ROBERT MANWILL - 8 yo (2009) - Boise ID

A body has
been pulled from an area canal - and a briefing related to the
disappearance of Robert Manwill has been cancelled. Just
after 1:30 p.m., police responded to the New York Canal in the area of
Deer Flat and Stewart St. in the Kuna area. The Ada
County Coroner is on the scene, and police say the person is dead. The
coroner has not confirmed the sex, age or identity of the body, though
dispatchers did say the body was that of
a male juvenile The New York Canal, where the body was
found, runs from an area near the apartment complex where Manwill was
reported missing - and the scene where today's body was found, however
police officials say it is not certain the body would be
able to get from one point to another. There are several grates in the water between the two scenes that could
block objects from passing through. The canal measures about 14 miles
between the apartment area and the location where the body was found. A body has
been pulled from an area canal - and a briefing related to the
disappearance of Robert Manwill has been cancelled. Just
after 1:30 p.m., police responded to the New York Canal in the area of
Deer Flat and Stewart St. in the Kuna area. The Ada
County Coroner is on the scene, and police say the person is dead. The
coroner has not confirmed the sex, age or identity of the body, though
dispatchers did saythat initial reports say the body was that of
a male juvenile The New York Canal, where the body was
found, runs from an area near the apartment complex where Manwill was
reported missing - and the scene where today's body was found, however
police officials say it is not certain the body would be
able to get from one point to another. Police initially said last week that they had ruled out the canal as a search location Dispatchers tell us no other children have been reported missing today. The family of Robert Manwill has gathered at Boise Police headquarters,
and is awaiting further word on the outcome of this situation. Boise Police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower says that the previously scheduled 2pm news conference on the
search for Robert Manwill has been cancelled, in order to further
investigate the body found in the canal.

The body of a young boy was found in
the New York Canal near Kuna Monday afternoon - and police are trying
to determine if the boy is Robert Manwill, who went missing on July
24th. Just before 1:30 p.m., a citizen called Ada County
Dispatch and said there was a body floating in the canal. An Ada County
Sheriff's Deputy responded to the scene and jumped into the water to
pull the body from the water. The Ada County Coroner also responded to the scene, and the person was found to be dead. “The body is that of a young boy about the same age and size as Robert
Manwill," Deputy Chief Jim Kerns said Monday night. The
coroner's office is working to make a positive identification on the
body, but that determination is not expected to come until Tuesday. An
autopsy will be performed on the body. “A missing child
is every family’s nightmare, and a nightmare for an entire community,"
Kerns said. "(This case) remains under active investigation. Detectives
are working closely with the coroner’s office.” Dispatchers tell us no other children have been reported missing today. Manwill's family has been apprised of the development.
The New York Canal, where the body was
found, connects an area near the apartment complex where Manwill was
reported missing - and the scene where today's body was found, however
police officials say it is not certain the body would be
able to get from one point to another.There are at least five grates in the water
between the two scenes that could block objects from passing through.
The canal measures about 14 miles between the apartment area and the
location where the body was found. Police initially said last week that they had ruled out the canal as a search location.

Poster's Note: Updated just after the presser. No news until Coroner confirms tomorrow.

ADA COUNTY - Law enforcement officials in Ada County found Monday a
body in a canal that they say matches in size and age the description
of missing New Plymouth boy Robert ManwillBoise Police Deputy
Chief Jim Kerns said no positive identification was available yet, at a
press conference Monday evening. The Ada County coroner will conduct an
autopsy on the boy's body Tuesday.Kerns described how the Ada County Sheriff's Office discovered the body."This afternoon at approximately 1:28 p.m., a citizen called police
dispatch after seeing a body floating in the New York Canal near
Cloverdale Road, just north of Deer Flat Road. As Ada County deputies
were responding, another citizen reported also seeing a body floating
just west of the initial location."The first Ada County deputy
responded to the citizen's sighting, saw the body floating, jumped into
the canal and pulled the body out of the canal as it flows just just
east of Deer Flat Road and Stewart Road, east of Kuna."The Ada
County coroner and detectives with Boise Police and the Ada County
Sheriff's Office responded to the scene. Other agencies have assisted
throughout the 10-day search for the missing 8-year-old, including all
the law enforcement agencies in the Treasure Valley, others from around
Idaho, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children."At this time we do not have a
positive ID on the body," Kerns said. "I can tell you the body found
today floating in the canal is that of a young boy, approximately the
same age and size as Robert Manwill. Robert's family who has been
incredibly strong throughout this ordeal has been notified that a body
has been found."Kerns called the boy's family a "source of strength" for investigators."A
missing child is every family's nightmare and a heartache for this
entire community," he said. "All of us, including the investigators on
this case, have said to ourselves, 'What if Robert were my child?' Our
hearts go out to Robert's family tonight (Monday) as they wait in
private for a positive ID from the coroner."Kerns added: "We give our heartfelt thanks to the community for their help and support in our search for Robert."He added that the case in still under active investigation

Melissa Jenkins left
the Boise police headquarters in tears Monday afternoon, and later
police officials confirmed why: The body found in a canal between Boise
and Kuna Monday is of a boy about the same age and size of her missing
8-year-old son, Robert Manwill.Deputy Chief Jim Kerns said that
so far Monday, officials don't have a positive ID on the body, though.
That could have to wait until Ada County Coroner can work to determine
who the boy was and how he died Tuesday.A citizen called to
report the body floating in the New York Canal sometime after 1 p.m.
Monday. The first Ada County deputy to respond saw the boy, jumped in
and pulled him out, Kerns said.The canal is the same one that
crosses Vista Avenue less than a half-mile away from the apartment
where Robert was reportedly last seen. The spot where the body was
found is around 2 miles southeast from the Boise home near Five Mile
Road that police searched Friday night.Soon after the body was
found, police postponed a 2 p.m. press conference that was scheduled to
update the community on the search, which had lasted for more than a
week since Robert was reported missing at 10:11 p.m. Friday, July 24.A
canal company worker said it would be possible for a body to travel
from where the canal passes Vista Avenue to where a body was found
Monday.In the past several years, bodies have been known to travel far down canals over several days and even a few weeks.—
In 1991, a 4-year-old was discovered about two weeks after he fell into
the Phyllis Canal near Nampa — and about 14 miles downstreamIn 1996, at least three people traveled some distance in local canals:— A 19-year-old was found in the New York Canal a month after he disappeared. His truck was found about two miles upstream. —
A man was discovered in an irrigation ditch, about five miles away from
where he was swept away while he and his friends were swimming.—
A transient was discovered near the entrance of Lake Lowell — farther
even than the body found Monday near Cloverdale. Officials didn't know
where he first fell into the canal, but figured it was somewhere in Ada
County about 10 days before he was found.

The autopsy on the body of a little boy found yesterday in the New York
canal near Kuna is scheduled to begin at 9am this morning. The Ada
County Coroner's Office says any further information will be released
as soon as it becomes available. When that will be, is anyone's guess.
The body is that of a boy the same age and size as 8-year old Robert
Manwill who has been missing since July 24th.


Poster's Note: Boise is on Mountain Time, Minus two hours from Eastern.
It is now 10:55 in the East, so the autopsy will begin in a few minutes. We should
know something in a few hours or less.

Deputy Chief Jim Kerns of the Boise Police Department offered little new information at an afternoon press conference. Kerns
said police have been notified of the tentative identification of the
body found Monday as 8-year-old Robert Manwill. He said the public
should not expect easy answers, cautioning against speculation."Finding
Robert will not be the end, but just the beginning of an entirely new
investigation. Our priority remains finding answers for Robert's family
and this community," Kerns said. "Our system of justice demands that we
focus on evidence. Our investigative experience tells us we can not
jump to conclusions." Kerns said Robert's family remains in close contact with police. He
quickly departed after his brief statement without responding to
questions from reporters."We ask that you continue to keep
Robert, his family and the dedicated investigators in your thoughts.
They very much appreciate your support," he concluded.The Ada
County coroner announced earlier this afternoon the body recovered from
the New York Canal Monday had been tentatively identified as 8-year-old
Robert Manwill.Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg said positive
identification will be released as soon as the office receives dental
records and the forensic odontologist compares the findings.A cause of death has not yet been determined.Boise police announced they plan to update the media on the investigation at 4 p.m.

Boise Deputy Police
Chief Jim Kerns said local police and federal investigators remain
dedicated to "finding answers" for 8-year-old Robert Manwill's family
and the Treasure Valley community that has come together in the 11 days
since the boy was reported missing July 24."Finding Robert will not be the end, but just the beginning of an entirely new investigation," he said.In
a Tuesday press conference scheduled after the Ada County Coronor
"tentatively" identified a dead boy found in the New York Canal as
Robert, Kerns said police were engaged in a "very active"
investigation, but cautioned against speculating about what could have
happened and not to jump
to any conclusions.Police have to "focus on evidence," he said.Kerns said Robert's family is still in close contact with police and being updated throughout the investigation."We ask that you continue to keep Robert, his family and the dedicated investigators in your thoughts," he said.Earlier Tuesday, the coroner's office said that the boy found in a canal between Boise and Kuna Monday was most likely Robert."Positive
identification will be released as soon as this office receives the
dental records and the forensic odontologist can compare the findings,"
the office said in a release. "We are working closely with the Boise
Police Department and our preliminary results are being turned over to
Boise police to help further their investigation."Coroners regularly use dental records to confirm identity of victims, said Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg."We
feel tentatively that's him and we need to do the dental
identification" Sonnenberg said. "That would be a bizarre
situation...another kid the same size."The report issued Tuesday
does not indicate a cause of death, that is "pending investigation." It
also says the place of death is "unknown.""I'm sure a cause of
death will be released down the road," Sonnenberg said Tuesday.
"Everything has got to be put together to find out just what has
happened."Sonnenberg said water complicates his work."You
can't assume as much as quickly," he said. "Now you have to add the
fact that you have...decomposition in water which greatly complicates
the case."Robert was reported missing at 10:11 p.m. on Friday,
July 24. Since then, hundreds of local and federal law enforcement
officers and more than 2,000 citizen volunteers have been searching to
find him.Two people called 911 Monday after seeing the body of a
small boy floating in the New York Canal — the same one that crosses
Vista Avenue less than a half-mile from the apartment where Robert was
reportedly last seen.The New York Canal is 47 miles long between
the diversion dam on the Boise River and Lake Lowell, according to Paul
Deveau, project manager for the Boise Project Board of Control.Deveau estimates from the Vista Avenue apartment to where Manwill's body was found as a roughly 18-mile stretch.There
are no gates or grates between those two locations to stop a body, he
said. And it would take more than a week for a body to float that far,
he said."We deal with this a lot," Devaue said. "Usually, any
place from Broadway to Gowen Road...if somebody goes in that area, it's
going to be one to two weeks before we see them at Cloverdale."Deveau
said the canal company opened up access roads for Boise Police to
conduct a thorough search of the canal after Manwill went missing.There
are a set of "body gates" at Cloverdale Road, Deveau said, but the
canal company must lower them into place. That didn't happen, because
Boise police "thought he wasn't in the canal so we didn't put the gates
in," he said.Boise police officials announced last week they had
found undisclosed evidence indicating that Robert could be injured or
the "victim of a tragic event." They still have not identified any
suspects or people of interest in the case.

Boise Deputy Police
Chief Jim Kerns said local police and federal investigators remain
dedicated to "finding answers" for 8-year-old Robert Manwill's family
and the Treasure Valley community that has come together in the 11 days
since the boy was reported missing July 24."Finding Robert will not be the end, but just the beginning of an entirely new investigation," he said.In
a Tuesday press conference scheduled after the Ada County Coronor
"tentatively" identified a dead boy found in the New York Canal as
Robert, Kerns said police were engaged in a "very active"
investigation, but cautioned against speculating about what could have
happened and not to jump
to any conclusions.Police have to "focus on evidence," he said.Kerns said Robert's family is still in close contact with police and being updated throughout the investigation."We ask that you continue to keep Robert, his family and the dedicated investigators in your thoughts," he said.Earlier Tuesday, the coroner's office said that the boy found in a canal between Boise and Kuna Monday was most likely Robert."Positive
identification will be released as soon as this office receives the
dental records and the forensic odontologist can compare the findings,"
the office said in a release. "We are working closely with the Boise
Police Department and our preliminary results are being turned over to
Boise police to help further their investigation."Coroners regularly use dental records to confirm identity of victims, said Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg."We
feel tentatively that's him and we need to do the dental
identification" Sonnenberg said. "That would be a bizarre
situation...another kid the same size."The report issued Tuesday
does not indicate a cause of death, that is "pending investigation." It
also says the place of death is "unknown.""I'm sure a cause of
death will be released down the road," Sonnenberg said Tuesday.
"Everything has got to be put together to find out just what has
happened."Sonnenberg said water complicates his work."You
can't assume as much as quickly," he said. "Now you have to add the
fact that you have...decomposition in water which greatly complicates
the case."Robert was reported missing at 10:11 p.m. on Friday,
July 24. Since then, hundreds of local and federal law enforcement
officers and more than 2,000 citizen volunteers have been searching to
find him.Two people called 911 Monday after seeing the body of a
small boy floating in the New York Canal — the same one that crosses
Vista Avenue less than a half-mile from the apartment where Robert was
reportedly last seen.The New York Canal is 47 miles long between
the diversion dam on the Boise River and Lake Lowell, according to Paul
Deveau, project manager for the Boise Project Board of Control.Deveau estimates from the Vista Avenue apartment to where Manwill's body was found as a roughly 18-mile stretch.There
are no gates or grates between those two locations to stop a body, he
said. And it would take more than a week for a body to float that far,
he said."We deal with this a lot," Devaue said. "Usually, any
place from Broadway to Gowen Road...if somebody goes in that area, it's
going to be one to two weeks before we see them at Cloverdale."Deveau
said the canal company opened up access roads for Boise Police to
conduct a thorough search of the canal after Manwill went missing.There
are a set of "body gates" at Cloverdale Road, Deveau said, but the
canal company must lower them into place. That didn't happen, because
Boise police "thought he wasn't in the canal so we didn't put the gates
in," he said.Boise police officials announced last week they had
found undisclosed evidence indicating that Robert could be injured or
the "victim of a tragic event." They still have not identified any
suspects or people of interest in the case.

Much about Robert Manwill's disappearance remains a mystery.The 8-year-old was reported missing shortly after 10 p.m. on Friday, July 24, according to Boise police. But when was he last seen alive by family or others? Police quickly backed away from their early reports of 7 to 9 p.m. They
originally said both family members and others saw Robert during that
time at the Boise apartment complex where Robert's mother, Melissa
Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr., live.But one person says she is certain she saw him that night.Kimberlly Davidson, 7, who lives with her parents at the Oak Park Village
apartments off Vista Avenue in Boise, said she was with Robert on the
playground next to the pool, which has apartments overlooking it on
three sides."I was on the green swing, and he was on the red swing," she told the Statesman.At
some point, Kimberlly said, Robert jumped off to play on a playground
motorcycle, next to the swings, then soon after went up to his mom's
apartment. She went to her own family's apartment.Kimberlly's
parents say they believe she came inside at about 7:30 p.m. - around
the same time as their other kids changed and went down to the pool to
go swimming. The pool was filled with kids that night, they said.When
Robert was reported missing at about 10 p.m., word spread quickly
around the apartment complex. That night, Kimberlly told her dad that
she had been playing with Robert earlier."She gave me a very vivid description," Jim Davidson said.He
and wife, Kandi, say their daughter would not confuse Robert with
another boy. Jim Davidson said some friends confirmed they, too, saw
Kimberlly and Robert on the playground.A resident in the
building who did not want to be identified said Ehrlick Jr. told her
that Robert was in the hot tub and pool the night he went missing. She
said he told her a heavy-set couple, including a man with a mustache,
had invited the boy to a birthday party, and he'd gone to ask Ehrlick
Jr. for permission several times.But the Davidsons said no one saw the boy in the hot tub or pool.Police
initially said the boy may have been wanting to go to a party, but then
stepped back, saying that might not be true. They did the same on an
early report that Robert was last seen at the playground.
AFTER HE WAS GONE
As soon as the Davidson family heard Robert was missing that Friday night,
they grabbed flashlights and joined dozens of neighbors in searching
for the boy. They were out looking until 2 a.m. Saturday."The
parents around here are always looking out for each other's kids," Jim
Davidson said. "Kids can run up to any apartment, go inside and get
help."There are often adults sitting outside their apartments in lawn chairs, and some leave pool-side doors open.Many in the neighborhood gathered after dark Monday at a sidewalk memorial
on Shoshone Street, within view of Robert's mom's apartment at Oak
Park. They lit candles in front a pile of teddy bears and other toys.Safar
Takhsilov, who has lived at Oak Park for about a year, has two boys,
including an 8-year-old. He said children who have gone missing from
time to time at the apartment complex have always been found within a
few hours. The day after Robert disappeared, the Davidsons got
the boy's school photos and had them photocopied for distribution in
the neighborhood."If that was my kid, I pray that someone would be helping us," Kandi Davidson said. They
spoke with FBI agents every day for about a week - agents were
interested in Kimberlly's account, among other things - and allowed
searches of their apartment and garage.It took four or five officers to sift through boxes in their garage.A
neighbor of Jenkins and Ehrlick said that that night, she heard a
police officer helping Jenkins search her apartment for the boy. She
said she heard the officer also wanted to search Jenkins' car - a red
Blazer - but she told him she wasn't home at the time the boy went
missing

Police say the death of an 8-year-old
boy who was missing for more than a week before his body was found in a
canal was not an accident.
Deputy Chief Jim Kerns said Wednesday Robert Manwill's death is an active homicide investigation.
Kerns says there is no evidence the boy was abducted by a stranger.
The child reportedly disappeared July 24 after leaving his mother's
apartment in Boise. A passerby called emergency workers Monday to
report a body in the canal near Kuna about 1:30 p.m.
The boy was visiting his mother, who was previously convicted of hurting another child, the night he vanished.
His father, Charles Manwill, lives in New Plymouth and has had custody since 2008.

* * * * *
Police say the case of an 8-year-old Idaho boy whose body was found floating in a canal is now an active homicide investigation.Deputy Chief Jim Kerns said Wednesday the death of Robert Manwill was not an accident. The cause of death is not yet known.Kerns also said there is no evidence the boy was abducted by a stranger.Earlier
Wednesday, the Ada County coroner confirmed that a body found Monday in
the canal was indeed Manwill's. The boy had disappeared July 24 after
leaving his mother's apartment in Boise, prompting a massive search
effort.His father, Charles Manwill, lives in New Plymouth and has had custody of the child since 2008.

Friday, July 24:
- 7 to 7:30 p.m. Kimberlly Davidson, a 7-year-old girl who lives in Oak Park Village, says she saw Robert at a playground.
- 10:11 p.m. Robert is reported missing. Police man checkpoint on Vista Avenue to talk to motorists.
Saturday, July 25:
The FBI joins the search effort. Search dogs scour Oak Park grounds.
Police issue a description of Robert at about 6 a.m. to see if anyone
has seen him.
Sunday, July 26: After divers search a pond at Oak Park Village, officials begin draining the pond. Volunteers join the search.
Monday, July 27:
An Idaho National Guard helicopter conducts an aerial search, while
police and about 100 volunteers search the public areas near Oak Park
Village, the banks of the New York Canal, railroad tracks, streets and
shopping centers. Robert's family - including his mother, Melissa
Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr., attend a press
conference calling for help.
Tuesday, July 28:
Police and FBI continue a house-to-house search and interview more than
100 registered sex offenders who live within a 2-mile radius. More than
120 volunteers coordinated by Boise police and Idaho Mountain Search
& Rescue continue to search near the apartment.
Wednesday, July 29:-
Volunteers and police finish grid search. Boise police announce they
are asking for as many as 1,000 volunteers to search July 31. -
A Statesman report reveals that Jenkins is on probation for fracturing
the skull of Robert's infant half brother and that Ehrlick Jr. has been
convicted of burglary, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia,
and is banned by the courts from being alone with Robert's half sister.
Thursday, July 30- 8:15 p.m.
A forensics team searches the apartment where Robert was staying with
his mother and Ehrlick Jr. They remove items and tow a vehicle. Police
bring in search dogs to sniff around the complex grounds.
Friday, July 31 :
- 9 a.m. The first wave of about 2,300 volunteers joins police in a massive search for Robert.
- Noon Police report that they have evidence indicating Robert may have been injured or could be a "victim of a tragic event."
- 3:15 p.m. An Ada County sheriff's deputy guards a portion of the Hidden Hollow Landfill, and makes sure nothing is disturbed from Saturday morning's trash run.
- 5:53 p.m. Ada County sheriff's investigators prepare to search a house and dig up its
backyard on the 6600 block of Southdale Avenue, near Five Mile Road.
Resident Evan Wallis said he knows Robert's family but doesn't know why
police are searching his house. He tells police someone stole his Chevy
Suburban July 22.- Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
confirms that Ehrlick Jr. had been admitted and released from the
hospital, but wouldn't say when or for what he was treated.
Saturday, Aug. 1: A makeshift tribute to Robert is created on a sidewalk on Shoshone Street, near Jenkins' apartment.
Monday, Aug. 3:
-1:28 p.m. A nearby homeowner and a road crew member call police after seeing a body
in the New York Canal near Cloverdale Road in southern Ada County. A
sheriff's deputy jumps in and pulls the body out. In contrast with
previous press updates, Robert's family does not attend Monday's
conference.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
- 9 a.m. A coroner's pathologist begins an autopsy on the body found in the canal.
- 4 p.m. Police report that the Ada County coroner had "tentatively" identified the body as Robert.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
- 4:22 p.m. The coroner's office says dental records confirm that it was Robert in the canal.
- 6 p.m. Boise police say the autopsy showed Robert's death was "not an accident" and say they are beginning a homicide investigation.

About ten
members of Robert Manwill’s family appeared before the media cameras
one more time Thursday evening, and thanked the community for the
outpouring of support in the effort to find Manwill. The
eight-year-old boy was listed as missing for more than ten days before
he was found in the New York Canal near Kuna Monday afternoon.

“Now that Robert is home, we are standing in front of you today,”
family spokesperson Trish Burrill said. “We want to thank our community
family for everything they have done for our family and Robert.” Burrill was surrounded at the podium by a number of members of his
family, including his mother Melissa Lee Jenkins – who has not been
seen in front of the cameras for more than a week. There
are still no suspects or persons of interest in the case, but
Wednesday, Boise Police Deputy Chief Jim Kerns said the death was not
an accident, and that his department would work to bring justice for
the boy. “We know Robert is in your hearts, and you need closure just as you do,” Burrill said. Two events will be held in an effort to bring that closure to the
community. First, a vigil will be held Friday night near where Manwill
was reported missing, at Cherry Lane and Shoshone St. in Boise. The
family will be in attendance, Burrill said. Saturday, a moment of silence and prayer will be held at Meridian Speedway, as a “Race for Robert is held. The boy will be laid to rest Sunday at 2pm at the Cloverdale Funeral
Home. The public is invited to the event. “With Robert
being home now, you may all now turn your ribbons right side up to show
he has been found,” Burrill said. Community member had been asked to wear green ribbons while the search for the 8-year-old boy continued.

Hundreds of people
gathered to remember 8-year-old Robert Manwill on Friday night across
the street from Robert’s mother’s Vista Avenue-area apartment. Leonora
Porter and her three children wrote a message on a photo of Robert,
whose body was found Monday. “We knew him. Robert was our friend,”
Porter said. Friends and strangers brought stuffed animals, lit candles
and released green balloons — Robert’s favorite color. They ate pizza,
meatballs, green cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches, Robert’s “favorite
sandwich.”
PUBLIC SERVICES SET
• Racing dedicated to Robert, Meridian Speedway, Saturday, 335 S. Main
St. in Meridian. Gates open at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 6:30 p.m.
•Funeral services, 2 p.m. Sunday, Cloverdale Funeral Home, 1200 N.
Cloverdale Road, Boise.

More than 200 teddy bears that have been left at what has become a makeshift
memorial site for Robert Manwill will be taken to the Ronald McDonald House
on Saturday, according to the Boise couple who set out the first trio of
teddy bears after the 8-year-old went missing July 24. The personal letters,
photos and other items left in tribute to Robert will go to his family.Robert's body was found in a canal near Kuna on Monday. Police say they are
investigating his death as a homicide.Nikki Adams, of Boise, said her kids picked out three of their own teddy bears and
placed them on the sidewalk on Shoshone Street, near the Oak Park Village
apartment where Manwill's mother lives.They were among hundreds of people who gathered at the memorial Friday to remember Robert."It was so when he came home he'd get to be with his teddy bears," Adams
said.With each passing day, the number of teddy bears grew. Visitors left other
items, including photos, cards and candles. It became a gathering spot for
nightly vigils, with many lighting candles.Gina Guzzetta-Dalrymple, 36, felt so moved to watch over the site — and
keep the candles burning — that she decided to sleep in a tent next to it."I wanted to make sure the vigil stayed safe and secure," she said.At about 6:45 p.m. Thursday, her third night watching over the site,
Guzzetta-Dalrymple was arrested by police and taken away in handcuffs. She
was booked into the Ada County Jail on two outstanding misdemeanor warrants for failure
to appear in court. She posted bond and was out by midnight.Guzzetta-Dalrymple said she is really angry about getting arrested."There's only a homicide (investigation) going on. Let's go after me," she
said Friday. She said she planned to camp out again at the site Friday
night.

The case of 8-year-old Robert Manwill has raised two persistent questions:
Why did his mother get 30 days in jail,a suspended fine and probation for fracturing the skull of Robert's infant half brother?
Why was the baby allowed to return to his mother, who was still on probation for harming him?
Robert was found dead on Monday after being missing for more than a week.
Boise police say they are investigating his death as a homicide. Robert
spent most of his time living with his father in New Plymouth but was
visiting his mother in Boise at the time of his disappearance on July
24.
WHY DID MELISSA JENKINS GET THE SENTENCE SHE DID?
In March, Robert's mother, Melissa Jenkins, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor
injury to a child after Robert's half brother, Aidan Ehrlick, then 8
months old, suffered a fractured skull in October and was placed in
foster care. Jenkins claimed she hadaccidentally hit the baby's head on a table while burping him. The
penalty for misdemeanor injury to a child is up to $1,000 in fines and
60 days in jail. Jenkins' sentence was less than that: 30 days in jail,
$75 in court costs and two years' probation. Ada County Deputy
Prosecutor Fafa Alidjani, who handled the case, said the sentence was
based on an agreement with Jenkins' lawyer, public defender Ann Cosho. Alidjani
said she made the deal because she didn't have forensic evidence to
disprove Jenkins' version of the story beyond a reasonable doubt, which
she would have had to do in a trial. "No one else was there to see it," Alidjani said. "My personal opinion of what happened wouldn't have mattered."Alidjani
said the sentence the lawyers negotiated was the best one for the time
and circumstance, and seemed the best to get Jenkins back on track as a
parent. "Your hope is that a sentence provides that no one will be harmed in the future," Alidjani said.WHY WAS THE BABY RETURNED TO HIS MOTHER?Jenkins and boyfriend Daniel Ehrlick had been working to get Aidan back since Jenkins' sentencing in March. Carol
Carrillo, their friend and neighbor, said the couple was taking
court-ordered parenting and anger-management classes, and that Aidan
had been back in the home for about two months at the time of Robert's
disappearance. Jenkins and Ehrlick had earned custody of Aidan
in stages, as is common in such cases: first with supervised visits
away from their home, then supervised visits at the apartment where
they lived.Ehrlick finished his series of classes before
Jenkins, so for a time the baby was able to stay overnight, but only if
Jenkins stayed somewhere else, Carrillo said. "She didn't care. Whatever it took to get the kids back. She said that whatever she and Danny had to do, they would do it."
WHAT'S THE STATE'S PROCESS FOR DECIDING CUSTODY CASES?
The Department of Health and Welfare treats every case of suspected child
abuse individually, said department spokeswoman Emily Simnitt. But for
any report of child abuse from any source, the state takes the same
general steps."When we get a referral about a child being abused
or neglected, we work with law enforcement to determine whether there's
imminent danger to the child. "If we, and law enforcement, come
to the conclusion that child safety is at risk, we work with
prosecutors and the court to make the determination of whether that
child should be put into foster care," Simnitt said. If a child
is taken into state care, the department develops a case plan for that
child. That plan might include living with foster parents or with
relatives. "During that time the case is reviewed by the courts. We do try to work toward reunification when it's possible," Simnitt said.The
court also may order parents to take classes, or be evaluated for drug
or mental health issues as part of the case plan, said Matt Hyde, who
directs the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, a nonprofit that
matches a trained volunteer with every child in foster care. Many
custody cases involving possible child abuse don't go to criminal court
and never become public. Even in cases that result in criminal charges,
state records involving child custody remain sealed to protect the
child.
WHY WAS ROBERT ALLOWED TO VISIT HIS MOTHER'S HOME?
The presence of numerous children in a household naturally complicates custody issues. In
many cases, if one child in a family is abused, all the children in
that family are brought into the foster system, Hyde said. At
other times, that doesn't happen, in particular when parents are doing
everything the court has told them to do and everything appears to be
going well, he added. "In a case like Jenkins', with both the
civil custody case and the criminal case occurring last year, lots of
time had passed, and there had been lots of progress. Which is not to
defend the actions of the parents," Hyde said.

Robert Manwill was laid to rest Sunday as white doves wheeled over head and family members wept.Several
hundred people turned out to the funeral at Boise's Cloverdale Funeral
Home and Memorial Park; a small percentage of the community members who
searched, held vigils and felt connected to the 8-year-old boy who was
killed."You were a little light in a dark and cruel world and
you were taken from us too soon," Charles Manwill wrote in a letter to
his son read by a local pastor during Sunday's service. "...These last
two weeks have proven that Boise is the city of brotherly love. Our
family grown by thousands of people in last two weeks."Family
members, including Robert's siblings, released white doves during the
outdoor service. Country music songs — Robert's favorites — also were
featured.Manwill went missing on July 24 from his mother's
apartment complex off of Vista Avenue. He was found on Aug. 3 in the
New York Canal near Kuna. Thousands in the community helped search for
Robert Manwill.The Ada County Coroner's Office said Robert's
death was a homicide, and Boise police officials said the boy was not
abducted by a stranger. Police continue an investigation into the
child's death.

Chunk Manwill consoles his daughter as they sit in front of the
cremated remains of his son Robert Manwill, 8, Sunday at a funeral
service at Cloverdale Funeral Home in Boise. Robert was reported
missing July 24 and later found dead in an irrigation canal. Boise
police are investigating the death as a homicide.

With so many questions still unanswered, the family of Robert Manwill, and the
community at large, sought closure Sunday afternoon at the funeral of
the slain child. Nearly 500 people attended the funeral
of Manwill, the little boy who bonded a community, at the Cloverdale
Funeral Home. There is nothing more tragic nor more difficult to understand than the
death of a child, especially one complicated by homicide. Sunday was a
tearful coming together of those who feel this loss the most.
"I believe Robert Manwill should be remembered as Boise's peace child.
What began as a community search for a missing child and ended in the
discovery of the tragic death of sweet innocent boy has brought an
entire community together," said Pastor George Sova. The
ceremony took place at 2 p.m. and featured speakers such as Manwill’s
teacher who talked about a little boy who loved life. "Today we have gathered here with a shared grief. I imagine there's a lot of shock, dismay. We're stunned, how could this happen." Sova said.
“It wasn't anyone's fault that he wasn't found. It wasn't Robert's
fault, it wasn't anyone's fault. And family, I want you to hear this
well, it was someone made a choice...someone made a dark dreadful
choice....to take his life." Sova said. Sova also read
letters from Manwill’s parents, detailing some of their memories of
Robert and their desire to have his killer found. Manwill’s family and
loved ones then released doves, which Sova said was a symbolic tribute
to Manwill’s spirit. “As Robert's dove soars over the
horizon and out sight we can softly whisper, there. He is gone, but we
can be sure that over that horizon, other's will look to the sky and
joyfully exclaim, ‘look, here he comes’,” Sova said. Following the dove release there was a procession to the nearby cemetery where Manwill's ashes were laid to rest. While
this is an end to a chapter this story is far from over as the criminal
investigation into his death continues. So far, police have not named any suspects or persons of interest. Sova talked at the service about the need to serve justice in this case. “The search continues not for Robert but for his perpetrator and as we speak law enforcement agencies across the board are working diligently
seeking to solve this horrendous crime against an innocent child... so
that it will not end on a shelf of unsolved mysteries somewhere,” Sova
said. Police have not released any details about its investigation so far. Police say the family is cooperating with the investigation.