JALESA REYNOLDS - 18 yo (2010) - Scotland Neck/Halifax County NC

Scotland Neck, N.C. — Investigators on Monday searched a wooded area where a missing Halifax County teenager was last seen a week ago.Jalesa Reynolds, 18, was seen at the Scotland Neck Memorial Library around 11 a.m. on Feb. 22.

Investigators
said they have since traced Reynolds' Internet activity to a computer
at a home on the 200 block of Cemetery Road. They think she went to the
home after going to the library.Investigators said the man who
owns the residence where Reynolds accessed the computer is a person of
interest in her disappearance.Reynolds is described as 5 foot 2
inches tall and 220 pounds. She has a medium complexion and short black
hair. She was wearing tan pants, a pink shirt and a blue-jean jacket
with a flower design on the back.Anyone with information about Reynolds’ whereabouts is asked to contact Scotland Neck police at 252-826-4111.

A Facebook connection could be the key to finding an 18-year-old woman who’s been missing for a week.
Jalesa Reynolds hasn’t been heard from since she checked her account last Monday.
Scotland Neck police say that internet lead raises suspicions.
Why is her last Facebook log-in is getting so much attention?
This neck of the woods seems a world away from Facebook, but when it comes to Jalesa Reynolds, police say it isn’t.
“We know she was in this area,” says Scotland Neck Police Chief Joe Williams. “That’s no doubt.“
Officers wound up searching this 100-acre dumpsite after tracing her internet activity, specifically on Facebook.
Police say she logged off her account around lunchtime last Monday at the public library.
Then, around 1:40 in the afternoon she checked back in using a computer located in this neighborhood.
There’s been no sign of her since.
“That’s the key piece of the puzzle,“ Williams said.
Her family says it was out of character for her not to come home.
“Stayed to herself, very shy, you know, ordinary teenager, just loved computers,“ said Reynold’s cousin Frederick Lassiter.
Jalesa Reynolds didn’t have a computer at home.
So, she came to this library almost every day to use the internet and Facebook.
Police say the normally shy woman became a lot more outgoing online.
They worry that got her into trouble.
“You never know who’s on the other end of the computer,“ Williams said.
Williams says detectives got to the other end of Reynolds’ last login.
They say he’s an older man she knew on Facebook.
He’s described as a person of interest in the case.
It’s not clear how long or how well they knew each other.
Williams says there’s reason to think she wound up in harm’s way.
“It doesn’t look good,“ Williams said.
Reynolds’ family tries to stay optimistic.
They hope that last log-in from Cemetery Road wasn’t the end.
Police also searched a section of the Roanoke River late Monday afternoon and found no trace of Reynolds.
Chief Williams says teams could look into the water again on Friday.
The river level is too high to do it before then.

It’s been it’s been a week and a half
since 18-year-old Jalesa Reynolds disappeared. Police say she was last
seen on February 22nd at a library in Scotland Neck. Earlier this week,
police began to search for the missing teen but so far have come up
empty handed.

“Yesterday they gave me a briefing about where they were standing, still in the investigation.“

Jalesa Reynolds’ cousin, Frederick Lassiter, says new details from
police are scarce, but he and the rest of the 18-year-old’s family are
still optimistic.

“We’re still holding onto our faith and holding on and hoping and praying that she’ll return home safe.“

On Monday, police said they would be searching in the area around a
home at 285 Cemetery Road. The longer the investigation drags on, the
less information is being released. Chief of Police Joe Williams says
he simply doesn’t want to jeopardize any leads.“

The person living at the address is a registered sex offender who
spent almost seven years in jail for second degree rape he committed
1993. We stopped by and knocked on his door to see if we could talk,
but no one answered. Lassiter says he doesn’t know him and doesn’t know
why his cousin would be with him, though this address was the last
place investigators say Reynolds logged onto her facebook account.

“Is there any reason to believe she would be out that way?”
“Not to my understanding.“

We showed Lassiter a print out we got from the sex offender registry.

“If he is involved, is that concerning to you?”
“Not concerning to me. That’s the authorities’ job and I have no comment on that at all.“

Lassiter says the only thing he is concerned with is finding his cousin, who they believe is still alive.

Folks are gathering for a prayer vigil tonight at 7:30 at Shiloh Baptist Church in Scotland Neck.

For nearly two weeks, Bernice Reynolds has wondered when her daughter, 18-year-old Jalesa Reynolds, will return home.Jalesa Reynolds, 18, was last seen at the Scotland Neck Memorial Library around 11 a.m. on Feb. 22.“Just whoever have her, just bring her home safely,” Bernice Reynolds said Thursday.Investigators
said they have since traced Jalesa Reynolds' Internet activity to
Cemetery Road. They think she went there after going to the library.On Monday, police searched a wooded area off Cemetery Road. They plan to search the area again on Friday.Authorities have declined comment on the case. The State Bureau of Investigation is also involved.“People are very unsettled. They are very concerned about her whereabouts,” Mayor James Mills said Thursday.Without
knowing specifics on the investigation, Mills and town Commissioner
Vertia Evans said they are concerned the community could be at risk.“We haven’t heard anything,” Evans said. “We need to get to the bottom of this.”Mills said Police Chief Joe Williams has not communicated with him.“He has my cell number. He knows where I’m at and knows where I live,” Williams contends.Though
he can’t talk about the specifics of the case, Williams said the public
is not in danger. “We’re going to do 110 percent to protect them,” he
said.Town leaders attended a vigil for Jalesa Reynolds Wednesday night.She
is black, 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. She has a medium
complexion and short, black hair. She was last seen wearing tan pants,
a pink shirt and a denim jacket with a flower design on the back.Anyone with information about Reynolds’ whereabouts is asked to contact Scotland Neck police at 252-826-4111.

New developments in the search for a
missing Scotland Neck teenager. Now a judge has stepped in and issued a
gag order to police.

Even before nine on your side learned of the gag order, the Scotland
Neck Police Department, Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, and even the
SB,I refused to answer any of our questions. But on the 10th day of the
missing person investigation, the teen’s family was willing to speak
today more than ever.

“Just knowing God and having faith. That’s what makes us think she’s
going to walk through that door in any minute,” Jalesa Reynolds’ first
cousin, Adreka Wiggins, said.

As three dozen officers, deputies, and rescue crews reinitiated a
ground sweep off Cemetary Road near the home where it’s believed
Reynolds’ last logged onto her facebook account, her family’s optimism
grew.

“This is a praying family. And we are like this in all situations
and at all times—that’s why we have faith that she’s coming back safe,“
said Wiggins.

The missing teen’s mother says her daughter will come home.

“Just hoping for the best, not for the worst,“ said Reynolds’ mother, Bernice.

Divers with the Littleton Volunteer Fire Department also search the muddy waters of the Roanoke River.

It was a busy morning. Superior Court Judge Alma Hinton issued a gag
order on police. Unknown to the family, they say it should quiet
growing rumors.

“If the gag order is to protect some type of evidence, I say protect
it or to keep something from being leaked I’m for it,” said Reynolds’
cousin, Frederick Lassiter.

Police Chief Joe
Williams said on Thursday, so far 60 people have been interviewed and
authorities weren’t in a position to rule anyone out.

Authorities continued their search
Thursday for a Scotland Neck teen missing for more than a month.Halifax
deputies, Scotland Neck Police and State Bureau of Investigation Agents
have been searching along Cemetery Road.Floyd Walden, a
volunteer assisting the search team, said they were looking for any
clues that will lead them to 18-year-old Jalesa Reynolds.Reynolds,
18, was last seen at the Scotland Neck Memorial Library around 11 a.m.
on Feb. 22.Investigators said they have since traced Jalesa Reynolds' Internet
activity to Cemetery Road. They think she went there after going to the
library.Neighbors in the area said investigators have searched in
the woods and around ponds and swampy areas.Authorities have not
released much information about the investigation, citing a gag order.Scotland
Neck Police Chief Joe Williams has said the public is not in danger.Reynolds
is described as black, 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. She
has a medium complexion and short, black hair. She was last seen wearing
tan pants, a pink shirt and a denim jacket with a flower design on the
back.Anyone with information about Reynolds’ whereabouts is asked
to contact Scotland Neck police at 252-826-4111.

http://www2.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/family_holding_up_pretty_strong_that_missing_scotland_neck_teen_will_return/120479/

Family: Holding up “pretty strong” that
missing Scotland Neck teen will return home
By Amy Kibler

Updated: March 17, 2010

It’s been weeks since anyone has seen or heard from 18 year old
Jalesa Reynolds of Scotland Neck.
Nine On Your Side spoke to family members today who says they are
still holding up “pretty strong” that the teen will return home.
Her last communication came when she checked her Facebook account.
Police traced that last internet activity to a home on Cemetery Road.
Searches of the woods in that neighborhood along with a section of the
Roanoke River came up empty.
A gag order remains in effect preventing police from talking about the case.
Authorities are still offering a 700 dollar reward for information that leads to her whereabouts.

http://www.rrdailyherald.com/articles/2010/03/26/news/doc4bacf35b983cf291136663.txt

Reynolds still missingHome, neighborhood searched again
by Della Batts
The Daily Herald Staff Writer
Published/Last Modified on Friday, March 26, 2010 1:55 PM EDT

SCOTLAND NECK — Law enforcement converged on the home of a
registered sex offender Thursday, in the area believed to be the last
place 18-year-old Jelesa Reynolds, of Clarksville Drive in Scotland Neck, was seen.
Reynolds was reported missing Feb. 23 by her family after she
failed to return home from a nearby library. Investigators say she used
the library’s computers to check her social Web sites around noon Feb. 22.

Later, she logged on a computer in a residence on Cemetery
Road, about five minutes from town, according to police. Allegedly this
was the last communication anyone is known to have had with Reynolds.
The residence is the home of Dwayne H. Davis, a convicted sex offender.

Earlier this month, law enforcement concentrated their search efforts in the area surrounding the residence and the nearby river. Judge Alma Hinton
has issued a gag order on everyone involved in the case.

Thursday,law enforcement converged on Davis’s home. He has not been named as a suspect in the case.

More than 20 law enforcement, fire and
rescue, and forestry service vehicles were observed going in and out of
the residence throughout the day. Davis was observed at the home.

According to the N.C. Department of Justice Web site sexoffender.ncdoj.gov, Davis was released in 2001 after serving time for second-degree rape in Martin
County.

The Department of Corrections Web site doc.state.nc.us said he has also been convicted of larceny and assault charges in Nash, Greene, Bertie,
Northampton and Granville counties.

The Daily Herald observed vehicles from Fayetteville K-9 units, Halifax Crimestoppers, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, State Bureau of Investigation, Scotland Neck Police Department, Tillery VFD and N.C. Forestry Service at Davis’ home. Crime scene search vehicles were also on the scene.

When asked the reason for the search, law enforcement representatives would only say a gag order had been placed on the case they were investigating and
they were not allowed to talk about it.

Neighbors reported Davis’ horses were taken from their stalls and dogs were brought in to search those areas.

Reynolds is described as 5 feet, 2 inches, African-American woman and weighing approximately 230 pounds.

She was last seen wearing khaki pants, a pink shirt, a blue jean jacket
with a flower print, black shoes and a black scarf on her head.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Reynolds, you are urged to call the Scotland Neck Police Chief Joe Williams at 252-826-4112, the Halifax County Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444 or the Halifax County
Sheriff’s Office at 252-583-8051.

http://blog.blackandmissing.org/2010/03/14/found-dead-christine-boone-jalesa-reynolds-where-are-you/
snipped

NOTE: After reading this article, I had a theory. As
we all know, Jalesa Reynolds – who went missing Feb 23, 2010 – is from
Scotland Neck, NC where Christine Boone body was found.
Christine Boone’s body according to this article was found March 5th,
2010. Coincidentally, that same day the judge over Jalesa’s case placed
a
gag order on the police in order to “quiet rumors”. Just a few days
later, Judge Alma Hinton issued a gag order on everyone involved in the
investigation of missing Scotland Neck woman Jelesa Reynolds.

“According to the Halifax County Clerk of Courts Office,
the gag order came Friday because the investigation involves sensitive
information and there is to be no public discussion until the situation
changes. It will take another order to give investigators the right to
talk.”
[Source]

Is
this what they were keeping quiet about? About the fact that yet
another black woman body was found and they don’t want the public to
know that it’s possible that Jalesa’s body could be found next?
(hopefully she is alive and well but this is a possibility)
Is it the fact that Christine Boone’s body was found behind Antwan
Maurice Pittman’s (who was arrested and charged in September for the
murder of Taraha Nicholson, one of seven other Rocky Mount women found
dead in the area) home which is less than 5 minutes from the library and
the house where Jalesa Reynolds was last seen?
FYI, Antwan lived near where most of the other women bodies were
found. Check
out this map that points out where the victims were found and
Antwan previous residents. The thought that they are just now finding
Christine body months after his arrest is scary.
Are there more victims we don’t know about? We caught Antwan, but is
there an accomplice that is following in his footstep and waiting for
the next victim to cross his path? Was Jalesa vulnerable enough to fall
into the trap of a murderer?
Where’s the outcry about this? Why would the judge want to keep this
from the public? What if my theory was a fact and the lack of media
attention is keeping us from finding Jalesa and bringing her back home
alive?
Hopefully we will know something soon. We can’t lose another missing
black woman. We’ve seen what happened with the Ohio serial killers and
his victims – police was so tight-lipped about things that Anthony
Sowell was getting away with killing 11 black women (and possibly more)
without anyone catching on.
For now , I’m watching Jalesa’s case closely. When will the police
warn the public that it’s possible that several (I know it can’t just be
one) murders are on the loose? I’m scared for black women of North
Carolina, this is not a good look.

Police still seek leads in case of missing girl

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 5:27 PM ESThttp://www.rrdailyherald.com/articles/2011/02/22/news/doc4d6437285339c285646921.txt
SCOTLAND NECK — One year to the day after the mysterious
disappearance of 18-year-old Jalesa Reynolds, Scotland Neck Police Chief
Joe Williams announced in a press conference Tuesday there is no new
news in the Reynolds case.

Posters concerning the disappearance of Jalesa Reynolds still dot the small town of Scotland Neck as authorities continue to investigate every lead in the case.

Williams did say, after a year with no activity from Williams,
police are more inclined to believe Reynolds is dead instead of just
missing.

“We are probably leaning in that direction,” said Williams, adding foul play is suspected.

Williams
said the Scotland Neck Police Department, Halifax County Sheriff’s
Office and the State Bureau of Investigation are working closely on the
case.

“The case has proceeded in a positive direction and is
active and on going,” he said. “Clearly the recovery of Ms. Jalesa
Reynolds is an important event for the investigation to move into a
different phase. All local and state resources will continue to be
utilized.”

He said efforts to find Reynolds are focused in the
area near where she was last seen at a residence in the 200 block of
Cemetery Road, about five minutes outside of town, about an hour after
leaving the Scotland Neck Memorial Library.

Authorities are also looking for her at the Roanoke River, nearby.

Williams
said authorities are talking with several persons of interest. He said
he was not prepared to go into further detail on that issue.

He said he hopes for a breakthrough in coming months.

News
on the case has been sketchy for several months as a gag order
prevented authorities from talking about the case. That gag order
recently expired.

Williams gathered with the Reynolds family at
Town Hall to make an impassioned plea for anyone with information on
what happened to come forward.

“Anybody that knows anything, don’t be afraid to come forward,” said Reynolds’ mother Bernice Reynolds.

Bernice
Reynolds described her daughter as a “great person.” She said her
daughter was quiet and she misses the time they spent together.

She said living this past year has been difficult.

“It’s been pretty hard but we’re praying to God for the best,” she said.

Frederick
Lassiter, who also spoke for the family, said the family has lowered
their expectations of finding Jalesa Reynolds alive.

“The family is still holding out hope,” he said. “We’re looking for the worst.”

Williams
asked anyone who saw anything Feb. 22, 2010, regarding Reynolds and her
disappearance to call Crimestoppers at 583-4444, the Halifax County
Sheriff’s Office at 252-583-8201 or his office at 252-826-4112.

The Governor is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case.

Jalesa Reynolds is described as a black woman, 5-feet, 2-inches tall. She weighs approximately 230 pounds.

She
was last seen wearing khaki pants, a pink shirt, a blue jean jacket
with a flower print, black shoes and a black scarf on her head.

Family
members are holding a vigil at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pilgrim Way of the
Cross Church, at 314 E. 16th Street in Scotland Neck to remember Jalesa
Reynolds.

Posted: 6:01 p.m. today
Updated: A minute ago
Suspect in teen's disappearances says he's being harassed

SCOTLAND NECK, N.C. — A Scotland Neck man whom detectives are calling a suspect in a local girl's disappearance more than a year ago says Halifax County sheriff's investigators have been harassing him

The claim comes two days after Dwayne Davis says investigators busted through the door of his home Wednesday to carry out a search warrant related to more than a dozen 911 calls originating from or around his address.

Search warrants made available Thursday indicate that the cellphone calls, from someone who appears to be trying to impersonate a female caller, started in June 2010, in the area where Dwayne Davis lives at 235 Cemetery Road.

Jalesa Reynolds disappeared Feb. 22, 2010, and investigators traced her Internet activity from a local library to a home on Cemetery Road.

"These calls have originated after Mr. Davis became a suspect in a case where a female juvenile is missing from the Scotland Neck area and is known to have been in the presence of Mr. Davis prior to her disappearance," the search warrant's affidavit says.

The document doesn't name Reynolds, but police said Friday that there are no other girls in Scotland Neck who have been reported missing.

Davis, a registered sex offender who says he served eight years in prison after a 1993 second-degree rape conviction, said Friday that Reynolds visited his house once to look at his horses and to use his computer but that he does not know what happened to her.

"All I know is I did not do anything to this young lady," he said. "Just because of your record from the past, it doesn't make you a person that does something to hurt anybody. If you ask anybody about me who knows me, they know I'm a kind, loving, warm-hearted person."

He says he believes someone is playing on the phone to try to get authorities to go to his house.

In their latest search, authorities seized eight cellphones, which Davis says were old and out of service.

He is upset and claims that investigators not only forced their way into his home before he could answer it but that they also had guns drawn on him and tried to make him get on the floor.

"I actually have pictures where they put handcuffs on me so tight (that) my arms was red."

A spokesman for the Halifax County Sheriff's Office said that investigators carrying out the search warrant acted appropriately in the situation, but he declined to comment further, saying it would be inappropriate to do so.

Reynolds' mother, Bernice Reynolds, did not want to talk about Davis Friday, but she said she would like anyone who might know what happened to her daughter to come forward.

"If that was their child, they would want the same thing," she said. "It's been hard. I just want closure."

Davis says he feels badly for the Reynolds family.

"She was a nice young lady," he said.

"I feel bad, you know, because everybody thinks I had something to do with this lady's disappearance," he added. "I didn't."

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9993954/

8/10/2011 search warrant

http://www.wral.com/asset/news/local/2011/08/12/9994189/20110812180435142.pdf