopsy and further tests were being conducted to determine what caused her death and when.

...."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSA7g3jKp05tJLhddj0n05exX-EwD98NERM00

The search for Nevaeh Buchanan officially ended Tuesday as the Michigan
State Police crime lab in Northville positively identified the body
found last week in a shallow grave as the missing 5-year-old Monroe
girl.
DNA testing results concluded that
Nevaeh indeed was found by fishermen Thursday beneath a layer of
concrete along the River Raisin in Raisinville Township, the Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday afternoon.Investigators
did not release a cause of death, nor is anyone in custody. The girl
disappeared May 24 from her apartment complex.Though
Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said Friday that the girl found near the
river likely was Nevaeh, family members held out hope the girl might
still be alive.Cathy
DeWilde, Nevaeh’s great-aunt, said the news devastated her sister
Sherry Buchanan, who is Nevaeh’s grandmother and her legal custodian.
“I knew it, and my husband knew it, but I couldn’t get it across to my
sister because she raised the baby,” said DeWilde, 55, of Monroe. “I
was just praying to the Lord that they’d send someone to find the body
so we could bring her home.”
The funeral at noon Saturday is
open to the public at Stewart Road Christian Ministries, 1199 Stewart
Road, Monroe. Visitation times have not been set, but will be Thursday
and Friday at Merkle Funeral Home, 2442 N. Monroe St., Monroe.
Meanwhile, the death has earned the dubious honor of being priority No. 1 for State Police forensic analysts.
Capt. Michael Thomas, director of the State Police forensic division,
said Nevaeh’s case leapfrogged thousands of others backlogged for
months — hundreds of them homicides — because of its “sensitive nature.”
“There’s someone out there who might have killed a little girl,” Thomas said. “She is the top priority.”
Family members gathered Tuesday evening in the Monroe apartment where
Nevaeh lived with her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, and her grandmother
and legal guardian, Sherry Buchanan. Relatives said both women aren’t
surprised by the identification, but they’re still heartbroken.
(2 of 2)
Diana Lawson, a great-aunt of Nevaeh and one of Sherry Buchanan’s
sisters, came outside holding a stack of photographs of Nevaeh showing
her at Halloween and at other moments of her young life.
“Deep inside, it’s killing me,” Lawson said as she held up a photo of
Nevaeh hugging a stuffed animal. “I wish she was here to hug me instead.
“My heart’s just dying right now.”
Nevaeh disappeared May 24. Thomas said forensic analysts next will
tackle evidence taken from the gravesite found by two fishermen and
from Nevaeh’s body. That analysis will take weeks, he said, which he
acknowledged means that thousands of other cases will be put on hold
because of dwindling resources and a backlog that has packed the
state’s seven crime labs with so much evidence that facilities are
overflowing.
On top of the 110,000 cases the State Police
handles for 650 agencies, it also is handling an estimated 20,000 cases
annually out of Detroit, because the city’s crime lab shut down last
year.
“Every lab in the state is behind because each is handling cases from Detroit,” Thomas said.
He said things will get worse in coming months because the labs will be
shut down for six days to save the state money as part of Gov. Jennifer
Granholm’s budget furlough program. Also, beginning next month, anyone
arrested on suspicion of a crime will be required to submit to DNA
testing under state law.
Meanwhile, two convicted sex
offenders out on parole who had been labeled as people of interest in
Nevaeh’s case have been sent back to prison to finish their original
sentences, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. George
Kennedy, 39, and Roy Smith, 48, violated their paroles by being in
contact with Jennifer Buchanan, Nevaeh’s mother, said John Cordell, a
department spokesman. Neither was supposed to have contact with anyone
who had children.

Diana Lawson, a great-aunt of Nevaeh and one of Sherry Buchanan’s
sisters, came outside holding a stack of photographs of Nevaeh showing
her at Halloween and at other moments of her young life.
“Deep inside, it’s killing me,” Lawson said as she held up a photo of
Nevaeh hugging a stuffed animal. “I wish she was here to hug me instead.
“My heart’s just dying right now.”
Nevaeh disappeared May 24. Thomas said forensic analysts next will
tackle evidence taken from the gravesite found by two fishermen and
from Nevaeh’s body. That analysis will take weeks, he said, which he
acknowledged means that thousands of other cases will be put on hold
because of dwindling resources and a backlog that has packed the
state’s seven crime labs with so much evidence that facilities are
overflowing.
On top of the 110,000 cases the State Police
handles for 650 agencies, it also is handling an estimated 20,000 cases
annually out of Detroit, because the city’s crime lab shut down last
year.
“Every lab in the state is behind because each is handling cases from Detroit,” Thomas said.
He said things will get worse in coming months because the labs will be
shut down for six days to save the state money as part of Gov. Jennifer
Granholm’s budget furlough program. Also, beginning next month, anyone
arrested on suspicion of a crime will be required to submit to DNA
testing under state law.
Meanwhile, two convicted sex
offenders out on parole who had been labeled as people of interest in
Nevaeh’s case have been sent back to prison to finish their original
sentences, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. George
Kennedy, 39, and Roy Smith, 48, violated their paroles by being in
contact with Jennifer Buchanan, Nevaeh’s mother, said John Cordell, a
department spokesman. Neither was supposed to have contact with anyone
who had children.

Monroe -- Under dark skies and in heavy rain, scores of
visitors packed the Merkle Funeral Home on Thursday to pay their
respects to Nevaeh Buchanan. "It's just so sad. It's been so
terrible," said Lora Burns, a 50-year-old Monroe resident attending
Thursday's visitation with her daughter, Dawn, and 4-year-old grandson,
Wayne. Like hundreds of others, Lora helped search for
5-year-old Nevaeh after the girl disappeared May 24 from the Charlotte
Arms apartment complex, where she lived with her mother and
grandmother.
Burns knows one of the girl's great-aunts from bingo. The family
members sat in mourning near Nevaeh's tiny white casket, flanked by a
large picture of the girl, she said. "They just look so sad," Burns said. "All of them do." Visitation continues from noon to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home, 2442 N. Monroe St. There
are pictures arranged in two collages in the back of the visitation
room -- photos of Nevaeh as a baby, covered in birthday cake and with
schoolmates. Separate ones show her smiling, holding signs of the
month: January, February, March, April and May. Her body was found last week in a shallow grave along the banks of the River Raisin by two fishermen. As
the family and friends prepared to say goodbye, questions remained
unanswered about how the girl died. Her body, which was covered in
concrete, showed no outward signs of trauma. Results from
Nevaeh's autopsy were pending Thursday, said Albert Samuels, chief
investigator for the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office. "They're
looking at blood and tissue samples, along with other things," Samuels
said. "It could still be a while before we get those results back." Investigators on Thursday continued to pore over leads. On
Thursday, a day after police questioned a woman about helping extract a
black car from the mud behind a stand of bushes near the site where
Nevaeh's body was found buried, a second man said he also told
investigators about seeing a black car there on two occasions. Ron
Trent, 47, of Monroe said he called police last week to report spotting
a black car parked near the bank of the River Raisin two days after
Nevaeh was last seen alive. "I often drive by there on my way
home from work; it's a back road I use to avoid the main road," he
said. "I might see a car sitting down there once every 20 times I go by
there, which is why I remember it." Trent said he called police and reported seeing the black car after police discovered Nevaeh's body. "When
I heard they found her body there, I remembered the black car," he
said. "I never had any idea they'd find that girl's body so far away
from where she lived; if I'd have known that, I'd have taken down the
license plate number." But Trent said he did get the license
plate number of a black car he saw at the site when he visited the
river bank again Saturday. "I went back there and there was a
similar-looking black car," he said. "I walked down toward the river
bank and stood there a good 35 seconds. Then I heard a noise, and an
old man came out of the bushes. He was acting kind of strange. "I
told him, 'It's a shame someone would do something like this to a
little girl,' and he said, 'Yeah, I can't believe it.' He had a weird
look about him." Trent said the elderly man had a long gray
beard and wore a cap. "He had one of those 'biker wallets' -- the kind
that has a chain attached to it," Trent said. "I took down his license
plate number and reported it to the police." Monroe Sheriff Major Dan Motylinski said detectives are checking out all tips his office receives. The case has drawn an outpouring of support from the community, said funeral home manager Brian Merkle. "They really felt they had an obligation to make the service public," Merkle said. "I really give them credit for that."

The funeral for the 5-year-old who made national headlines with her May 24 disappearance is to be at noon today.A
Harley Davidson hearse is parked this morning in front of the Stewart
Road Christian Ministries Center in Monroe, which has room for up to
1,500 mourners. The body of the little girl who loved to play
with toy motorcycles was discovered last week in a shallow grave in
Monroe County.
After the funeral, dozens of motorcycle
enthusiasts have volunteered to lead Nevaeh's procession through a town
rocked by grief. No one has been charged in connection with her tragic
death.
Hundreds of people paid their respects at visitations
Thursday and Friday to mark the end of a tragedy that began when Nevaeh
disappeared while playing outside her apartment complex.
On
Friday, Monroe County Sheriff's investigators said in a news release
they still are pushing for area anglers to step forward with
information about anyone or anything they've spotted along the River
Raisin that might be linked to the death.
Nevaeh had been buried in a fishing spot along the river in Raisinville Township, covered with quick-drying cement.
The
abduction task force that formed in the wake of the girl's
disappearance is sifting through about 1,100 tips. The cause of the
girl's death is still pending.
Forensic analysis of
evidence found at the grave site is being conducted by the Michigan
State Police's crime lab in Northville. No results have been turned
over, officials said.
People with information are asked to call 734-243-7070.


MONROE, Mich. (AP) - A 5-year-old girl whose disappearance brought
fear to a community, then brought grief when she was found dead, is
being laid to rest.
Funeral services for Nevaeh (nuh-VAY'-uh) Buchanan are scheduled for
noon Saturday in Stewart Road Church of God in Monroe, 40 miles south
of Detroit.
The Rev. Sam Luke expects an overflow crowd in his church's
2,000-seat sanctuary. Hundreds participated in searches and vigils for
Nevaeh after she went missing May 24 from her apartment complex in
Monroe. Two fishermen found her body in a hole along the River Raisin
on June 4.
No arrests have been made.
From the church, Nevaeh will be taken to a nearby cemetery in a hearse drawn by a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
|||||
Posters Note: This last sentence speaks volumes of the lifestyle of the adults in this case. I know many upstanding and responsible people who are cycle owners. I am also aware that there are many hoodlum gangs that use this mode of transportation that are involved in drugs, prostitution, murder and more.IMHO...Totally inappropriate in this solemn ceremony.

Updated at 4:31 p.m.

A community buried Nevaeh Buchanan today, gathering in her name once again, this time to put the murdered 5-year-old to rest.
Residents lined the streets of Monroe today as a Harley-Davidson
hearse -- to honor her love of motorcycles -- carried her tiny white
coffin through the town. An escort of at least 100 motorcycles led the
mile-long funeral procession past the parks where she played and statue
of George A. Custer sitting atop his life-size horse she admired.“I
have grandkids the same age, and it’s just devastating what’s going on
here,” said Donna Schehr, 51, of Monroe, who brought her grandchildren
– Ryan, 11; Taylor, 10; Aleksa, 9, and Nick Foster, 8, to Munson Park
to release balloons as the motorcade passed. Nick was nervous because
the person who took Nevaeh as she rode her scooter outside her
apartment complex May 24 still has not been caught, she said.
“He said, ‘How do I know the killer’s not there and (will) take one of us?’” the grandmother said.
Patty
Kennedy, 36, of Newport, a mother of three, visited the funeral today
after searching for Nevaeh June 2. She said she was devastated when two
fishermen found the little girl’s body last week, covered with
quick-drying concrete in a hole dug along the River Raisin in
Raisinville Township. But she was glad for the closure for the family –
and the community.
“Concrete is not a proper burial,” Kennedy said.
During
Nevaeh's funeral at Stewart Road Christian Ministries Center, the
girl's grandmother, Sherry Buchanan; mother, Jennifer Buchanan, and
father, Shane Hinojosa, stayed surrounded by friends and family
members. None spoke during the service, which included a duet of the
Beyonce song “Halo” and an expressive dance performance set to a song
emphasizing God’s grace. A trio also sang a song they wrote titled
"Nevaeh," reminding mourners her name was heaven spelled backward.
Nevaeh’s uncle, Mike Buchanan, broke down as he read a poem by Ferna Lary Mills dedicated to children who have been murdered
“Horrific as our life now seems, one thing remains quite true,” he
read. “Our little ones have now been freed to do things angels do. They
can't recall the horrors of those last days they were here. They
remember not the terror, the hurt, nor the fear. There is no fear in
Heaven. No more sorrow. Only Joy. It's filled with joyous laughter from
each little girl and boy.”
Softly, "amen" could be heard
throughout the sanctuary as Pastor Dale Hayford told mourners Nevaeh’s
killer would have to answer to God someday. And the pastor, who has
been ministering to the family since Nevaeh disappeared, also quoted
Billy Graham after dozens of children were killed in the Oklahoma City
bombing.
“He said, ‘Let the healing begin,’” advised Hayford, head of Crosswalk Community Church in Monroe.
Monroe
County Sheriff's investigators are pushing for area anglers to step
forward with information about anyone or anything they've spotted along
the River Raisin that might be linked to the death. The cause of the
girl's death is still pending.
People with information are asked to call 734-243-7070.

MONROE, Mich. (AP) — Mourners embraced family members Saturday as
they filed past the closed casket of a 5-year-old found buried along a
river, paying final respects to a girl described by one of them as
"Monroe's little angel."
Some 700 people attended the funeral
service in Stewart Road Church of God for Nevaeh Buchanan, whose
disappearance triggered a massive search by police and residents alike.
Her death, still under investigation, cast a shadow of grief over the
close-knit, blue-collar city of 22,000."That one little girl was
so powerful, she brought the community together," said the Rev. Dale
Hayford, senior pastor of Crosswalk Community Church, who along with
the Rev. Sam Luke officiated at the service.Two large screens showed a slideshow of photos from Nevaeh's short life."Seeing
a lot of the pictures from birth until she passed, it hits home," said
34-year-old Tracey Addington of Dundee, who helped search for Nevaeh. "
... If you have anyone who is around that age, it's overwhelming."The
two-hour service included prayers, Christian songs and a performance of
Sarah McLachlan's "Angel." A local music group sang a song written for
Nevaeh that concluded, "Because of her, we won't be the same."After
the service, a procession led by nine police officers on motorcycles
traveled 2 1/2 miles to St. Joseph Cemetery. They were followed by a
Harley-Davidson motorcycle drawing the hearse bearing Nevaeh's casket.
Next were another 60 motorcycles and about 100 cars, including one
carrying Nevaeh's mother, Jennifer Buchanan, and grandmother Sherry
Buchanan.Some 500 mourners looked on as Hayford and Luke spoke
at Nevaeh's gravesite. The service concluded with funeral director
Brian Merkle releasing a white dove into the gray sky.Nevaeh
disappeared from her Monroe apartment complex May 24. Two fishermen
found her body June 4 along the River Raisin in Monroe County's
Raisinville Township, 35 miles south of Detroit. The body was covered
in cement and appeared to be buried in a shallow grave.The cause of death has not been determined.Two
men described by investigators as "persons of interest" in the case are
in custody and awaiting parole revocation hearings for having
associated with Jennifer Buchanan, herself a convicted felon.During
the search for Nevaeh, Lori Rafter of Monroe tied six yellow ribbons
and a single white flower to her Ford Focus, signifying her hope that
the girl would be found."Even though we found her, I couldn't
bring myself to cut them off," said Rafter, 47, who attended the
funeral. "It's going to take a little bit of time for me to do that.
But she'll always be in the community's heart. She's Monroe's little
angel."

MONROE, MICH. -- Police in Monroe are still searching for who killed 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan. The
Monroe County Sheriff's Office says they have had over 1,200 tips pour
in regarding the case of the missing 5-year-old Monroe County girl
whose body was found in a shallow grave along the River Raisin in early
June. Nevaeh went missing from in front of the Charlotte Arms
Apartment Complex May 24.Police say several leads have been
developed from tips they have received; however, they still ask that
anyone who may have fished the area of the River Raisin where Nevaeh's
body was found please contact them with any information they may have.
Investigators are seeking any vehicles or people who may have been in
the area.Nevaeh was laid to rest over the weekend. Friends and
family gathered at the Stewart Road Christian Ministries Center on
Saturday for a Celebration of Life service in honor of Nevaeh.
Mourners lined the streets of Monroe as the girl's body was driven by a
hearse to St. Joseph Cemetery for burial. Balloons were seen lifting
to the air during the procession.Authorities say they have yet to receive lab test results from evidence gathered at the crime scene.If you have any information to offer investigators please call the Task Force Top Line at 734-243-7070.

Monroe -- George Kennedy's parole officer urged corrections
officials three times to send the convicted sex offender back to prison
for violating the terms of his parole, but each time the officer's
supervisors overruled the recommendations. Kennedy, 39, who has
been named by police as a person of interest in the murder of
5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, was released from prison in July 2007,
after serving five years for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Within
three months of his release, he had violated the terms of his parole,
said John Cordell, spokesman for the Michigan Department of
Corrections. "In September 2007, his (parole officer) violated him for consorting with other people who had felony records," Cordell said.
Instead of going back to prison, he was sent to the Ingham County
Jail for 30 days, Cordell said. After his release, Kennedy was put on a
GPS tether. But within two months, Kennedy had violated the
rules of his tether placement by not being at home during the time
ordered. So he was sent to the Tuscola County "technical re-entry
program" for 90 days, Cordell said. "That's a program that gives
intense therapy to those who need a period of adjustment," Cordell
said. Kennedy's parole officer reported a third violation in
December 2008, this time because he had a romantic relationship with a
woman who had a criminal record and was the parent of a minor child --
both violations of his parole, Cordell said. Kennedy was again sent to
the Tuscola program. Cordell said proper action was taken by corrections officials. "In
two years, for a parole officer to ask that an offender be sent back to
prison isn't out of the norm," he said. "It's the parole officer's job
to report violations, and then it's the supervisor's job to determine
if the violation was bad enough to warrant sending the offender back to
prison. "In this case, the supervisor obviously thought it better to send (Kennedy) back for more intense therapy." Kennedy
since has been arrested. He is incarcerated in the Charles Egeler
Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson. Kennedy was returned to
prison because of his friendship with Jennifer Buchanan, a convicted
felon who had a minor child, Nevaeh, Cordell said. Roy Lee
Smith, a convicted rapist who also was arrested for a parole violation
after being named a person of interest in the murder case, also was
sent to the Egeler Center because he violated his parole by having a
relationship with Jennifer Buchanan. Prior to that, Smith's
parole officer reported last year that he'd violated his parole when a
drug test showed he'd been abusing narcotics, Cordell said. "That's not a violation that would typically send you back to prison," he said. Buchanan,
who served 13 months in prison for a home invasion, also has consorted
with convicted felons -- but she had served her entire sentence and
thus was not on parole, Cordell said. He explained that offenders who
have served their sentences do not have the restriction on contact with
other felons. Meanwhile, police continue to investigate convicted sex offenders in the area for possible clues. According
to neighbors, FBI agents have twice visited the Monroe home of Vernon
Davis, a 33-year-old man who was convicted in May 2007 of having sex
with a minor younger than 16. Davis served no prison time for the
offense, records show. The Michigan Sex Offender Registry
reports that Davis' home address is an apartment complex on Bacon near
downtown Monroe. But his neighbor, 24-year-old Katherine Taormina, said
Davis is never there. She said FBI agents questioned her about Davis
after Nevaeh was reported missing. "They came by here twice,"
Taormina said. "They asked if I'd seen him. They told us they were
trying to get information about where he was when the girl disappeared.
I told them I know he's supposed to be living here, but he never comes
here. He usually stays down in Toledo." Also Monday, Wayne
County Medical Examiner Carl Schmidt said he had not yet completed
Nevaeh's autopsy. He added that any further information would have to
come from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's officials on
Monday did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Monroe -- Jennifer Buchanan has felt love and support from
relatives and neighbors after her daughter's murder -- but she admitted
Thursday she senses the suspicion and has heard whispers from those who
speculate she knows more than she's telling. And, she said, it's
starting to get to her. "I realize some people think I had
something to do with it," Buchanan said Thursday, referring to the
slaying of her 5-year-old daughter, Nevaeh, who disappeared May 24 from
her apartment complex. That set off a massive, weeks-long manhunt until
the girl's body was discovered in early June by two fishermen in a
shallow grave beneath a slab of concrete on the bank of the River
Raisin. "I hear the rumors," Buchanan said. "I hear what people are saying. But none of it's true."
Police on Thursday announced no new leads in the case. Buchanan said the lack of progress in the investigation is wearying. "It's
just very frustrating; I've got all these emotions running through me,"
she said. "They could still be out there, whoever did this. I could
have shook their hand; they could have showed up at the vigil. That
keeps me up at night, not knowing who did this. "Plus, I feel
like everyone is attacking me. There's been some crazy rumors out
there. There's a rumor that I'm on house arrest; another rumor is that
I've went to bars, and that I got jumped in a bar by some people who
were mad about the case. "None of it's true. I haven't been to
a bar in ages, and I never got into any fight at a bar. I don't know
where people keep coming up with this stuff." Buchanan, 24,
said she spent the day Thursday picking a headstone for her daughter,
who was buried Saturday in St. Joseph Cemetery. "I'm OK," she said. "I'm holding up, although sometimes it all gets to me." Meanwhile, other family members are trying to get back to normal after weeks of suffering. "My
mom just went back to work (Wednesday)," said Michael Buchanan,
Jennifer's brother. "It's tough to get back to work, but she said she
wants to keep her mind occupied. This has been tough on all of us." Jennifer
Buchanan, who has been under fire for having a relationship with a
convicted sex offender, said an appearance on CNN's "Nancy Grace" show
on June 8 was traumatic. "She was rude, inconsiderate, all of
the above," Buchanan said of the scathing interview, which ended
abruptly after she walked out during a commercial break. "She
made me confused and frustrated. I was getting to the point where I
felt that she was accusing me of having something to do with (the
murder)," Buchanan said. "I only went on her show to clear up a
few things that were false about me. I'm not pregnant by the sex
offender, which was a rumor. And I had nothing to do with what happened
to my daughter. As of right now, I'm not even a person of interest; the
focus isn't even on me. That's what the police said." She said investigators have not contacted her recently about the case. "They
don't talk to me about it," she said. "But at this point, they can't
say anything to me. They did tell me there would be a time and place
when they can sit down and explain everything, but that now they can't
say anything." Buchanan said she is getting support from relatives and some neighbors. "I'm just trying to take it one day at a time," she said. "I
really don't know what to else to say. I try not to pay attention to
the rumors, but they're all over the place. I know the truth: I had
nothing to do with her disappearance. It happened all of a sudden and
it shocked me. I still feel like I'm in shock."

Police involved in the Nevaeh Buchanan murder investigation have been
unusually tight-lipped and have released scant information since the
5-year-old girl's body was recovered nearly two weeks ago.
Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield has made it a point to be the
sole provider of all official information released to the media. Even
members of his department, including some who are ranked, have said
they are not privy to any details of the case.
Jennifer Buchanan and her mother, Sherry Buchanan, said they do not
know any details regarding who could have been involved or how Nevaeh
died. They said police have released very little information about how
the case is progressing. While they understand, not knowing is still
frustrating.
"They're just not leaking anything out," Jennifer Buchanan said.
"But I don't want to feel like I'm standing in their way. I don't want them to make no mistakes."
Sheriff Crutchfield said police have been in contact with the family members as recently as Friday.
"The medical examiner's office has not issued a cause of death yet,"
the sheriff said through e-mail. "As stated earlier, there was no
apparent trauma to the body. Toxicology results are still pending."
He added that lab analysis has not been completed on evidence submitted
to the State Police Crime Lab and no results have been reported to
investigators other than the positive DNA identification on Nevaeh.
On the night that Nevaeh disappeared, her mother contacted police
around 8 p.m. after searching the complex and vicinity. She said an
Amber Alert was not issued until 12:30 a.m., more than four hours
later. Tracking dogs were not at the scene, family members claim, until
the next day.
"I am not going to question the investigator's decision on the
appropriate time to issue an Amber Alert," the sheriff responded. "It
was however requested that evening."
K-9 dogs, he added, were at the scene that night as well as the
helicopter. Additional police dog searches and helicopter flights were
conducted for the next few days. Ground searches also were conducted by
officers, he added.

The mother of slain 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan was initially seen as
a sympathetic character by the media and the public when her daughter
went missing.But, after revelations that Jennifer Buchanan was
engaged in relationships with two convicted sex offenders and her
inconsistent statements during radio and television interviews, public
sentiment quickly turned. To hear Buchanan's radio interview with
Deminski & Doyle, click here.“I realize some people think I had something to do with it [the murder of Nevaeh],” said Buchanan when talking to Detroit News. “I hear rumors. I hear what people are saying. But none of it’s true.”Nevaeh disappeared May 24 from her apartment complex and her body was found in early June encased in cement by the River Raisin. Last week authorities announced there were no new leads in the case.“It’s
just very frustrating. I’ve got all these emotions running through me,”
she said. “They could still be out there, whoever did this. I could
have shook their hand—they could have showed up at the vigil. That
keeps me up at night, not knowing who did this.”Buchanan
continued, “Plus, I feel like everyone is attacking me. There’s been
some crazy rumors out here. There’s a rumor that I’m on house
arrest—another rumor is that I’ve went to bars, and that I got jumped
in a bar by some people who were mad about the case. None of it’s true.
I haven’t been to a bar in ages, and I never got into any fight at a
bar. I don’t know where people keep coming up with this stuff.”Buchanan, 24, was interviewed by Nancy Grace on June 8 and walked
off the show during a commercial break. Buchanan called her appearance
traumatic and said of Grace, “She was rude, inconsiderate, all of the
above. She made me confused and frustrated. I was getting to the point
where I felt that she was accusing me of having something to do with
[the murder].” To see the Nancy Grace interview, click here.“I
only went on the show to clear up a few things that were false about
me. I’m not pregnant by the sex offender, which was a rumor. And I had
nothing to do with what happened to my daughter. As of right now, I’m
not even a person of interest—the focus isn’t even on me. That’s what
the police said,” stated Buchanan.No arrests have been made in
the case, but the two sex offenders who were friends of Buchanan have
been jailed. Roy Smith, 48, and George Kennedy, 39, both admitted they
violated their paroles by being in contact with Buchanan, since neither
was supposed to have contact with anyone who has children.Authorities named the men persons of interest early on in the case when Nevaeh disappeared. According to the Free Press, Smith and Kennedy could spend 35 and 13 years behind bars for being associated with Nevaeh’s mother.

Police investigating the murder of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan said
Tuesday they are awaiting two crucial reports that would help in the
probe: The autopsy and laboratory reports. Nevaeh's body was
found June 4 in a shallow grave on the bank of the River Raisin, but
after three weeks, Monroe investigators still are waiting for the lab
report, said Maj. Dan Motylinski of the Monroe County Sheriff's
Department. An investigator with the Wayne County medical
examiner's office, which is conducting the autopsy, said it sometimes
can take several weeks for toxicology reports to be completed.
Michigan State Police spokeswoman Melody Kindraka said a priority was put on identifying the victim's body. "That was completed quickly," she said. Capt. Mike Thomas, head of the State Police crime lab, said the case remains a priority. The
wait for laboratory reports often can take months, partly because the
Michigan State Police took over hundreds of Detroit's cases, after the
city's crime lab was shut down last year because of errors. Forensic
investigators may be taking extra precautions investigating Nevaeh's
murder because of the intense media scrutiny given to the case, said
Daniel Kennedy, a criminal justice professor at the University of
Detroit-Mercy. "This is a high-profile case; nobody wants to be
the one to make a mistake," Kennedy said. The lab report may indicate
the presence of any DNA found on Nevaeh's body, "along with any skin
under her fingernails that belonged to a perpetrator; and any hair that
is not hers that may have been found," Kennedy said. "If she
was suffocated, she might have inhaled certain fibers of the material
that was used," Kennedy said. "Then the forensic investigators would
probably do a trace evidence analysis to see if the material could be
identified. That could ... lead to a search warrant." Police
haven't released any new information about the case for weeks -- but
that doesn't mean the investigation isn't progressing, Kennedy said. "There
are likely a lot of things going on behind the scenes that the police
don't want out there," he said. "They certainly don't want to tip off
their suspects."

Three weeks ago, the body of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan was found in a
shallow grave along the River Raisin and investigators still have not
released how she died, what type of evidence has been collected and
whether they have any solid suspects.
But Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said he is confident the case will be solved.
"We’ll resolve it," he said.
Information continues to be held tight by investigators, and the FBI continues to be involved with
the investigation, Sheriff Crutchfield said. He said a cause of death
either is not being released or has not been determined because test
results still are not completed even though the Michigan State Police
crime lab has made the case a priority.
Sheriff Crutchfield said nothing has changed regarding new information being released to media.
"We’re waiting for official results from the medical examiner’s office," he said. "We don’t have a (cause of death) yet."
Some of the evidence collected had to be sent to another lab for unspecified reasons. Sheriff
Crutchfield added that investigators continue to follow up on tips,
which number around 1,200. Calls offering tips have slowed in recent
days, he added.
Family members, including Nevaeh’s mother and grandmother, also have not heard any new
information regarding the investigation or cause of death.
Two men who are registered sex offenders and were linked to the case as persons of interest remain in
prison. George Kennedy and Roy L. Smith are being housed at Jackson
prison for parole violations.
Nevaeh disappeared May 24 from
her Charlotte Arms apartment complex on N. Macomb St., and massive
searches involving the community followed.
Fishermen found her body on June 4 in a grave covered by concrete.

More than one month after she went missing and three weeks since
the discovery of her body many questions remain about the death of
Nevaeh Buchannan. We are still waiting for autopsy results, still
waiting to hear the cause of death and waiting for investigators to
name a suspect. The same goes for Nevaeh's family. More than one month has gone by since relatives last saw Nevaeh Buchannan alive. The 5-year-old disappeared from her home at Charlotte Arms Apartments
in Monroe. Nearly two weeks later two fisherman found the girl's body
along a bank of the River Raisin. It was in a shallow grave covered in
cement.
Three weeks after that grim discovery there are still no autopsy
results, no cause of death and no suspects listed. Police had arrested
registered sex offenders George Kennedy and Roy Smith on parole
violations shortly after Neveah went missing. Both are still in prison
and considered persons of interest, but they are not officially
suspects. Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield tells 13abc he's
confident investigators will crack the case saying, "We're hopeful it
will be resolved. It might take longer than we want. But, personally, I
believe it will be resolved." Family members are also
confident those working the more than 1,300 leads are doing everything
they can. The sheriff himself said, "It is the bulk of my time. I've
made it that way. It will be that way until it is resolved." Nevaeh's cousin Shaun Lawson says, "We still want people to remember.
And we don't want people to forget about their kids even for a few
seconds. A few minutes, that's all it takes. We don't need this to
happen to any other kid." Nevaeh's family wants to drive that point home for all they know, her killer is still out there.

Monroe -- The flowers adorning the humble grave are starting
to wilt. The notes bearing heartfelt messages have become weathered,
and the colorful army of stuffed zebras, monkeys and horses at the site
are showing signs of wear. The steady parade of loved ones,
neighbors and the curious who once visited the maple tree-shaded plot
at St. Joseph Cemetery has dwindled. Hardly anyone comes any more,
cemetery employees said. But that doesn't mean Nevaeh Buchanan
has been forgotten. The slaying of the 5-year-old girl still haunts
family members, residents and visitors to the Monroe area.
"Nevaeh: once our student, now our angel. Peace be with you," is the
message on the marquee outside the Monroe Public Schools administration
building. It's a statement echoed by people who didn't even know her. "Not
a day goes by that I don't think of that little girl," said Kelly
Muncie, 42, a waitress in a Monroe restaurant. "Customers still come in
and want to talk about her. People from out of town want to know about
the case; this was national news." To most, Nevaeh is the
tragic central character in a murder mystery that remains unsolved
since the girl was reported missing on May 24 and later found in a
shallow grave near the River Raisin. But to those who knew her, Nevaeh was an energetic little girl who enjoyed life. "She
was everything to me," said her mother, Jennifer Buchanan. "She was a
tomboy; she liked cars, trucks, motorcycles and camping and fishing.
She never liked to sit at home; she always wanted to be doing
something." A stuffed beagle named Harley was Nevaeh's regular
companion, both to school and bed. Another stuffed dog, Herbie, joined
her while she watched her favorite cartoon show, "Bob the Builder." Sherry
Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother, said the girl often would latch on to
her leg laughing as she slid across the apartment floor. Nevaeh
thrilled at the roar of a motorcycle, or the sight of Canada geese
flying overhead. However, Nevaeh's short life also was marred
by conflict. Even before she was born on Feb. 3, 2004, she was at the
center of a nasty custody battle between her drug-addicted mother and a
father who ran off with her uncle's girlfriend, family members said. Shane
Hinojosa, Nevaeh's father, said he was estranged from his daughter even
before her birth, with the Buchanans holding a grudge against him for
running away to Toledo with the girlfriend of Mike Buchanan, Jennifer's
brother. "I gave up. I was tired of fighting, though I wanted to be part of her life," Hinojosa said of the custody battle. Nevaeh's
father figure came to be George Kennedy, who had served time for having
sex with a 15-year-old girl. Jennifer Buchanan said Kennedy had briefly
dated her two years ago before becoming a close friend, much to the
objection of family members. Nevaeh called Kennedy "step-daddy
George." Jennifer Buchanan said Kennedy provided her daughter with
toys, including pocket motorcycles that she'd roll on the dining room
table, and clothing for schools and holidays. Buchanan insists that
Kennedy was never left alone with Nevaeh. "He was there more for her than her actual father," Jennifer Buchanan said. Kennedy,
who remains a person of interest in the case, is in custody on a parole
violation. Roy Lee Smith, another convicted sex offender who is a
person of interest in the murder case, also is in custody for violating
parole because of his contact with Nevaeh. When Nevaeh was two
years old, her mother was sent to prison for home invasions she said
she committed to support her drug habit. While her mom was
incarcerated, Nevaeh went to live with her grandmother until eight days
before her fifth birthday, when Jennifer Buchanan was released. Nevaeh
lived the rest of her life with her mom and grandmother in the
Charlotte Arms Apartments, where she often could be seen riding her
scooter in the parking lot. The abandoned scooter was in the street the day she disappeared. Now,
there is no headstone at her grave; only a temporary plastic placard
marks the site. A gravestone is expected to be delivered in a few
weeks, Jennifer Buchanan said. A framed child's drawing, depicting a smiling Nevaeh, lays near the placard amid the stuffed animals and toy motorcycles. The caption reads: "Your bright smile covers your cheeks." At the bottom of the drawing is the title, "Monroe's Baby."

MONROE, Mich. (WJBK) - The Monroe County
Sheriff's Department and the FBI are looking at 400 sex offenders in
Monroe County. It's been nearly six weeks since Neveah Buchanan was
first reported missing. Family members are still waiting for closure. Neveah
Buchanan's cousin is talking about the trauma left behind since her
death. He and other family members are waiting on official autopsy
results and the killer to be found. "It's hard to think about, but we need the person or persons caught soon," said Shaun Lawson. The
first autopsy is set to be completed. Now, a second one is set to be
used to confirm the exact cause of death. The FBI tells FOX 2 the
results may not be released to the public immediately, fearing it could
change someone's story. With little, new information, the FBI
has the following tip. "Don't engage in rumors. Don't spread rumors,"
said Robert Beckman. "If there's somebody that tells you something that
you think... may be related to a fact, call the FBI and we'll follow up
on it." Beckman says the 400 registered sex offenders in Monroe
County are being interviewed and their stories checked multiple times.
The sex offenders are said to be cooperative. "The people that
we talked to were very cooperative with us and, in many cases, they
themselves, the people who were on the sex offender list, were also
concerned about the fate of Nevaeh Buchanan," Beckman said. Whatever
DNA is found from Nevaeh's body will be compared to samples taken from
those sex offenders. Investigators are even taking fiber from people's
carpets in the Charlotte Arms Apartments. They're calling for more tips
and patience, saying it could be weeks longer for autopsy results to
become available. "Until then, we're stuck here silent. We still
keep our eyes and ears open, wondering," Lawson said. Wondering when
they'll find the person responsible for taking Nevaeh away from them.

DETROIT -- It's been weeks since the
Monroe County Sheriff's Department has released any new information
regarding the killing of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan. The
Monroe girl disappeared in May, triggering a massive search. Her body
was discovered in early June encased in cement and dumped along the
River Raisin.Investigators working the case have been quiet, and
told Local 4 Wednesday that there are still no arrests in the case and
the girl's cause of death is yet to be determined. But investigators
said the case is still very active, with new leads being followed up on
and new interviews being conducted.Family, friends and community
members gathered Wednesday for a fundraiser in Buchanan's honor at
various Olga's Kitchen restaurant locations.

Nevaeh Buchanan — the 5-year-old Monroe girl who was kidnapped
before being found dead alongside the River Raisin under a layer of
concrete — might have been buried alive, results from an autopsy
indicate.
The girl’s cause of death has been ruled asphyxiation; the manner, homicide, a source told the Free Press.
Nevaeh’s aunt, Diana Lawson, confirmed that the family had been told by
police that the little girl might have been alive when she was placed
in a shallow grave along the River Raisin in Raisinville Township.
“It’s the worst nightmare,” Lawson told the Free Press. “All we can do is take it one step at a time.”
Testing on the girl’s body, including her lungs, show that she died
after inhaling dirt. Authorities previously reported that she had no
outward signs of trauma — such as broken bones or other wounds — that
illuminated how she died.
Fishermen found Nevaeh’s body on June 4, 10 days after she disappeared from outside her Monroe apartment complex.
The disappearance prompted a region-wide search that turned up empty.
It wasn’t until two men felt concrete crumbling beneath them as they
fished on the riverbank that the girl was discovered.
Nevaeh
was laid to rest a month ago Monday after a funeral attended by
hundreds. Nevaeh’s mother and grandmother, Jennifer and Sherry
Buchanan, are heartbroken, Lawson said.
“Sherry’s at work
and she’s not ready even to come home,” said Lawson at about 6 p.m., as
media people began swarming the apartment complex parking lot where the
women live. “They can’t face this.”
No one has been arrested
in the slaying. Investigators have received only partial results of
tests the State Police crime lab conducted on evidence from the
gravesite.

Oakland County Sheriff and gubernatorial candidate Michael Bouchard
says Nevaeh Buchanan's murder will likely haunt the Monroe community,
family, and officers for the rest of their lives.
"It's something that will stick with you because it's just not
something that's human to be able to do that to a young child,"
Bouchard told Paul W. Smith this morning on WJR AM-760.
Autopsy details released yesterday indicate that Navaeh died from inhaling dirt, meaning she may have been buried alive.

Two fisherman found Nevaeh's body -- covered in cement -- floating
in the River Raisin 35 miles south of Detroit in June. She had been
missing 10 days.
As Oakland County Sheriff, Bouchard is not directly involved in the
case in Monroe, but said he's willing to lend resources to Monroe
County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield if needed.
But he speaks from experience, having worked a child killer case in the '70s.
"I know one of the very first cases I worked on was the Oakland
County child killer where four children were murdered and it still
haunts me — and everybody that worked on it in and the community — to
this day."
Bouchard is running for governor of Michigan.

Jennifer Buchanan is "a prisoner in her own home," still grieving over the news that her daughter Nevaeh may have been buried alive, a relative said today. Shawn Lawson refuted reports that Buchanan, his cousin, was missing. "She
hasn't disappeared. There's a lot of rumors going around, and they need
to stop," he said in the corridor outside Buchanan's basement apartment.
Lawson said Buchanan spent the day inside
Apartment 63 with her mother, Sherry, brother Mike, himself and a
friend. Lawson said his cousin still is grieving after hearing the
results of Nevaeh's autopsy. "It's rough," he said. "Just ask
yourself how you would handle something like this. She's taking it
hard. It's hard to deal with." Just before 2 p.m., a friend
slid into Buchanan's apartment carrying three Little Caesars
Hot-N-Ready pizzas and a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi. "She's not coming out," Lawson said of his cousin. When
asked why Buchanan was holed up in her apartment, he said, "Because
everyone's pointing the finger. Everyone's playing the blame game."

The search for 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan’s killer continues, as
neighbors revealed today that investigators snipped pieces of carpet
from a nearby apartment last week to see if fibers match those found
under the girl’s fingernails.Aaron
Baker said today that officers cut out a piece of the tan carpet from
the apartment where his 8-year-old son, Austin, played with Nevaeh
hours before the little girl disappeared.
“That way they had
something to run a test on,” he said from the apartment across the hall
and one floor up from the Buchanans’ apartment.
He said
the same carpet covers the floors in the apartment Nevaeh shared with
her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, and her grandmother, Sherry Buchanan,
who was the girl’s legal guardian because her mother was on probation
for criminal problems.
Officials from the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office declined comment today after some family members
reported that investigators said the autopsy tests showed the girl was
likely buried alive shortly after she disappeared May 24.
The girl was reported kidnapped from the Charlotte Arms apartment
complex while her mother said she thought Nevaeh was riding her
scooter. Two fishermen found Nevaeh’s body on June 4, buried in
concrete mix and dirt by the River Raisin.
Now relatives are waiting to hear whether she was molested, said Shaun Lawson, Jennifer Buchanan’s cousin.
“All they’ve said is she was buried alive,” Lawson said. “There’s more
tests still to be done. As much evidence as they collected, they’re
waiting on evidence to come back.”
Earlier today, Lawson’s
mother, Diana Lawson, expressed concern about Jennifer Buchanan’s
whereabouts. She said she had not seen Nevaeh’s mother for three or
four days.
However, Buchanan appeared briefly this afternoon but did not speak with the news media.
Baker said his son still cries about his best friend’s death,
especially when they turn on the computer and pictures of Nevaeh flash
on the monitor. “Every time it comes up, he breaks down,” Baker said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 734-243-7070

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Nevaeh investigators probe carpet fibers


Samples removed from apartment where slain girl lived


Geoege Hunter / The Detroit News



Monroe -- Investigators in the Nevaeh Buchanan murder case are focusing on carpet fibers taken from the slain 5-year-old's apartment to see if they match fibers found on her body, neighbors and relatives said Wednesday.

Brittany Green, who lives in the Charlotte Arms Apartments, where Nevaeh lived, said police have been in and out of the complex in recent weeks gathering evidence, including swatches of brown carpet.

"They took pieces of carpet from the apartment (Tuesday), I think," said Green, 21. "I see detectives coming in and out of the building all the time. One time they were carrying big brown bags out of here."

Monroe County Sheriff's Department officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Nevaeh's autopsy revealed that carpet fibers were found under her fingernails, or on another part of her body, said her second cousin, Shawn Lawson, who said he spoke with police when they revealed the autopsy's results to the Buchanan family.

"The police told us they found carpet fibers," Lawson said. He confirmed that investigators took carpet samples from the girl's apartment.

The autopsy, details of which were released Tuesday, also showed that Nevaeh, who disappeared May 24, had dirt in her throat, indicating that she may have been buried alive.

Lawson said his cousin is grieving after hearing the results of Nevaeh's autopsy.

"It's rough," he said. "Just ask yourself how you would handle something like this. She's taking it hard. It's hard to deal with."

Buchanan spent most of the day Tuesday inside her basement apartment, behind a green door with a brass ornament bearing the number 63. Buchanan's mother, Sherry, her brother, Mike, and a friend spent the day with her, Lawson said.

Buchanan is "a prisoner in her own home," hiding not only from the news crews, which have been camped out in front of her apartment for the past two days, but from people who think she had something to do with her daughter's murder.

"Everyone's pointing the finger," Shawn Lawson said. "Everyone's playing the blame game."

Meanwhile, the case has become muddied by a swirl of rumors, even as police remain tight-lipped.

Nevaeh's great-aunt, Diana Lawson, refuted reports that Buchanan had disappeared.

"She's here," she said. "She's around. She's with her mother. People keep coming up with all these rumors, but Jennifer has not been charged with anything. She's innocent."

Jennifer Buchanan told The News last month she was hearing whispers from people who think she had something to do with her daughter's murder.

"I realize some people think I had something to do with it," Buchanan said during a June 18 interview. "I hear the rumors. I hear what people are saying. But none of it's true."

But the rumors continue.

Tuesday night, as Diana Lawson discussed the case with reporters, a friend approached and asked whether the autopsy report showed Nevaeh was alive for seven days after her abduction.

Lawson's eyes flashed angrily. "No, that ain't true," she said. "The cops never told us that. Where do people keep coming up with this stuff?"

Adding to the confusion was a false Amber Alert, which was sent Tuesday evening to the cell phones of several Charlotte Arms residents. The report claimed a 3-year-old girl was missing. A Monroe police dispatcher said the alert was a hoax, although since Nevaeh's disappearance, few parents allow their children to play in the parking lot of the apartment complex.

Otherwise, investigators have been tight-lipped about the case, although Shawn Lawson said he understood why police have been reluctant to speak.

"They don't want to let the suspect know about their investigation," he said. "We know they have to hold their tongues. There's information they don't want out there."

Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother, said she talked to Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield on Wednesday, and he said there was "stuff they want to keep secret."

She said her daughter, Jennifer, is cooperating with police.

Detectives on the case told Sherry Buchanan that the case is affecting them.

"They said they had kids themselves," she said, adding that she's devastated by the loss of Nevaeh.

"I still hurt," she said. "Every night before I got to sleep I look at her picture and tell her good night."

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090716/METRO/907160392/Nevaeh-investigators-probe-carpet-fibers

Dear ______,



After reading the Monroe County Sheriff's latest news release on the
cause of death of little Nevaeh Buchanan, I felt compelled to write to
you. Since the sheriff believes you may still walk among us, perhaps
you will read this letter. In the event you do, just fill in your name
in the spot I've left blank in the greeting; you know who you are!



I struggle to understand how any human being could do what you've done
to another — it's unspeakable that you've done it to a child — and I
hope you soon come to your senses and confess. I'd like to try to
understand why you've done this, and, why it keeps happening in America.



I've spent much time in a few foreign countries — specifically Asia
where most don't even have doors to lock — where these things never
happen. And, while I know there are child killers and molesters in
other countries, it seems to me it is more prevalent in America than
anywhere else. Why should Nancy Grace even have an agenda?



It seems the most common scenario for incidents like this is when men
suffer from an abnormal sexual need for self gratification. Then, they
easily overpower a child and force their will on them. While the
sheriff's report gives no such indication, was that the case with you,
and if so, why?



Is it because every time you've turned on your TV in America over the
past 40 years someone is using sex to sell you something? Is it because
every fast food, drug, grocery or liquor store during that time had
virtually naked women enticing your emotions from their prominent stand
at the checkout counter?



Perhaps you're a regular at a local strip joint where paying five bucks
for a bottle of beer is worth it to have some young woman who sells
herself for your dollar bills dance naked in front of you? Then,
because you have no desire or moral compass to develop a normal, loving
relationship with a mature, adult woman, you kept your eye peeled for a
small, defenseless, easy to overpower target?



Surely you are aware of how very many people there are out there who
have spent hours talking about all the ways they would like to kill
you? They are waiting for you! I'm trying hard not to be one of them,
but with each new revelation from the sheriff — like the latest that
you very well may have buried her alive — makes it much more difficult.







You have a choice and trust me; it is your only true option.






Confess!



Start by confessing to God; tell Him what you've done and ask Him to
forgive you. Then, go to the sheriff and do the same. Knowing how soft
our country is these days you'll probably spend the rest of your life
in prison instead of tasting the electricity — or worse — that many
would like for you.



Why would that be easier? Because if you don't, I believe that nothing
the sheriff or the law — or the thousands out there who want just five
minutes alone with you — can do to you will be worse than what God will
do once you've taken your last gasp!






But what do I know.





Poster's Note: This is one person's opinion, multiplied, I believe, by many others, who feel exactly the same way.