Nevaeh Amyah Buchanan

[Bailey]

Article published June 09, 2009
Mother of missing Monroe girl exits CNN interview
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONROE — The mother of a missing 5-year-old Monroe girl walked off a CNN Headline News program after being questioned by the host.

Jennifer Buchanan was asked questions Monday night on several fronts, including her relationship with men police have identified as “persons of interest” in the abduction of her daughter.

Nevaeh Buchanan disappeared from her apartment complex May 24. Police believe a body found last week several miles away is Nevaeh’s.

Buchanan said she has made “a lot of bad choices” when asked about befriending George Kennedy. Kennedy and his friend Roy Smith have been convicted of sex crimes and are imprisoned on parole violations.

Host Nancy Grace replied most mothers haven’t “knowingly exposed their little girl” to sex offenders. Buchanan and a friend exited during a commercial break.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs...WS02/906099953

[Meadowlark]

This is heartbreaking.

I feel for Nevaeh's family, this has to be pure hell for them, but what was her mother thinking to "befriend" convicted child molesters and allow them anywhere near her own child?!

I only hope and pray that the monster(s) who did this are quickly caught, convicted and put away where they will never even see another innocent child!!!

Rest in peace, little Nevaeh.

[Royalpurple209]

Union Denies Exploiting
Girl's Death

Wednesday, 10 Jun 2009

By Tim Skubick
FOX 2 News

LANSING, Mich. - The death of Nevaeh Buchanan is now a hot button issue in Lansing. Questions are being raised about the two convicted sex offenders who were close to the family and how they got out of prison in the first place. However, some believe Nevaeh's death is being exploited.
"I'm angry," said State Corrections Director Patricia Caruso. "Shame on you."

Caruso was responding to a published report in the MIRS newsletter published in Lansing suggesting a link between the Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative (MPRI) and the death of the Buchanan girl.

UAW Local 6000 contends there are flaws in the MPRI system that could lead to crimes.

Director Caruso was asked "So, you believe the union is trying to use this issue, this little girl's death, to advance their union agenda?" She responded, "I'm ashamed to even say that because I would hate to think that anyone affiliated with our department in any way would do that, but it appears that way."

We asked union official Alan Kilar of UAW 6000 if they were trying to exploit this little girl's death. He responded, "No. We're not asking for more agents. We're asking for more services for our community there. For our members. ... We have nothing to gain by it."

Sen. Alan Cropsey chaired the hearing in which a union spokesperson said the Buchanan murder "may just be the tip of the iceberg". However, he defends the union on the linkage issue. "No, I don't think they're actually linking the two. I think they're saying there's crime that's going to be happening if we don't have better oversight. There's going to be more crime and this could be one of them," he said.

Kyle Melinn, the MIRS reporter who covered the story, confirms the union never made a direct link. He adds, "They didn't directly say MPRI created this. They did not say that."

Bottom line, Kilar says he has talked to Director Caruso and they have patched up their differences.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/politics/local_politics/090610_union_nevaeh

[Royalpurple209]

Funeral Plans Set for
Nevaeh

Wednesday, 10 Jun 2009
Taryn Asher

MONROE, Mich. (AP) - The family of Nevaeh Buchanan is planning a funeral for their little girl, although we do not know how she died or who killed her.

Emotions are still running high in Monroe. Nevaeh will be laid to rest this week, but many say they will not rest until her killer is caught.

Just the sight of where Neveah Buchanan's body was found in a cement grave along the banks of the River Raisin ignites strong feelings from the community devastated by her death.

"I just wish that I could get my hands on the person who done this. They wish they would've never been born," said Dan Steinman.

Steinman brought his granddaughters to the site on Dixon Road, which has transformed into a memorial that grows by the day. Like so many in Monroe, he did not know Neveah personally, but feels like he did after her tragic death.

"It just tears my heart out. I've even had dreams about that poor little baby," Steinman said.

"It's like in the hearts of everybody in this whole county. She's like our little girl," said Carol Dollius.

The community along with family and friends will be able to say their final goodbyes to their little girl Thursday and Friday from noon until 8:00 p.m. at the Merkle Funeral Home on North Monroe Street. The public is also welcome to attend Neveah's celebration of life service at noon on Saturday at the Stewart Road Christian Ministries in Monroe.

Others will just choose to pay their respects at the Dixon Road memorial, a place they almost have to see to believe, wondering how anyone could do such a horrific thing to a beautiful young child.

"You could feel the emotion and hear the emotion in the people's voices. ... They want to know who did it," Dollius said.

"I just pray to God that they find the person who done this," Steinman said.

The investigation into Nevaeh's murder is ongoing. Testing is currently being done to determine exactly how she died. Evidence found near Nevaeh's body that may help lead to her killer is also being examined.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/090610_nevaeh_latest

[MEANFREE]

Today the funeral will be held for Nevaeh. A large turnout is expected. I think an arrest will occur soon afterwards.

[ellabele]

Thank you for th e funeral info. I hope your right, meanfree. That poor baby deserves justice.

[MEANFREE]

Well, I guess I'll stop predicting. Boy I truly thought someone would have been charged with this baby's murder right after the funeral. Sorry Ellebele for my error.

[Bailey]

Wednesday, July 1, 2009
'Monroe's Baby'
Nevaeh's fate haunts residents
Visits to grave wane, but not sense of loss
George Hunter and Tanveer Ali / The Detroit News

Monroe -- The flowers adorning the humble grave are starting to wilt. The notes bearing heartfelt messages have become weathered, and the colorful army of stuffed zebras, monkeys and horses at the site are showing signs of wear.

The steady parade of loved ones, neighbors and the curious who once visited the maple tree-shaded plot at St. Joseph Cemetery has dwindled. Hardly anyone comes any more, cemetery employees said.

But that doesn't mean Nevaeh Buchanan has been forgotten. The slaying of the 5-year-old girl still haunts family members, residents and visitors to the Monroe area.

"Nevaeh: once our student, now our angel. Peace be with you," is the message on the marquee outside the Monroe Public Schools administration building. It's a statement echoed by people who didn't even know her.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think of that little girl," said Kelly Muncie, 42, a waitress in a Monroe restaurant. "Customers still come in and want to talk about her. People from out of town want to know about the case; this was national news."

To most, Nevaeh is the tragic central character in a murder mystery that remains unsolved since the girl was reported missing on May 24 and later found in a shallow grave near the River Raisin.

But to those who knew her, Nevaeh was an energetic little girl who enjoyed life.

"She was everything to me," said her mother, Jennifer Buchanan. "She was a tomboy; she liked cars, trucks, motorcycles and camping and fishing. She never liked to sit at home; she always wanted to be doing something."

A stuffed beagle named Harley was Nevaeh's regular companion, both to school and bed. Another stuffed dog, Herbie, joined her while she watched her favorite cartoon show, "Bob the Builder."

Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother, said the girl often would latch on to her leg laughing as she slid across the apartment floor. Nevaeh thrilled at the roar of a motorcycle, or the sight of Canada geese flying overhead.

However, Nevaeh's short life also was marred by conflict. Even before she was born on Feb. 3, 2004, she was at the center of a nasty custody battle between her drug-addicted mother and a father who ran off with her uncle's girlfriend, family members said.

Shane Hinojosa, Nevaeh's father, said he was estranged from his daughter even before her birth, with the Buchanans holding a grudge against him for running away to Toledo with the girlfriend of Mike Buchanan, Jennifer's brother.

"I gave up. I was tired of fighting, though I wanted to be part of her life," Hinojosa said of the custody battle.

Nevaeh's father figure came to be George Kennedy, who had served time for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Jennifer Buchanan said Kennedy had briefly dated her two years ago before becoming a close friend, much to the objection of family members.

Nevaeh called Kennedy "step-daddy George." Jennifer Buchanan said Kennedy provided her daughter with toys, including pocket motorcycles that she'd roll on the dining room table, and clothing for schools and holidays. Buchanan insists that Kennedy was never left alone with Nevaeh.

"He was there more for her than her actual father," Jennifer Buchanan said.

Kennedy, who remains a person of interest in the case, is in custody on a parole violation. Roy Lee Smith, another convicted sex offender who is a person of interest in the murder case, also is in custody for violating parole because of his contact with Nevaeh.

When Nevaeh was two years old, her mother was sent to prison for home invasions she said she committed to support her drug habit. While her mom was incarcerated, Nevaeh went to live with her grandmother until eight days before her fifth birthday, when Jennifer Buchanan was released.

Nevaeh lived the rest of her life with her mom and grandmother in the Charlotte Arms Apartments, where she often could be seen riding her scooter in the parking lot.

The abandoned scooter was in the street the day she disappeared.

Now, there is no headstone at her grave; only a temporary plastic placard marks the site. A gravestone is expected to be delivered in a few weeks, Jennifer Buchanan said.

A framed child's drawing, depicting a smiling Nevaeh, lays near the placard amid the stuffed animals and toy motorcycles.

The caption reads: "Your bright smile covers your cheeks."

At the bottom of the drawing is the title, "Monroe's Baby."

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...unts-residents

r.i.p. sweet angel

[MEANFREE]

Update on Nevaeh is that she may have been buried alive. Story on www.freep.com. Still no arrest has been made.

[Bailey]

by Ray Kisonas , last modified July 14. 2009 7:23PM

An autopsy showed that Nevaeh Buchanan died of choking on dirt and perhaps even was buried alive, officials confirmed tonight.
Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said he received the autopsy results today.
"The autopsy results have revealed that Nevaeh's death was caused by aspiration of fine particulate material (dirt)," the sheriff said in a statement. "This means that Nevaeh's face was forcibly maintained or embedded into a dirt surface. Whether this resulted from another person forcibly pressing her face into dirt or whether she was buried alive could not be determined."
The Rev. Dale Hayford, who has provided spiritual support for the family throughout the ordeal, said they knew for some time that the 5-year-old could have been buried alive but the police confirmed that possibility today.
"They're just stunned," Pastor Hayford said. "Everybody's stunned."
Nevaeh disappeared from the Charlotte Arms Apartments on N. Macomb St. Memorial Day weekend and her body was found two weeks later on June 4. Fishermen stumbled across a crude, shallow grave along the River Raisin that was covered with concrete.
The site near Dixon Rd. has become another memorial for the little girl after the first, near the apartment complex, was taken down. Her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, had said the stuffed animals that made up a large part of the memorial at the complex were donated.
Sheriff Crutchfield said investigators still are working on the case daily, following tips and conducting interviews.

http://www.monroenews.com/article/20...WS01/707149966

MEANFREE, here is another link on the Autopsy. Who ever did this is one sick person.

[Bailey]

MEANFREE, here is the link you posted.

Dirt in lungs reveals clues to girl's death

BY AMBER HUNT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • July 14, 2009

Updated at 8:40 p.m.

Nevaeh Buchanan — the 5-year-old Monroe girl who was kidnapped before being found dead alongside the River Raisin under a layer of concrete — might have been buried alive, results from an autopsy indicate.

The girl’s cause of death has been ruled asphyxiation; the manner, homicide, a source told the Free Press.

Nevaeh’s aunt, Diana Lawson, confirmed that the family had been told by police that the little girl might have been alive when she was placed in a shallow grave along the River Raisin in Raisinville Township.

“It’s the worst nightmare,” Lawson told the Free Press. “All we can do is take it one step at a time.”

Testing on the girl’s body, including her lungs, show that she died after inhaling dirt. Authorities previously reported that she had no outward signs of trauma — such as broken bones or other wounds — that illuminated how she died.

Fishermen found Nevaeh’s body on June 4, 10 days after she disappeared from outside her Monroe apartment complex.

The disappearance prompted a region-wide search that turned up empty. It wasn’t until two men felt concrete crumbling beneath them as they fished on the riverbank that the girl was discovered.

Nevaeh was laid to rest a month ago Monday after a funeral attended by hundreds. Nevaeh’s mother and grandmother, Jennifer and Sherry Buchanan, are heartbroken, Lawson said.

“Sherry’s at work and she’s not ready even to come home,” said Lawson at about 6 p.m., as media people began swarming the apartment complex parking lot where the women live. “They can’t face this.”

No one has been arrested in the slaying. Investigators have received only partial results of tests the State Police crime lab conducted on evidence from the gravesite.

Anyone with information is asked to call 734-243-7070.

http://www.freep.com/article/2009071...n-buried-alive

[Bailey]

5 -year-old's great-aunt hasn't seen Jennifer Buchanan in days

BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • July 15, 2009

Updated at 12:02 p.m.

As the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan may have been buried alive, the little girl’s great-aunt said Nevaeh’s mother has vanished.

Diana Lawson, who lives in the same building as Jennifer Buchanan, said she last saw her niece three or four days ago.

“I don’t know where she’s at right now,” Lawson said this morning. “She could be with friends. She could be anywhere.”

Meanwhile, neighbors say investigators snipped pieces of carpet from a nearby apartment last week to see if fibers match those found under the little girl’s fingernails.

Aaron Baker said today that officers cut out a piece of the tan carpet from the apartment where his 8-year-old son, Austin, played with Nevaeh just hours before the little girl disappeared.

“That way they had something to run a test on,” he said from the apartment across the hall and one floor up from Nevaeh’s, adding the same carpet covers the floors in Nevaeh’s home. Officials from the Monroe County Sheriff's had no comment, a spokeswoman said this morning.

Baker said he last saw Jennifer Buchanan outside the apartment two days ago, when she smiled as they passed on the sidewalk. He said his son still cries about his best friend’s death, especially when they turn on the computer at home and pictures of Nevaeh flash on the monitor.

“Every time it comes up, he breaks down,” Baker said.

Partial autopsy results for the 5-year-old released Tuesday indicate particles found inside her nose and lungs lead investigators to believe she may have been buried alive. Kidnapped from the Charlotte Arms apartment complex while her mother thought she was riding her scooter, fishermen found her body on June 4, 10 days later, buried in concrete along the bank of the River Raisin.

Now relatives are waiting to hear whether she was also molested, Jennifer Buchanan's cousin Shaun Lawson said this morning. Sean Lawson is Diana Lawson's son.

"All they've said is she was buried alive," Sean Lawson said. "There's more tests still to be done. As much evidence as they collected, they're waiting on evidence to come back.

(2 of 2)

"It's hard to even think about," he added. "It makes it hard to sleep at night."

Before the fishermen found Nevaeh's body, hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement personnel searched Monroe County for signs of the little girl. Hundreds attended her funeral and donated money for services.

Investigators have collected more than 1,200 tips. But the only development has been Sheriff Tillman Crutchfield calling two of Jennifer Buchanan’s friends “persons of interest.” George Kennedy and Roy Lee Smith, both convicted sex offenders, were locked up on parole violations.

Kennedy is in the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, and Smith is being held in St. Louis, Mich., at the Mid-Michigan Correctional Facility, according to state's Department of Corrections offender tracking system.

All the money donated through local banks to cover funeral costs was turned over to the Community Foundation of Monroe County. The nonprofit agency’s executive director Kathleen Russeau refused today to release the total amount raised.

“It was not raised by the public, it was raised by a donor that wants to remain anonymous, so we cannot give that number out,” Russeau said today, adding that the funds will help pay for part of Nevaeh’s headstone.

Brian Merkle, the funeral director who handled Nevaeh's service, said he expects to receive a total of $2,000 from the foundation and other donations. With that money and donations by his business, Merkle Funeral Service in Monroe, all expenses for a proper burial -- including a headstone -- have been covered, he said today.

Anyone with information about the little girl’s disappearance is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at 734-243-7070.

[Bailey]

Samples removed from apartment where slain girl lived
Geoege Hunter / The Detroit News
Thursday, July 16, 2009

Monroe -- Investigators in the Nevaeh Buchanan murder case are focusing on carpet fibers taken from the slain 5-year-old's apartment to see if they match fibers found on her body, neighbors and relatives said Wednesday.

Brittany Green, who lives in the Charlotte Arms Apartments, where Nevaeh lived, said police have been in and out of the complex in recent weeks gathering evidence, including swatches of brown carpet.

"They took pieces of carpet from the apartment (Tuesday), I think," said Green, 21. "I see detectives coming in and out of the building all the time. One time they were carrying big brown bags out of here."

Monroe County Sheriff's Department officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Nevaeh's autopsy revealed that carpet fibers were found under her fingernails, or on another part of her body, said her second cousin, Shawn Lawson, who said he spoke with police when they revealed the autopsy's results to the Buchanan family.

"The police told us they found carpet fibers," Lawson said. He confirmed that investigators took carpet samples from the girl's apartment.

The autopsy, details of which were released Tuesday, also showed that Nevaeh, who disappeared May 24, had dirt in her throat, indicating that she may have been buried alive.

Lawson said his cousin is grieving after hearing the results of Nevaeh's autopsy.

"It's rough," he said. "Just ask yourself how you would handle something like this. She's taking it hard. It's hard to deal with."

Buchanan spent most of the day Tuesday inside her basement apartment, behind a green door with a brass ornament bearing the number 63. Buchanan's mother, Sherry, her brother, Mike, and a friend spent the day with her, Lawson said.

Buchanan is "a prisoner in her own home," hiding not only from the news crews, which have been camped out in front of her apartment for the past two days, but from people who think she had something to do with her daughter's murder.

"Everyone's pointing the finger," Shawn Lawson said. "Everyone's playing the blame game."

Meanwhile, the case has become muddied by a swirl of rumors, even as police remain tight-lipped.

Nevaeh's great-aunt, Diana Lawson, refuted reports that Buchanan had disappeared.

"She's here," she said. "She's around. She's with her mother. People keep coming up with all these rumors, but Jennifer has not been charged with anything. She's innocent."

Jennifer Buchanan told The News last month she was hearing whispers from people who think she had something to do with her daughter's murder.

"I realize some people think I had something to do with it," Buchanan said during a June 18 interview. "I hear the rumors. I hear what people are saying. But none of it's true."

But the rumors continue.

Tuesday night, as Diana Lawson discussed the case with reporters, a friend approached and asked whether the autopsy report showed Nevaeh was alive for seven days after her abduction.

Lawson's eyes flashed angrily. "No, that ain't true," she said. "The cops never told us that. Where do people keep coming up with this stuff?"

Adding to the confusion was a false Amber Alert, which was sent Tuesday evening to the cell phones of several Charlotte Arms residents. The report claimed a 3-year-old girl was missing. A Monroe police dispatcher said the alert was a hoax, although since Nevaeh's disappearance, few parents allow their children to play in the parking lot of the apartment complex.

Otherwise, investigators have been tight-lipped about the case, although Shawn Lawson said he understood why police have been reluctant to speak.

"They don't want to let the suspect know about their investigation," he said. "We know they have to hold their tongues. There's information they don't want out there."

Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother, said she talked to Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield on Wednesday, and he said there was "stuff they want to keep secret."

She said her daughter, Jennifer, is cooperating with police.

Detectives on the case told Sherry Buchanan that the case is affecting them.

"They said they had kids themselves," she said, adding that she's devastated by the loss of Nevaeh.

"I still hurt," she said. "Every night before I got to sleep I look at her picture and tell her good night."

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...-carpet-fibers

[Bailey]

As leads run dry, fundraiser held to memorialize slain girl
GEORGE HUNTER / The Detroit News
Monday, August 31, 2009


Westland -- Nevaeh Buchanan's name no longer dominates the headlines. Local television newscasts and CNN's Nancy Grace have moved on to other topics.

But Nevaeh's murder still weighs heavily on the minds of her relatives. No arrests have been made in the death of the 5-year-old girl, who was buried in a shallow grave near the River Raisin three months ago. Police have released no new information, and relatives say rumors have been running rampant in the absence of new leads.

Friends and family of the slain girl gathered Sunday at the Romanowski Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall in Westland to remember Nevaeh. They hoped to raise enough money to erect a memorial park bench and to start an annual scholarship fund for needy preschoolers in her hometown of Monroe.
But, relatives admit, another goal of the event was to keep the case in the public eye.

"We want to keep Nevaeh's name out there," said Risa Thompson, a distant cousin who helped organize the fundraiser.

"The (Monroe County Sheriff's Office) assigned a new detective to the case, but he didn't have anything new to tell us."

Nevaeh was last seen alive on May 24. She was playing on her scooter in her apartment complex parking lot, neighbors said. Her body was found about 10 miles away on June 4 by two fishermen who spotted skin beneath freshly poured concrete near the river.

Two men, George Kennedy and Roy Lee Smith, both convicted sex offenders who were friends of Jennifer Buchanan, Nevaeh's mother, were arrested on unrelated charges and questioned shortly after Nevaeh disappeared. They remain in prison on parole violation charges.

Shane Hinojosa, Nevaeh's father, said the lack of progress in the case has been "frustrating."

"I call the police every other day, but all I get is a 'no comment' from them," Hinojosa said. "It's been hard for me and my family, knowing the killer is out there. It bothers me a lot."

Another difficulty, Nevaeh's relatives say, has been dealing with rumors.

"There's all sorts of controversy still going on," said Rhonda Farless, one of Nevaeh's distant cousins.

"If you look online, it's like a lynch mob mentality.

"There are a lot of people who think the entire family, including fourth cousins, are responsible for what happened," Thompson said. "So it's been really frustrating for us. The police aren't coming forward with any new information; it's just rumors, rumors, rumors."

Jennifer Buchanan was invited to Sunday's event, Thompson said, but she didn't come.

Thompson asked that donations to be made to the Monroe Public Schools in Nevaeh's name.

"There's been talk online that I'm trying to make money off this," she said. "It's sickening. But people can donate right to the Monroe Public Schools, and the money goes straight to the fund. We're not getting a dime."

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...332/1408/LOCAL

[Bailey]

by Michelle Swartz , last modified October 27. 2009 10:58AM

The family of Nevaeh Buchanan, the 5-year-old Monroe girl who was abducted and killed five months ago, sent a message to parents Sunday about their own children.

"It could happen to their kids, too," said Carla Elliotte of Toledo, paternal grandmother of Nevaeh. "You never think it will happen to your family, but we thought the same thing. We're here to remind parents not to let their kids out of their sight."

To help parents become more aware of protecting their children, Mrs. Elliotte organized a Halloween Safety Event Sunday at Riverside Early Learning Center. Supporters marched with signs outside promoting "Justice for Nevaeh" and "Safety Starts at Home." Families and children in attendance also received Halloween goodie bags and child safety materials.

The event also included a child safety presentation by guest speaker Geralyn Harris of the Monroe County Mental Health Authority. She offered several tips for parents and children about staying safe from strangers.

"Never open the door unless an adult is in eyesight of you," she told the kids in the crowd of more than 30 people. "If not, do not open the door. Wait until an adult is near you before ever opening a door at your house."

She warned parents always to be aware of their children's whereabouts.

"There are bad people out there planning and preparing and just waiting for an opportunity," she said. "If you look away even for a second, that's the opportunity they have been waiting for. Don't give them that chance."

Sherry Buchanan, maternal grandmother of Nevaeh, shared her concern for local children. She is able to observe some parents' behaviors with their children since she works at a local grocery store.

"I'll see parents not paying attention to their kids or they let their kids run around in the store. Some of the kids will stand near the doors," she said. "You can't trust anyone anymore. I hope parents will watch their kids closely, especially with Halloween coming up."

It has been five months since Nevaeh was abducted from her N. Macomb St. apartment complex. She was later discovered in a shallow grave near the River Raisin.

"We want justice. We hope the police will find the person who did this to her," Mrs. Elliotte said. "We're not giving up hope."

Since the abduction, Nevaeh's mother, Jennifer, has been under scrutiny about the case and possible involvement. Her mother, Sherry Buchanan, does not believe she has anything to do with the crime.

"I wouldn't be standing by her if I thought she had anything to do with this. I know in my heart she was not involved," she said. "I wish the people of Monroe County would stop blaming her. The police need to find the real person who did this."

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs....269979/-1/NEWS