Family of missing 5-year-old protests at Arizona capitol

By: Katie Wiggin
Topics: Daily Blotter

Jahessye Shockley

/ KPHO

(CBS/AP/KPHO) PHOENIX - The family of missing Arizona 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley took to the Arizona state capitol building on Monday to shine some attention on their grievance that police aren't working hard enough to find her.

The child's mother, Jerice Hunter, says authorities and the media are not giving top priority to the case because the child is black, and due to her own criminal history. During the demonstration, she, with about a dozen family members and friends, held up signs with her child's picture and pleaded for Governor Jan Brewer's attention.

Hunter has a record of child abuse from 2005, and USA today reports that in court documents from 2006, she was "accused of torturing her 7-year-old daughter and of causing corporal injuries to three of her other children." The day after the mother reported her daughter missing, Arizona State Child Protective Services took three of her children, though the agency declines to give a reason.

Five-year-old Jhessye has been missing since October 11th. Hunter told the media at the capitol that the police department has been "totally uncooperative, keeping her in the dark, and kept her children away from her," reports CBS affiliate KPHO.

A spokesperson for the Glendale Police Department claims they are handling the case and the family just as they would any other missing person.

Police have no real evidence, suspects, or potential leads. They believe Jhessye wandered from her apartment while her mother was out doing errands. Law enforcement officials say it is a suspected kidnapping, since they found no trace of the girl after searching a 3-mile radius around her family home.

"I feel like they're covering me instead of my daughter because it's a juicy story for them and they want to get ratings," Hunter said. "Because I wouldn't speak to them initially, they decided they would draw me out by demonizing me."

Police Sgt. Brent Coombs is reported to have said that the department is aware of Hunter's criminal record, but that has no effect on their search. He states the case is a No. 1 priority and that investigators would not cease their work until Jahessye she is home.

7 Comments +

Add a Comment


by ejbeard3 October 26, 2011 3:20 PM EDT: I did not hear of this litttle girl unitl I saw this article. That is the point this mother is making. When looking at the news you would think "Baby Lisa" was the only one in America missing. Black children go missing all the time and get hardly any news coverage. If you don't think that is true, you are not facing reality.; Reply to this comment


by pak31 October 26, 2011 8:41 AM EDT: This so called mother is lucky to even have custody of her kids considering what she's done. Yet she still has the nerve to complain? Especially by bringing race into it shows her ignorance. Maybe instead of going to the capitol building they should have used that time to search for their missing child? Any person with a missing child who has time for protesting makes me wonder what they are up to. They are taking the focus off of her by doing this. Hypocrites. The police ARE looking for her, just because she hasn't been found or her face isn't on Nancy Grace every night, doesn't mean she isn't being looked for.; Reply to this comment


by smushyface October 25, 2011 11:38 PM EDT: Always the race card.; Reply to this comment


by lokibear2 October 25, 2011 2:10 PM EDT: Oh Puhhhleez - you really cannot figure out why they removed the other children?; Reply to this comment

by duskay13 October 25, 2011 1:35 PM EDT

Hmmm...she wouldnt speak to them initially plus she has a history of abusing (torturing) her children in 2005 and 2006. Need I say more? Oh yeah I should, she's not top priority because she's black. Are you kidding me, these people, these complete strangers are working to find your daughter, you know the one you probably abused every day.
I pray for this childs safe return, I hope this story will have a happy ending.

Reply to this comment


by pak31 October 26, 2011 8:42 AM EDT: And this is a child who told a family member that she didn't want to be in that home.


by Imthaid2 October 25, 2011 1:35 PM EDT: Oh. So, it's not because the kid is black, it's because the mother is a known child abuser and is probably the prime suspect.So, which card do you play? The race card, or the child abusing prime suspect card? Hmmmmm let me see now.......I'll go with the race card.; Reply to this comment