Police noted that he had a snake tattoo on his upper arm, as well as his initials - C.H. The next day, a retired pediatrician named Casper E. Wiggins wrote a heartfelt editorial in the Index Journal, which read as follows: " A child is missing, and apart from the few days immediately after her kidnapping, the public outcry has been next to nothing. Donna Shareen Wright Endangered Missing from Beech Island, South Carolina since June 28, 1989 Age: 17 -- Height: 5'6" -- Weight: 120 lbs -- Hair Color: Black -- Eye Color: Brown Donna, a child of 13 siblings, was last seen in Beech Island, South Carolina on June 28, 1989. Pity us if we don't! He was sentenced to eight years, with time already served. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Josiah-Jordan James came back from missing four games with an injury to score 18 points to lead No. MR GAMBLE WAS RIDING A MOUNTAIN BICYCLE TO THE SPINX CONVENIENCE STORE IN THE FIVE FORKS AREA OF GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. MR. GAMBLE NEVER RETURNED. for weeks or months at a time between interviews," according to the statement of probable cause. That evening, Eggleston had shared a sonogram picture on Facebook. Eggleston was 22 years old, eight months pregnant and the mother to a 2-year-old daughter when she disappeared in May 2017. According to the statement of probable cause, Eggleston told a bank employee, whom she knew from high school, she had to cash the orders because the property manager "only only takes cash.". It remains ongoing. You see, in 1981, he had been arrested and convicted for the rape of a sixteen-year old, telling interrogators that his seminal fluid had been used to convict him. When asked about the rash of sexual assaults against children, he suspiciously stated that the person responsible "would know how not to get caught," at least this time. "I don't think her case was taken seriously," said Wilson. Shawn Wilkinson, Eggleston's stepdad, says the money could have been for a down payment for a new apartment with her babys father. At a news conference on Thursday, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said, "At this stage in the investigation, we believe that he's the person of interest," reports WBAL-TV. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. A little after nine o'clock that evening, Kia was reported missing to the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department. Police were called to the scene, and the skull was taken into police custody for testing. The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. On October 1st, 1990 - a Monday - a hunter was in an area just outside of Newberry, South Carolina. Two months into the investigation, at least one thing was crystal clear: Kia Logan may have been missing, but she most certainly wasn't going to be forgotten. Part of me is missing and I need to find it.". It took over a decade, but Kia's parents were finally given answers as to what had happened ot their daughter. December 19 2013. It has been over a decade since there was any news or developments in the investigation, with it seeming to entering the pantheon of cold cases which will likely never be truly solved. "I think it was viewed as she was just another black girl that's missing.". The days in which the victims were abducted varied, with three of the crimes happening on a Saturday, a Friday, and a Monday. It was occupied by an older white male with graying hair. She was a small girl, who had been wearing yellow shorts, a yellow-and-white polka-dot shirt, and slip-on shoes on the evening she disappeared. Like I said, these crimes varied by location, with some taking place in Georgia and others in South Carolina. Her granddaughter, Ashley, had been friends with both Kia and Renee Logan, and had actually been playing with the two on the basketball court shortly before Kia disappeared. Eggleston, who was eight months pregnant with her son, disappeared just days before her. I think it's important to note this, not because I definitively believe him to be the person responsible for Kia Logan's abduction or murder. His height was listed in the range of 5'8" or 5'9", and he was of slight build, in the weight range of 150 pounds. In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. About 1:24 p.m., Eggleston purchased two money orders totaling $450 after making several ATM withdrawals from her savings account, Mosby said. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the last time anyone saw Akia alive was on the afternoon of May 3, 2017. If you have information on any of these missing children, call 911, the local agency or 1-800-THE-LOST. The search continues for a missing college student in South Carolina who went kayaking on Christmas Day and never came home. UPDATE: Arrest Made In Disappearance Of Pregnant Mom Akia Eggleston; Missing Since 2017. As police tried to pinpoint the motive for Hampton's confessions, the forensic analysis they were hoping to rely on brought back an intriguing proposition. 11 Tennessee to an 85-45 victory over South Carolina on Saturday night. I feel confident such an impressive reward, with the proper publicity, will help the authorities solve this mystery AND our community may well have made the solution possible. "I hope that today's arrest brings some sense and some measure of hope in the first phase in our pursuit of justice for Akia Eggleston," said Mosby. Kia was dead. SHE HAS A TATTOO ON HER LEFT FOREARM THAT SAYS "LIVE FREE". Most concerning, though, were torn out magazine images of children - a discovery that made investigators think that there might be more to this deviant than meets the eye. He also had scars along his right arm and stomach, which matched up with what one of the younger victims had described. Eggleston's stepfather, Shawn Wilkinson, welcomed news of the arrest. "He'll get credit for time served and good behavior. Cherry Hill is a large park. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had originally responded, was a Sergeant at this point in time for the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. The exact date of Akia's disappearance is unknown, but it is believed to be May 3 rd , 2017. Georgetown has always been a family-type community. Family of Akia Eggleston who disappeared in May 2017 near the Inner Harbor have taken the story national. From Akia's FBI missing person's page: "If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the FBI's Baltimore Field Office at (410) 265-8080, the Baltimore City Police . His ex-wife and girlfriend agreed on that - they often helped him dye it, during time periods that turned out to correlate with the 1995 and 1996 sexual assaults. We did also search the park. Local businesses continued by making donations to the fund. But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. I only say "likely" because I legitimately can't find any record of him online or in the press since 2007. BALTIMORE Since the very beginning, finding 22-year-old Akia Eggleston has been considered 'critical.'. Browse all missing children from South Carolina Missing: Joshua Cuddy (SC) They were still investigating new avenues, but none of them led anywhere. ", The statement added: "Investigation revealed the only person with the motive, means, and opportunity to murder Eggleston was the purported father of her unborn child, Michael Robertson.". At about 5:22 p.m., Eggleston sent a friend an invite to her baby shower on the following Sunday, Mosby said. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "It's definitely changed the lifestyle here. Between the 2002 indictment and this, he had accrued nearly five years of time served. Eggleston, a single mom with a three-year-old . The composite is the latest thing we have and we're trying to develop leads from that. Sam Riley, who had been a Major in the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office, had recently been elected Sheriff. Speaking Thursday, Wilkinson thanks local and federal law enforcement agencies and made a plea to address domestic violence. Theron Wallace's family said he is a student at USC Aiken and was . One of the missing persons cases explored in the show is that of Akia Eggleston, a 22-year-old who went missing from Baltimore, Maryland in 2017. Dennis Beauford, one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene, stated: "It was a pretty Sunday afternoon. Akias case was featured in Datelines Missing in America series in September of that year. The 22-year-old, who was eight months pregnant, was reported missing when she failed to show up at her own baby shower. He did not live here. "You know where your daughter, your sister, your mom, whomever you care about are. They were both prepared to pursue the death penalty in the upcoming criminal trial, which they were allowed to for any kidnapping or sexual assault charges when the victim was eleven years old or younger. She said investigators used interviews, financial records, telephone records and social media messages to construct a timeline of the case. An eight-year-old girl that lived in this community was out playing with her sister and a friend on their apartment complex's basketball court. They had already been waiting two hours for her to come there, so when I got the call stating that she wasn't there and nobody could reach her. Hampton plead not guilty almost instantly. It has affected so many relationships and we will continue to stand united as a family until the final judgment in this case has been rendered.". Her older sister and friend stayed at the basketball court for a little while longer. Akia Eggleston went missing in Baltimore, Maryland in May of 2017. But when they first went to the Baltimore Police Department station in Cherry Hill to report her as missing, Wilson said that their pleas for help werent taken seriously. This meant that investigators now had half-a-decade to try and work out a case against him. ", "People are definitely keeping small children in. While some descriptions of this suspect varied - such as at least one of the girls calling the suspect "fat in his tummy" and the perpetrator's hair color varying - these details were all universally agreed upon. "The family seeks justice in Akia's case. Robertson, 41, was arrested Tuesday in Michigan, where he moved in late 2017 accompanied by another woman with whom he already had two children, authorities said. Before I even got there, people were calling me, telling me 'she wasn't here.' ON AUGUST 15th, 2015 PHILLIP GAMBLE LEFT HIS MOTHER'S RESIDENCE AT 709 CIRCLE ROAD GREER, S.C. . In the probable cause statement, authorities allege that hours after withdrawing $450 in cash from the bank on May 3, Eggleston at the time a single mom with a 2-year-old daughter halted her frequent social media posts and contacts, including contact with her daughter. Eggleston, then 22 and eight months pregnant, subsequently missed a May 7 baby shower she'd organized for herself, causing panicked friends and family to search and then report her missing. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. But now a parent's worst fear was beginning to creep into their bones the realization that she had not been okay, that something HAD happened to her. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. Based on her pattern of life, the time passed, extensive publicity, multiple searches, and monetary reward for information in this case, the fact that Eggleston has not returned to her family or been electronically or physically located overwhelmingly indicates that she is in fact, deceased. It wasn't until the third or fourth crime that police began to link the crimes together, when the suspect descriptions began to slowly align with one another. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Although the Baltimore police department declined to share details about the case with People for a September 2021 article because the investigation is still ongoing, a spokesperson for the department discussed the case in a June 2017 news conference. The author of the newspaper article noted that as she spoke about her daughter, Bernetta was clutching a photo of Kia. During an interview on June 15, 2017, he claimed he last saw Eggleston on Monday, May 1. Woman Found Dead in Park Charged with Murder, Suspect in Death of Pregnant Mom Found Next to Car with Son Inside Was Recently Acquitted of Unrelated Murder, 2 Arrested in Alleged 'Racially Motivated' Plot to Attack Maryland Power Grid, Missing Tenn. Officers are looking for Brianna Lee Roller . "Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. The sun was beginning to set, and this eight-year old climbed onto her bike to head back home. At the time of his arrest, he was forty-four years old, and was driving a white 1986 Dodge 600. The lone exception was a five-year old girl with tan, olive-colored skin who had dark feaures. Phone records indicate Robertson was in the area near Eggleston's residence from 5:35 p.m. to 6:18 p.m., Mosby said. "We're also looking for a faded dark blue or black Monte Carlo, a mid-70's model. THE LAST TIME SHE MADE PHONE CONTACT WITH ANYONE SHE SAID SHE WAS IN GLENDALE, GEORGIA, THIS HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED. The DNA testing from the six sexual assaults linked them together, indicating that a single suspect was behind each of the crimes - however, none of those samples matched up with Hampton himself. In July 2017, a police spokesman said investigators had come to believe that foul play may have been involved. TV show Missing Word Star (year) One Tree ____ James Lafferty (2003) NC _____ Banks: Chase Stokes (2020) NC _____ R.F.D. May 3, 2020 will mark the third year anniversary of Akia Eggleston's disappearance. Speaking with investigators in October, Robertson claimed he changed his phone number after receiving threats from Eggleston's relatives, but phone records showed he got a new number the day before the baby shower, according to the statement of probable cause. This meant that police were pretty confident that the skull had been intentionally left there. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. So, he'll be back on the street. Charles Hampton agreed to give up blood and hair samples to investigators. He openly confessed to committing several of the child abductions, providing explicit details of the subsequent sexual assaults. As an adult, he stood about five-feet-eight-inches tall, weighing it at only 132 pounds. On May 30th, over two weeks after Kia had disappeared, investigators were still optimistic. I am probably one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet and I love the simple life that I live. It's been four years since Akia Eggleston was last seen in Baltimore on May 3, 2017. They wanted to take their time, and waited until his holding period for the 1995 warrant was nearing its end to finally strike. The felony, which carried a potential ten year sentence, was handed down shortly after his plea. Police said at the time they had invested more than 1,000 man-hours into the case. Malakia Zali Logan, most commonly called by her nickname, Kia, was born on August 1st, 1979. Investigation revealed the only person with the motive, means, and opportunity to murder Eggleston was the purported father of her unborn child, Michael Robertson, according to the statement of probable cause. She was last seen around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 near Roosevelt Drive and Teutonia Avenue . The eyes were definitely on him," she said, reports WBAL. How can we send such a message? Using a reverse image search, investigators determined the apartment picture Robertson had sent the day before was a completely different residence from the one he had named. Marshals, officials said at a press conference. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Authorities have arrested Michael Robertson and charged him with murder in the 2017 disappearance of Akia Eggleston, a woman with whom he was having a child who went missing just days before her baby shower, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Thursday. The FBI is also involved and is offering a $25,000 reward for information about the case. Egglestons disappearance has been featured by advocacy groups like the Black and Missing Foundation, which seeks to highlight cases involving people of color who often dont get the same media attention as their white counterparts. Major Sam Riley was quoted as saying: "These leads have carried the investigation outside of the Greenwood area.". After this discovery, interrogators circled back around to Hampton. He was accused of intentionally drilling the holes to Peep on unwitting victims, and arrested shortly after this was discovered. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. In the weeks since Kia had gone missing, Bernetta struggled to leave the phone for any prolonged period of time. We're requesting anyone with information call our office.". I don't know where my child is and I don't know where my grandson is.". This not being enough, the skull would later be sent to an FBI lab in 1998. However, one of the most interesting notes of this sketch came from a description, which noted that the suspect had a pockmarked face. She didn't want to miss any potential calls from Kia. "Every time I open up the evidence room door, I see the bike and it's haunted me. "For nearly five years the people of Baltimore have searched, hoped and mourned with Akia's family and friends, but they never gave up, and neither did we," Thomas J. Sobocinski, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore office, said in a news release announcing Robertson's arrest. ON OCTOBER 20th 2020 JORDEN SHYANN NEBLING AGE 20 WAS REPORTED MISSING TO THE GREENVILLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE . On the northern outskirts of the town is the small country airport, which consists of a single elongated runway. Akia's father, Shawn Wilkinson, and the co-founders of the Black and Missing Foundation, Derrica Wilson and Natalie Wilson, joined "The View" on Wednesday to shine a spotlight on her disappearance . We are also following up on similar situations that occur in this area and nationwide.". "It is not the answer and there's always an alternative. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Investigators need your help. Egglestons family and loved ones are certain that she wouldnt willingly abandoned her life especially not without her three-year-old daughter. It was a crime where no sexual assault had taken place, but centered around the abduction of a seven-year old victim in 1995. It's like a depression has set in.". As Hampton prepared for his five-year sentence, he was facing investigations and charges from four separate states. It was only about 14 of us. INV.S NEED INFORMATIOON FROM ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF MS. STEPHANIE HOPE VON CANNON'S DISAPPEARANCE. With the searches beginning to run dry, a reward fund for information was established by Tuck Wooten, the head of the A.M. Tuck Inc. concrete company. Every time I open up the evidence room door, I see the bike and it 's like a HAS. With her sister and a friend an invite to her home, in a northern Georgia town, and reporting! 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