Police Treat Missing Toddler Case As Abduction
Authorities: Boy Couldn't Have Walked Away Alone
POSTED: 2:57 p.m. EDT April 27, 2002
UPDATED: 6:21 p.m. EDT April 27, 2002
SAN DIEGO -- A massive search effort is under way this weekend, and with it, an outpouring of support. More than 100 people from across the nation gathered Friday night for a candlelight vigil for missing 2-year-old Jahi Turner, who has now been missing for two days.
More volunteer searchers joined the effort Saturday, and San Diego police have set up a command post near a park in Golden Hill where Jahi was last seen Thursday afternoon.
Neighbor Ismael Flores said he is worried about Jahi's disappearance. "We're expecting a child right now, so it does make me nervous. It's just not right... everything about it just doesn't seem right. There's no way I would ever leave my child alone for even five minutes," Flores said.
Investigators are looking for and collecting even the smallest pieces of evidence that could lead them to Jahi. And police have now declared the toddler's apartment a crime scene. Even the family's garbage is being searched for clues.
A Riverside County sheriff's bloodhound that has had success tracking scents is now in San Diego to help find the boy.
Authorities said time is of the essence.
Police spokesman Dave Cohen said, "If the child, for instance, is taken by anybody in that neighborhood, that scents gonna be there. The longer [time] goes by before you get the dog in there, the scent now becomes less and it's gonna become much more difficult for the dog to hit on that."
Experts said at this early stage in the investigation, evidence technicians do not want to miss anything and will err on the side of collecting too much potential evidence.
About 60 sheriff's deputies and more than 50 San Diego police officers and detectives scoured the canyons and neighborhoods between the park and the apartment complex where Jahi, his mother and stepfather moved several weeks ago.
Police taped off the entire playground. Jones told police the boy was playing with several other children in the park with their mother when he left. When he came back, his stepson, the woman and the other children were gone, he said.
Cohen said the children the missing toddler was playing with were ages 2 and 4 and their mother was a "white female." Police received a composite of the woman Friday night (pictured right). Police said Friday she is not considered a suspect.
Jahi's mother, Tameka Jones, 18, is a Navy seaman who left San Diego on Monday for a weeklong cruise on the dock landing ship Rushmore, Cohen said. The Navy brought her back to San Diego Thursday night because of the boy's disappearance. The couple spent the night in a hotel while police gathered evidence at their apartment.
Friday morning, Tieray Jones returned to the park with detectives and police mounted a house-to-house search near the park and interviewed residents at the Jones' apartment complex.
The effort is "without a doubt" the most intensive local search since 7-year-old Danielle van Dam disappeared from her Sabre Springs home on Feb. 1, Cohen said. Hundreds of volunteers searched for three weeks before discovering her body dumped along a remote road in East County.
Police said Jahi's natural father lives in Maryland and was recently released from "jail or prison," in that state. Investigators have spoken with him and do not believe he is connected with the toddler's disappearance.
Neighbor Ismael Flores said he is worried about Jahi's disappearance. "We're expecting a child right now, so it does make me nervous. It's just not right... everything about it just doesn't seem right. There's no way I would ever leave my child alone for even five minutes," Flores said.
Investigators are looking for and collecting even the smallest pieces of evidence that could lead them to Jahi. And police have now declared the toddler's apartment a crime scene. Even the family's garbage is being searched for clues.
A Riverside County sheriff's bloodhound that has had success tracking scents is now in San Diego to help find the boy.
Authorities said time is of the essence.
Police spokesman Dave Cohen said, "If the child, for instance, is taken by anybody in that neighborhood, that scents gonna be there. The longer [time] goes by before you get the dog in there, the scent now becomes less and it's gonna become much more difficult for the dog to hit on that."
Experts said at this early stage in the investigation, evidence technicians do not want to miss anything and will err on the side of collecting too much potential evidence.
Boy Last Seen At Playground
Investigators said Jahi was last seen at a playground at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The boy's stepfather, 23-year-old Tieray Jones, told police that he stepped away from the boy for a few minutes to buy a beverage and that the boy was missing when he returned.About 60 sheriff's deputies and more than 50 San Diego police officers and detectives scoured the canyons and neighborhoods between the park and the apartment complex where Jahi, his mother and stepfather moved several weeks ago.
Police taped off the entire playground. Jones told police the boy was playing with several other children in the park with their mother when he left. When he came back, his stepson, the woman and the other children were gone, he said.
Cohen said the children the missing toddler was playing with were ages 2 and 4 and their mother was a "white female." Police received a composite of the woman Friday night (pictured right). Police said Friday she is not considered a suspect.
Jahi's mother, Tameka Jones, 18, is a Navy seaman who left San Diego on Monday for a weeklong cruise on the dock landing ship Rushmore, Cohen said. The Navy brought her back to San Diego Thursday night because of the boy's disappearance. The couple spent the night in a hotel while police gathered evidence at their apartment.
Friday morning, Tieray Jones returned to the park with detectives and police mounted a house-to-house search near the park and interviewed residents at the Jones' apartment complex.
The effort is "without a doubt" the most intensive local search since 7-year-old Danielle van Dam disappeared from her Sabre Springs home on Feb. 1, Cohen said. Hundreds of volunteers searched for three weeks before discovering her body dumped along a remote road in East County.
Police said Jahi's natural father lives in Maryland and was recently released from "jail or prison," in that state. Investigators have spoken with him and do not believe he is connected with the toddler's disappearance.
Group Holds Vigil
A parent support group meeting in San Diego for a seminar heard about the missing boy and decided to do something to show support for the search effort. Friday night, the group held a candlelight vigil in Balboa Park. All 124 members, mostly parents from all over the country, attended the vigil. They expressed their feelings and sympathy for the boy and his family. They also held a two-minute moment of silence, saying their hope is that the power of prayer will bring Jahi home.Van Dams Help
The parents of murder victim Danielle van Dam are also getting involved in the search for Jahi Turner. The family arranged for a Kinkos print shop to donate 500 fliers with Jahi Turner's picture and info to be handed out. The van Dams also posted pictures of the boy on their Web site. If you'd like to more information, visit the van Dam's Web site.Police Make Request
San Diego police are asking that if you have information into the disappearance of Jahi Turner, do not call 911. Instead, they ask you call the non-emergency police line at (619) 531-2000, or you can also call Crimestoppers at (619) 531-1547. Jahi Turner is described as a light-skinned African-American boy. He is about 30 inches tall and weighs about 30 pounds. When he disappeared, he was wearing a long-sleeve blue shirt, blue nylon cargo pants and gray sneakers.Copyright 2002 by Lifewhile.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
