SHONDA TOWNSEND - 19 yo (2010) - Mineral Wells (W of D-FW) TX

Mineral Wells TX ---- Investigators are trying to figure out what
happened to a 19-year-old girl who disappeared over the holiday weekend.
Shonda Townsend’s mom said she received a text from her just before
midnight on July 4 saying that she was coming home. But, she never
showed up.

Now it’s been four days since she’s contacted her
family, including her 2-year-old son. The Jack County Sheriff’s
Department said investigators are treating the case as a missing person
case. They recovered Townsend’s car, but there is still no sign
of her. The longer the teen is missing, the more her mom is
concerned that something happened to her. “I know God’s with her
and he’s taking care of her. But I want her home and I want her home
safe,” Carolyn Rittenbury said. Investigators said they are
working with several area agencies and following up on leads they’ve
received.

A Palo Pinto County Crime Stoppers reward is being offered for
information leading to the whereabouts of Shonda Townsend, 19, of
Gibtown.
Anyone with information about Townsend is asked to call (940) 325-0000.
Provided anonymously, information leading authorities to Townsend will
be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
As of Friday morning, there was no new information on Townsend's
whereabouts.

Townsend was last seen around midnight Monday morning leaving a
residence on U.S. Highway 180 West. She sent her mother a phone text at
12:10 a.m. saying she was headed home. Her gray Toyota Camry was
discovered early Monday morning in the 800 block of S.E. 3rd Avenue, its
stereo removed and items inside scattered.

The mother of a 2-year-old boy, she was last seen wearing pink shorts, a
black tanktop over a bikini and flip-flops.

Information concerning Townsend's disappearance can also be provided by
calling the Jack County Sheriff's Department at (940) 567-2161 or the
Mineral Wells Police Department at (940) 328-7770.

July 13, 2010
New leads emerge in Townsend case





By Christin Coyne
Mineral Wells Index

MINERAL WELLS —
Mineral Wells police are cautiously hopeful they are getting closer to finding Shonda Townsend.

Townsend, 19, of Gibtown,has been missing since the early morning hours of July 5.

The Toyota Camry Townsend was driving was sent Monday to the DPS
forensics lab for DNA testing, according to Mineral Wells police.

On Tuesday Mineral Wells Police Chief Mike McAllester confirmed
Townsend received a text message shortly after 2 a.m. July 5 when her
phone was turned off or went dead. With the assistance of the Texas
Rangers, deleted text messages were recovered this week from a phone
belonging to a person described as a “possible witness,” according to
McAllester. As of Tuesday afternoon he had not been able to read them
or know if they hold any value in helping lead law enforcement
officials to her.

The individual belonging to that phone has been interviewed, according to police.

Townsend, the mother of a 2-year-old boy, was last reported seen at a
house on U.S. Highway 180 West around 11:40 p.m. July 4. She sent her
mother a text saying she was on her way home just after midnight.

Her locked car was found hours later in the 800 block of S.E. 3rd
Avenue with the stereo missing and the contents of the car displaced
inside.

Police took possession of the vehicle July 6 after the family filed a missing persons report around 10 p.m. on July 5.

“We've run down a million rabbit trails,” McAllester said. “We're still plugging.”

He encouraged anybody with information, no matter how small, to call law enforcement.

A Palo Pinto County Crime Stoppers reward is being offered for
information leading to the whereabouts of Townsend. Anyone with
information is asked to call (940) 325-0000. Provided anonymously,
information leading authorities to Townsend will be eligible for a
reward of up to $1,000.

Information concerning Townsend's disappearance can also be provided by
calling the Jack County Sheriff's Department at (940) 567-2161 or the
Mineral Wells Police Department at (940) 328-7770.

MINERAL WELLS — Family and friends of missing teen Shonda Townsend
gathered Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of her disappearance.
The 19-year old single mom went missing last year on July 4 after leaving the home of a friend on U.S. 180 in Mineral Wells.
On Sunday afternoon, family and friends got together near a billboard
bearing Townsend's photo, where they prayed and released balloons to
signify her year-long absence.
"Through the year that has passed since then, our faith has not ceased," one participant said.
Investigators, however, say they have very few leads in the case.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/One-year-later-The-search-for-Shonda-continues-124949229.html

MINERAL WELLS —
The skeletal remains found Thursday in Mineral Wells have been
identified as Shonda Townsend, family member April Hambrick released in a
statement late Friday afternoon.

"It is with heavy heart and bitter sweet relief that I inform everyone
that ... the skeletal remains in Mineral Wells, Texas are that of our
precious Shonda," Hambrick said. "I thank you all for all your prayers
and support I ask that as of now please give our family some time to
heal and grieve. I will notify everyone of memorial services as soon as
my family have them in order.

Authorities began searching an area Friday in far southwest Mineral
Wells where skeletal remains were found Thursday, the Mineral Wells
Index reported.

Palo Pinto County Sheriff Ira Mercer said a human skull and bones were
discovered by a prospective buyer of an approximately 100-acre tract who
was walking the land.

The remains were found at the edge of a tree-lined area off Sand Hill Road.

Mercer along with interim Mineral Wells Police Chief Scott Mitcham said
Friday morning the remains would be sent to a forensics lab for
positive identification.

Mercer said officials met with Townsend's family Thursday night to inform them of the developments.

The then 19-year-old Townsend went missing in the early morning hours
of July 5, 2010. She had spent the Fourth of July holiday with friends.
That night just before midnight, she posted “I got this” to her Facebook
page and left the home of a friend off U.S. Highway 180 in western
Mineral Wells. Shortly after midnight, the Gibtown teen sent her mother a
text saying she was on her way home.

Townsend, the single mother of a boy, never arrived home. Police said
cell phone activity continued on her phone until around 2 a.m. the
morning of July 5 before the phone went apparently dead. Police said
Townsend's phone activity was bouncing off a cellular tower in the
Peadenville area around that time.

Around 5:30 a.m., Townsend's ransacked car was found with doors open in
the 800 block of S.E. 3rd Avenue. The car reportedly yielded no
evidence or clues concerning what happened to Townsend or who was
responsible. The keys to the car were found several days later tossed in
an adjacent lot.

Police conducted ground and aerial searches, and private searches were
conducted, including one by the CUE Center for Missing Persons, which
stopped in Mineral Wells on Sunday evening as part of a national tour
spotlighting missing persons cases. Dozens of interviews of friends,
family members and persons of interest have been conducted.

A Crime Stoppers reward of up to $1,000 for anyone who anonymously
provides information that leads to arrest and indictment of the person
or persons responsible for Townsend's disappearance. Information can be
provided anytime by calling (940) 325-0000.

The Mineral Wells Index is covering the story and further information is expected in Sunday's edition.
http://weatherforddemocrat.com/top-news/x1607578465/Family-says-missing-mom-identified

MINERAL WELLS, Texas - Saturday afternoon, investigators are seen
leaving the remote wooded area where skeletal remains have been
positively identified as Krishonda Townsend's.
"They're about 30
yards off the road," said Sheriff Ira Mercer. "There's a sheer drop off
and the remains were down below that.."
The Palo Pinto County Sheriff confirmed their suspicions using dental records
They
first got the call Thursday when a prospective buyer for this 100-acre
tract of land stumbled upon human bones while walking the property.
"Now
we know where she wound up. That's a big part of the story," said
Sheriff Mercer. "We didn't know, there was all kinds of rumors. We've
chased down hundreds of rumors and literally interviewed hundreds of
people. Now we know where she wound up and that'll be a big help to us."
Nineteen-year-old
Townsend, a single mom with a little boy, disappeared on July 5, 2010.
She was last known to be at a party with friends in the Mineral Wells
area. Investigators say she sent a text message to her mother just after
midnight saying she was on her way home.
Townsend's car was found in the hours that followed. Though foul play was suspected, the search went cold.
"At last we have the peace in our hearts," a family member said.
"I
have a peace, God has given me a peace," said Carolyn Rittenbury,
Townsend's mother. "I had hope she would come back home alive. But it
didn't work that way. We know she's in heaven."
The family is
optimistic they'll see justice for those responsible for 19-year-old's
death. The toughest thing, they say, is watching her now 3-year-old son,
Hayden, struggle with understanding why his mom is never coming home.
"The
one thing, his enjoyment is going to Walmart and getting a balloon and
walking outside, letting it go and saying Jesus give this balloon to my
mommy," said Carolyn Rittenbury, Townsend's aunt.
"I'm cautiously
optimistic we're going to get somewhere with this case," said Sheriff
Mercer. "We're certainly going to make another initiative at trying to
find out who did this."

Read more on myFOXdfw.com: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/missing-teen-found#ixzz1cEp9QcpI

MINERAL WELLS —
Fifteen months since her disappearance, Shonda Townsend has been found.
It was not the ending her family friends wanted, but the one they
feared and expected.

Skeletal remains were discovered Thursday in a secluded area at the end
of Sand Hill Road in the far southwest part of town. Palo Pinto County
Sheriff Ira Mercer on Saturday confirmed the remains are those of
Krishonda Townsend, missing since the early morning hours of July 5,
2010.

Positive identification was made through dental records. The
19-year-old Townsend wore braces at the time of her disappearance, and
investigators’ first look at the skull instantly led them to believe
they had found the missing teen.

Mercer said the remains were found Thursday afternoon “by a man who was
looking at the property, it had a ‘for sale’ sign on it, and he was
walking the fence lines and found it.”

Because of inclement weather Thursday afternoon, the scene was secured.

“We secured the scene all night [Thursday] night with an officer
standing by and waited until the weather was better so we could actually
get in there and do something,” Mercer said.

Interim Mineral Wells Police Chief Scott Mitcham said a search warrant
was obtained so that a joint investigative team comprising officers from
Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers
could begin examining the area Friday morning. Authorities hope a grid
search of the area will yield some information or evidence.

Mercer said the 100-acre tract of land on which the discovery was made
leads authorities to believe someone with knowledge of the area is
responsible for dumping the body, left lying near a line of trees about
50 yards off the gravel-layered road.

“This is somebody local who did this,” said Mercer.

The remains did not appear to have been buried, he said, and as of
Friday preliminary cause of death was available. A forensics examination
will be conducted to see if a cause of death can be determined.

He said news reports Friday of the discovery of remains with suspicions
they belonged to Townsend once again turned up chatter within the
community. The difference for authorities now is that discovery of her
body provides more focus to the investigation, allowing authorities to
filter out many of the previous rumors and hone in on information and
individuals that seem to now fit the new developments.

Mercer and Mitcham said they expect to once again bring in people of
interest and review notes and statements to try and get closer to
solving the case and making an arrest.

Mercer said the case has always been a priority for local law
enforcement, though there have been very few tangible leads thus far in
the investigation.

“Mitcham, my detective, Craig Goen, as well as several Rangers and
Mineral Wells police detectives have worked on this for over a year
now,” he said.

Mercer confirmed Townsend’s family was informed Thursday evening of the discovery.

Townsend was leaving a friend’s home in Mineral Wells in west Mineral
Wells just before midnight on July 4, 2010. She and friends were
reportedly at a nearby convenience store on U.S. Highway 180 West
shortly before midnight, and they had visited a house nearby and saw
several people. Now her body has been found in southwest Mineral Wells.

Her car was recovered the morning of July 5, 2010, in the 800 block of
S.E. 3rd Avenue. There are indications Townsend or someone using her
phone were north of Mineral Wells between the hours of midnight and 2
a.m. because activity from her phone bounded off a cellular tower in the
Peadonville area during that time.

Mercer said the case has always been a priority for local law
enforcement, though there have been very few tangible leads thus far in
the investigation.

“Mitcham, my detective, Craig Goen, as well as several Rangers and
Mineral Wells police detectives have worked on this for over a year
now,” he said.

Rewards are offered for information leading to the arrest and
indictment of the person or persons responsible for Townsend’s
disappearance and death. Information can be provided anonymously at any
time by calling Crime Stoppers at 940-325-0000.
http://weatherforddemocrat.com/local/x1415463917/Missing-teens-remains-found