by: Claudia Rivero
Journalist claudiariverotv@gmail.com When it comes to missing children time is always the enemy. The more time that goes by, the more difficult it is to solve a case since the leads dry up, the media moves on, and the families are left on their own to figure out how to keep their child's story in the public eye. It's a sad reality and no parent should ever have to be in that situation. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an estimated 800,0000 kids under the age of 18 are reported missing in the U.S. every year. That's roughly 2,000 kids a day. 78 percent are runaways, according to the NCMEC. The majority of cases are quickly solved, but there's always a percentage of children who don't come home. Janteyl Johnson is one of those children. I recently sat down with Robert Lowery Jr., VP of the NCMEC, to discuss Janteyl's case. Mr. Lowery told me that for them the media is the most powerful tool they have when it comes to finding missing or lost children. He also stated that at the NCMEC they are cautious about labeling children as runaways: “The public can’t be desensitized. If they see it’s a runaway, they assume it was a behavioral issue or they left on their own, but in many cases that’s not at all what’s going on.” Unfortunately, all too often, the media doesn't cover cases when a missing child is labeled a runaway. Janteyl Johnson's case is a pretty good example of that. Even though she was just 15 and five months pregnant, her disappearance generated minimal media coverage. As far as TV stations, only NBC10 in Philadelphia reported the story when Janteyl disappeared. But thanks to non-profit organizations like the Black and Missing Foundation, and several online groups including The Charley Project, and a concerned citizen in Delaware who started the Janteyl Johnson Facebook page, information about this case is just a click away. Someone out there knows where Janteyl Johnson is and who she may be with. Let's not forget that it's two people who are missing. If your daughter and grandchild were missing, wouldn't you want someone to come forward with information? Regarding Janteyl's disappearance, Mr. Lowery sums it up this way: “In a case like Janteyl’s, we don’t have a lot of information to support any conclusion at all and because of that we need to be very vigilant and very determined in continuing to search for her. I would just say to her mother there are folks that care and we will continue to look.” More to come.
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by: Claudia Rivero
claudiariverotv@gmail.com Wednesday, February 3, 2010, began like any other day for Janteyl Johnson. Her mother, Kyma, and older brother, Prennis, dropped her off at Glasgow High School in Newark, Delaware just in time for class. "We were playing tag in the car,” says Prennis, “she tagged me, then she ran out of the car and I chased her." The 21-year-old will never forget the last time he saw his little sister: "She looked back to see if I was still chasing her, I wasn't but she was smiling and that’s the last memory I have of her.” Later that day Janteyl, who was five months pregnant, contacted her mother to let her know she was feeling sick and wanted to go home early. It was a short walk, less than a mile, to the Autumn Park Apartments on Winterhaven Drive. By all accounts, it appears that Janteyl stopped to buy a snack at what used to be a Pathmark supermarket located off Route 896---less than a quarter mile from where the family lived. According to sources, the store's surveillance video recorded the teen and she appeared to be alone. What happened next is still unclear. Prennis, who was supposed to drive Janteyl to their family's church that afternoon, says when he arrived at the apartment the door was unlocked. Inside he noticed her shoes, purse and backpack but Janteyl was nowhere to be found. That evening, after countless calls and text messages to Janteyl went unanswered, her mother called the New Castle County PD. According to Prennis, officers used a police K-9 to search for Janteyl and also activated the automated alert system to notify the nearby communities but to no avail. As previously mentioned, the NCCPD remains tight-lipped about this case, but in Where is Janteyl?Janel Kirby talks about the last call that came through her little sister's phone the afternoon of February 3, 2010. What happened after that last phone call is still the biggest mystery of all. More to come. by: Claudia Rivero Journalist claudiariverotv@gmail.com Janteyl Johnson turned 20 on September 8, 2014. In a perfect world, Janteyl would've likely celebrated the big day with her family and her baby. Instead, for the Johnsons it was another day that left them asking the painful question: "Where is Janteyl?" More than four years have passed since Janteyl disappeared. Even though the teen had run away in the past, the Johnsons find it impossible to believe that she would willingly stay away from her family for years, especially since she was about to become a mom. None of it makes sense to the Johnsons, and because so little is known about their daughter's disappearance, it makes the situation even more difficult. The little that is known about the case is troubling. Investigators will usually focus on those individuals closest to the missing person. In this case the obvious questions are: What about the baby's father? What is known about him and was he ever considered an investigative lead? Or is it possible that Janteyl was lured by someone else she knew and trusted? I asked some of those questions to a law enforcement official with the New Castle County PD in Delaware while covering Janteyl's disappearance for NBC10 in Philadelphia in 2010. At the time he said they had no solid leads. I also recall the law enforcement official saying a phrase that stuck with me, "You have to understand, people don't just disappear." He wouldn't elaborate, instead he repeated the phrase, "People don't just disappear." But Janteyl did disappear and she is nowhere to be found. How is it possible that a pregnant teen goes missing and no one knows anything? It doesn't make sense. If there's one thing any reporter knows is that when it comes to missing person cases, someone always knows something. This case is no exception. More to come. by: Claudia Rivero
Journalist claudiariverotv@gmail.com The documentary Where is Janteyl? examines the mysterious disappearance of 15-year-old Janteyl Johnson of Newark, Delaware. Janteyl was about to become a mom when she vanished February 3, 2010. Sadly, Janteyl's case didn't generate nationwide media attention, in fact, it was barely mentioned locally. The New Castle County Police in Delaware remain tight-lipped about Janteyl's case, releasing only a few details since 2010. Investigators believe that Janteyl ran away, possibly with an older man, and they could be somewhere in Delaware or Pennsylvania. Who is the older man? Did Janteyl really leave on her own? Are investigators any closer to solving this case? The not knowing has been a nightmare for the Johnson family, but they continue to push for answers. They hope that by sharing their story someone will have the courage to come forward with the information they desperately need to finally bring Janteyl home. The documentary Where is Janteyl? is currently in production. For more information on this project, contact DavideoMediaGroup@gmail.com If you have information about Janteyl Johnson call 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-The-Lost ) or the New Castle County Police Department (Delaware) at 1-302-395-8171. |
AUTHOREmmy Award winning reporter Claudia Rivero. Categories |