JAHMESHIA CONNER - 12 yo -(2009) Chicago/South Side IL

A 12-year-old girl who was missing for the last two weeks was found dead in a South Side alley this morning, her family said.
Family members said they have viewed photographs and identified the
girl as Jahmeshia Conner, who was last seen Nov. 15. She was a fifth
grader at O'Toole Elementary School.
Chicago
police said the body was found this morning in the 6400 block of South
Marshfield Avenue, about a block from her home. Further details about
her identity and cause of death were pending an examination by the Cook
County medical examiner's office, police said.
Family members said it appeared from the photos that Jahmeshia may have been beaten.
Various online missing-children sites refer to Jahmeshia as an
"endangered runaway," but family members insisted she would never run
away.
"She was a good child. She had excellent grades. She never ran
away,'' said Denise Lewis, 39, an aunt. "She never stayed out all
night."

Lewis
said her niece was last seen on Nov. 15 at her house at 63rd and
Aberdeen Streets and had been watching videos and singing karaoke with
Lewis' children.
Her aunt said she saw Jahmeshia leave the house at about 7 p.m. and
get on a bus to her home in the 6500 block of South Marshfield Avenue.
But Jahmeshia's mother, Birdie Lewis, said she thought her daughter
stayed overnight at her aunt's house. It wasn't until the following
afternoon, when Jahmeshia didn't return home from school, that family
members reported her missing, she said.
An autopsy will be performed Tuesday to determine her cause of death, authorities said.

Family members say they have identified a body found in an alley on
Chicago's South Side as that of a 12-year-old girl who had been missing
for the past two weeks.
But the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical
Examiner's office said late Monday that they could not officially
identify the body as that of Jahmeshia Conner. Officer John
Mirabelli of the Chicago Police News Affairs office said the body was
found Monday morning behind the 6400-block of South Marshfield Ave.,
but the identity and cause of death were pending an examination by the
medical examiner's office. Family members say Jahmeshia was last
seen on the evening of Nov. 15 as she went to catch a bus to her home
in the 6500-block of South Marshfield Ave. Jameshia was a fifth grader.
Family members say a passerby early Monday morning noticed the body of
the girl in an alley. Grieving family members gathered there Monday
night. "She was a lovely, caring girl. I just want them to find out who did this to my child," said Birdie Lewis, mother.Lewis and other family members say they have been searching for
Jameshia for the last two weeks. They say the O'Toole Elementary School
attendee was a good student who loved to sing and was very involved at
her church. "A beautiful smile, a bright young lady. This is a
tragic loss and the church is taking it hard, just like the family,"
said Rev. Darron Bowden, Park Manor Christian Church. Police say
she was last seen at a bus stop at 64th and Racine on the night of
November 15. She had left church and was on her way home. She never
made it. A family spokesperson says he believes police have
leads but nothing solid; nothing to explain where she was for the last
two weeks or how her body wound up in an alley. "She was a good girl. I don't understand why," said Rita McMurray, cousin.Activists have assisted the family in searching for Jameshia. They say
she was one of several missing young people in the city. Andrew Holmes
says authorities should issue an Amber Alert for each case. "If they had indeed put these kids on TV, this baby might still be living, with the public's help," said Holmes. Family
members first called the media for help November 21. They also filed a
police report. Police said at the time they had no reason to
suspect foul play. The family's minister says Jameshia never
left home on her own before. Police treated the case as a runaway case.
Police continue to investigate.

Chicago police defended their actions in the search for a missing child as the girl's autopsy results were released.
Jahmeshia Conner, 12, was found early Monday strangled. Police
said there were several sightings of Jahmeshia in the two weeks she was
missing from home. They also say that they believe she was killed in
the 24 hours before she was found and that her body was dumped in an
alley after the fact. Friends and family remembered Jahmeshia
Tuesday night at a vigil. Her body was found near 64th and Marshfield,
about a block from her home.
Those at the memorial surrounded Jahmeshia's mother, trying to comfort
her. She and other family members say they tried to get the word out
that Jahmeshia was missing, but they believe police and the media did
not take them seriously enough. Chicago police say they did take
the case seriously, canvassing the neighborhood and passing out fliers.
Police also say they forwarded a missing person's alert about Jahmeshia
to the media. Police added that they are now using surveillance footage from the area to try and retrace Jahmeshia's last steps. A memorial was set up near the spot where a passerby found Jahmeshia's body. "Whoever did this to her, please come out, please do, please," said Sheila Powell, cousin. Jahmeshia's mother was surrounded Tuesday night by family and friends
trying to comfort her. Among them was the mother of another young
murder victim. "It just hurts me to see that this child being
reported missing, to me, wasn't taken serious enough for people to get
out here and do what they had to do to prevent us from being here
today," said Sabrina Harris, victim Ryan Harris' mother. "When
someone is missing, we should be more diligent about putting their
faces on the TV, whether there's an Amber Alert or not," said Powell.Congressman Bobby Rush says authorities assumed Jahmeshia had run away
from home, despite word from family that she had spent the day at
church before boarding a bus for home. "The entire community should have been alerted," said Rush.In a news conference Tuesday, police denied they failed to take the
case seriously, saying they have no missing person classification for
runaways. "From the beginning, this case was given the priority
attention it deserved because she was only 12 years old," said Dep.
Supt. Steve Peterson, Chicago police. Congressman Rush has pledged to raise a $10,000 reward to help find the killer.

Chicago's police superintendent said the family of a murdered
12-year-old girl may have wasted valuable time by waiting 24 hours to
report her missing.
On Thursday Police Supt. Jody Weis defended his department's handling of the Jahmeshia Conner case. The 12-year-old girl was found strangled Monday in a South Side alley.
Her family, which reported her missing in mid-October, accused police
of treating her as a runaway case rather than as a missing child.
That's a charge Weis denies. "Our detectives did a really good
job... at least 20 interviews right away. We got a late start because
it was about a day before we got notified that the child was missing.
The most critical time following a child abduction is three hours,"
said Jody Weis, Chicago Police Superintendent
Jahmeshia's mother said she thought the girl was at her aunt's house
for the night. Police say she had been dead for no more than a single
day when she was found.

Here's a video excerpt from the Jane Velez-Mitchell/HLN Show Issues as she discusses this case

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2009/12/03/jvm.chicago.jameshia.cnn

An additional reward was announced Friday for
information leading to an arrest in the murder of a missing 12-year-old
girl who was found strangled to death Monday in an Englewood alley.

On Friday, the Cook County Crime Stoppers announced a $1,000 reward for
information about Jahmeshia Conner's murder, according to a Crime
Stoppers release.

On Thursday, U.S. Congressman Bobby L. Rush offered a $10,000 reward for anyone with information into the slaying.

Jahmeshia Conner was last seen alive on Nov. 15, when she boarded a
westbound bus at 63rd Street and Racine Avenue. Her family reported her
missing, and claims police did not properly notify the media of her
disappearance.

Her body was discovered shortly before 7 a.m. Monday in an alley on the
6400 block of South Marshfield Avenue, according to police. A man
walking with his young daughter found the body near trash cans, said
Conner's aunt Sheila Powell.

Police News Affairs Dir. Roderick Drew said Thursday it was unclear
whether the press didn’t receive the flier from News Affairs due to a
computer glitch or human oversight. He cited ongoing problems with the
department's e-mail system.

“We have had e-mail issues in November, including an instance where we
sent a media advisory for a press conference that wasn’t received,"
Drew said in an e-mail. “Therefore no media showed up to the event.”

Drew said that incident happened Nov. 18, the same day the critical reach flier was sent to the office regarding Jahmeshia.

Congressman Rush is also demanding answers from the police department
as to why local authorities originally classified Jahmeshia a “runaway”
and why the department did not issue an AMBER alert. He is also
inquiring how many AMBER alerts the Chicago Police Dept. has issued
over the past five years, the demographics of the victims and the
resolution of those cases, a release from his office said.

Jahmeshia’s family has set the girl’s funeral services for Saturday at
11 a.m. at the New Covenant Baptist Church, 754 E. 77th St., according
to the release.

Rush is also encouraging citizens to support an emergency fund to help
Jahmeshia’s family ease financial burdens. Donations in lieu of flowers
can be mailed to: The Jahmeshia Conner Fund, c/o Gonzalez, Saggio &
Harlan, 35 E. Wacker, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60601. Attention: Atty
Darryl Tom, (312) 638-0014.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Wentworth Area
Detectives at (312) 747-8380 and urges residents to attend beat
meetings, form block clubs or get involved in other anti-crime efforts.
The Cook County Crime Stoppers also urge anyone with information to
come forward, and also welcome anonymous tips at (800) 535-STOP (7867).

Poster's Note: Posted this here as it is pertinent to the ongoing concern over the PD's lack of information release on Jahmeshia.

A 16-year-old West Side girl — missing since Friday — was located and reunited with her family Sunday afternoon. Shakia Porter was found Sunday about 3 p.m. and reunited with her family, according to police. Porter was reported missing Friday from the 4800 block of West Adams Street, police said. The alert for Porter is one of a flurry of missing person notices newly issued by Chicago Police. It was Saturday when Chicago Police News Affairs e-mailed a series of missing persons notices, including alerts on three teenagers, one of whom has been missing since April 23. Her name is Keonza Phillips, age 15, who police say may be in the Uptown neighborhood or on the West Side, near Laramie and North Avenue. Another notice came in on 14-year-old Luis Lopez, missing since October 20, missing from the area around 48-hundred South Hermitage and may now be living in Uptown. Another notice was sent on 14-year-old Christine Harris, missing since November 7 from the 26-hundred block of South King Drive. Why were all the notices sent out now? It was just this past Friday when Police Superintendent Jody Weis promised an investigation into why the department did not alert the media to a missing girl, Jahmeshia Conner, who turned up dead two weeks later. A Chicago Police spokesman says, "We haven't changed what we are doing in News Affairs. We get the fliers from the detective division and then route them to media." * * * * A missing West Side girl was located 10 hours before Chicago Police sent out an alert early this morning asking for the public's help in finding her, according to police. Shakia Porter, 16, disappeared Friday from the 4800 block of West Adams Street, police said. About 1 a.m. today, police e-mailed members of the news media a copy of a missing person alert regarding Porter. About 11:35 a.m., the Chicago Police News Affairs office sent out another e-mail, stating that Porter "has been located and reunited with her family as of 3 p.m." on Sunday. Grand-Central Area detectives who were responsible for the case apparently failed to alert later detective shifts that Porter had been located, police said. Chicago police have been issuing numerous missing persons alerts since an alert about a missing 12-year-old girl was mishandled. The body of Jahmeshia Conner, who was last seen Nov. 16, was found near her Englewood home Nov. 30. Police News Affairs failed to send out an alert about Conner's disappearance, and Police Supt. Jody Weis promised answers about why the alert had not been issued.

Speaking at the funeral of 12-year-old Jahmeshia Conner -- found
murdered in an Englewood alley two weeks after she’d been reported
missing -- U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush said, “Jahmeshia’s death was not in
vain.”

In the wake of Jahmeshia’s disappearance and murder, The Chicago
Police Department is sending out more frequent notices about missing
children so they will not be dismissed as “runaways,” as Jahmeshia
apparently was.
“The city will not treat missing children the same way again. This
city will not dismiss our missing children anymore,” Rush said as
Jahmeshia’s mother, Birdie Mae Lewis, rocked the girl’s 3-year-old
brother in her lap during the closed-coffin funeral attended by about
1,000 mourners at New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church.
“We are going to get busy trying to locate and find our missing children,” Rush said.
Detectives suspect Jahmeshia was murdered Nov. 29, the day
before her beaten body was found in the alley. She had been strangled,
an autopsy found. And Saturday, Mayor Daley and Police Supt. Jody Weis
confirmed she had also been raped.
A national missing-children’s center said the way police
categorized Jahmeshia made it look to them like she was a runaway.
Chicago police say that was not their intent, but also admitted they
never sent the media a missing-person bulletin on Jahmeshia Jahmeshia’s
parents did not report her missing until the day after she disappeared
because they thought she was at her aunt’s house. Rush told Jahmeshia’s parents not to waste time wondering
about what-ifs. The police department, Rush said, “is moving in the
right direction” on changing its missing-child policies, but “the
investigation has to be intensified. We have to find out who killed
Jahmeshia.”
Jahmeshia’s pastor remembered the girl getting baptized in
2007. Her teachers, family and friends described her as a good girl and
good student who had just made the cheerleading squad at O’Toole
Elementary School. Her mother, father, four brothers and two sisters
filled a row of the church.
Sabrina Harris, whose daughter Ryan was murdered in 1998, told Lewis they shared a bond.
“I feel your pain. I’ve sat, I’m sitting in the same seat you’re
sitting in now,” Harris said. “What I can tell you, with the Lord, some
prayer, and time, you will be able to laugh and smile again.”
Pictures of Jahmeshia’s smiling face were posted next to her white-and-purple coffin covered with pink and white carnations.
Rush, whose own son was murdered and whose voice is still
recovering from his bout with salivary-gland cancer, asked why “in a
few blocks around Jahmeshia’s house, 20 or more sexual predators live
there ... Why are there more sexual predotrs in the Englewood community
than in any other community in Chicgao?” Between Rush, Fr. Michael Phleger and other community
activists, a $20,000 reward has been established for anyone who can
come forward with information leading to a conviction in the death of
Jahmeshia, who was last seen boarding a westbound bus on 63rd Street
from Racine Avenue Nov. 15.
Daley and Weis, speaking at the Illinois Institute of
Technology on Saturday, urged people who had seen anything to come
forward.
“We have a 12-year-old killed and raped,” Weis said. “The
number of tips that have come in? Zero. Zero. If we want to stop this
violence, we have to stop the silence, because silence is killing us.”
Daley said: “The young girl, the 12-year-old girl who was
murdered and raped, we're asking the community. There’s no response
from the community yet on that child. Everybody saw that child in that
community...for days, a 12-year-old child out there. Someone saw her...
We ask them to please call.”

CHICAGO -

Police are re-canvasing the area where a 12 year-old girl went missing and was eventually found dead.

Jahmeshia Conner's body was discovered November 30th near 63rd and
Ashland. She had been strangled and police are looking for new leads
that might help them find the killer.

Conner's friends and family believed police did not make a real effort
to find her when she went missing, but local community members say they
are putting that aside for now. Instead, they are helping police
distribute fliers in the hopes someone will come forward with helpful
information.

Chicago police originally believed Conner was a runaway.

Over 90% of missing persons cases turn out to be runaways so it can be
a tough call for police when you consider the number of cases surfacing
each day, the amount of resources at their disposal and difficult
family dynamics.

At a runaway call center in Lakeview, every case is looked at
individually. They handle a 100,000 calls a year. Counselors never know
when their gentle guidance could send a wayward teen back into the arms
of loved ones or back on the streets where trouble awaits.

Bumping this although I can't find any news of the investigation. The family need to hound the press to keep this in the news. There are so many girls who have vanished in Chicago and a child murderer on the loose.

Still can't find a thing about this. With so many missing young girls round there you'd think there would be some news.

Jahmeshia Conner

July 20, 2013

The beaten and strangled body of 12-year-old Jahmeshia Conner was found in an Englewood alley on Nov. 30, 2009, two weeks after she was reported missing.

The crime horrified Chicagoans; Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush delivered her eulogy. But it remains unsolved.

Jahmeshia was last seen alive on Nov. 16 at a bus stop about a half-mile from an aunt's home. Her family reported her missing a day after she disappeared, and Chicago police immediately launched an investigation. As part of that inquiry, detectives generated a missing-persons alert about Jahmeshia, but it was never released to the media.

Supt. Jody Weis subsequently announced that the department would review the way it releases alerts about missing persons, and the number of alerts sent to the media rose sharply.

A year later, on a rainy November afternoon, a handful of Jahmeshia's family and friends gathered by the boarded-up garage where her body was found. They prayed that someone with information would come forward to help solve the murder.

"She fought until she couldn't fight anymore," said Sheila Powell, Jahmeshia's aunt. "We have a predator out there and (authorities and the public) are not saying anything. If it was a well-to-do neighborhood, we would know everything. We don't know anything."

-- by Gary Marx and David Jackson

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-20/news/chi-childabduct-jahmeshia-conner-story_1_jahmeshia-conner-englewood-alley-chicago-police