I am temporarily suspending writing articles for TruCrimeBlog due to the overwhelming success of my Examiner.com page. I have been moved to the national “Crime & Media” examiner position, and have decided to concentrate all of my writing on the new gig. Be sure to come by and check out my examiner page for all of the latest crime headlines.
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(Facebook)
I have been contacted by a spokeswoman from the Harrington family to share some information with you, the readers, on how you can help in the search for Morgan Harrington.
The statement below was issued today by the Harrington family regarding a fund that has been established to aid in their daughter’s recovery. The statement provides information on where donations can be sent, and how the fund will be used.
Additionally readers can help raise awareness of the search for Morgan by following the family on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/find_morgan, and by joining the “Help find Morgan Harrington” Facebook group at: http://bit.ly/1K8B8
Thanks for taking the time to read this important information, let’s do what we can get Morgan back to her parent’s as soon as possible.
Jason Taylor
STATEMENT BY DAN AND GIL HARRINGTON
We are deeply moved by the outpouring of support we’ve received since our daughter disappeared 16 days ago on October 17 from a concert in Charlottesville, VA.
At the request of friends and supporters, the Harrington family has established the Find Morgan Fund to help in the search for our daughter. The Harrington family will donate any unused funds to charities that assist families of missing persons and causes with which Morgan has been directly involved, including Mental Heath America of Roanoke Valley and OMNI Orphan Medical Network International.
Contributions may be sent by mail to the following address:
Find Morgan Fund
P.O. Box 7588
Roanoke, VA 24019Contributions may also be sent via PayPal through www.FindMorgan.com.
We are truly grateful for your kindness and we thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers.
Click here for other TruCrime Blog Morgan Harrington articles
Filed under: Missing Persons | Tagged: Morgan Harrington | Leave a Comment »
(Facebook photo)
By JASON TAYLOR
The Virginia State Police held a press conference on Wednesday releasing a time-line of Morgan Harrington’s whereabouts before she went missing on October 17. Police believe Harrington was last seen on the Copeley Street Bridge in Charlottesville, Virginia around 9:30 p.m. on the night she disappeared.
Harrington, who has been missing since October 17, disappeared after being separated from friends while attending a Metallica concert. Police say she exited the arena to have a smoke, but was not allowed to return. A passerby found her purse and cell phone in a nearby parking lot.
Anyone with information about Harrington’s whereabouts is urged to call 434-352-3467. Also, a website has been launched to aid in her recovery. There is $150,000 reward for information leading to her discovery.
Click here for the press conference video
Click here for the time-line of disappearance
Click here to download police map of time-line
Click here for all of TruCrimeBlog’s Morgan Harrington coverage
Filed under: Missing Persons | Tagged: Morgan Harrington | Leave a Comment »
(AP photo)
By JASON TAYLOR
The Ohio manhunt for a sex offender who’s possibly a serial killer is over. Anthony Sowell, 50, was apprehended around noon on Saturday while walking down a Cleveland street.
Police said Sowell initially denied he was the wanted man, but came clean about his identity when officers began fingerprinting him.
The manhunt began Thursday when police went to Sowell’s house to investigate a rape charge. Police didn’t find their suspect, but instead discovered two badly decomposed bodies inside. A third body was discovered Friday in a shallow grave in the basement, as were three more bodies in Sowell’s house and backyard.
On Sunday, the Cuyahoga County Coroner office said that all 6 of the bodies were female and their deaths were homicides. The victims have yet to be identified.
Click here for all of TruCrimeBlog’s Anthony Sowell coverage
Filed under: Murder, Rape | Tagged: Anthony Sowell | Leave a Comment »
(WALB news)
By JASON TAYLOR
Clay County Georgia Sheriff’s investigators and the FBI have been alerted to the arrest of sex offender Kenneth Kellam in Georgia. Kellam was arrested on Tuesday after following two elementary aged boys home from school.
Although Dougherty County, Georgia District Attorney Greg Edwards said there is no direct evidence linking Kellam to the Thompson murder, he did forward information about the arrest to authorities in Florida working the little girl’s case.
Edwards said “It’s geographically feasible that he could have a connection to that case, and his M.O. is similar. So we have passed the information along to the proper authorities in Florida and the FBI has taken an interest.”
The 7-year-old Orange Park, Florida girl disappeared while walking home from school on October 19. Her body was found in a Georgia landfill on October 22.
Kellem is a registered sex-offender who was released from prison in 2008. He is currently being charged with failing to register. Has been denied bond and has been ordered to remain in jail while awaiting the disposition of his case.
Click here to watch video of this latest development.
Click here for all of TruCrime Blog’s Somer Thompson coverage.
Filed under: Murder | Tagged: Kenneth Kellam, Somer Thompson | Leave a Comment »
(Getty Images)
By JASON TAYLOR
The teenage band of thieves that has been called the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch and the Bling Ring has been identified and officially charged. Police say the crew used a technology-aided scheme to pull off a string of heists from the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom.
A break in the case came when security cameras at the home of MTV reality star Audrina Patridge captured clear images of the suspects.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office charged Nicholas Prugo, 18; Diana Tamayo, 19; Alexis Neiers, 18; Roy Lopez Jr., 27; and Courtney Ames, 18, with residential burglary on Wednesday, according to Deputy District Attorney Kaarin Axelsen. A fifth suspect, Rachel Lee, was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week but has yet to be charged.
According to police the group is behind a crime-spree that netted the crew nearly $3 million in jewelry, designer clothes and accessories. Cops say the group would use the internet to learn the layouts of the targeted homes, when the stars would be out at parties.
LAPD investigators, armed with search warrants, recovered numerous items of property tying the group to the celebrity burglaries. Police also recovered firearms and large amounts of narcotics.
Filed under: Burglary, Celebrity Crime | Tagged: Bling Ring, Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton | Leave a Comment »
(Google Maps)
By JASON TAYLOR
Residents in Columbus, Ohio are complaining to the City Council that when they call the police to report crime in their neighborhood cops tell them they should think about moving.
Columbus resident Allen Carrel called the police recently to report a drug deal going down in his neighborhood. “Police say, ‘Well, why did you move here? Why don’t you move out if you don’t like it?’ ” said Carrel
Councilwoman Charleta Tavares claims to has received more than 20 calls from residents. “We don’t want our residents to feel their neighborhood isn’t worthy of living in,” said Tavares.
City lawyers are addressing the issue with the Chief of Police. Also, a police spokesman said that the department will look into specific incidents if they have a name of an officer.
But the police union president Jim Gilbert says he understands why police are frustrated: “It’s like the OK Corral out there.”
Click here for an interactive Columbus, Ohio crime report map
Filed under: Police | Tagged: Columbus Crime, Ohio Crime | Leave a Comment »
(Ceneta AP)
By JASON TAYLOR
A judge has ordered Anna Nicole Smith’s former boyfriend and two doctors to stand trial for charges of illegally providing prescription drugs to the former Playboy model.
Those being charged are Attorney Howard K. Stern, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich.
Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry said that he believed the trio cared deeply for Smith, but he added that prosecutors proved Smith was an addict and the defendants helped feed her drug addiction.
The testimony of a nanny was heard at the hearing. She claimed that Stern had persuaded Smith to take massive amounts of medication, keeping her in drug induced stupor. Prosecutors are also alleging that the doctors gave Smith prescriptions far too excessive for legitimate medical reasons.
The arraignment is set for December 11 on charges of conspiring to illegally provide Smith with drugs.
Filed under: Celebrity Crime | Tagged: Anna Nicole Smith, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, Howard K. Stern | Leave a Comment »
(The Plain Dealer)
Authorities in Ohio are digging to find more bodies under the house of a convicted rapist after the remains of six people were found inside and outside of the house.
On Thursday, armed with a search warrant, Cleveland Police were at the house looking for 50-year-old Anthony Sowell, who is accused of raping a woman last month. The unidentified woman escaped from Sowell after she fought back during the assault.
Sowell was no where to be found, but authorities did find two badly decomposed bodies in the house. A subsequent search revealed what appeared to be a freshly-dug grave under the basement stair.
Police returned on Friday to dig up the grave, and found two more bodies. Police found two additional bodies in a crawl space and another in a shallow grave outside the home.
Cleveland Police Lt. Thomas Stacho said that Sowell was convicted in 1989 for rape, and spent 15-years in prison from 1990-2005.
Police consider Sowell extremely dangerous, and have called in the U.S. Marshals to aid in tracking him down.
A $12,000 reward has been set up for information leading to Sowell’s arrest.
Filed under: Rape, Serial Killers | Tagged: Anthony Sowell | Leave a Comment »
(True Crime Report)
By JASON TAYLOR
A San Diego baby sitter has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and selling a 3-year-old boy that he was watching.
Aaron Zendejas, 24, plead guilty to committing a lewd act on a child, kidnapping, and production of child pornography for commercial purposes.
Prosecutors say Zendejas was paid $200 to bring the boy to an El Cajon hotel room last year and film a pedophile named Jared Yaffe while he molested the boy.
Yaffe is accused of assaulting several children and teenagers between March and September 2008. He was arrested in Brazil earlier this year, and plead not guilty to multiple felonies. He faces up to 129 years in prison if convicted.
Zendejas was arrested back in January and charged with five felonies involving the 3-year-old boy.
Filed under: Child Molestation | Tagged: Aaron Zendejas, Jared Yaffe | Leave a Comment »
