Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Disappearance of Nahendra Davis


Nahendra Davis has been missing since December 27th, 2018. She vanished on her 35th birthday, and she was last seen near her mother's home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Nahendra dropped off her two children at her mother's house around 4:45pm that day and never returned. Her car was later found abandoned near the corner of Scenic Highway and 72nd Avenue in Baton Rouge. Nahendra's purse, cash, and keys were found inside the vehicle.

Both Baton Rouge and Baker police have worked to locate Nahendra. Her car was processed, and it reportedly did not reveal and clues pointing to her whereabouts. Authorities have also stated that they do not have any concrete evidence of foul play at this time. However, Nahendra's family members believe otherwise. Her relatives do not believe she would abandon her children or voluntarily stay out of touch for this long. 

The Baker Police Department is currently investigating Nahendra's case. If you have any information that could help locate her, please contact authorities at (225) 775-6000.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Disappearance of Adrianna Garcia


Adrianna Garcia was only 15 years old when she vanished without a trace on December 29th, 2004. That day, Adrianna left her family’s Tulsa, Oklahoma home to walk to a friend’s home that was located several miles away. She never arrived at her friend’s house and has never been seen or heard from again.

According to Adrianna’s family, the teen had a happy home life and was popular at school. She was had six siblings and was very close to her tight-knit family. She also had no prior history of running away. Despite all of this, the sheriff’s department classified Adrianna as a runaway. Years have passed without any trace of her, but she is still classified as a runaway to this day.

Adrianna’s case is now considered to be a cold case. Her family is hoping for any information that may possibly crack the case and lead to some answers about her disappearance. If you have information that may help, please contact the Creek County Sheriff’s Office at (918) 224-4964.
-

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Disappearance of April Pickens


April Pickens has been missing since December 27th, 2011. The 29-year-old woman was last seen at the apartment complex where she lived in Asheville, North Carolina. April told her sister that she was going to meet up with a male friend—however she did not disclose the man’s name. She never returned home, and she has never been seen or heard from again.

April left behind five children. She did not have a car at the time of her disappearance. Her family members do not believe she would voluntarily be out-of-touch for this long. Unfortunately, there are very few details available in April’s case. It is unclear if police have questioned or even identified the man she planned to meet up with the day she vanished.

April’s family is still desperately searching for her. There is a cash reward being offered for anyone with information that could help find her. If you have information that could help the investigation, please contact the Asheville Police Department at: (828) 259-5923.
-

Sources:
Charley Project
Mountain Xpress
WLOS

Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Murder of Jayla Thomas-Smith

21 year-old Jayla Thomas-Smith

On the afternoon of February 24th, 2019, police in Greenville, South Carolina were alerted about a single-car crash along Piedmont Highway. Troopers arrived on the scene (pictured below) and found the body of 21 year-old Jayla Thomas-Smith dead inside the vehicle. It was originally believed that Jayla died as a result of the car accident, however upon closer examination, it was determined that Jayla had actually been shot to death. At that point, the investigation into her death turned into a homicide case.

The car crash scene
At this time, no suspects or persons of interest have been announced in Jayla’s case. Jayla’s family members believe that Jayla planned to meet up with somebody that day, but they do not know who she planned to meet. Jayla’s aunt told reporters, “Where they found her at, that’s not a place that she would go to. It didn’t make any sense for her to be out there underneath a billboard, literally almost under a ditch.” Jayla’s aunt asked for her identity not to be revealed, as she is fearful of Jayla’s killer, who is still on the loose.

The Greenville County Police are investigating Jayla’s murder. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact investigators at (864) 271-5210.
-
UPDATE: In April 2019, 20-year-old Deltravious Daquandra Howard was arrested and charged with murder in Jayla's case. His brother, Delgardo Daquan Howard was arrested for lying to police about the case. Investigators state that Deltravious shot Jayla during a domestic dispute before abandoning her body in the vehicle. Both men remain behind bars as the cases are pending.
-

The Disappearance of Brittany Shank


Brittany Shank has been missing since November 30th, 2018. The 23-year-old woman was last seen that evening on Fawn River Road in Sturgis, Michigan. Brittany was driving her boyfriend's car when she ran the vehicle off the road into the thick fog. She was then seen walking from house to house asking for help. Brittany never returned to the vehicle, nor did she ever return home to her four children. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Various reports state that Brittany appeared confused as she walked down the road asking for help. She was apparently not wearing shoes or a jacket, despite the cold weather that night. According to Brittany's mother, Jessica Rolfe, Brittany was seen for the final time around 9:30pm. Jessica told reporters, "She went to a couple houses and knocked on the doors. She knocked on one door, was seen at the window at another house, that’s the last time anybody has seen her." Jessica also explained that one resident apparently did attempt to call 911 for Brittany but was unable to receive enough cell phone signal for the call to go through. Brittany vanished before they could attempt to call again.

While investigating Brittany's case, police learned that Brittany was seen with an unidentified male in the hours leading up to her disappearance. The man is described to be between 5'6" to 5'8" while blonde hair and sideburns. It is unclear if this man is considered to be a person of interest in Brittany's disappearance.

Michigan State Police are investigating Brittany's case. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please call 269-558-0500.

-

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Disappearance and Murder of Silling Man


19 year-old Silling Man was found dead inside a closed down mall in Gwinnett County, Georgia on December 21st, 2017. Prior to her death, Silling lived with her uncle in Lawrenceville. She was enrolled in school, but had not signed up for classes for the spring semester. She was initially reported missing on October 8th, 2017. The circumstances of her disappearance are unclear, but she returned home shortly after her case as assigned to an investigator. She vanished again on October 10th, 2017. For unknown reasons, a missing persons report was not filed this time.
It was later confirmed that Silling picked up her last paycheck from a Michael Kors store on November 20th, 2017—over a month after she was last seen by her family. Due to company privacy policies, the store manager is unable to release information about their interactions with Silling. Other than this, investigators initially had very little information about what Silling was doing between the day she went missing and her death. After she finally was found on December 21st, investigators determined that she had already been dead for two weeks.
Police did not immediately announce whether or not Silling’s death was a murder. At first, they were unable a link between her and the vacant mall where she was found. Investigators were also unsure if Silling died at the mall, or if she was moved to the mall after her death. They did, however, determine that there were no drugs in her system at the time of her death. There was a small amount of alcohol, but not enough to be fatal. There were also no immediate obvious signs of trauma on her body.
Almost six months later, in June 2018, police made an arrest in the case. Silling’s boyfriend, 21 year-old Emmett Davis was charged with aggravated assault and felony murder in Silling’s case. Police  then announced their speculation that Silling’s relationship with Emmett played a role in her running away from her family’s home in October 2017. It is believed that the two were living together in various hotels around Gwinnett County prior to Silling’s death. After his arrest, it was revealed that Emmett was interview several times after Silling’s body was found but did not have enough evidence to charged him early on into the investigation. Eventually, police were able to obtain warrants and subpoenas for phone records after Silling’s’ lab results returned.

Investigators have not revealed what specifically they found to charge Emmett with murder, but they believe that Emmett killed Silling inside the abandoned mall where she was eventually found. It is still unclear why Emmett and Silling were inside the vacant mall when she was murdered. However, investigators believe that Silling died by asphyxiation. According to the Gwinnett County police spokesman, Silling’s chest was “restricted to the point where she couldn’t breathe, as if someone sat on her.”


Emmett Davis

After Silling’s body was identified, Emmett went to New York where he spent the following months until he returned to Georgia in May 2018. Upon his return, he was arrested for Silling’s murder and is being held in a Gwinnett County jail.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

The Disappearance of Ben Coffey


Ben Coffey mysteriously vanished at the age of 27 on December 31st, 2012. The young man lived in Gloucester, Virginia, and he was last heard from that evening around dinnertime. Although it was New Years Eve, Ben told a friend over the phone that he was tired and was going home for the night. He has never been seen or heard from again.
The following day, on January 1st, 2013, police in Tappahannock, Virginia responded to a report of a disabled vehicle abandoned on Route 698. When officers went to investigate, they found a full-sized Dodge van registered to Ben Coffey. Ben’s dog and many of his other personal items were found abandoned inside the van. Two days later, Ben’s parents were notified about the vehicle being found. They immediately knew something was off when they learned the dog had been inside the car, and they reported him missing shortly thereafter.
Ben’s family and friends are baffled by his disappearance. The location where his car was found is around 45 miles away from his home in Gloucester, however cell phone records confirm that he was in Gloucester when he called his friend on the evening of December 31st. This means that Ben’s car ended up Tappahannock at some point after that phone call. 
It is unclear if Ben has any ties to that area. Investigators conducted a search in the surrounding area, during which a blood hound traced Ben’s scent to a swamp, but then lost the scent. Other than that, there have been very few clues and leads in Ben’s case.
Ben’s family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that either leads to Ben’s whereabouts or an arrest and conviction in his case. If you have any information that could help, please contact Virginia State Police Special Agent A.S. Witt at (804) 537-6770.

The Disappearance & Death of Crystal Dawn Morrison

31 year-old Crystal Morrison

Crystal Morrison
(31) has been missing since August 23rd, 2012. She was last seen at her workplace, Connextions Recruiting, in Concord, North Carolina. Crystal had only been at work for about an hour before she told a co-worker she was not feeling well around 10:30am. She walked about of the building at that time, and called a friend and asked to be picked up. However, by time her friend showed up, Crystal was gone. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Crystal left behind a 1 year-old son, which is uncharacteristic of her. Her cell phone and bank accounts have also been unused since her disappearance. It appears Crystal seemingly vanished into thin air; there are very few details available about the investigation and no persons of interest have been publicly identified. There is a rumor that Crystal was seen walking towards a McDonald’s restaurant shortly after she left work, however this has never been confirmed. 

Both the FBI and the Concord Police Department are investigating Crystal’s disappearance. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact the Concord Police Department at 704-920- 5000 or the CUE Center for Missing Persons at 910-343-1131.


-
UPDATE: The remains of Crystal Morrison have been found.

In December 2019, a survey crew working in a wooded area near the intersection of NC Highway 73 and Winecoff School Road spotted human remains and alerted police. The area had already previously been searched twice throughout the investigation into Crystal's disappearance. Investigators have not determined Crystal's cause of death, however certain reports have stated that a private investigator hired by Crystal's family believes she died of natural causes. The case is still being investigated and updates will be provided as they come.

Rest in peace, Crystal.
-
Lists including this case:

The Murder of Natalie Bollinger

Image result for natalie bollinger

19 year-old Natalie Bollinger vanished from her family’s home in Broomfield, Colorado, on December 28th 2017. A few weeks before her disappearance, Natalie wrote on her Facebook page about struggles she had been having with a stalker. She identified her stalker as a man named Shawn Schwartz, and wrote the following about him:
“I met this man when I was young, I ran into him about two years ago. Long story short, I became friends with him. I helped him out with rides and stuff. I moved to Virginia. He drove across the country to see me, slept behind my work for weeks. He’s sent e-mails for over a year close to everyday, harassing me. Making numerous different accounts until I block him again. Threatening my family, telling me he’ll kill himself in front of me, and sending my friends and family threatening messages as well.”
At the time this Facebook post was written, Natalie was living back in her hometown of Broomfield, Colorado. Once she went missing, suspicions immediately fell on her accused stalker, Shawn Schwartz. Schwartz continued to post on Facebook after Natalie’s disappearance, defending himself. Unfortunately, the following day, Natalie’s body was found on the side of the road in a wooded area near Adams County. Her death was classified as a homicide.
The suspicions against Schwartz only intensified after the discovery of Natalie’s body. However, throughout the investigation, it was discovered that Schwartz was not even in the same state as Natalie at the time of her death. Many still questioned if he was still somehow involved–and that maybe he had hired a hitman to kill Natalie. Still, by this point, police had officially cleared Schwartz of all suspicion.
Finally, on February 8th, 2018, a 22 year-old man named Joseph Lopez was arrested and charged with first degree murder in Natalie’s case. It turns out, Lopez was, in fact, a hitman–but Schwartz was not the one who put the hit on Natalie. Instead, Lopez told authorities that Natalie actually put the hit on herself. Lopez apparently responded to a Craigslist post entitled “I want to put a hit on myself,” that was created by Natalie on December 28th, 2017. Lopez and Natalie met for the first time later that day. The two drove around discussing how Natalie would pay Lopez for killing her, before he eventually shot her and left her on the side of the road where she was found the following day. An autopsy confirms that Natalie died of a gunshot wound to the head; however it was also noted that she had lethal amounts of heroin in her system at the time of her death as well.
Image result for natalie bollinger joseph lopez
Joseph Lopez

In December 2018, Lopez pleaded guilty to the second degree murder of Natalie Bollinger. He allegedly agreed to this plea to avoid a sentence of life in prison. Lopez was initially charged with first-degree murder, but since he accepted the plea deal for the second-degree murder charge, he will likely spend up to 48 years in prison plus 5 years of probation.
Although Lopez allegedly responded to Natalie’s Craigslist ad titled “I want to put a hit on myself”, he claims that he tried to talk Natalie out of it after he picked her up. Lopez maintains that Natalie insisted on ending her life due to issues with her boyfriend. Lopez said that the two of them prayed together before he eventually followed through with shooting her once in the head. Afterwards, he fled the scene with the gun and Natalie’s purse.
Natalie’s family is reportedly unhappy with the plea deal and the proposed sentence. Natalie’s father told reporters, “we said no [to the plea deal] and they still offered it to him today. Our family does not agree with this or is willing to do any plea bargain. I’m dumbfounded. I’m so disappointed in the legal system in Adams County.”

Friday, December 13, 2019

The Disappearance of Danica Childs


Danica Childs has been missing from Federal Way, Washington since December 21st, 2007. Prior to her disappearance, 17-year-old Danica was living with her mother and siblings in an apartment located in a Federal Way neighborhood that is well known for prostitution activity. A few days after she vanished, her purse, coat and cellular phone were found at a Sunset Motel in Kent—an area that is also well known for prostitution activity. 

According to her mother, Danica was dating a man who was rumored to be a pimp at the time of her disappearance and had been spending nights out with him on a frequent basis. Danica denied these rumors, but when she did not return home on December 21st, her mother began to fear that the rumors were in fact true.

Messages on Danica’s phone confirmed her mother’s fears, and also revealed that Danica, who was still a minor, was working as a prostitute herself. Her phone was reportedly filled with several sexually explicit messages from clients. Due to this, authorities believe that Danica left on her own accord. 

However, Danica’s family members do not believe that Danica would leave her cell phone or other belongings behind, and they also do not think she would go this long without contacting them. Her mother fears that she was kidnapped and sold against her will.

Danica remains missing today. If you have any information about her whereabouts, please contact the Federal Way police department at (253) 835-6700.


Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Disappearance of Mercedes Toliver

18 year old Mercedes Toliver made this selfie her Facebook cover photo on December 12th, 2016. This is her last known Facebook activity. Five days later, she vanished.
During the earlier morning hours of December 17th, 2016, Mercedes left her home in...


18 year old Mercedes Toliver made this selfie her Facebook cover photo on December 12th, 2016. This is her last known Facebook activity. Five days later, she vanished.

During the earlier morning hours of December 17th, 2016, Mercedes left her home in Prescott, Arkansas on foot and never returned. Since then, she has not been seen or heard from by family or friends and there has been no activity on her social media or bank accounts. 

Earlier on into the investigation, the Prescott Police Department apparently had leads that Mercedes was in Clark or Lafayette counties, but those leads did not pan out. Ever since, there have been very few leads and very little information available about Mercedes’ case. There is currently a $2000 reward in place for information about Mercedes’ whereabouts. If you have any information about Mercedes’ case, please contact the Prescott Police Department at 870-887-2676.

The Disappearance of Jennifer Pautenis


Jennifer 'Jenn' Pautenis has been missing since October 20th, 2019. The 29 year-old woman was reportedly last seen leaving her home in Granbury, Texas, where she lives with her husband, Ed Pautenis, and their two young children. Jenn and Ed had moved to Texas two years prior, during 2017, so they could be closer to Ed's family. Previously, the couple lived in Florida, where many of Jenn's family members still live. Due to the distance, it took a few days for Jenn's family members to realize she was missing. According to Jenn's sister, Daisy Thornton-Newhouse, they learned about Jenn's disappearance when her employer notified them that she had not shown up for her job as an EMS dispatcher. When Jenn's family members questioned Ed, he explained that he was putting their children to bed on the evening of October 20th when he heard his wife leave the house and drive away. He stated he did not file a missing persons report because he believed Jenn had left the house voluntarily--for another man.

Jenn's family members were skeptical of Ed's story, and they reported Jenn missing on October 25th, 2019. Jenn's sister told reporters that Jenn would not voluntarily abandon her children or stop showing up for work. Additionally, Jenn was very active on social media, but has not had any activity since the night of her disappearance. Investigators have stated that the case is active and leads are being followed. Ed Pautenis has not been publicly named as a person of interest at this time, and investigators have stated that he is currently cooperating with the investigation.

Jenn's family members fear that Jenn is deceased and they are desperately seeking answers. The Hood County Sheriff's Office is investigating her disappearance. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please call (817) 579-3307.
-
UPDATE: On December 6th, 2019, the Hood County Sheriff's Office announced that they have found the remains of Jenn Pautenis. 59 year-old Ed Pautenis has been arrested and charged with her murder. In a jailhouse interview, Ed stated that he killed his wife after she attacked him during an argument. He explained that he shot her multiple times and had to tell his children that they were pulling a Halloween prank. Prosecutors have described Ed as a cold-blooded killer. He remains behind bars as his case is pending. 

The Disappearance of Nicholle Torrez


Nicholle Torrez has been missing since December 14th, 2006.

Prior to vanishing, 27-year-old Nicholle and her three children lived at Nicholle’s mother’s home in Denver, Colorado. She shared custody of her children with their father, who lived just a few blocks away. 

On the evening of December 14th, Nicholle was asked to bring medicine to her four-year-old son, who was staying with his father at the time. She left her other two children at home with her mother and said she would return later that night. Unfortunately, Nicholle never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. She was reported missing the following day, after she failed to show up at work.

Nicholle’s disappearance has baffled both her family and investigators. Denver police interviewed Nicholle’s friends and family members but were unable to identify any suspects or clues about her whereabouts. Finally, over six months later in July 2007, investigators appeared to find a clue: Nicholle’s car was found abandoned in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Aurora. 

The car was processed by the Denver crime lab, but no indication of a crime or foul play was found. Still, Nicholle’s mother does not believe that Nicholle parked the car there herself. Her mother told reporters, “We don’t live on that side of town, so I can’t see Nicholle going there. So we feel like somebody took it there and dropped it off.” While everyone was hopeful that Nicholle’s car would provide clues, it appeared to bring about more questions than answers in her disappearance.

Years have passed, and Nicholle still remains missing today. Both investigators and Nicholle’s family members believe that foul play was involved in her disappearance. Nicholle’s family does not think she would abandon her children, nor would she lose contact with her loved ones. 

Investigators are hoping to receive knew leads that may lead to Nicholle’s whereabouts. If you have any information that could help, please contact Denver CrimeStoppers at 720-913-7867.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The Disappearance of Katelin Akens


Katelin Akens (19) has been missing from Spotsylvania, Virginia since December 5th, 2015. While Katelin is originally from the Northern Virginia area, she had been living in Arizona with her girlfriend Amber prior to going missing. At the time of her disappearance, Katelin was in Virginia to visit family—her sister had just given birth to a baby boy, and Katelin had wanted to meet her new nephew.

On the day she vanished, Katelin was scheduled to fly back home to Arizona. Her mother, Lisa, was unable to take her to the airport and asked her ex-husband (Katelin’s stepfather, not biological) to take Katelin to the airport instead. He agreed, and Lisa dropped Katelin off at his home in Spotsylvania early in the day. 

A few hours later, Lisa received a text from her ex-husband stating that he had dropped Katelin off. She also received a text from Katelin’s phone stating that she had arrived at Reagan International airport. However, around the same time, Amber also received a text from Katelin’s phone stating that “something had come up,” and Katelin would not be returning that day. Both Lisa and Amber later learned that Katelin never boarded her 5:40pm flight.

Both tried to get ahold of her and were unsuccessful—until finally Lisa received another text from Katelin’s phone at 7:15pm, that stated she “just wanted to be left alone.” Katelin has not been seen or heard from since. Two days later, Katelin’s luggage was found 50 miles away from the airport—in a drainage ditch in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her luggage contained her phone charger, clothing, and Amber’s credit card that Katelin had borrowed. 

When police questioned the last known person to see Katelin—her stepfather—he revealed that he did not actually drop Katelin off at Reagan International airport. Instead, he claims that Katelin requested to be dropped off at Springfield Mall, from where she would walk to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station and take the Metro the rest of the way to the airport. However, there has been no evidence to support that Katelin was ever at that mall or Metro stop on that day.

Katelin’s family members do not believe she is voluntarily missing. After investigating cell phone pings, police revealed that the initial text sent from Katelin’s phone to Lisa, stating that Katelin had made it safe to the airport, actually pinged off of a tower 30 miles away from the airport. The text Lisa later received at 7:15pm on that night pinged off of a tower 15 miles from Fredericksburg. 

Additionally, the text that Katelin’s stepfather sent to Lisa, stating that he just had dropped Katelin off, pinged near his home, rather than near the mall or airport. Despite all of this, the stepfather has never been officially named a suspect in this case—however, the investigation is still ongoing. He is currently the main person of interest in the case.

Anyone with information on Katelin and/or her whereabouts can report here.