Jasmine Moody, 22, vanished on December 4, 2014, during a visit to Detroit, Michigan
In late November 2014, Jasmine Moody, a Texas Woman’s University honor roll student, went to visit a friend in Detroit, Michigan. She disappeared, December 4, 2014, at approximately 7:30 p.m. leaving her friend’s home, around the 3700 block of Baldwin. This location is situated in the Van Dyke and Mack area of Detroit. Her disappearance has baffled police and her family is convinced foul play is involved.
Moody was scheduled to return home to Texas on December 5, 2014
According to a Detroit Fox 2 report, “Mystery of what happened to Jasmine Moody continues 1 year later,” private investigator Scott Lewis said, “It was a December night, it was cold outside, 7:30 at night.” Lewis was hired by Moody’s family in a desperate search to find her. “Jasmine left the home with no tablet, no telephone, no money, no credit card, dressed in a sweatshirt. And she’s never been seen again,” Lewis added.
Moody was wearing a white hoodie with a burgundy “University of Texas” logo on the front and blue jeans.
“I thought she went for a walk. I went for a walk to grab a cigarette and came back, but Jasmine didn’t,” her friend Brittany Gurley told Detroit News. “I don’t know anything. I went searching myself and came up with literally nothing,” she said.
Internet Relationship
During mid-2014, while living in Texas, Jasmine had pursued an Internet relationship with Brittany Gurley who lived in Detroit. She decided to travel to Gurley to spend the Thanksgiving holiday, arriving on November 25th. She had visited Gurley at her east side residence in Detroit several times before.
The girls had met on Twitter and had a romantic relationship for approximately two years.
Moody was scheduled to return to Texas December 5th. Gurley stated, “She and Moody got into a fight over a Facebook post.” She continues on claiming Moody “stormed” out of the house. Gurley went out for a cigarette and when she returned several minutes later, Moody was gone. The following day, Moody’s mother Fa’Lisa Nichols desperately tried calling Moody but there was no answer. The calls became more frantic as Nichols talked to her daughter every day on the phone.
Moody’s mother did not know her daughter was missing until a week later because Gurley and her family never called her to inform her of the incident. Nichols believes Gurley knows more than she has told police.
In November 2015, Moody’s mother along with Moody’s stepfather Patrick Kidd went to Detroit and joined volunteers who searched a mile radius around the location where Moody was last seen, hoping someone would come forward with information.
“It’s been a year,” said Kidd, Jasmine’s stepfather, “I haven’t heard her voice. I don’t know if she is alive or if she is dead.”
Moody’s parents have gone to Detroit several times to search for their daughter. Photo courtesy of Detroit News 7.
Morton is not alone in her assumption Gurley is hiding information about Moody’s disappearance.When Fox 2 Detroit News asked a volunteer, Chelsea Morton, if they felt Gurley had something do to with Moody’s disappearance she responded, “Of course. How could she just walk out in the cold? No shoes, no phone, no nothing.”
“Someone knows,” said Malik Shabazz, a community activist. “I believe the people in that house right there,” as he pointed to Britney Gurley’s family’s home.
Moody is described as a stable young lady by her parents. During an interview with Tamara Thompson of “Real Talk with Tamara,” Nichol’s was asked if she felt her daughter’s disappearance is suspicious. “I do, I do. I do feel it was suspicious. If she was the type who ran away or disappeared from time to time, I might not be as worried as I am right now. But that doesn’t describe her at all . . . so, with that being said, it is suspicious,” said Nichols.
Nichol’s and her daughter spoke every day on the phone. “This is just not right. I know something is just not right,” Nichol’s said.
Days pass, months, now years – for a mother desperate to know what happened to her daughter.
Moody’s phone, laptop and everything she had with her was found at the home of Gurley. “Jasmine would go nowhere without her phone,” said Nichols.
Her mother had discouraged her from traveling to Detroit telling her daughter she had a bad feeling. Moody responded, “Mom, you are so dramatic!”According to family, Moody knew no one else in Detroit and would have felt uncomfortable alone; therefore, she would not have left on foot.
It has now been three years without hearing her daughter’s voice. “It just hurts me to know somewhere out there knows something and people can be so cruel and sleep at night and know someone is hurting over their loved one,” said Nichols, “I know something has happened to her.”
Gurley’s friends and her family have not cooperated with police according to Nichols. In fact, when Nichols called and spoke to Gurley’s mother to ask what happened with her daughter the night Moody disappeared, Nichols believes their stories sounded rehearsed.
“Somebody did something. Her mother knows something,” said Nichols. “This has gone on way too long.”
Nichols describes a very close relationship with her daughter and having a very disturbing experience the night Moody vanished. While sleeping, the night of December 4th, Nichols suddenly awoke and heard her daughter’s voice say, “Help me, Momma.” The following day she couldn’t dismiss the feeling and arrived at work with tears in her eyes. She called her daughter’s phone. No answer.
Nichols describes that day beginning a 3 year nightmare and turning her entire life upside down.
Nichols claims, “In the beginning, the detectives from the Detroit Police Department did not stay in touch regarding the case. No updates, no return calls and they had not even entered Moody’s information into the FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC) correctly. Since then, a new detective was assigned who calls to check in and has been very responsive making each passing day “not knowing” a little easier.
Where is the attention?
A young black woman goes missing. Where is the national media attention? Moody’s disappearance generated some local media attention initially; however, no mention on national news.
Families of African American Missing feel the disparity and claims it is nothing new. With the help of Black and Missing, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit, Moody was profiled in the November 2015 issue of Essence Magazine, “Bring Her Home for the Holidays: Jasmine Moody.”
In comparison to other missing person cases such as Natalie Holloway, Chandra Levy, and Laci Peterson, the news media coverage has been minimal.
Black and Missing Foundation works with the families of the missing, media and law enforcement nationwide to ensure equal attention and resources are available to every black missing adult and child. The nonprofit has become well-known for addressing the disproportionate amount of media attention and cited in hundreds of articles throughout the United States.
According to statistics on the Black and Missing website, as of 2011, there were 692,944 entries of missing persons in the FBI’s NCIC system, of that 33% were black missing persons totaling 229,736.
There is a $2,500 reward offered for information leading to the whereabouts of Jasmine Moody and the prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance. If anyone has information about the whereabouts of Jasmine Moody, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
Detra Duncan, nicknamed DD, has been missing since before Christmas. Photo from: KSAT 12 News
16-year-old Detra Yvonne Duncan was last seen on Dec. 23 at about 10:30pm near the 200 block of Nacogdoches Road in San Antonio. The area where Duncan disappeared is just blocks away from her school—Alamo Heights High School.
According to the San Antonio Police Department, several facts lead investigators to believe that the Texas teen may have been a victim of human trafficking.
Duncan’s father, Juan Armenta, told reporters from San Antonio’s KSAT 12 News that sheriff’s deputies had found his daughter, on multiple occasions, at the home of an individual that Armenta says has been rumored to participate in human trafficking.
“The second time, they found her with two other little girls there. They said he was involved in trafficking,” Armenta said.
According to a report from KSAT 12, police officials said that they have seen numerous indicators and red flags that point to human trafficking. Officials also said that Detra could be with an adult, Hispanic, male.
Armenta said that he believes his daughter left with this man, in part, because of the fact that she left him a note asking him not to contact police. Armenta also told reporters that his daughter has emotional problems and described her as a recurrent runaway.
Anyone with information about Detra Duncan’s disappearance, or her whereabouts, is being asked to contact either the Heidi Search Center at 210-650-0428 or the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7662.
UPDATE: Black and Missing, Inc. posted a statement on their Facebook Page, on February 6, saying that Detra Duncan has been located. No details have been released, but we will report the latest when details have been made public.
Thelma Thomas (second from right) of Merrillville, mother of the missing Rochelle Thomas Stubblefield, listens to investigators Friday (December 12) during a news conference seeking the public’s help in the case. -Damian Rico/Photo (The Times)
Rochelle Thomas Stubblefield of Merrillville, In. was supposed to celebrate her 21st birthday on December 25 with friends and family. She was also supposed deliver her first child on Dec. 15—a boy, who she had already decided to name “Amir”.
However, the 21-year-old went missing on Nov. 10 after attending classes early in the day and going a girls basketball game later on. Her family reported her missing on Nov. 12. Almost three months later, investigators are still unable to locate Stubblefield.
The Calumet College student was attending school on a track scholarship. Calumet College of St. Joseph is a private college that is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Stubblefield was a criminal justice student who had hopes of becoming a police officer upon graduation.
Stubblefield was proud of her school, and she was last seen wearing a maroon Calumet College sweatshirt, black jeans, and glasses.
Stubblefield’s friends and family are still desperate for answers.
“We need to find her. Help us,” Stubblefield’s cousin, Lajuaina Riley, told the Chicago Tribune in late December, “If anyone has any information, don’t be afraid.”
Police Detective George Dickerson from the Gary Police Department told reporters that investigators do have a person of interest in the case, but declined to comment further. Dickerson did say that this person is someone that Rochelle Stubblefield knows, and that the individual is not cooperating with police.
Investigators have also recovered some personal items belonging to Stubblefield, but would not comment on the location that these items were found.
“We don’t want to compromise the integrity of the investigation,” Detective Dickerson told the Chicago Tribune.
Police did say that they suspect foul play, but were unable to comment any further.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call (219) 755-3855 or the anonymous tip line at 866-CRIME-GP.
29-year-old Chansotheavy Young, a Cambodian national currently on a music tour in the United States, has been returned safely to her manager in San Diego after having been missing for nearly a week.
According to a statement released by Young’s employer, Khmer Entertainment of America, she returned to San Diego on Sunday.
“She is well, safe and under our care as her U.S. sponsor and employer,” Khmer Entertainment of America wrote on their Facebook page.
KEA thanked the San Diego Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit for their dedication and diligence while working on the case, and for helping to return the singer to them safely. KEA also thanked the various San Diego news outlets including, FOX 5 – San Diego, NBC 7 – San Diego and ABC’s 10News – San Diego, for bringing the case to the attention of the public.
Details regarding Chansotheavy’s disappearance are still unknown. Due to the ongoing investigation, it is also unclear whether or not Young left San Diego on her own volition.
KEA says it plans to post updates on its Facebook page as more details regarding the case become available to the public.
“At this time, we cannot comment any further pending the open investigation,” KEA announced on Sunday.
Although Young was not scheduled to leave San Diego the day she disappeared, and took no personal belongings with her when she left, it was believed that she could have been headed to Everett, Washington. It is still uncertain why investigators considered Everett to be a possible destination for Young.
Sometime after her disappearance, Young’s Facebook page was deactivated, which led a few worried fans to post on KEA’s Facebook page asking why this might be. KEA did not respond to these questions, and it is still unclear why Young’s Facebook page had been taken down. As of this writing, her Facebook page remains deactivated.
Young’s cell phone had also been turned off during the time that she was missing. Her manager, Lim Cheang, became concerned on Monday, Jan. 4, when she didn’t answer her door to take a call from a friend on the East Coast. After realizing that her cell phone was turned off, Cheang began by checking the security camera at his home and later started a neighborhood search with a friend.
According to KEA, Young’s current visa is valid until April 2016 so that she can perform for the Cambodian New Year here in the United States. It is unclear whether or not she plans to stay in the US, considering her recent disappearance, in order to perform on April 13 for the celebration of the Cambodian New Year.
Kathleen Haley, a 37 year old woman missing from Newport, Virginia, has not been seen since August 22nd. Kathleen’s sister, Diane Roman, was the last person to hear from Ms. Haley, speaking with her on the phone on September 1st. This is very unusual according to their mother, who said that she typically talked to Kathleen at least twice a week. In fact, they had plans for Kathleen to help her mother get her car inspected, but Kathleen never showed up. After Kathleen’s mother couldn’t locate her at her apartment on the 7th of September, combined with the fact that she had not been heard from in a week now; Kathleen’s mother reported her missing.
It is reported that there were several items missing from Haley’s condo. However, in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, the police have not yet released exactly what those items are. It is known, however, that her dog, a boxer, is missing from the condo. Haley’s brother in law, Manuel Roman, made a comment regarding the missing items, saying “It’s just stuff you don’t take with you if you’re going on a trip. Stuff you don’t necessarily take anywhere.”
Kathleen’s family portrayed her as leading a private life, not sharing a multitude of details with anyone, and being annoyed by nosy people. Her family could not think of anything that seemed to be bothering her leading up to her disappearance. Kathleen’s car is parked in her driveway, which the family says is very unusual. Manuel Roman stated, “It’s just totally unlike her to not call, to not be on Facebook, to not move her car.”
The family is concerned for her safety, and asking for the public’s help. They are seeking any information, no matter how big or small, regarding her disappearance and/or whereabouts. Roman posed the question, “If you had someone who was missing, wouldn’t you want somebody to come out and say ‘I know this little bit?’” If you have any information regarding this case, please immediately call the Newport News Police at (757) 247-2500. You can remain anonymous by calling The Crime Line, at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Spencer Shank, writer for MPAN
