SC SC - Tilwanda Cheatham, 8, Aiken, 11 Aug 1989

[meggilyweggily]

I didn't see a thread for Tilwanda so I thought I'd start one. I have her on Charley here: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/cheatham_tilwanda.html She was said to be a chronic runaway but she was only eight; she could never survived on her own for this long.

She looks like a beautiful little girl, especially her eyes and her smile.

The NCMEC just did a new AP of her, aged to 27. http://www.missingkids.com/photographs/NCMC736385e1.jpg

 

[anthrobones]

Tilwanda Denise Cheatham
Missing since August 11, 1989 from Aiken, Aiken County, South Carolina.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: December 4, 1980
Age at Time of Disappearance: 8 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'1; 70 lbs
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black female. Black hair; brown eyes.
Clothing: Last seen wearing a white shirt; red flower-print shorts; and tennis shoes.
AKA: Tawana
Circumstances of Disappearance
Cheatham was last seen at her Aiken, South Carolina home on August 11, 1989.
She has a history of running away. She was angry with her mother, who told her she could no longer stay with relatives and must come back home. Cheatham ran into her mother's house and took some spare change from a jar, then left the residence. She was last seen by two neighbors at a convenience store at approximately 5:30 PM. Cheatham has never been seen again.
Authorities have investigated the possibility that she may have been living with relatives, but those theories have been cast aside. Cheatham was an honor roll student at North Aiken Elementary School in 1989.
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/147dfsc.html

 

[donna b]

I agree, a "chronic" runaway at only 8? And, somehow an Honor Roll Student whose Grandmother told so many lies she was arrested for obstruction of Justice in Tilwanda's case. Something isn't right.

 

[Kat]

Bump

Tilwanda has been missing 21 years today. Come home soon.

I do not find Tilwanda listed in NamUs at this time.

 

[Texas Mist]

Skeletal remains discovered in Aiken County today - " remains may have been at the location for 10-20 years" making ID difficult.

http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=530404

The info at above link doesn't mention if it appears to be child or adult...just thought I'd put this info here JIC it's useful.

(I also started a thread in the UID subforum.)

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Tilwanda, or Tilawna, was shown briefly on Nancy Grace America's Missing. Clip here:

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2011/02/10/ng.americas.missing.hln

 

[Kat]

http://www.wjbf.com/story/23076367/...l-still-missing-investigators-still-searching

Cold Case: After Two Decades Aiken County Girl Still Missing, Investigators Still Searching
Posted: Aug 07, 2013 5:37 PM EDT Updated: Aug 07, 2013 5:37 PM EDT

By Ashley Bridges, WJBF Reporter

article at link above.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Bumping

Tilwanda has been missing for over 26 years.

NamUs

 

[katilac]

She has a skin discoloration on her left arm OR her left leg? As in, no one quite remembered where it was? That seems odd.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

A chronic runaway at 8? I remember getting mad at my mom at that age and telling her I was going to run away, but I only ever made it down the street. I turned around when I realized I had no where to go.

When they say she was a chronic runaway, what do they mean?
In the other instances how long was she missing and where was she found?
What was she usually mad about when she ran away?

My guess is that she'd run away to relatives, that's the only way I could see an 8 year old being a chronic runaway, but even with that you have to wonder how close she lived to them. I'd understand if they lived in the same neighborhood, but still I can't imagine an 8 year old walking too far by themselves, it would definitely stand out outside of a neighborhood setting. I guess it was more common in 1989 for children to wander a bit, but this was at the beginning of "stranger danger", and the milk carton kids were around for almost 10 years. I can't help but wonder about the family of a chronic runaway 8 year old, and what she was running away from.

Her case reminds me of the Asha Degree case, she was 9 years old and "assumed" to have run away without reason. I'm not buying it.

 

[Kim M]

can anyone verify the proper spelling of her first name? Charley Project and Doe Network lists the spelling as 'Tilwanda' , NCMEC and Namus list the spelling as 'Tiwana '

 

[Moonwalker9]

From charleyproject;

Tilwanda was last seen in her hometown of Aiken, South Carolina on August 11, 1989. She resided with her parents in the Balltown area on Jack Jones Street near Highway 19. Tilwanda was visiting relatives at the time of her disappearance. She became angry when her mother told her she must return to her home.

Tilwanda took spare change from a jar in her mother's kitchen and left her house. She was last seen by two neighbors at approximately 5:30 p.m. at a Quik Stop convenience store a few blocks from home. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Two weeks after Tilwanda disappeared, her grandmother was arrested and charged with obstructing justice in her case. Police stated Tilwanda's grandmother wasn't a suspect in her disappearance, but she had lied to them many times and may have been trying to cover up what happened.

Investigators have looked into the possibility that Tilwanda is living with relatives, but those theories have not produced any leads and have been cast aside. She had a history of running away from her family's residence, but it is not clear what happened to cause her disappearance. She may have been abducted.

Tilwanda was an honor roll student at North Aiken Elementary School in 1989. Her case remains unsolved.

Did she leave her mother house or relatives house? it seems unclear. If she took that jar from her mothers kitchen I suppose she run home because the houses were close and then run away.

I wonder how her home situation looked like and why she often runaway from home. What did her grandmother do to obstruct justice. Someting tells me people are hiding things. Either she died in an accident or she went to live with relatives.

 

[Moonwalker9]

Tilwanda Denise Cheatham – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

According to namus her name is Tiwana

Tiwanda Denise Cheatham

• 
• 
• 

Tilwanda, circa 1989; Age-progression at age 34 (circa 2014)

• Missing Since08/11/1989
• Missing FromAiken, South Carolina
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Date of Birth12/04/1980 (38)
• Age8 years old
• Height and Weight4'1, 70 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA white shirt, red flower-print shorts, and white sneakers or a red t-shirt with "Tom" on the back in white letters, white pants or shorts, and sneakers.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsAfrican-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Some accounts give Tilwanda's name as "Tawana," "Tiwanda," "Tilawna," or "Tiwana." She wore her hair in a ponytail or braids at the time of her disappearance, and she has a dark skin discoloration on her left arm or left leg.

Details of Disappearance
Tilwanda was last seen in her hometown of Aiken, South Carolina on August 11, 1989. She resided with her parents in the Balltown area on Jack Jones Street near Highway 19. Tilwanda was visiting relatives at the time of her disappearance. She became angry when her mother told her she must return to her home.

Tilwanda took spare change from a jar in her mother's kitchen and left her house. She was last seen by two neighbors at approximately 5:30 p.m. at a Quik Stop convenience store a few blocks from home. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Two weeks after Tilwanda disappeared, her grandmother was arrested and charged with obstructing justice in her case. Police stated Tilwanda's grandmother wasn't a suspect in her disappearance, but she had lied to them many times and may have been trying to cover up what happened.

Investigators have looked into the possibility that Tilwanda is living with relatives, but those theories have not produced any leads and have been cast aside. She had a history of running away from her family's residence, but it is not clear what happened to cause her disappearance. She may have been abducted.

Tilwanda was an honor roll student at North Aiken Elementary School in 1989. Her case remains unsolved.

Street view of Jack Jones St Aiken, SC. Looks exetrmly poor. No wonder she wanted she wanted to stay elsewhere.

Google Maps

I feel like it's very confusing where she was last seen. She was visiting relatives but she went home to pick up some money and then her grandmother was arrested 2 weeks later for obstructing justice. LE was investigating she could be alive staying with relatives but didn't find evidence in that? Either she run away from home and was met with foulplay or she never made it out of her home in the first place. Sounds like this was a bad investigation from day 1.

 

[helenlouise426]

Pretty sad that there is such confusing information about this child who has been missing for so very long.

 

[mjm076]

Bumping for Tiwana.

NCMEC’s Facebook page posted about Tiwana’s disappearance as today marks 33 years!

It’s sad this case has gotten hardly any attention!

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[Quiteage]

The fact that we do not know this poor child’s name is maddening. NCMEC, NamUs, & Doe Network all say Tiwana, but acknowledge that NCIC gives Tilwanda, which is what the Charley Project uses. Other variants include: Tiwana, Tilwana, Tiwanda, Tilawna, Tawanda, and Tawana. Is there really no one who can verify her name? Missing for 34 years today.

 

[Megsc]

Bumping for that pretty little girl.
How was she already a chronic runaway at only age 8 ?
What was going on in her life at that time ?
And how is it possible that after all these years we still don't know how here name is spelled ?
Something is off here.
Anyway, rest in peace wherever you are sweet angel.