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Justice for Morgan Martin

8/31/2016

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By: Claudia Rivero

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​Leah Martin waited years for answers about her missing daughter, Morgan. The 17-year-old St. Petersburg, Florida teen vanished July 25, 2012, she was four months pregnant at the time. What happened to Morgan? Will she and her baby ever be found? The not knowing haunts Leah daily. She says it's an overwhelming pain that no parent should ever have to endure. ​But now, four years later, investigators are one step closer to getting justice for Morgan and her family. It’s a process Leah admits won’t be easy, but she’s determined to fight no matter how long it takes.
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Leah and Morgan Martin (Photo credit: Leah Martin)

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​July 25, 2012

Morgan Martin had just found out the gender of her baby, and she wanted to share the news with the man she said was her baby’s father, Jacobee Flowers. That night she told her mom she was going outside to meet with Flowers, but Morgan never returned. “I knew from day one that something bad had happened to her,” Leah told me during a recent interview.

​Flowers, 28, has been the prime suspect all along. “He was questioned quite a bit, but detectives couldn't get him on anything because he just kept denying that he even knew her,” Leah said. ​
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​In an exclusive interview with ABC Action News Reporter Jacqueline Ingles, Flowers, a father of three young girls, calmly and repeatedly denied his involvement in Morgan’s disappearance. 
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Fresh Eyes on a Cold Case

In 2015 the newly formed St. Petersburg PD cold case squad reviewed Morgan’s file and once again the evidence pointed detectives back to Flowers. “When the cold case people took over they went crazy! They interviewed him and re-interviewed him again and again,” Leah said.
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Armed with a wealth of circumstantial evidence detectives sent the case to a grand jury which on June 23, 2016 indicted Flowers on first-degree murder, even though Morgan’s remains have never been found. According to published reports, investigators are convinced that Flowers planned Morgan’s murder and disposed of her body, but the 33-page indictment makes no mention of DNA evidence, and it also doesn’t state how and if Morgan died. Leah says she knows those are major hurdles to overcome, but she’s convinced that Flowers will be held accountable. "There is so much evidence against him that I have no doubt that we will win," Leah said. “She didn’t need to die! What gave him the right to take my child because you didn't want another baby, you have other children what made mine so less important, you know?"
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Photo credit: St. Petersburg PD
Flowers, already in jail for a separate case, remains the only person of interest in the murder of Morgan Martin. Morgan is still listed as "MISSING" on The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website.
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If you know anything that could help detectives locate Morgan's remains, please call the Saint Petersburg Police Department at 1-727-893-7780. 

UPDATE:
According to Leah Martin, Jacobee Flowers is still not cooperating with investigators. A pre-trial hearing is set for July 14, 2017.

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Sister: The "Phoenix Serial Street Shooter" Killed My Brother

8/29/2016

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UPDATE: Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, has officially been charged with an additional eight counts of first-degree murder.
Saucedo has been in custody since April 19, 2017, for the shooting death of his mother's boyfriend Raul Romero, 61, in August 2015. 
In addition to the seven victims originally identified in the Phoenix Serial Street Shooter case, investigators and prosecutors also believe that Saucedo is responsible for the drive-by shooting that killed 22-year-old Jesse Olivas in January 2016. This  brings the total number of murder victims to nine.
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​Saucedo's bond is set at $8 million. His next court appearance is July 6.
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Aaron Juan Saucedo the alleged "Phoenix Serial Street Shooter"
By: Claudia Rivero

​Horacio De Jesus Peña arrived at his house at 67th Avenue and Flower Street in the Maryvale section of west Phoenix, just before 10 p.m. on June 3. Seconds after exiting his vehicle someone shot the 32-year-old multiple times, killing him instantly. 
​According to Phoenix Police, Peña's murder is linked to a string of shootings believed to be the work of the so-called 'Serial Street Shooter', a cold-blooded coward randomly targeting men, women, and children mostly at night and in predominately Latino neighborhoods. Nine shootings since March 17 have left seven people dead, including a 12-year-old girl. Two other people were wounded but survived. The creep's weapon of choice, according to investigators, is a semi-automatic pistol. ​
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Nancy and Horacio Peña (Photo credit: Nancy Peña)
My Little Brother
From the moment he was born Horacio Peña faced an uphill battle. His twin sister Nancy---older by about 30 minutes---tells me her little brother was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. He struggled with mental illness and physical challenges which often made him the target of bullies at school. "He was my everything, and I didn’t like that people bullied him," Nancy said, fighting back tears. "I saw him as the guy that I had to take care of, and for the longest time it was him and I against the world."
As an adult Horacio had a hard time holding down a job. Then a few years ago he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and ironically it was that diagnosis that, according to Nancy, helped her brother turn his life around. "He finally knew what was wrong, he got the right treatment and was able to say, 'this is what it is, and I can now focus on myself and get better,' he was able to prove that he was just as good as everyone else."
An avid runner, Horacio completed several marathons over the years. He also loved to write and frequently updated his blog where he referred to himself as a Warrior. Most recently he started working at Valley Life, a group home for adults with disabilities. Life for Horacio, it seemed, was finally working out. "I'm very proud of him and his story, and I will continue to tell it to anyone who’s willing to listen to me,” Nancy said.
The Other Victims
​The other victims have been identified as: 21-year-old Diego Verdugo-Sanchez; 55-year-old Krystal Annette White; 19-year-old Manuel Castro-Garcia; 31-year-old Angela Linner; 12-year-old Maleah Russell and her mother 33-year-old mother, Stefanie Ellis. 
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​“I don't want it to be just about my brother, but everyone of these victims were amazing and this guy took these lives for no reason and their families are in pain," Nancy said. "Hopefully we can turn this tragedy into something beautiful and ​get that monster off the street and have him pay for the things that he's done.” 
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Phoenix Police have released a sketch of a man, possibly Hispanic, in his early 20's and drives a late model, dark-colored BMW. Investigators also believe the man has access to different cars including a white Cadillac or Lincoln.  

Phoenix Police Sgt. Jonathan Howard tells me that a combination of factors indicate the same person is behind the murders: "The t
otality of the evidence links these cases, as well as physical evidence, circumstantial evidence, and witness statements."

But they're not ruling anything out.

​"It is possible there has been an additional person or persons present with the shooter. Investigators are open minded to the evidence, but no additional descriptions have been provided," Sgt. Howard said.
Investigators are reaching out to the community asking residents to come forward with information regardless of their immigration status. They say time is the enemy as this cold-blooded killer is likely to strike again. "The biggest challenge is the randomness of the incidents," Sgt. Howard said. 
Silent Witness is now offering a ​$75,000 reward, which includes $20,000 from the FBI and $25,000 from the Arizona Attorney General's office, for information that leads to an arrest.

“This guy's not gonna get away with it, we need to make sure that people keep their ears open so that we get the right tip to police,"  Nancy said.

​If you know anything about this case you are urged to call 480-948-6377, or toll free at 1-800-343-TIPS
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Where is Janteyl Johnson?

8/28/2016

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Where is Janteyl?

By: Claudia Rivero
On Feb. 3, 2010 life forever changed for Prennis and Kyma Johnson of Newark, Delaware. Their 15-year-old daughter Janteyl, who was five months pregnant, vanished. Never did they imagine their youngest daughter would be gone this long. Janteyl's story caught my attention for many reasons. Not only because she was pregnant when she mysteriously disappeared, but also because of the lack of media interest in the case. Why didn't Janteyl make the top of every newscast or the front page of the paper? ​​What makes Janteyl different from other high-profile cases of missing pregnant women? People don't just disappear. 


​February 3, 2010

It was a cold February morning. As usual Kyma drove Janteyl and her brother Prennis Jr. to school. A few hours later, Janteyl called her mom to let her know she wasn’t feeling good and was going home early. By all accounts it appears that Janteyl did make it to the family's apartment on Winterhaven Drive. That afternoon Prennis Jr. was supposed to pick her up to meet their family at church, but when he arrived Janteyl was nowhere to be found. “I didn’t think much of it at first, I just figured she was with her friends,” Prennis told me in an interview for the upcoming short documentary Where is Janteyl.

​A few hours passed and still no one could get ahold of Janteyl, that's when Kyma contacted the New Castle County Police. Days gave way to weeks, months and now six years later Janteyl is still missing. The New Castle County police remain tight-lipped about the case, and so far there have been no arrests, no updates, nothing. 


​The Last Phone Call

According to the Johnson’s, the last phone call made to Janteyl’s phone the day she disappeared came from the older man she identified as her boyfriend and the father of her baby. The Johnson family believes that he knows what happened to Janteyl. Sources tell me he has not been cooperative with investigators. I covered Janteyl’s disappearance for NBC10 in Philadelphia in 2010 and for whatever reason the story did not generate much media interest at the local or national level, even though other similar cases have received wall to wall coverage. When I interviewed NCCPD in 2010, they told me that things “didn’t look good” and still Janteyl went unnoticed. The Johnson family believes part of the reason is because their daughter was immediately labeled a runaway.

​I spoke about Janteyl’s case with 
Robert Lowery Jr, Vice President of the Missing Children Division at the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. Lowery explains that even though the majority of missing children are runaways, the center no longer labels them as such because the public tends to look the other way. “We consider our children endangered runaways, but we’re careful with that classification because the public can’t be desensitized," Lowery said. "If they see it’s a runaway they assume it was a behavioral issue or they left on their own, but in many cases that’s not at all what’s going on."

​Like the Johnsons, Lowery also believes the father of Janteyl’s baby knows more: “Police of course have looked into a number of leads regarding that individual, and I’m certain if they can locate him that would be very important for him to give us information about where Janteyl may be.” ​

​There's also the possibility that Janteyl left with OR was lured by someone else.

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​Never Give Up Hope

According to statistics from the NCMEC, approximately 800,000 kids are reported missing in the United States every year, that’s roughly 2,000 children a day. According to Lowery, 78 percent are runaways. The good news is that most kids are found and reunited with their families, but some never come home. In Janteyl’s case Lowery believes she's in danger:

​“We would think that after this much time she would have been in some kind of contact with mom if she were able to, but we can’t assume the worst has happened until we know, and I caution that because we see so many cases like Cleveland with the three women, in California with Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, Sean Hornbeck.”
​The Johnsons agree, they believe that Janteyl is out there somewhere, and they urge anyone with information about their daughter and grandchild to please come forward. 
For more information and stories about Janteyl Johnson please visit  www.whereisjanteyl.com .  
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Mother of Georgia Girl Missing Since 1998: I Will Never Stop Looking for My Baby

8/27/2016

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By: Claudia Rivero

Shy'Kemmia "ShyShy" Pate will turn 27 on October 29, 2016. If she's out there somewhere, her mother, Veronica Pate, wants ShyShy to know how much she loves and misses her. The sadness and frustration at the lack of answers, palpable in Veronica's voice as we spoke recently about her little girl, the youngest of her four children. 

ShyShy has missed birthday celebrations, holidays, graduations and time with her siblings and cousins. The pain of not knowing what happened to her daughter is often too much for Veronica to bear. She struggles with depression and anxiety and feels that time does not always heal all wounds. "I don't have any closure, and I miss my child so much. It's a feeling that I don't wish on anybody," Veronica said.

September 4, 1998

It was about 7 p.m. on September 4, 1998, Shy-Shy was walking to her friend's house on Crumpler Avenue in the town of Unadilla in Dooley County, Georgia, when she suddenly vanished. "My older daughter left her alone for a few minutes to go get gas because they were going to a football game, and when she returned ShyShy was gone," Veronica said.

Convinced the 8-year-old was kidnapped by someone ShyShy knew well, investigators questioned everyone in the neighborhood. According to published reports, police also followed up on countless leads, including several in multiple states,  but none panned out and the case remains unsolved.

It's hard to believe that no one saw anything, especially in a neighborhood Veronica describes as a place where everyone knew each other. Even though it's been 18 years, she's still hopeful that her daughter will be found alive. "After so many years without any answers...that tells me that I gotta believe she's still out there. I feel in my heart that she's still out there, and I want her to know that I love her and will continue to look for her," Veronica said.

On September 3, Veronica and her family will hold a 5K run/walk to raise money for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as part of the organization's Rock One Sock campaign to raise awareness for missing children. Part of the money raised will also be used to increase the reward for information that helps investigators solve Shy-Shy's case. 

The FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Governor's Office are offering a  $15,000 reward  for information leading to Shy'Kemmia "Shy-Shy" Pate's safe return. Please call (478) 987-4545 or the Dooley County Sheriff's office at 229-645-0920 if you can help.
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    Claudia Rivero Investigative Reporter/Producer

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