When Jahessye Shockley went missing, the only media who covered the case at length, were the local reporters. That was a fact, it could not be denied. When the case was picked up on the internet, the national media finally started to have family members appear and to report on Jahessye. Large media outlets picked up the story and for a short time, the case got national coverage. The time that went by without national coverage could be a hindrance to the case. The first 48 hours in a child abduction case are crucial. Without the nation coverage, that time came and went with little notice, outside of the local media. It is hoped that this will change the way national outlets report on missing kids. The family also said the police were race biased, they were not doing everything to find Jahessye. The police denied this, citing the extensive searches and interviews they have done.
When Jerice Hunter’s, mother of 5 year old Jahessye, prison record for child abuse was revealed, it was covered extensively. The facts of that case were very disturbing. Again the family believed people were not giving the case coverage, because of this record. When you have a criminal record for abusing your children and then your child is missing, the police would be very lax in their investigation if they did not look at the mother. While the media coverage was not just about Jahessye missing, it was media coverage. When you have cousins accusing the mother of abuse, it is going to make news. When the other children in the home were taken by CPS the day after Jahessye went missing, it was news. Now that family has reported that Hunter’s newborn , was taken by CPS, that is going to make news. It is not logical, to not report this news,and while Hunter is not a suspect, these facts are hard for media and police to ignore. If the objective is to find Jahessye, everything and everyone must be looked at.
If Jahessye has been kidnapped, any coverage of her case, good or bad, will have her face in the public eye. This may not be the perfect scenario, but keeping that child in the news is key in helping to find her. It has almost been a month since Jahessye went missing, and everyone involved is still looking for her.
Glenn Johnson (no kin to Shirley Johnson, grandmother of Jahessye), who passed out fliers for the family, summed it up best. “I don’t think it makes a difference whether she’s white, black or green. If there’s no leads, there’s no leads,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a dead end.” No one involved in this case wants it to become a “cold case”, but with no leads, there is nowhere to go.
There is an $11,000.00 reward for the arrest of the person or persons involved in Jahessyes disappearance.