Update: Police Continue to Search for Jahessye Shockley
Past clues have not led to the discovery of missing 5-year-old Jahessye (Jesse) Shockley, and the search continues.
On Monday, Glendale police said that they have had no new leads in the case amidst their previous searches, an Amber Alert, rallies and extensive media attention.
Within the past week police have assigned a homicide expert as the lead detective, as child-crime detectives continue to probe the kindergartener’s disappearance.
Police said Monday that the girl’s mother, Jerice Hunter, is not a suspect, but her newborn baby is reportedly in the custody of Child Protective Services, and investigators have yet to give Hunter a polygraph test.
Though the agency did not confirm the custody of the newborn, they did confirm that three of Hunter’s other children were removed a day after her 5-year-old daughter went missing.
Jahessye’s grandmother has said that local police aren’t trying their best to find the girl because she’s Black.
Police deny that the case has been neglected and they say that race has nothing to do with the way the investigation is proceeding.
The 3-foot-5-inch, 55-pound girl has been missing since Oct. 11.
Jahessye was last seen wearing a solid white T-shirt, blue jean shorts and pink flip-flops.
If you have any information, police encourage you to contact the Glendale Police Department at 623-930-HELP (4357).
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(Photo: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)