When Jerice Hunter left to run errands on October 11, she said she left 5 year old Jahessye(pronounced Jessie) with her three older siblings. When she returned a short time later, Jessie was gone and no one knew where she was. Police have said they believe Jessie walked out the door and was kidnapped.
The is at odds with the families claims that the police were focusing solely on Jerice Hunter, because of her criminal backround. Ms. Hunter served time in prison for child abuse, which would make police have to look at her. The police have said the family is being treated like any family in a missing child case. The family then claimed that Jessie was not getting the national attention that the Lisa Irwin case was, because Jessie was black. The grandmother has since appeared on several programs.
Family Member Called CPS
Mahogany Hightower, one of four cousins who raised Jessie for the first four years of her life, has said she called CPS several times. She said she believed that Jessie and an older sister were being abused. Hightower went on to say, the last time she saw Jessie was at a family bar-b-que in April. She reported Jessie as saying she wanted to come home with them. When Hightower told her she could not come home with them then, but she would later, Jessie reportedly said “I can’t go later, I have to go now!”. Hightower said that Jessie cried and cried.
In what the police said was not related to this case, the three other children of Jerice Hunter, were removed from the home by CPS. Ms. Hunter claims that her children are being held hostage.
Expect Jessie To Look Different If She Was Kidnapped
The police have said that if Jessie were kidnapped, she probably would not look the same. Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs said “If I were an abductor or someone who has possession of her and I want to remain anonymous and I want to move about easily, I would alter her appearance as much as I could, even to the point of making her look like a little boy.”
$11.000.00 Reward
The bottom line is there is an $11,000.00 reward for information leading to the person or persons responsible for Jessie’s disappearance. Someone needs to come forward and help bring this beautiful little girl home.