WV WV - Aliayah Lunsford, 3, Lewis Co., 24 Sep 2011 - # 5

[Cubby]

I don't think there is a standard protocol for missing persons/children across the country at all. It generally takes days for LE to figure out (if at all) what sort of missing persons case they have. I doubt very much that it would be usual procedure to take expensive steps (i.e. landfill searching, halting collection, etc.) even with a child, until they feel certain the child did not wander off. I think there are so many missing people reported that it would be impossible for LE to follow the same procedures for each; every case is truly different. That is partly why (IMO) these cases are so hard for LE, they don't really have a lot of practice, experience, success, to draw from.

And as we know, after the first day or two,if still unsolved, it seems to be that much harder for them to get a handle on things...

I don't believe actual searching is started until they have a better idea if the child, or a person may be there. In little Aveion Lewis's case they immediately seperated the refuse collected from his community and were later able to find his remains. IIRC, a tip from someone mentioned something about a dumpster behind a commercial property. News that they were searching the landfill came weeks into his disappearance IIRC - but had started immediately. I'm sure that was because LE did not want to tip their hand.

I don't believe LE ever 'halt's' refuse pick up, but I do know they get tips/confessions and sometimes they've tried landfill searches unsuccesfully. There is a no body murder trial for a missing person, a gal, will have to search for her name, but it was much later and in a huge city that the 5-6 person charged fessed up, or one of them did -and too late for a search at that point ( or perhaps a search was conducted unsuccesfully). Sadly, I doubt her remains will ever be found.

I know there are other cases too where LE knows a persons final resting place is in a landfill, and the amount of trash to go through is simply too much, and in some cases too unsafe for searchers.

Which, is why if LE ANY indication Aliayah was disposed of in this manner, I hope the trash has been seperated, if not already searched.

JMO



ETA: Can't think of the case and can't find it right now. IIRC, an african american female, maybe in Maryland or near Maryland was killed in an apartment and 5-6 persons are charged with her murder even though her remains were never found. They did 'confess' to putting her in a dumpster sadly, but much later.... Maybe someone here recalls the case.

 

[Sandraella]

have they looked into how many sex offenders live close to where the child went missing from i mean i'd hate to think that but i'd be tearing some doors down searching their homes for this child

 

[tlcya]

I think it was reported within the first two days that RSOs had been checked out immediately.

Welcome Sandraella

 

[Sandraella]

hope they find this beautiful little girl alive safe and sound though

 

[Cubby]

FWIW and JMO. I think LE knows far more than they are sharing at this point. It's sometimes when they release little or almost nothing I wonder. ESPECIALLY when a child is involved. In little Aveions case, LE was incredibly tightlipped until an arrest was made. I'm kind of getting that feeling here. There is too little press from LE about searches and what the public should look for, or requests to ask people to search their private property, for them NOT to know far more than they are sharing.


Come to think of it, there hasn't even been a press release from LE with photo's of what the clothing Aliayah was wearing. Even if they don't have photo's of the actual clothing. Many times when LE is asking for public assistance (and really without leads) they'll put pictures of the same style but not the actual clothing or items of interest out to the public. There is a reason that has not happened here.

Sometimes you gotta think about what they are NOT saying.

jmo

 

[grandmaj]

ITA and that's all well and good but when there is little if any MSM coverage this is a way of getting info. The removal of the kids and LL hiring a lawyer was all over the rumor pages b4 it ever made it to the local news (one station, one paragraph)
Just offering the psychology of why people follow the pages .. but YES I'm glad we can't infect WS with the rumors. (Although sometimes I really wish we could!!!)

Yes we understand. One of the most serious violations of trust is when a page be it forum, blog or FB reports that a child has been found with complete details and it turns out to be so totally false. That is a huge :nono: anywhere you post. That rumor made it to our forum. We under no circumstances allow a post like that unless it is verified by LE or a member of the mainstream media. We will not under any circumstances ever allow those types of posts come here unless verified. It is a serious violation of our TOS.

There were several other rumors which were proven to be totally false also.

Unfortunately we can't allow those FB pages. Someone in another country could be posting that garbage and claiming to be a local. There is no way to verify anything on those pages. And it doesn't help anyone to have rumor being spread in a missing child case.

xoxoxo

 

[JeannieC]

FWIW and JMO. I think LE knows far more than they are sharing at this point. It's sometimes when they release little or almost nothing I wonder. ESPECIALLY when a child is involved. In little Aveions case, LE was incredibly tightlipped until an arrest was made. I'm kind of getting that feeling here. There is too little press from LE about searches and what the public should look for for them NOT to know far more than they are sharing.

jmo

I think you are right. LE did lie detectors on all but the mother early on didn't they? RSO's were checked and probably took LD's too. (I'm not positive about that though)

 

[Cubby]

I think you are right. LE did lie detectors on all but the mother early on didn't they? RSO's were checked and probably took LD's too. (I'm not positive about that though)

Family would usually take LDT's. Family and those closest to the family. LE always starts with family and works their way out. RSO's would be checked for alibi's.

If LE were able to rule out foul play, they would have said so already. Or they would have made statements along the lines of family are fully cooperating and they do not suspect foul play... or something like that.
As far as I know, LE has put out no such statement. (if I missed LE making such a statement, please correct me. )

LE always hopes to find a child alive, and they will always continue to speak of hope, until they are 100% certain there is none. Even if it is only that tiny percentage.

I do hope she is ok too, somewhere..... and if not, I hope it was an accident and not something anyone did deliberately, intentionally or as a result of a loss of control.

Where are you Aliayah?

(all jmo)

 

[mtnlife]

Originally Posted by Sharedspirit View Post
In West Virginia, relatives are the prefered first choice when a child is removed from their home by Child Protective Services. The family member who is willing to take the child must meet similiar qualifications as a foster family. They have to do background checks and inspect the house to be sure it's a safe environment for the child. That takes some time. Also, it can take several days for it to come in front of the judge. The system is very difficult for families to navigate without a lawyer or advocate.

Kinship/relative placements do not immediately have to go through the background check. DHHR tries to place children with relatives.
However, the placement must be in the best interest of the child. Given this situation, if I were DHHR, I would place them with someone I know has qualified to be a foster parent

Hello. I'm from WV also; about an hour south of Weston. My experience with foster care in this area was good....once things got started. My granddaughter (she was 15 months) was removed from her parents home as an emergency situation and place with me for 7 days. Then we were to have a hearing and it would be determined if the parents had cleaned up the mess and their lives. The mom was arrested during that 7 days for a few unrelated charges and the dad (my son) tested positive for marijuana so the child was removed another 6 months at which time mom signed her rights away and dad got custody after that period. He was awarded custody in Nov. and we still have her. She has mild cerebral palsy and cannot walk or stand. But she is getting stronger every day. My point in saying all of this is that it took 4 months of me calling CPS (of which there was supposed to be an open case because Aubrey was born with alcohol and THC in her system) I knew the kids were on a lot worse than that since they'd had the baby. I just wanted someone to go down in that "holler" and check on things. I just wanted them to do their job. Bottom line is Aubrey was lost in between the cracks and you hear so many stories like this. The system is understaffed and 1/2 the staff are just filling there 8 hrs/working on their pension/or not qualified. We were finally blessed in April 2010 with a CPS worker, newly hired and our case was her first case. She has sense moved back to NC. When we do get good ones, we can't keep them.
I haven't finished the thread yet, so it's back to reading. And I agree with many who are outraged with the lack of news on this sweet child.

 

[cluciano63]

Maybe LE has an idea what has happened, but that barely helps if they cannot find her

 

[Melanie]

Well, I rec'd a response from WDTV. Let's just say, I'm gobsmacked.

The reporter was "perplexed" at my inquiry about lack of information. However, because the response came from a gmail account, it's my assumption that he is not responding on behalf of WDTV.

He went on to say We have covered this story with two reporters since this tragedy began, and published 9 articles (insert woo hoo here).

So disappointed.

Mel

 

[Knox]

Well, I rec'd a response from WDTV. Let's just say, I'm gobsmacked.

The reporter was "perplexed" at my inquiry about lack of information. However, because the response came from a gmail account, it's my assumption that he is not responding on behalf of WDTV.

He went on to say We have covered this story with two reporters since this tragedy began, and published 9 articles (insert woo hoo here).

So disappointed.

Mel

Google *Investigative Journalism* and send him the Wiki Link.

Unfair and said in frustration. If LE is not releasing details, I guess they don't have much to go on.

 

[JeannieC]

Originally Posted by Sharedspirit View Post
In West Virginia, relatives are the prefered first choice when a child is removed from their home by Child Protective Services. The family member who is willing to take the child must meet similiar qualifications as a foster family. They have to do background checks and inspect the house to be sure it's a safe environment for the child. That takes some time. Also, it can take several days for it to come in front of the judge. The system is very difficult for families to navigate without a lawyer or advocate.




Hello. I'm from WV also; about an hour south of Weston. My experience with foster care in this area was good....once things got started. My granddaughter (she was 15 months) was removed from her parents home as an emergency situation and place with me for 7 days. Then we were to have a hearing and it would be determined if the parents had cleaned up the mess and their lives. The mom was arrested during that 7 days for a few unrelated charges and the dad (my son) tested positive for marijuana so the child was removed another 6 months at which time mom signed her rights away and dad got custody after that period. He was awarded custody in Nov. and we still have her. She has mild cerebral palsy and cannot walk or stand. But she is getting stronger every day. My point in saying all of this is that it took 4 months of me calling CPS (of which there was supposed to be an open case because Aubrey was born with alcohol and THC in her system) I knew the kids were on a lot worse than that since they'd had the baby. I just wanted someone to go down in that "holler" and check on things. I just wanted them to do their job. Bottom line is Aubrey was lost in between the cracks and you hear so many stories like this. The system is understaffed and 1/2 the staff are just filling there 8 hrs/working on their pension/or not qualified. We were finally blessed in April 2010 with a CPS worker, newly hired and our case was her first case. She has sense moved back to NC. When we do get good ones, we can't keep them.
I haven't finished the thread yet, so it's back to reading. And I agree with many who are outraged with the lack of news on this sweet child.

Thank you for sharing your experience with CPS. I hope and pray Aubrey is doing well. So glad she had a grandmother who wouldn't give up.

This is so sad. A child is missing, children removed from their parents, twins on the way and no one has the answers as far as we know.

I hope and pray they find her soon and get the anwers to what has happened to this beautiful baby girl.

 

[mtnlife]

I agree. Being with a family member isn't always in the best interest of the child. I wonder how much of that is up to local DHHR case workers? I've seen it vary from county to county.

Even though I am Aubrey's paternal grandmother, anyone living in the home had to be cleared/fingerprinted/background checks/monthly home visits, and her parents could not visit her until they passed 3 consecutive drug tests. This was taken care of the after the first week when the courts gave the parents 6 months to straighten up. I don't know how much of our case was up to the social worker because we didn't go through family court. Neglect charges were actually filed on the parents , the baby was given an attny, and they had to go before the Circuit judge.

I feel for the other children, especially if there is no family that they were already close to that could take them in. Aubrey was used to being here and in the year and half we've had her, has never asked/cried for her mom.

Back to reading

 

[Cubby]

Maybe LE has an idea what has happened, but that barely helps if they cannot find her

Idea's, proof to meet the burden of reasonable doubt, and hopefully find her. Finding her would always be the most important thing, but as we've seen that doesn't always happen. At some point in time searches come to a halt. However, there have been succesful trials and convictions of missing persons never found.

I just pray if this is not an accident and this child did not wander off as her mother claims those interrogating are good enough to break whomever is withholding the answers to solving this case.

 

[gitana1]

Hi all.

A newbie sleuth here. Hope I'm doing this right. I've been lurking around for quite a while and finally decided to come out of lurkdom, lol. I love this site and I'm totally addicted to it.

I'm from West Virginia also. I live in the Huntington area. It's about two and a half hours away from Weston, I believe, but I have been following this case since little Aliayah first disappeared. She is always in my thoughts and prayers.

The local news coverage is so frustrating. Or I should say the LACK of local news. It is repetitious and never anything new being reported as far as case developments. I'm SO hoping that we hear something soon.

Hope you stick around LaineyB! I am very frustrated with the news coverage as well. What the heck? Is this little baby just not that important to the media? This isn't some kind of class thing, is it? Like, because her family appears to be somewhat poor the media doesn't care? I'm very confused. A two year old child has disappeared and there's nothing.

I guess it does happen, though. The media knows what attracts media attention. Dramatic family members, lurid details, strange "story" lines - that's what they like. But I don't see how this case is much different from several involving missing, little kids. Well, there is one glaring example - the parents are not very visible.

In regards to lack of reporting, I encourage you to send an e-mail to WDTV. I sure did!!

news@wdtv.com, feedback@wdtv.com, newsforyou@wdtv.com

Just copy and paste into your e-mail.

We can be the voice for Baby A and ask that they provide updated and accurate reporting (and not just a sentence after an article that's a week old).

MOO

Mel

Thanks for the links. Maybe they think the world could care less. But all of us do!

with all due respect....if Mom could get out of bed to get the stepdad off to work, she could get out of bed to take care of her kids.

That's a very good point. She is capable of that. But, carrying twins is pretty intense. My co-worker who had twins wasn't even allowed to drive at a certain point. I had no idea how much stress driving puts on the body - we brace for turns and move our bodies in all sorts of unconscious ways when driving and that was deemed too much for her. She did have complications, though and eventually had full bed rest. And we know Lena still drives!

Kind of sad that a missing toddler doesn't warrant a higher payroll by the press for a few days, or weeks...

I know, I don't get this. I feel real sorry for Aliayah.

I don't believe actual searching is started until they have a better idea if the child, or a person may be there. In little Aveion Lewis's case they immediately seperated the refuse collected from his community and were later able to find his remains. IIRC, a tip from someone mentioned something about a dumpster behind a commercial property. News that they were searching the landfill came weeks into his disappearance IIRC - but had started immediately. I'm sure that was because LE did not want to tip their hand.

I don't believe LE ever 'halt's' refuse pick up, but I do know they get tips/confessions and sometimes they've tried landfill searches unsuccesfully. There is a no body murder trial for a missing person, a gal, will have to search for her name, but it was much later and in a huge city that the 5-6 person charged fessed up, or one of them did -and too late for a search at that point ( or perhaps a search was conducted unsuccesfully). Sadly, I doubt her remains will ever be found.

I know there are other cases too where LE knows a persons final resting place is in a landfill, and the amount of trash to go through is simply too much, and in some cases too unsafe for searchers.

Which, is why if LE ANY indication Aliayah was disposed of in this manner, I hope the trash has been seperated, if not already searched.

JMO



ETA: Can't think of the case and can't find it right now. IIRC, an african american female, maybe in Maryland or near Maryland was killed in an apartment and 5-6 persons are charged with her murder even though her remains were never found. They did 'confess' to putting her in a dumpster sadly, but much later.... Maybe someone here recalls the case.

That sounds like the Latisha Frazier case out of D.C..

I know that landfills are horrendous. Finding a body there, even when LE knows the general grid area of the landfill where the bodies may be is almost impossible. I'm thinking of Lori hacking's case and the case of Abby and Jennifer Blagg. In the Blagg case, it took them 16 days of searching a specific grid. They found the mom but never little Abby and they gave up trying to find her. (However the search was 7 months after they went missing so it's miraculous that either was found at all).

In Lori's case, they searched a specific grid for 33 days before finding her and were surprised that they did. A law officer stated that landfill searches are historically unsuccessful: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134233,00.html And I would think that the more time that passes, the harder it will be as more trash gets added.

But I think they need a reason to think a body might be there. In missing child cases, a male suspect is probably more likely to place a child in a landfill than a female suspect. Women tend to pick watery areas instead. In any event, LE could start by finding all dumpsters along Lena's route the day Aliayah went missing and tracing those dumpsters to specific grids in the landfill. I don't know.

 

[my_tee_mouse]

Respectfully snipped:


I just wanted someone to go down in that "holler" and check on things. I just wanted them to do their job. Bottom line is Aubrey was lost in between the cracks and you hear so many stories like this. The system is understaffed and 1/2 the staff are just filling there 8 hrs/working on their pension/or not qualified. We were finally blessed in April 2010 with a CPS worker, newly hired and our case was her first case. She has sense moved back to NC. When we do get good ones, we can't keep them.
I haven't finished the thread yet, so it's back to reading. And I agree with many who are outraged with the lack of news on this sweet child.

Oh, mtnlife! As a social worker it breaks my heart to hear of situations like Aubrey's. Yes, there are many areas in our country where CPS and DHS agencies are understaffed, underpaid, overworked, burned out and worn out. And yes, there are even people I encounter that I have to wonder why they ever chose this line of work. Not that it helps your situation, but take heart and know that for every one of the "bad" ones, I know dozens of "good" ones. But they quickly get snatched up by other entities that can give them decent working conditions and a decent living wage. It is my sincere prayer that your Aubrey only gets the "good" ones from now on. Hugs, mytee

 

[cluciano63]

Idea's, proof to meet the burden of reasonable doubt, and hopefully find her. Finding her would always be the most important thing, but as we've seen that doesn't always happen. At some point in time searches come to a halt. However, there have been succesful trials and convictions of missing persons never found.

I just pray if this is not an accident and this child did not wander off as her mother claims those interrogating are good enough to break whomever is withholding the answers to solving this case.

True, there have been some cases brought without finding the victim, but not many involving children. There are always, it seems, too many possible scenarios with a child, especially if no sign of a crime scene. I think that is what it comes down to in many cases. I have reviewed every case on the infamous "no body" website and most of them seem to have had some form of a crime scene, or at the least, prior violence against the victim.

 

[mtnlife]

Hiya Janeumayer! The reason the garbage bags are all unopened and intact as you correctly noted that LE would have gone thru the garbage bags from the home.. But actually LE is the one's who bagged the garbage that you see in the pic! Yes, that's right.. All of those large, black garbage bags that you see the garbage that fills them came from inside that tiny home.. LE opened a window of the house and literally had to throw all of the garbage that the home was loaded with, out of the home, through a window, and then bagged the mountain of trash into the black garbage bags in the pic..

This trash removal done by LE had to be done before they could even effectively search the home..

Unbelievable.

 

[JeannieC]

Unbelievable.

Do we know that the trash was just thrown in that room or could it have been in trash bags in a room and LE went through it and put it in black bags?