HASANNI CAMPBELL - 5 yo with CP (2009) - Oakland CA

The foster parents of Hasanni
Campbell on Thursday addressed some of the disturbing details that have
surfaced during the investigation into the five-year-old’s
disappearance while calling for a renewed focus in the search for the
missing boy.Louis Ross and and his fiancé, Jennifer Campbell,
allowed KTVU into their Fremont house Thursday to show what Hasanni’s
living situation was like. The couple said they moved into the
residence less than a year ago to make a home for him and his
18-month-old sister Aaliyah.Ten days have passed since Ross
reported him missing. Earlier in the day, there were new revelations
about Ross and details the police investigation had uncovered.According
to court documents released Thursday, Ross sent a text message days
before the boy’s disappearance threatening to leave the youngster
unattended at a BART station,In an affidavit filed to obtain a
search warrant of the home where Hasanni lives in Fremont with Ross and
Jennifer Campbell, Oakland police said they found an expletive-laced
text message on Ross’ cell phone.According to the document, the
message sent to Jennifer Campbell said: “This is [expletive] over. I
will watch [Hasanni’s sister] but he will be on the BART…”The
investigating officers also told the court that Ross had “also voiced
some misgivings about caring for a developmentally disabled child” and
added that neighbors had not seen Hasanni for about two weeks.The latest revelations came less than 24 hours after authorities confirmed to KTVU that Ross had failed a FBI lie detector test.During
the interview at their home, Campbell and Ross told KTVU Thursday they
want to refocus attention on trying to find the missing boy. The couple
denied allegations Ross may have had something to do with the
disappearance.They said when they gave police permission to
access their phone records more than a week ago, they told
investigators about the angry, obscenity-laced text Ross sent Campbell
about ten days earlier during an argument."It's like we had an
argument and we worked through it. And now it's like the argument is
being twisted and turned into something it isn't," said Campbell."The situation resolved," explained Ross. "I calmed down and never left the house."They
also said they were the ones who told police Ross kept a sword under
his bed. That sword was among the times included in the police search
warrant of the home and, according to the couple, was taken by
authorities last week.Campbell and Ross showed KTVU a list of
items police took from Ross's car. However, there was no mention of
latex gloves disclosed in court documents as one of the items taken
from the vehicle.The couple said they volunteered to give DNA
samples to police who visited the house Thursday morning so that they
could be ruled out as suspects."I'm cooperating with police every day," said Ross.During the interview, the foster parents said they love Hasanni deeply and would never harm him."It felt just as real as this baby feels," said the six-months pregnant Campbell. "My love for him is the same.""I
know the truth," said Ross. "I am cooperating with police. so if false
info is being leaked, I don't care. This isn't about me. It's about
finding Hasanni.Campbell said it was Ross, not her, who first
suggested taking in the children. According to Campbell, Ross said his
own parents died when he was five and that he and his siblings were
raised by his aunt and uncle.The couple also mentioned to KTVU
that on Friday, child protective services would be allowing them to
visit Hasanni’s little sister Aaliyah for the first time since the boy
disappeared.Earlier Thursday, Oakland police spokesman Jeff
Thomason said there aren't any new developments in the case and there
still aren't any "credible" leads. He said police are still processing the information they received when they searched the Fremont home of Ross and Campbell.
FBI spokeswoman Patti Hansen declined to comment on the investigation
Thursday, saying that the Oakland Police Department is the lead agency
in the case. Thomason said police are still treating Hasanni's disappearance as a missing persons case and not a crime. Oakland police and Crime Stoppers have announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to Hasanni.
Police describe Hasanni as a black boy with a medium complexion, brown
hair and brown eyes. He is about 3 feet tall and weighs about 30
pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and grant pants. Police said he has difficulty walking because he is disabled. Thomason said police are asking the public to call if they have any credible tips.
He said people who have information on the case should call the Oakland
Police Department or Crime Stoppers at (510) 777-8572 or (510) 777-3211.

OAKLAND — Louis Ross says he's failed his foster son in the past few days because he has been focused on defending himself rather than searching for the missing 5-year-old.
"I failed Hasanni the last couple of days," said Ross, 38, in a telephone interview Thursday. "Every single day I am having to defend myself, but that is wrong. By defending myself, I am making it about me. "... Think about it. "... It's not about Hasanni anymore."
The most recent example, Ross said, came Thursday when an angry text message he sent to his fiancee and Hasanni's aunt, Jennifer Campbell, was exposed. The text message, sent the morning of July 31, 10 days before Hasanni was reported missing, was sent after a fight between the two, he said.

The text message read: "This is (expletive) over, I will watch her (the boy's 1-year-old sister) but he (Hasanni) will be out on the BART and its your responsibility to hey (sic) him so (expletive) you," sources confirmed Thursday.
Ross said the message was not meant to imply that he planned to leave the boy, who has cerebral palsy, alone at BART but rather that he wanted to meet Campbell at a Union City BART station to give her the boy.

Ross said he sent the angry text message because the two had an argument, and he was going to end the relationship.
He said he eventually calmed down, apologized and decided not to break off the relationship. "I should not have let the situation escalate," he said.
Campbell, 30, is six months pregnant with the couple's first biological child.

Ross also has been on the defensive after information about items seized from his home and car came to light on Wednesday through search warrant documents. A warrant issued Aug. 11, the day after Hasanni was reported missing, shows that police were looking for a "sword or cutting instrument" and biological evidence, such as hair, blood or skin cells, at the couple's Fremont home.
Ross said police took his small decorative sword that he kept under his bed for protection, at least one of Campbell's poems, a camera and his cell phone.
From his 2002 BMW, the FBI took swabs, the rear seat of the vehicle, carpet from the car, two car seats, molding and latches, according to a receipt of property from the FBI. An Alameda County Superior Court document also shows that four fingerprint lifts, eight DNA swabs and one pair of latex gloves were taken from the car.
Ross said that over the past year, he got to know Hasanni, who loved music, books and SpongeBob SquarePants. "His interest was books and people reading to him "... and even his little sister was picking up that habit from him,'" Ross said.
Hasanni also seemed to enjoy music and had a small guitar that he played, Ross said, adding that he was thinking about buying the boy a piano and had taken him to a violin teacher. Ross said that Hasanni had done "OK" in school and that the couple wanted him to understand that his cerebral palsy should not be a deterrent to success.
In fact, Ross, who is unemployed, said Hasanni "put the fire under me to be a neurologist."
"Medicine was my ultimate goal," he said, adding that he was heading to an orientation at Stanford Medical Center the day the boy went missing.
Authorities said Wednesday that Ross failed a polygraph test given by the FBI a few days after the boy was reported missing. Campbell did not take the test because she told authorities she was worried the test could harm her unborn baby.
Meanwhile, Oakland police said Thursday they had no new leads and had received no new viable tips about the missing boy. About 50 tips have come in to police to date. Police have become increasingly concerned because the longer a child is missing, the slimmer the chances are for a positive outcome, Oakland police spokesman Officer Jeff Thomason said.
He said the department still considers the disappearance a missing-persons case. A homicide detective was assigned to the case last week because that detective is experienced in dealing with such cases, police said. Police have not said they have any suspects in the case.
Ross said he hopes the focus can be taken off him and put back on finding Hasanni. "My priority is finding my son," he said.
The boy is described as light-skinned African-American, 3 feet tall, weighing 40 pounds. He last was seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and gray pants. He has cerebral palsy and wears braces on his feet. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
Investigators ask anyone with information on Hasanni to call Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211. If those numbers are not working, call investigator Sgt. Gus Galindo at 510-238-7934.

Editor's Note: The following is an editorial

Where is the public outcry over 5-year-old's disappearance?

Remember when 8-year-old Sandra Cantu disappeared five months ago from the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park where she lived in Tracy?
The community's response was instant and massive. Volunteers from seven counties mobilized into search teams — slogging through fields in search of the little girl. Over and over, TV stations broadcast an eerie surveillance video: Sandra, carefree, innocent, laughing and skipping on the afternoon she disappeared.
The story tugged at our collective heartstrings.
"Nightline," the "Today" show, Fox News and even Dr. Phil came calling.
Then, a dairy farmer happened upon a suitcase containing the child's body floating in an irrigation pond. Melissa Huckaby, the mother of one of Sandra's friends, has been indicted on charges of kidnapping, raping and murdering the child — the monstrosity of which I will never get my mind around.
For the past nine days, a 5-year-old boy named Hasanni Campbell has been missing. He is 3 feet tall, weighs 40 pounds and suffers from cerebral palsy.
Hasanni is a foster child. He lives with his foster parents and 1-year-old sister in Fremont. His foster father, Louis Ross, says he left Hasanni for just a few moments in a parking lot behind the Shuz of Rockridge shoe store on College Avenue in Oakland. Hasanni's foster mother, Jennifer Campbell, who is his biological aunt, works at the store. Ross said he left Hasanni outside while he dropped off the boy's sister with Campbell, inside the store. When he returned outside, Ross said, Hasanni was gone.

Why hasn't Hasanni's disappearance garnered even a fraction of the public attention and outcry of the Cantu case?
Why isn't Oakland up in arms? How come hundreds of organized volunteers aren't out beating the bushes in search of little Hasanni? The police have gotten just 50 tips compared with hundreds in the days after Sandra disappeared. Just a handful of people showed up at a vigil Monday near the shoe store where Hasanni was reported missing. In Tracy, hundreds held vigils to pray for Sandra's safe return.

A few days after Hasanni vanished, I drove over to Rockridge. I wanted to see if I could detect any signs of something amiss. I spotted a few "Missing" fliers of Hasanni in store windows. But other than that, people were going on about their nevermind.
I doubt that you could have gone anywhere in Tracy back in late March and early April and not known instantly that a little girl was missing.
Why has the public response in these two missing child cases been like night and day?
Sandra was from a relatively small town. She was a familiar face in the mobile home park where she lived with her mother. Neighbors knew her.
The video of Sandra skipping rope helped people to connect with her emotionally. She was everyone's little girl — a real flesh-and-blood child we could all identify with.
The case also had a relatively simple plot line. Little girl goes out to play. Little girl disappears. Mom says she would never go off without asking permission. Her parents had less than wholesome credentials, but the public didn't hold that against the little girl.

Hasanni's story is more complicated. He has been raised by his aunt and her fiance since December because mom reportedly had substance-abuse problems and couldn't care for Hasanni.
But all that should matter is that a disabled little boy has been missing for nine days.
Kari Hulac was the editor for the Bay Area News Group's coverage of the Sandra Cantu case. She now works as an online editor in Oakland.
Hulac says she has also noted a big difference in public interest between Sandra and Hasanni.
"I'm trying to figure out whether it's racial, whether it's the parents' behavior — or whether people are assigning blame," Hulac said. "I thought the public response to this disappearance was going to be bigger."
Hasanni is African-American. Sandra was white and Latina.
Ross said he left Hasanni alone for a few moments. Some have been quick to accuse Ross of involvement in Hasanni's disappearance — though there is no evidence to support that.
Adam Walsh, let us not forget, was abducted from a busy Sears parking lot in Hollywood, Fla.
Speculate all you want.

The point is, a three-foot child with a serious disability has been missing for one week and two days.
How is it that we, as a community, don't seem that bothered about that?

Missing Fremont boy known for dancing and asking questions, mother says

Hassani Campbell was reported missing by his foster father two weeks ago, is known to most adults who meet him for his playful laugh and chatty company, his mother said Sunday.
"He's very talkative," Shemika Campbell said near her home in San Francisco. "He asks a lot of questions to everybody, just always so curious."
"He likes SpongeBob and all kinds of cartoons," she added. "And he loves to dance. Not even to just one kind of music. He loves it all."
Campbell said she has not recently spoken with her sister, Jennifer Campbell, who has been Hasanni's foster mother since December and lives in Fremont with Louis Ross, her fiance who reported Hasanni missing in the Rockridge District on Aug. 10.
Hasanni's 1-year-old sister also lived with the couple but was taken into protective custody after Ross reported Hasanni missing.
"I think we should really pray, and I just want to thank everybody for helping me in this search for my child," Shemika Campbell said.
Police spokesman Jeff Thomason said last week that phoned-in tips from the community were largely about opinions and hunches regarding Hasanni's whereabouts and had thus far failed to provide strong leads. He called on the community to call in with any facts that could be relevant to the search.
The boy is described as African-American, 3 feet tall, weighing 40 pounds. He last was seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and gray pants. He wears braces on his feet because he has cerebral palsy.

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland have offered as much as $10,000 in reward money for information that leads to Hasanni's recovery. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-7934 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211.

A carwash at Tone's Auto Detail in Oakland raised $650 Saturday for the
Hasanni Campbell reward fund, said Sherri Miller, who has been helping
with fundraising and the search for the missing 5-year-old Fremont boy.Hasanni
has been missing since 4:15 p.m. Aug. 10 when his foster father, Louis
Ross, left him behind Shuz of Rockridge alone when he went to the front
of the store with the boy's 1-year-old sister to let his fiancee,
Jennifer Campbell, the children's foster mother, know he had arrived to
drop off the youngsters.Police continue to treat the disappearance as a missing-persons case.Antonio
Anabo, owner of Tone's, said he wanted to do his part for the family
because his "heart goes out to them. I feel really sorry for them," he
said. Meanwhile, Miller, who has been printing the
missing-persons fliers from her San Leandro print shop, is helping to
organize an auction to raise money for the reward fund. She said
Highline Custom Jewelry in Hayward donated a $2,000 watch for the
auction.She still needs other businesses to donate items. A date
for the event has not been scheduled. Those who would like to donate
items should call Miller at 510-276-9090.To keep the case in the
spotlight, family and friends will be holding a vigil at 6:30 tonight
and each Monday night to announce fundraisers and searches for the boy
for the week, Miller said. The vigils will be held behind Shuz of
Rockridge at 6012 College Ave. in Oakland. Also, Miller said a Web site
— www.findhasanni.com — should be up this week. The
boy is described as light-skinned African-American, 3 feet tall,
weighing 40 pounds. He last was seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and gray
pants. He has cerebral palsy and wears braces on his feet.There
is a $10,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
Investigators ask anyone with information on Hasanni to call Crime
Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211. If the numbers are not
working, call investigator Sgt. Gus Galindo at 510-238-7934.

A San Leandro business owner is taking matters into her own hands in the attempt to find Hasanni Campbell, the 5-year-old Fremont boy who disappeared more than two weeks ago.
And while she won't say it, she is one of the very few is not only people
who are still actively keeping this missing child's case alive.


Sherri Miller, owner of the All in One Stop, made t-shirts with Hasanni's face on them
and handed them out to the boy's family members. Miller doesn't have
any children of her own, but came into the world of missing children
when she donated two dozen t-shirts from her shop to help Tracy police
find Sandra Cantu earlier this year.
Oakland police have stopped giving interviews regarding the Hasanni
disappearance, other than to say that they have no more searches
planned and have followed up on the very few tips they've received.
Even Hasanni's foster father refused to talk to reporters over the weekend
as he attended a car wash that was raising money to help find the
little boy.
But there is Miller. Picking up her phone and talking to anyone who will
listen. She also does her fair share of calling. Miller says she
hopes businesses will step up and donate money to help increase the
$10,000 reward. Miller says she wants to raise another $5,000.
"I'm just a one person business. We need business to step up," Miller said Tuesday.
Miller has printed about 2,000 missing-persons fliers at her shop. She's also
helped get together a Web site dedicated to the child that she says
will be on line by Wednesday morning. The url will be
www.findhassani.com.
When asked why she's putting out all the effort, she quickly brings the conversation back to Hasanni.
She said even if people suspect the parents had something to do with his
disappearance, "There's still a five year old child who needs to be
found."
Hasanni was reported missing from the parking lot of the Shuz of Rockridge shoe store in the 6000 block of College Avenue in Oakland at about 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 10.
Hasanni's aunt and foster mother, Jennifer Campbell, works at the store. Hasanni's foster father, Louis Ross, was the last person to see Hasanni alive, according to authorities.
This one woman crusade is making headway. Miller said Highline Custom
Jewelry in Hayward has donated a watch worth $1,900 and Tone's Auto
Detail in Oakland raised $650 at a car wash on Saturday..
If you want to help Miller and donate, call her at 510-276-9090.
People who have information about the case can call Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211.

The foster parents of a missing 5-year-old disabled boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said Friday.Louis
Ross and Jennifer Campbell were being questioned by investigators in
the case of Hassani Campbell, who has cerebral palsy, Oakland police
spokesman Jeff Thomason said.No further details were released about the arrests.Hassani disappeared Aug. 10, when Ross said he left him outside a shoe store where his foster mother works.Ross
initially told authorities he left the car to unlock the store door to
give Hassani, who wears braces on his legs, easier access. He said the
child was gone when he returned.In court documents filed for an
earlier search warrant, police said they were mystified about how
Hasanni could have vanished from a crowded business district with no
witnesses.Police searched the area around the shoe store and the Ross home and neighborhood, as well as a scrap yard in nearby Hayward.

Oakland police said Friday night that they believe Hasanni Campbell is
dead, and that his foster parents, Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell,
are responsible.Ross and Campbell were arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of murder, according to Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan.
"This investigation [is] not a missing persons case anymore," police
spokesperson Jeff Thomason said. "It is a homicide investigation."
Jennifer Campbell, Hasanni's aunt and foster mother, was arrested on
suspicion of murder at about 1:50 p.m. at the Union City BART station,
Thomason said. At about 2:45 p.m., Louis Ross was arrested on the same
charge at his Fremont home. Warrants for their arrest remain sealed.Louis
did not react as he was taken into custody, according to Chief Jordan,
who said that the foster father seemed to be awaiting arrest. "We believe Hasanni Campbell is no longer alive and we have the people responsible," Thomason said.
Hasanni, who has cerebral palsy, was last seen Aug. 10 in the Shuz of
Rockridge shoe store in the 6000 block of College Avenue and his
disappearance prompted a multi-agency investigation. On Aug. 20, police
served multiple search warrants in connection with the case, including
one at Ross' home. Thomason said investigators have not located
Hasanni's body and declined to comment on specific evidence in the case
that led to Friday's arrests. "This investigation is still ongoing and very complex," Thomason said. He said Ross and Jennifer Campbell were being interviewed by detectives Friday evening.A
law enforcement source told KTVU that a compelling piece of evidence is
that no one ever saw the little boy in the busy Rockridge neighborhood
where his foster father reported him missing 18 days ago.The
source also says that the fact that very few tips have come in point to
the couple as being the only ones who really know what happened to
their foster son.KTVU has learned that Ross has waived his right to remain silent, and has been talking to police.“It
would not surprise me in any way that the police is seeking to divide
and conquer by arresting and seeing if they have something to say that
they haven't already said,” said the couple’s legal advisor John Burris.Burris
told KTVU that the district attorney has until next Tuesday to decide
whether to bring charges against Louis Ross and Jennifer Cambpell.Oakland
police and Crime Stoppers had announced a $10,000 reward in the search
for Hasanni, who was reported missing from the parking lot of the Shuz
of Rockridge shoe store in the 6000 block of College Avenue in Oakland
at about 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 10.Hasanni's aunt and foster mother
Campbell works at the store. His foster father Ross was the last person
to see Hasanni alive, according to authorities.Ross and Campbell have been the focus of much speculation throughout the investigation into the disappearance of the boy.Last
week, Ross and Campbell addressed some of the disturbing details that
have surfaced during the investigation into the five-year-old’s
disappearance while calling for a renewed focus in the search for the
missing boy.Ross and Campbell, allowed KTVU into their Fremont
house on August 20 to show what Hasanni’s living situation was like.
The couple said they moved into the residence less than a year ago to
make a home for him and his 18-month-old sister Aaliyah.That same day, there were new revelations about Ross and details the police investigation had uncovered.According
to court documents released August 20, Ross sent a text message days
before the boy’s disappearance threatening to leave the youngster
unattended at a BART station.In an affidavit filed to obtain a
search warrant of the home where Hasanni lives in Fremont with Ross and
Jennifer Campbell, Oakland police said they found an expletive-laced
text message on Ross’ cell phone.According to the document, the
message sent to Jennifer Campbell said: “This is [expletive] over. I
will watch [Hasanni’s sister] but he will be on the BART…”The
investigating officers also told the court that Ross had “also voiced
some misgivings about caring for a developmentally disabled child” and
added that neighbors had not seen Hasanni for about two weeks.Those revelations came less than 24 hours after authorities confirmed to KTVU that Ross had failed a FBI lie detector test.During
the interview at their home, Campbell and Ross told KTVU they want to
refocus attention on trying to find the missing boy. The couple denied
allegations Ross may have had something to do with the disappearance.They
said when they gave police permission to access their phone records
more than a week ago, they told investigators about the angry,
obscenity-laced text Ross sent Campbell about ten days earlier during
an argument."It's like we had an argument and we worked through
it. And now it's like the argument is being twisted and turned into
something it isn't," said Campbell."The situation resolved," explained Ross. "I calmed down and never left the house."They
also said they were the ones who told police Ross kept a sword under
his bed. That sword was among the items included in the police search
warrant of the home and, according to the couple, was taken by
authorities when their house was first searched the day after Hasanni’s
disappearance..Campbell and Ross showed KTVU a list of items
police took from Ross's car. However, there was no mention of latex
gloves disclosed in court documents as one of the items taken from the
vehicle.The couple said they volunteered to give DNA samples to
police who visited the house Thursday morning so that they could be
ruled out as suspects."I'm cooperating with police every day," said Ross.During the interview, the foster parents said they love Hasanni deeply and would never harm him."It felt just as real as this baby feels," said the six-months pregnant Campbell. "My love for him is the same.""I
know the truth," said Ross. "I am cooperating with police. so if false
info is being leaked, I don't care. This isn't about me. It's about
finding Hasanni."

Homicide investigator Sgt. Gus Galindo said police decided to arrest the couple "because our preliminary and follow-up investigations have shown Hasanni Campbell was never in the rear of the Rockridge shoe store as reported by Louis Ross."
Police plan to release additional details that they hope will draw more information from the public. The last confirmed sighting of Hasanni was Aug. 6 at a Wal-Mart in Fremont, where he was seen with both foster parents.
Ross reported Hasanni missing Aug. 10 outside the Rockridge shoe store where Campbell worked.
Ross and Campbell, who is also the boy's aunt, were active in searching for Hasanni and pleading for his safe return. Ross defended himself after word leaked he had failed a polygraph test and after the content of a damaging text message about the children he sent to Campbell went public.
Campbell, who is six months pregnant, has declined to take a polygraph test.
Ross, who used to live in Maryland, had a restraining order filed against him there in 2005. He also has had a number of judgments for unpaid state taxes there, including a number of income tax liens totaling thousands of dollars. As she has done since Hasanni's disappearance, Campbell's mother, Pam Clark, continued to defend her daughter and Ross after hearing of the arrests Friday evening.
"It's shocking. I think they made a mistake and arrested the wrong person," Clark said. " just feel like they don't have anything to do with it." Clark said the arrests did not dim her hopes of seeing her grandson again.
"This is not going to stop me from looking for Hasanni, because he still needs to be found. I have hopes he will come back alive," Clark said. "I just feel he's alive somewhere. I'm still looking." Police have scoured the area around the shoe store in the busy Rockridge shopping district but have turned up no clues. Police earlier served a search warrant at the Fremont home where Hasanni and his younger sister lived with Ross and Campbell, retrieving a small, decorative sword, a cell phone and other items.
Police also searched the 2002 BMW that Ross was driving the day Hasanni disappeared, taking swabs, the rear seat of the vehicle, carpet from the car, two car seats, molding and latches, according to a receipt of property from the FBI. An Alameda County Superior Court document also shows that four fingerprint lifts, eight DNA swabs and one pair of latex gloves were taken from the car.
Oakland police officers again searched the couple's home Friday, starting about 2:30 p.m. and continuing into the night. Officers could be seen searching a bedroom above the garage, going through clothes and papers, and flipping the mattress. Between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m., police officers removed a gray computer CPU tower and screen from the house. Two dogs, one large and tan-colored and the other black and white, were removed from the home and loaded into Fremont city vehicles.
Around 8:30 p.m., officers left the house with two grocery-sized paper evidence bags as they prepared to wrap up the search. Fremont police provided security during the search and restricted traffic to and from the subdivision for several hours.
Residents said they were shocked at the news of the arrests Friday. "I can't believe it," said Jim Pham, who has lived on a street adjacent to the couple's home in the Hampton Place subdivision.
Pham said the FBI came to his house in the days after the boy's disappearance and asked general questions about the couple, but Pham had never seen them. Other residents echoed his sentiments and added they were concerned about the negative publicity being brought to the quaint neighborhood.
More than a half-dozen neighbors interviewed in recent weeks described Ross and Campbell as a quiet couple rarely was seen outside their home. A woman who lives next door said sheâ d never seen Hasanni, and another woman who lives across the street said she only saw him once earlier this year. Although several of the neighborhood children play in the streets, Hasanni was never among them, they said.
Juan Bonuel, who lives in a home across the street from the couple's corner lot, had contact with Hasanni several times but never had spoken to Ross or Campbell. Bonuel said that every day during the school year he would see Hasanni on the school bus that takes kids to James Leitch Elementary School in Fremont's Warm Springs District. "He's a good-looking kid, adorable," Bonuel said recently, noting Hasanni always would say, "Hi." Bonuel said he had not seen Hasanni since summer vacation began in mid-June.
There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to Hasanni's whereabouts. Anyone with information may call Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211. If those numbers are not working, call Sgt. Galindo at 510-238-7934.

This is the email I sent to Crime Examiner on Hassani Campbell and they responded...

Hello:I work with an internet blog that is dedicated to justice for murdered, missing and endangered children.
I was hoping you might able to help us close the files on this missing youngster by providing us with a brief update.
If the child is still missing, to your knowledge, please let us keep apprised of that as well.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Hi Iris:

Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. As you probably have already learned, Hassani's foster parents have been arrested for suspicion of murder. I wrote an article called Hassani Campbell case: Foster parents arrested on suspicion of murder, which you can check out. What is the Web address of your site? I'd love to check it out. Thx.

Cindy Adams

Crime Examiner

The foster mother of Hasanni Campbell, the 5-year-old disabled Fremont boy who is now considered a homicide victim by Oakland police, will not be charged with a crime today, prosecutors said.
Jennifer Campbell, who is six months pregnant, and her fiance, Louis Ross, were arrested Friday in what investigators are saying is a homicide case. Ross reported the boy missing Aug. 10.
Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers said no charges will be filed against Jennifer Campbell. It is expected Campbell will be released from Santa Rita Jail this afternoon.
"There is insufficient evidence at this time, and the investigation is continuing," Rogers said.
Campbell refused to talk to police about the case at all after the arrest, investigators said.
Ross is due in court Tuesday, and prosecutors still are reviewing the case.
The couple has said Hasanni disappeared from outside a Rockridge district shoe store where Campbell, 30, worked.
Oakland attorney John Burris, who has been advising Ross and Campbell in recent weeks, said Saturday that it appeared investigators' probable cause for arresting Ross and Campbell was that Hasanni was never in the vicinity of the shoe store where Ross said he left the boy Aug. 10 for a few minutes, sparking a widespread search by police and community members.
Police have said the last confirmed sighting of the boy was Aug. 6, when he was seen with his foster parents at a Wal-Mart

The foster mother of Hasanni Campbell told KTVU after her release from
jail Monday that she hasn't lost her focus on finding the five-year-old
who went missing three weeks ago.Jennifer Campbell was released
from jail just hours before her first scheduled court appearance.
Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers said there was “insufficient
evidence” to charge her at this time and that police have a "different
standard of proof" than prosecutors.Campbell was arrested Friday
on suspicion of aiding and abetting a homicide. Her fiancé Louis Ross
was arrested at the couple's Fremont home on the same charge.
Prosecutors told KTVU that a decision about whether Ross will be
charged with murder will be made by Tuesday morning.Ross reported Hassani missing on August 10th from Oakland's Rockridge area. He remains in custody on suspicion of homicide."All
I know is that this was one of the most difficult times in my life,"
Campbell told KTVU after her release. "I'm still focused on finding
Hasanni."Campbell said she was "in utter shock" when police
arrested her at the Union City BART station Friday when she spoke to
KTVU about being interrogated by police."They just said I was
guilty of something. I told them I didn't do anything. I just said find
Hasanni. They accused me over and over again of doing something. I told
them I didn't," Campbell said.Oakland police have not said what led to the arrest of the foster parents or why investigators believe the child is dead.Following her release, Campbell attended a prayer service for Hasanni in the Rockridge neighborhood.Campbell was greeted by friends and those who have helped in the search for Hasanni.Campbell
said she was kept away from other inmates in an isolated cell at Santa
Rita jail, but could still hear the inmates yell out derogatory remarks
at her."I know what's in my heart and anybody who knows me knows
what I'm capable of. [They] know what I would do and know that this
isn't even in my character," she said. Campbell also said she has no
doubt that Ross did not harm Hasanni either."We had nothing to
do with it. He's our little boy. We want him...and we want him back and
our main concern is finding him and we still want people to come out.
We still want people to know he is missing."Oakland attorney
John Burris who has been advising the couple said he wasn't surprised
that the Alameda County District Attorney's office wasn't filing any
charges against Campbell because he believes "there was no factual
basis for her to be arrested.""I think it was a rush to
judgment, if you will. Overreaction from the police," Burris said.
"They [the police] did not have evidence to support a conviction for
her and I doubt if they do for him. It may be a tactic on their part."Burris
said being arrested was traumatic for Campbell, who is six months
pregnant, and caused her "a great deal of emotional harm." He had
visited Campbell and Ross Sunday in jail, in attempt to assist them in
locating a criminal defense attorney.A search of Lake Elizabeth
in Fremont has been organized for Saturday morning. Volunteers said
they intend to continue to hold weekly vigils for Hasanni until he is
found.

Criminal charges will not be filed against an Oakland man who was
arrested on suspicion of killing his fiancee's disabled foster child.Alameda
County Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers says there's insufficient
evidence against Louis Ross in the Aug. 10 disappearance of Hasanni
Campbell.Rogers
says the 38-year-old Ross will be released later Tuesday.The decision
comes a day after Ross's fiance, Jennifer Campbell, also was released
without charges being filed.Ross
told police that Hasanni, who is Campbell's biological nephew,
disappeared after being left briefly in a car outside an Oakland shoe
store where Campbell works.The couple's attorney, John Burris,
says police rushed to judgment in arresting the pair last week in an
effort to get new information in the case.

Oakland police today released a video that they say shows the last time missing Fremont boy Hasanni Campbell was seen in public.The
video, copies of which were handed out at a news conference this
afternoon, shows Hasanni, 5, with his foster father, Louis Ross,
pushing a shopping cart at a Fremont Wal-Mart around 8 p.m. on Aug. 6.
Ross told police Hasanni went missing Aug. 10 from behind the Rockridge
shoe store where the boy's foster mother, Jennifer Campbell, works.Acting
police Chief Howard Jordan said at the news conference that the Alameda
County district attorney's decision not to press charges against Ross
was "unfortunate.""We know for a fact Hasanni Campbell never made it to
Oakland that day," Jordan said.Jordan said the investigation is continuing and that Ross, 38, and Campbell, 30, potentially could be rearrested.Campbell,
while awaiting Ross' release from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin tonight,
said that after her neighbors told police that they hadn't seen Hasanni
for three weeks before his reported disappearance, she produced a
receipt showing that the family had gone shopping at a Fremont Wal-Mart
on Aug. 6.Campbell said police have told her that they have
evidence that the couple is implicated in this crime but that they will
not say what it is."I don't know what type of evidence they plan to come up with," she said. "I know I am innocent, and I know Louis is innocent."Campbell said
she last saw Hasanni around 7 a.m. Aug. 10 while the boy was still
sleeping. She said she kissed him goodbye and went to work. "It's been
a living a nightmare ever since," she said.She said that when
she returned to her house after being released from jail Monday, every
single room was a mess from a police search Friday after the couple's
arrest. A couch was flipped over, things were pulled out of dressers
and cupboards, Hasanni's clothing was pulled out of the closet and some
of her paperwork was missing. "Everything is everywhere," she said.
"They went through every single room."Sgt. J.D. Nelson,
spokesman for Alameda County sheriff's office, said Louis Ross had to
be transported back to jail separately from other prisoners who went to
court this morning. Ross is en route to the jail right now.Nelson
said that whenever there's a case involving possible harm to a child,
the suspect must be separated from other inmates for fear of harm. "The
notoriety of this case is something we have to deal with, and we want
to make sure all 4,000 inmates are safe," Nelson said.Investigators
said today they have no substantial open leads and will not be
conducting any more searches for Hasanni unless they receive new
information, said department spokesman Officer Jeff Thomason."We
believe we have a case, and there is a lot of information we can't make
public while the investigation is open," Thomason said. "But the video
we're releasing is big. This is the last time anyone other than our two
suspects confirmed Hasanni was alive."Thomason said the Oakland
police investigation has not included searches in Monterey, where Ross
lived until about nine months ago according to a former housemate."There are probably only two people who know where Hasanni is, and those are our suspects," Thomason said.Civil
rights attorney John Burris, who has been counseling Campbell and Ross,
said he has lined up criminal lawyers to defend the foster parents
should charges be filed in the future."From the foster parents'
point of view, this has been difficult and trying time for them, a
shock to their system," Burris said. "For Louis, it was a nightmare.
For Jennifer, this was emotionally shocking and traumatic. It was an
experience I'm sure for each of them they'd never like to relive."The
District Attorney's Office announced its decision not to file charges
against Ross this morning. Police arrested the foster parents Friday
and said they consider the boy a homicide victim.Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers said his office had "insufficient evidence" to charge Ross with killing Hasanni Campbell."We're not filing on Louis Ross," Rogers said. "There is insufficient evidence, and the investigation continues."The District Attorney's Office on Monday decided not to charge Campbell with a crime, and she was released from custody.Ross
has told police he left Hasanni at the shoe store's rear entrance while
taking Hasanni's 1-year-old sister into the front entrance of the
store. Ross said that when he and Campbell went to let in Hasanni, he
was gone.The 1-year-old girl was taken into protective custody
after Hasanni's disappearance. Campbell went to court today and learned
that her parental rights are being severed and that the girl will be
put up for adoption. "I basically will never see her again," she said.There
will be a search Saturday at Fremont's Lake Elizabeth at 40000 Paseo
Padre Parkway. Volunteers may meet at the main entrance at 9 a.m.
Experienced divers are needed to help out. For more information, e-mail
findhasanni@gmail.com or call 510-276-9090.A
$10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Hasanni's
whereabouts. Anyone with information may call Crime Stoppers at
510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211 or Sgt. Gus Galindo at 510-238-7934.

Louis Ross released from jail, last video of Hassani Campbell released


September 2, 3:49 AMCrime ExaminerCindy Adams


On Tuesday, missing Hassani Campbell’s foster father was released from jail after being arrested on Friday for suspicion of murder.
Louis Ross and his fiancé Jennifer Campbell, Hassani’s aunt, were both taken into custody on Friday as authorities announced the couple was suspected of murder and the case of the missing 5-year-old was now a homicide investigation.
Campbell was released on Monday because authorities said they had insufficient evidence against her. The district attorney had until Tuesday to file charges against Ross, but instead released him as well.
Despite their release, investigators still question the couple’s story surrounding Hassani’s disappearance and Oakland Police chief Howard Jordan announced they hope to re-arrest the couple.
Hassani, who has cerebral palsy, went missing Aug. 10 and was last seen with Ross, who claimed the boy disappeared after he left him alone briefly in a shoe store parking lot. Police said Hassani never made it to that shoe store, effectively stating Ross' story is false.

Despite their release, investigators still question the couple’s story surrounding Hassani’s disappearance and Oakland Police chief Howard Jordan announced they hope to re-arrest the couple.
Hassani, who has cerebral palsy, went missing Aug. 10 and was last seen with Ross, who claimed the boy disappeared after he left him alone briefly in a shoe store parking lot. Police said Hassani never made it to that shoe store, effectively stating Ross' story is false.
To see Nancy Grace's interview with Ross, click here.

For the complete story from Cindy Adams, Crime Examiner, go here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crime-Examiner~y2009m9d2-Louis-Ross-released-from-jail-last-video-of-Hassani-Campbell-released

Oakland Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan said that the foster parents of missing 5-year-old boy Hasanni Campbell are still the main suspects in the case even though prosecutors say there's not enough evidence to charge them at this time.
In a one-minute statement to reporters, Jordan said, "We're asking for the
public's help to solve this case and potentially re-arrest Mr. Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell."
Ross, 38, and Campbell, 30, who lived with Hasanni and another child, a 1-year-old girl, in Fremont,
were arrested last Friday, but the Alameda County District Attorney's
Office has declined to file charges against them, stating that there's
insufficient evidence.
Ross told police he took Hasanni, who has cerebral palsy, to the Rockridge area of Oakland to see Campbell at her workplace, a shoe store, on the night of Aug. 10. But police are disputing that story.
Ross insists that someone took the boy because his
physical condition prevents him from running. But police are saying
that the boy was gone before.
"We know for a fact that Hasanni Campbell never made it to Oakland Aug.
10th as was previously reported." Oakland Poilce spokesman Jeff
Thomason said.
Police on Tuesday also released a surveillance video from a Fremont Wal-Mart
four days before Hasanni disappeared that they say shows the boy and
his baby sister shopping with Ross and Campbell.
Officers say it's the last time they have evidence that Hasanni was alive and
they say Ross is lying about when the boy disappeared.
But both parents say they've cooperated with investigators from the beginning, insisting the video proves nothing.
"I gave them receipts, cards, bank statements. I gave them times I was there." Ross said. "I gave them everything."
The couple believes they are the targets of a witch hunt.
"I don't know what type of evidence they plan to come up with or what they
plan to do." Campbell said. "I will leave their investigation alone. I
know I'm innocent and I know Louis is innocent."
Social services records show Ross and Campbell were very caring and attentive foster parents.
Both were run through criminal background checks and child abuse
instance searches and came up clean, The Chronicle's Matier and Ross
report.
The couple paid close attention to Hasanni's medical needs, took him to
UCSF to be fitted for special pediatric leg braces and regularly took
him to Oakland's Children's Hospital for treatment, according to a
social services official.
Another search for Hasanni is planned Saturday at Lake Elizabeth in Fremont.
Expoerienced divers are being asked to volunteer for the search.

Last video of Hassani Campbell

The reward for missing 5-year-old boy Hasanni Campbell has been
increased to $60,000 thanks to large contributions from Alameda and San
Francisco counties, Oakland police said today.

Hasanni, who has cerebral palsy, was reported missing by his foster father, Louis Ross, from the parking lot of the Shuz of Rockridge Shoe store in the 6000 block of College Avenue about 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 10.
Hasanni's foster mother, Jennifer Campbell, works at the store. Ross, Jennifer Campbell, Hasanni and another child lived together in Fremont. Oakland police and Crime Stoppers initially offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Hasanni.But Oakland police said the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and San
Francisco County are contributing another $25,000 each to the reward.Hasanni's biological parents live in San Francisco and the city's
Department of Human Services had been involved in supervising him by
checking in with his foster parents periodically. San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a statement, "We hope this award will lead
to information on the whereabouts of Hasanni Campbell." Newsom said, "If you have any leads, please contact the Oakland Police Department."Oakland Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan said in a statement, "This
case has touched everyone in our community and across the region and
with the increased reward money we are hoping to bring closure to this
case. The Oakland Police Department wants to thank everyone who is
involved in this generous effort." Oakland police said anyone
with information about the case is urged to call them at (510) 777-3211
or (510) 238-7934 or Crime Stoppers at (510) 777-8572. Last
Friday, Oakland police said they consider Hasanni's disappearance to be
a homicide case, not a missing persons case. They arrested Ross on
suspicion of murder and Jennifer Campbell on suspicion of being an
accomplice to murder. But Ross and Campbell were released from
custody earlier this week after the Alameda County District Attorney's
Office said there's not enough evidence to charge them at this time.

Police: Hasanni Was Not in Oakland

Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said that department investigators "know for a fact" that little Hasanni Campbell didn't go missing from behind a Rockridge shoe store on August 10 as his stepfather claims, according to the Trib and the Chron. In other words, stepfather Louis Ross has lied and is still lying about what happened to the 5-year-old boy. Jordan did not disclose more details on how investigators reached that conclusion, but said Oakland police would not conduct any more searches for the boy unless they got additional credible information about what happened to him. Oakland cops say that the last known public sighting of the boy was on August 6 at a Wal-Mart store in Fremont. Jordan made his comments after the Alameda County District Office decided to not file charges against Ross or Hasanni's foster mother/aunt Jennifer Campbell and ordered them both released from jail.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Volunteers gathered at Lake Elizabeth Saturday to search for Hasanni Campbell.
The volunteers, led by Sherri-lyn Miller and Courtney Tascoe-Burris, San Jose Search and Rescue Team, and concerned citizens aided the effort.
The organizers and volunteers said they are concerned about the 5-year-old, who has cerebral palsy. He was reported missing Aug. 10.
They said although police have given up, the volunteers are not satisfied that every effort was made to find Hasanni.
“We can not assume, as the police have done, that this boy’s life is no longer salvageable. If anything, the disturbing words from the investigators should serve as motivation to make us even more relentless in our search efforts. They may have given up hope, but we will not. Together, we can bring Hasanni home,” said Courtney Tascoe-Burris, Search Volunteer Organizer.
Lake Elizabeth was chosen to search in light of the fact that the Oakland Police department's investigation was changed from missing person to homicide.
They said their highest hope is to thoroughly search and rule out the Lake Elizabeth area and continue future searches with the expectation that Hasanni is still alive.
Oakland will be searched at a future date. They said the Jaycee Lee Dugard case is a reminder for volunteers not to give up on Hasanni

A massive volunteer search
effort in Fremont on Saturday for Hasanni Campbell did not turn up any
clues in the disappearance of the 5-year old who went missing August
10. But it did give the organizers and the 124 volunteers who
covered numerous areas in Fremont renewed hope that the Fremont boy is
still alive. "It gave us hope that we're looking for a live, breathing, walking child," organizer Sherri Miller said.Her
co-organizer was Courtney Tascoe-Burris, daughter of civil rights
attorney John Burris, who has served as a legal advisor to Campbell's
foster parents. The boy's foster father Louis Ross, 38, and
foster mother Jennifer Campbell, 30, were arrested last week and held
for several days in jail. Prosecutors did not file criminal charges
against them, and both were released this week. Meanwhile, the award
for information leading to the conviction of the person or people who
abducted Hasanni has risen to $60,000. Volunteers from the San
Jose Search and Rescue Team, Newark Community Emergency Response Team,
Oakland organizations and others began at Lake Elizabeth in Fremont at
9 a.m. They split into 11 search teams to scour the lake, the Dumbarton
Quarry, Alameda Creek, the Alvarado Niles District and other areas
around Fremont. "It was amazing," Miller said.In the
meantime, the Fremont school where Hasanni was enrolled, Leitch
Elementary, has a psychologist on hand in case students need to talk
about their concerns, but no one has needed his service, according to Nicole
Steward, spokeswoman for the Fremont Unified School District.The search ended at 3:30 p.m. Miller
said they will start searching in Oakland, where his foster father said
the boy disappeared while in an unattended car in the Rockridge
District.