I had an interesting few weeks working on a couple stories in Texas. As luck would have it, we stumbled upon an interesting situation possibly involving Janteyl's case. It may be something or it may be nothing but certainly worth checking out. There's no harm in that.
I used to work with a friend who was a magnificent editor. I asked him one day how he could make a story look so good when he had very little video to work with? He said, "Claudia, in the middle of all the trash, there's always a little hidden treasure." Yes, indeed. We have certainly stumbled upon many hidden treasures along the way. More to come...in the meantime, if you'd like to check out the story (different case) we just finished in Victoria, Texas, please go to my website: claudiariverotv.com
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As you know, I've been writing about Janteyl Johnson's disappearance here since 2013, but I was the only reporter who covered her disappearance in 2010 when I worked at news station in Philadelphia. It's a sad and troubling story. Today, the New Castle County Police finally added Janteyl to their list of cold cases. This is a good step. But you may be wondering what exactly does this mean? The NCCPD posted an update about Janteyl on their Facebook page. It seems that more resources and a fresh pair of eyes will be focused on this investigation. In fact, many eyes have been focused on Janteyl—outside of NCCPD—since last year. This is long overdue. It's important to clarify that Janteyl was 15, not 16, when she vanished, as is mentioned on the NCCPD Facebook page. Meanwhile, the information below explains, in general terms, what criteria must be met before the NCCPD Cold Case Homicide Squad re-examines a case. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also revealed a new age-progession image of what Janteyl might look like today at age 23. You can follow my coverage of the case here and on TheVanishedPOdcast. In the meantime, I'll continue adding new entries to this website on a regular basis. I'm also following some interesting information and hope to have an update here very soon. If you have any information about Janteyl Johnson, please do the right thing and contact the NCCPD Cold-Case Homicide Squad. You can remain anonymous. 302-395-2781 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. What if this was your daughter? Wouldn't you want someone to come forward? Janteyl Johnson, who was 15 and pregnant when she vanished on Feb. 3, 2010, would be 23, and her baby would be almost 8. There are still no named suspects and no arrests in Janteyl's disappearance. It's like she fell off the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again. Although Janteyl did have a history of running away, it's clear—based on all the information we've gathered over the years— that Janteyl probably never planned to be gone this long. It makes no sense. It's absurd to think that a 15-year-old pregnant teen could pull that off, on her own, for this long. It's safe to say that something else happened, and the older man investigators believe she may have left with is out there somewhere. That coward-whoever he is- has never been inconvenienced. That person has never had to do much except decline to cooperate with investigators. Other than that, his life goes on. There are so many questions. What else has the person responsible for Janteyl's disappearance been able to get away with by now? Was he the only person involved in her disappearance? If they could be in a different state, would the FBI get involved since this crosses state lines? We know that (initially) the police focused on two investigative leads. One was a 27-year-old believed to be the baby's father. He refused to cooperate with investigators. The other is a 42-year-old man who was also in contact with Janteyl the day she disappeared. This information is solid as a rock and confirmed with multiple sources. Then there's the third guy, but not much is known about him. Both of these much older men were in contact with Janteyl the day she vanished. Of course, there's always a possibility that something else happened altogether. Maybe she left with someone else. Anything is possible. But even though there have been many twists and turns over the last eight years — especially over the last 9 months — at the end of the day, the case remains unsolved. Anyone with information on the disappearance of Janteyl Johnson is urged to contact 1-800-THE-LOST or NCCPD at 302-395-8171. Reading through court records as part of the research process for Janteyl Johnson's case. More to come.... Janteyl Johnson. Evelyn Hernandez. Morgan Martin. Senicha Marie Lessman. Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind. Laura Wallen. Akia Eggleston. These women share a common denominator: they were all were pregnant when they vanished. Some of these women and their unborn children were murdered. Others have never been found. I'd like to share the story of Akia Eggleston of Baltimore, Maryland. The 22-year-old was 35 weeks into a high-risk pregnancy when she disappeared on May 3, 2017. At first, investigators believed she left on her own, but now they suspect foul play. I recently had a chance to speak with Akia's family and the Baltimore Police about the bizarre circumstances surrounding the young mom's disappearance. We also obtained surveillance video of the last known sighting of Akia Eggleston the day she disappeared. I'd like to thank the family and the Baltimore PD for helping us tell Akia's story. That doesn't always happen. Janteyl Johnson's case is a perfect example. You can't expect the community to come forward with tips if they don't even know that someone is missing. Anyone with information on Akia Eggleston's whereabouts is asked to call Baltimore PD at 410-396-2499. |
AUTHOREmmy Award winning reporter Claudia Rivero. Categories |