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[Faith]

'Reasonable suspicion' body is Nevaeh, sheriff says

Updated at 10:48 a.m.

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said today authorities have “reasonable suspicion” to believe the body recovered along the River Raisin in Raisinville Township is that of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

Crutchfield said there were no outward signs of trauma on the body. He said a shirt like that worn by Nevaeh when she disappeared was found at the scene.

"Preliminary indication is that the body had been there for a while," he said.

The sheriff often declined comment on many questions at this morning's news conference and was guarded with much information about the investigation.

Asked whether the property owned by Monroe County along the River Raisin where the body was found was an area that searchers had combed previously, Crutchfield said it had not.

He noted that Monroe County is about 640 square miles and it would have been impossible in 10 days for authorities to search the entire county.

Evidence technicians will return to the scene along River Raisin today along with divers to look for evidence.

Dixon Road near Sullivan Road is closed near the area of the investigation. Crutchfield said the waterway and the airspace around the scene was also secured.

Asked whether there are any suspects, Crutchfield responded that authorities continue to investigate all tips.

“Hopefully this scene after it is analyzed will provide us with additional information that will lead us to the perpetrator,” Crutchfield said.

Family members said they were told Thursday night the body likely belonged to Nevaeh, who was last seen May 24 playing on her scooter outside her residence in the Colonial Arms Apartments off North Macomb Street in Monroe.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, which received the body overnight, expects to complete an autopsy by noon today, a spokesman said this morning.

Two fishermen discovered the body while fishing along a bend of the
river on Dixon Road, west of Sullivan Road, about 12 miles and a half-hour from the apartment complex.

Guy Bickley, 52, and his father, Lowell Kirk of Tennessee, told the Free Press on Thursday that they'd been standing atop concrete while fishing and it seemed to be crumbling away. They pushed at it, then saw human flesh.

Nevaeh's uncle, Mike Buchanan of Newport, arrived at his sister's Monroe apartment complex at about 10 a.m. today, still grasping "that 1% chance it still might not be" Nevaeh's body. He said Nevaeh's mother, Jennifer Buchanan, who remains in seclusion, is understandably devastated.

"She can't believe her daughter had to go through this," he said.

Mike Buchanan said he wasn't sure if the family planned to travel to Detroit to see if the body there is Nevaeh's.

"If it is, we do have some type of closure, even if it is for the worst," her uncle said. Grateful to the two fishermen who made the discovery, Mike Buchanan hurts for them, too. "I feel sorry for them," he said.

Mike Buchanan paused for composure, his face reddening, when asked about those responsible.

"I hope they get the most punishment possible - no matter who it is."

Anger percolated from the Buchanan's cousin, Shaun Lawson, who asked those gathered if allegations his little cousin was found entombed in concrete was true.

"If she was, it would have to be one of the most sickest individuals across this nation," Lawson said. "She didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve to be kidnapped. And you're still walking these streets. I hope you get what's coming to you -- and you will."

Hundreds of volunteers had searched for Nevaeh daily, marking off with
black marker areas they'd covered on a tattered map.

Three men, each with sexual assault backgrounds, have been
questioned. At least one has been eliminated as a person of
interest; no one has been arrested in the disappearance and apparent death.

Late Thursday, police wouldn't confirm their find to the media, but
rather announced a morning news conference.

Come back to freep.com throughout the day for updates on this
developing story.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605028/1007

[Faith]

Article published June 05, 2009
Fisherman says he sat atop body encased in concrete for hours before discovery

MONROE — The man who called authorities after finding a body on the banks of the River Raisin said he and his father unknowingly sat for hours fishing from atop a concrete block not knowing it contained a body.

Guy Binkley, 51, told The Blade Friday morning that the body — believed to be that of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchannan — was encased in some sort of concrete ready mix just feet from the river near Dixon Road in Raisinville Township.

Mr. Binkley said he and his 72-year-old father, who was visiting from out of state, went to the river to fish about 9:30 a.m. Thursday. They were sitting on the rocks and on a piece of concrete and Mr. Binkley said he occassionally kicked his foot at it.

He said they noticed a foul odor but thought it was decaying fish.

The father and son were at the river for about two hours before Mr. Binkley said he again kicked his foot into the concrete and a piece flipped off of it. Then he saw flies and discovered human skin.

They immediately called 911 and police authorities and said they waited at the scene for about two hours until an officer arrived.

Nevaeh disappeared from the parking lot outside her Monroe apartment complex the evening of May 24.

She was last seen riding her scooter at the complex.

Jennifer Buchanan, the mother of Nevaeh, first told The Blade Thursday night that police informed her the body may be that of her daughter.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and FBI officials would not confirm they had found “I’m too upset to talk,” the little girl’s mother said.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and FBI officials would not confirm they had found a child’s body late last night. No positive identification of the body had been made.

Authorities scheduled a news conference for Friday morning.

Shaun Lawson, a cousin of Nevaeh’s mother, confirmed that Sheriff Lt. Todd Opperman told family members that authorities thought they had found the 5-year-old girl’s body.

He said the body was about the same height, had similar hair color, and was clothed similarly to the way Nevaeh was dressed when she disappeared.

The officer told the family that the body was found not in the river but on the river bank near Dundee and near a dam on the river.

“I’m sorry it had to take Nevaeh’s life to bring a community back together like this,” Mr. Lawson said. “We need a neighborhood watch on every corner and every sex offender should have a sign in their yard. I feel absolutely sorry for the person who did this. God forbid if we find whoever did this,” he said.

Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh’s grandmother who had custody of the little girl, said she was told by authorities that until a DNA match was finalized, they couldn’t be sure it was Nevaeh’s body that was discovered.

“I’m not giving up hope until I see the body,” her grandmother said.

Police cordoned off an area near Dixon Road near the River Raisin yesterday in the area of Ida-Maybee and Neiman roads.

Diana Lawson, Nevaeh’s great-aunt, told The Blade that Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield also told family members that the body of a child was found near a dam near Dundee.

She said the body was taken to Detroit for an autopsy.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090605/NEWS02/906059997

[Battnt]

Boy's mother: He didn't see Nevaeh taken
BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • June 5, 2009

Despite a search warrant that says he saw a man stab 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan in woods after she disappeared, her 8-year-old friend saw nothing, his mother said.
Advertisement

“She left our house at 3:30, 3:45,” said the boy’s mother, Crystal Kuhn, 33, who lives a floor up from Nevaeh’s apartment. “They had to go to the store.”

The two children had played inside the boy’s apartment most of the afternoon, then Nevaeh left with her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, Kuhn said.

The next thing Kuhn heard, Nevaeh was missing. Devastated, Kuhn shudders to think what else could have been.

“I'm really sad that that happened to her -- but I'm glad it wasn't him," she said, her face tightening, tears welling.

After Thursday’s candlelight vigil, Kuhn held her son and pointed to the sky.

"We picked out a star and said it was Nevaeh," Kuhn said today. She said her son asked: "Why did this happen to my friend? Why did this happen to me?"

A neighbor took him aside, trying to explain away the pain. And while investigators try to determine who took Nevaeh while she rode her scooter outside, the boy said before he left for school today he'll always keep her spirit inside him.

"Nevaeh's my friend and I'm her friend," he said. "She's in my heart forever."

http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605036/1007/NEWS/Boy+s+mother++He+didn+t+see+Nevaeh+taken

[Battnt]

Radio interview with Jennifer Buchanan, Nevaeh's mother...

http://dd.wcsx.com/?p=3208

[Faith]

Nevaeh's Family Awaits Autopsy Results

Last Update: 6:39 pm

MONROE, Mich. (WXYZ) - The family of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan is holding onto hope that a child's body, found near the River Raisin, is not Nevaeh.

While they have not had a chance to identify the body that was discovered, the Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield believes their is a strong possibility that it is the little girl.

"We have reasonable suspicion that this is the body of Nevaeh," Sheriff Tilman said in a morning news conference updating the case.

WATCH ACTION NEWS TEAM COVERAGE FOLLOWED BY ENTIRE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT UPDATE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHT

He said the size, sex and age of the body found is a match to Nevaeh.

A shirt that appears similar to what Nevaeh was wearing when she vanished was also recovered.

Crutchfield said around 3 p.m. Thursday, an investigative team was called to the scene where a body was found. A fisherman discovered what appeared to be a cement burial site that had a foul odor. When pieces of the cement crumbled he saw what appeared to be human skin and immediately called police.

Once a burial site was found, the FBI recovery team was called in.

Investigators will be back on the scene Friday to process the area.

Divers are in the water searching for additional evidence, and the area has been secured.

Nevaeh vanished more than a week ago and was last seen playing outside of her apartment complex on May 24.

Sheriff Tilman says investigators are questioning everyone they've received tips and leads on.
So far, the task force has received 1,000 leads into the disappearance.

He says this is a very personal case for many of the investigators who have young children.

At this point, the person responsible is still believed to be out in the community.

"In my opinion, it is a very sick or disturbed person we are looking for, a person that is able to abduct and murder an innocent 5-year-old child," Tilman said.
http://www.wxyz.com/mostpopular/story/Nevaehs-Family-Awaits-Autopsy-Results/fFEMT9cZFEeBAFg2_uC6-g.cspx

[Faith]

Friday, June 5, 2009
Nevaeh's mom: 'I want to see her one more time'
Tanveer Ali and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News

Monroe -- The mother of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan said today she is overwhelmed by uncertainty as she awaits further autopsy tests on a body found near the River Raisin that authorities say resembles her daughter.

"I want to see her one more time no matter what," Jennifer Buchanan said. "I'm hoping that it is completely over."

Results of the autopsy, which began at 9:30 a.m., will be released through the Monroe County Sheriff's Office because it is handling the investigation, said Albert Samuels, chief investigator for the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office in Detroit.

"When we come out with the cause of death, it will be definite," Samuels said. "When you hear it, it will be definite."

The body was found Thursday night in a shallow grave along the banks of the River Raisin in Monroe County's Raisinville Township.

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said fishermen discovered the body Thursday afternoon just north of Dixon Road on county land. By evening, they had tentatively identified the body as that of Nevaeh, who went missing May 24 from her Monroe apartment complex.

"It's heartbreaking," Crutchfield said.

Nevaeh's grandmother and guardian Sherry Buchanan said she is not making funeral arrangements until the body is positively identified. Mike Buchanan and she will make the final identification.

"I am not giving up my faith," she said. "I have to see for myself that it is my baby."

Diana Lawson, Nevaeh's great aunt, said she hopes whoever is responsible is never able to find peace in life.

"I hope and pray to God that they never rest and be able to sleep without seeing her face," she said. "That child didn't deserve that. That child didn't deserve anything."

A task force of 100 local, state and federal officials has been investigating more than 1,000 tips since Nevaeh's disappearance. The focus now is on developing evidence from the burial site, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena.

Crutchfield said he believes the suspect -- he didn't rule out more than one person -- had picked the Raisinville Township site for a reason. "They knew where they were taking her. They intentionally went there."

The body was sent to the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office in Detroit, where an autopsy was continuing about 3:15 p.m. today. Office investigators said pathology tests were pending and that dental records were being researched to ensure a correct identification.

"We have to be 100 percent sure," said Albert Samuels, chief investigator with the office.

Other evidence recovered from the rural site in Raisinville was sent to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab in Northville.

"It was determined by their (investigators') observation that it was a possible burial site," Crutchfield said. "The body in appearance seemed to be in age, size and sex that of Nevaeh."

Arena said the body was found a few feet off the bank. There was some digging involved, with concrete found over the body, he said.

Crutchfield said the task force will be focusing on the area where the body was found, sending in evidence specialists and divers to find clues. He said the body was found in an area that hadn't been searched because investigators had focused on tips that led them elsewhere.

Guy Bickley, 52, of Newport said he and his father started fishing near Dixon Road about 9 a.m. Thursday from a concrete platform by the river.

Around noon, they detected an overwhelming smell, and noticed a block of concrete that they believed had come from the structure they were standing on. Bickley said he scraped away at the surface of the concrete block and realized it might be a body.

He immediately left and called police, who arrived about 2 p.m., he said late Thursday.

"I hoped to God it wasn't that 5-year-old girl," Bickley said late Thursday.

Crutchfield would not comment on any people of interest already named and in custody, though said he believed the perpetrator was still on the loose.

"That person, to our knowledge, is still out there in our community," Crutchfield said.

Lawson said the people of interest questioned by police should suffer if they had anything to do with Nevaeh's disappearance or death.

"I can't say they did it ... but if they did, I hope they are punished," she said. "I hope they suffer like that little girl."

Janie Black, a 53-year-old Monroe resident with eight grandchildren, some about the age of Nevaeh, said she joined the search parties for the girl almost daily.

She said the searches united the area.

"She's one of the sweetest little girls. Full of love and joy," Black said. "The community has always been together but nothing has brought it together like something like this."

Many people in the area were pushing for the death penalty in wake of the news that the girl found may be Nevaeh. Buchanan said she would lobby lawmakers to revive the death penalty in Michigan.

Shaun Lawson, Nevaeh's uncle, had harsh words for whoever killed the girl.

"They need to bring the death penalty to Michigan just for cases like this," he said.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090605/METRO/906050439/1409/METRO/Nevaeh-s-mom---I-want-to-see-her-one-more-time-

[Faith]

We can say we're never totally alone

, last modified June 06. 2009 1:23AM

I’ve always thought Monroe County had an unusual capacity for volunteering. Whether it’s meals brought to the home of a sick neighbor or raising unprecedented amounts of money for cancer research, Monroe County people turn out.
Is Monroe County different in this regard, I wonder? Or do all towns have so many who give so much of themselves?
On April 26 a full-page ad ran in our newspaper. The message was from DTE Energy recognizing some of their employees and retirees who volunteer time and effort in their communities.
The ad listed the names of the 2008 Walter J. McCarthy Jr. Award for Volunteer Leadership. The names were divided by their place of residence and the organizations they serve.
Award-winners were named from 62 communities: Detroit had seven volunteers; Toledo, one; Trenton, five; Ann Arbor, three, and Monroe … 17. Another seven from Carleton, three in Temperance and one each in Dundee, Erie, Ida, Lambertville, Luna Pier, Milan, Newport, Flat Rock.
This is not a scientific survey, I grant you. The ad says thousands of DTE employees volunteer consistently and these are the winners from just one year.
But, seriously, isn’t this indicative of how Monroe’s volunteers stack up against other places?
And then Nevaeh.
News of missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan electrified the community. The little girl had been discovered missing Sunday evening, May 24. An Amber Alert was issued Monday, Memorial Day. On Tuesday TV stations mentioned that anyone wishing to help with the search could meet in the Kmart parking lot.
Reporter Ray Kisonas, who has covered this story for us, made the parking lot one of his stops. He was amazed by what he saw.
Four hundred to 500 people jammed the lot. Probably because he was wearing our dress-code-required shirt and tie, Ray looked official and people kept coming up to him for instructions. They wanted to help in any way possible. "What can I do?" they begged.
The volunteers fanned out into brushy fields, neighborhoods and along streets. The next day they were back.
Monroe people gathered at the apartment complex where Nevaeh’s mother lives. Prayer vigils were well-attended. Other people have created social networking sites on the Web to spread and gather information. Some collected money and distributed fliers. Still others have written poems or songs or online tributes.
People around the country have noticed. In one e-mail we received Friday, a reader from Newport News, Va., thanked us for the information our Web site has provided. The writer concluded: "The community of Monroe has served as a fine example of how a community should pull together during a time of crisis."
What the writer didn’t know is that here in Monroe personal involvement happens all the time.
Despite the things we wish were better or different about our community, the hearts of its residents are among its many strengths.
Deborah Saul can be reached by telephone at 240-5748 or via e-mail to saul@monroenews.com.

http://www.monroenews.com/article/20090605/SAULLOCCOL/306059993/-1/COLUMNISTS

[Faith]

DNA tested for match with Nevaeh

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 6, 2009

MONROE -- Police and the family of a 5-year-old Monroe girl who disappeared nearly two weeks ago await official word that a body found by a river is hers.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said in a release today that DNA from the body has been submitted to the Michigan State Police crime lab for comparison with samples from Nevaeh Buchanan. Results from an autopsy conducted Friday by the Wayne County medical examiner’s office are pending.

Authorities say they suspect the body, found in a shallow grave and covered with cement, is Navaeh’s. It was found with a shirt similar to one she was wearing when she disappeared May 24.

The body was discovered Thursday by a father and son fishing on the River Raisin in Monroe County’s Raisinville Township south of Detroit.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/90606014/1008/DNA+from+body+tested+for+match+with+Nevaeh

[AmyE]

Body In River May Be Missing Girl

A body discovered in the River Raisin Thursday is believed to be that of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

Nevaeh Buchanan was last seen May 24 in the parking lot of an apartment complex about 35 miles south-southwest of Detroit.

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said the body recovered near River Raisin in Raisinville Township matches the age, size and sex of Nevaeh.

"We have reasonable suspicion that this is the body of Nevaeh," Crutchfield said at a news conference.

The Wayne County medical examiner's office is conducting an autopsy.

Investigators hope autopsy and toxicology test results will confirm a cause of death. There were no obvious signs of violence to the body, Crutchfield said.

Discovery Of A Body

Ryan Bickley, 15, told Local 4 that his father, Guy Bickley, 52, and grandfather, Lowell Kirk, were fishing on the river near Ida Maybee Road and spotted a block of poured cement and noticed a bad smell.

At first they said they didn't think much about it. After about two hours, Bickley said he kicked the concrete and noticed something.

"I literally sat on the rock and had my feet on the concrete block," said Guy Bickley. "I could smell something, but I figured it was a fish up the road."

Bickley said he chipped away a piece of the cement, revealing what appeared to be human skin and maggots.

"He called me, and he was hysterical," Ryan Bickley said. "He saw flies around it and that it was starting to crack, and when he bent down the smell got really bad."

Guy Bickley said he yelled out for his father and the two went up the hill to where the truck was located and called police.

"I've got two children," said Bickley as he choked up. "It's pure evil. It's not mean or psycho. It's just pure evil."

After composing himself, Bickley went on to say, "That poor little kid. It's terrible."

Crutchfield said investigators recovered a shirt similar to one Nevaeh was wearing at the time she was abducted.

Evidence Collected At River May Lead To Killer

Investigators returned to the steep river's edge Friday to look for more evidence.

The FBI said some type of cement was found on top of the body, which appeared to be buried in a shallow grave.

"It's a little more sophisticated than just dumping a body," said Andrew Arena, the lead FBI Investigator in the case,.

A key piece of evidence collected at the site is a 90-pound bag of cement.

Only a few stores in the area sell 90-pound bags of cement. The Kuhlman Cement Company, which is located behind the home of the person of interest George Kennedy, sells 90-pound bags of cement.

Also, it appears that the fence outside the cement company was recently cut.

Doug Blause from the Monroe ACE Hardware said investigators asked him Friday if he sold 90-pound bags of cement, but his hardware store sells only 60-pound bags.

Investigators continue to look at surveillance images at other hardware stores in the area.

Investigators said they found a glove near the scene, but they have not said what importance it may have to the case.

The discovery site is about 7 miles from the Charlotte Arms Apartment, where Nevaeh's mother said she was outside playing with a friend when she disappeared.

Investigators are also hoping that the autopsy will give the child's time of death. They can then match calls made and alibis around the time of the child's death.

A Family Tries To Cope, Grieve

"I'm not giving up yet. I'm not giving up unless I see the body myself. I am not giving up hope yet, because I still feel that she is near me," said Nevaeh's grandmother, Sherry Buchanan.

Sherry Buchanan said the whole ordeal, especially dealing with the family of Nevaeh's father, Shane Hinojosa, has been very difficult on her.

"Hopefully down the road, I can prove I am on the right side of the road and can hold my head up high," she said.

When Local 4 asked her if she felt like she was a suspect, she said no, but that people are always pointing fingers.

The discovery also ends a "nerve-racking" chapter for the family, said Nevaeh's uncle, Michael Buchanan.

When the girl's mother, Jennifer Buchanan, was told about it "she broke down, and broke down hard," said Michael Buchanan, her brother.

"She couldn't believe her daughter had to go through this," he said, adding that if it is Nevaeh's body it provides "some type of closure, even if it is for the worst."

"Whoever is found guilty of this case, I hope and pray they get the maximum punishment possible, regardless of who it is," Jennifer Buchanan said. "I hope this person closes their eyes and sees my daughter's face."

Everyone outside watched in silence Thursday night as authorities led Nevaeh's family inside the apartment. A close family friend described what she heard.

"The screaming and the pain. Oh my God, it was just incredible," said Mary Millsaps.

A local pastor held a small memorial service for Nevaeh, bringing the crowd to prayers.

"We know Nevaeh is in heaven now. Nevaeh is in heaven with Jesus right now," said the Rev. Dale Hayford. "Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we know there is no pain right now, no sorrow, only joy."

Friends of Nevaeh also spoke tearfully.

"My son is a total tragic mess because of this. He has missed her every single day she has been gone, and now he is going to miss her for the rest of his life," said Aaron Baker. "This was my son's best friend and now she is gone."

"It could happen to anybody, and we hope it don't happen to anybody else," said Nevaeh's cousin, Shawn Lawson.

A makeshift memorial was set up at the base of a tree outside the Charlotte Arms apartments. Mourners have left flowers, stuffed animals and a Pocahontas book in honor of Nevaeh.

"That child didn't deserve that. If they wanted to take something out on one of us, they should have taken it out on one of us. She can't fight back. We can," said Nevaeh's aunt Diane Lawson.

Focus Shifts

The discovery of the body believed to be Nevaeh should allow investigators to focus on finding the person responsible, Crutchfield said.

There have been no arrests in the case.

"That person to our knowledge is still out there in the community. In my opinion it is a very sick or disturbed person we're looking for -- a person that is able to abduct and murder an innocent 5-year-old child," said Crutchfield.

Two men, Kennedy and Roy Lee Smith, both convicted sex offenders, were named people of interest in the case.

Police said Kennedy and the girl's mother have been dating. However, Jennifer Buchanan, said they were just friends.

Kennedy, 39, is being held on suspicion of parole violation. According to his parole, he is not to date a woman who has a child under the age of 17.

Kennedy told the Toledo Blade in an interview from jail that he had nothing to do with Nevaeh's disappearance and when he found out she was missing; he went to look for her.

"I didn't take her and I definitely didn't kill her," he said.

Preliminary DNA results on blood from a knife collected from Kennedy's vehicle failed to match Nevaeh's blood.

Click here to read the full article on Kennedy's jailhouse interview.

Smith is the owner of Kennedy's car.

Both men remain in custody.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19662141/detail.html

[Faith]

Amid suspicion and public scorn, Jennifer Buchanan denies killing her daughter

• June 7, 2009

In a cramped apartment, a portrait of a little girl is propped up on an old TV set, framed by candles.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20090607&Category=NEWS05&ArtNo=906070501&Ref=V2&MaxW=320&Border=0
Candles surround a photo of Nevaeh Buchanan, 5, creating a makeshift memorial at the Monroe apartment of her mother and grandmother. "It's like a nightmare," said Jennifer Buchanan, her mother. "I can't wait to wake up."

It is a darling picture, taken at preschool.

Jennifer Buchanan faces the makeshift memorial, saying she can't imagine why anyone would have taken Nevaeh Buchanan, her 5-year-old daughter.

She begins to tell the story of the final moments when, she says, she thought Nevaeh went off to play with a friend.

And then was gone.

It's a story Buchanan has not told in so much detail before. And it's a story investigators are still scrutinizing.

Nevaeh's disappearance, for now, remains a mystery -- two weeks after she was last seen outside her Monroe apartment, just three days after a body, whose identity still is unconfirmed, was found encased in a concrete grave along a riverbank.

The search continues for the person who could have done this to a pretty girl who loved trucks and motorcycles, crayons and macaroni and cheese.

A girl whose life may have ended three days after she raced across a stage and -- all smiles -- grabbed her preschool certificate.

As suspicion swirls, mother tells her story

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20090607&Category=NEWS05&ArtNo=906070501&Ref=AR&MaxW=320&Border=0
Jennifer Buchanan

Down a flight of stairs, inside a dingy two-bedroom apartment, Jennifer Buchanan gave an account of her final moments with her daughter. She spent those precious minutes on a brown couch, watching reruns of "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

In the story Buchanan tells, 5-year-old Nevaeh walked barefoot across the old brown carpet, worn and stained, and headed for the front door.

"Mom, I'm going upstairs to Austin's house to play a game," Buchanan remembers her daughter saying.

It was about 6:30 p.m. on May 24, the day before Memorial Day. Nevaeh walked out, the door shut and that was the last time Buchanan says she saw her daughter.

"I trusted her enough for her to actually go," Buchanan told the Free Press last week in a 2 1/2 -hour interview, discussing everything from her relationship with two sex offenders to how it feels to be suspected in her child's disappearance.

Austin Kuhn, 8, and Nevaeh lived in the same building in the Charlotte Arms apartments and played together nearly every day. A child could probably run from Nevaeh's apartment to Austin's door on the second floor in less than 10 seconds.

She was wearing knee-length jeans and a baby blue, red-and-white striped shirt with a V-neck white collar. Potty trained, but with a habit of waiting until the last second to use the bathroom, Buchanan said, Nevaeh had just had an accident and changed her clothes.

Buchanan didn't get up from the couch to make sure her daughter made it safely up the stairs. She sat there, she said, watching "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

About 20 minutes later, a girl Buchanan described as a tattletale knocked on the door.

"She looked right at me and says, 'Nevaeh is on her scooter in the road,' " Buchanan said. "She said the road, but I knew she meant the parking lot."

Buchanan was angry at her daughter and said she looked for her flip-flops so she could go out to find her. A moment later, another girl knocked.

"Is Nevaeh home?" Buchanan remembers the girl asking. "And I said, 'She has to be upstairs at Austin's, but she is either out back, or out front, or upstairs at Austin's.' "

Buchanan said she poked her head out the building's back door and glanced at the parking lot where Nevaeh used to ride the scooter. She wasn't there. She looked at the sandbox where she often played. Not there. She glanced at the nearby school playground. Nothing.

"Nevaeh!" she said she screamed.

Buchanan planned to punish her daughter with a time-out. "I was going to yell at her and to tell her to stay out of the road," she said.

She doesn't believe in spanking. "I'm a time-out mom," Buchanan said.

She said she started knocking on doors. Nevaeh wasn't in Austin's apartment.

"I looked everywhere," she said. "I spent at least 45 minutes looking."

The panic started to grow.

She said she told the apartment manager her daughter was missing, circled the building and came around the other side, where she found the purple and green scooter Nevaeh often rode.

"My heart sank," she said, "and my stomach went into knots."

Somebody called the police, and an Amber Alert was issued.

Investigators don't know what happened that day or how Nevaeh vanished. They've questioned Buchanan extensively, and the public has turned its attention to her, the choices she has made, the friends she chose.

Over the last two weeks, Buchanan says she has lived at the epicenter of a horror story.

"It's like a nightmare," she said Wednesday morning, starting to cry. "I can't wait to wake up."

She spent several days with friends searching all over Monroe County -- in the woods, by the quarries, in abandoned buildings -- sometimes returning to the same spot five or six times, whistling, stopping to cry, stopping to scream and wondering what was next.

She yelled her daughter's name until she was hoarse.

On Thursday afternoon, fishermen discovered a body covered in concrete about a foot from the River Raisin in Monroe County.

Though it hasn't been confirmed, the description of the child's body fits Nevaeh.

'She was always a good baby'

A tomboy who loved motorcycles and trucks, Nevaeh, whose name is heaven spelled backward, didn't like dresses and was content to watch "The Jungle Book" over and over.

"I'd get a headache from it," said Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother. "I'd say, 'OK, that's enough, Nevaeh.' And she'd say, 'Just one more time, Grandma.'

"I never had any trouble with that kid. She always called me grandma. Sometimes, she'd slip up and say, 'mommy.'

"I'd say, that's OK. Don't worry. She was always a good baby."

Sherry Buchanan was granted custody of Nevaeh after Jennifer Buchanan was convicted in 2006 on a first-degree home invasion charge. She had been breaking into homes to support a drug habit.

For the last 2 1/2 months, Sherry, Jennifer and Nevaeh Buchanan have lived together in the two-bedroom apartment.

Nevaeh named all of her stuffed animals. The black Lab is Tank. Her favorite, a beagle, is named Harley.

"Harley went to school with her," Sherry Buchanan said. "Harley went to bed with her."

Harley still smells like Nevaeh.

When she disappeared, her grandmother got comfort in sleeping with Tank. Jennifer Buchanan slept with Harley.

"I'd give anything in the world to have her come running through that door," Sherry Buchanan said.

'This is horrible'

In the eyes of some, Jennifer Buchanan quickly transformed from a sympathetic figure into a villain as word got out that she was friends with two convicted sex offenders.

The cable TV show "Nancy Grace" focused last week on 24-year-old Buchanan and her relationships with George Kennedy and Roy Smith, both of whom are from Monroe.

Court records show Smith, 48, was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct after a woman said he raped her twice in his car in 1991. Kennedy, 39, was convicted in 2002 of raping a 15-year-old girl behind a gas station.

Grace interviewed Nevaeh's father, Shane Hinojosa, 22, of Toledo, who hasn't seen his daughter in three years.

"What can you tell me about your daughter being exposed by her mother to a registered sex offender?" Grace asked incredulously. "In fact, more than one."

"Oh, I'm furious," he replied.

On another show, Grace asked a psychologist about the case.

"This is horrible," the psychologist said. "The mother's judgment is atrocious. How could she be with a sex offender and have a little girl in the home? It's just horrible."

A short time later, another guest slammed Buchanan: "Mom is a title of honor. She doesn't deserve that honor. She was never a mother."

The voices and opinions screamed an unsubstantiated accusation: Jennifer Buchanan was to blame.

'They don't ... know me'

Back in Michigan, Buchanan said she was being attacked by people who had never met her.

"I feel like everyone has a lot of negativity about me," she said. "They don't personally know me. ... I feel like everyone is putting me in the category of ... parents who actually did harm their children. ... It's very frustrating."

Grace, she said, "is completely wrong. ... I didn't leave her playing outside. She was supposed to be playing upstairs on that day at that specific time."

Both Kennedy and Smith are now in jail on possible parole violations. Neither has been charged in connection with Nevaeh's suspected death, but Buchanan said she doesn't know what to think about them anymore.

"As for the guys, I don't know," she said. "I didn't think it was a crime to have my child around someone. Honestly, no matter who you come across, you don't know who and what they are. You don't know if they are labeled as a sex offender unless you look their name up."

Buchanan said she knew of Kennedy's criminal past.

"I gave him a second chance. I was just befriending him. I confronted him about it. To my knowledge, he was honest to me about it," she said.

"As for Roy, I only knew him for a couple of months. Because he knew George and they had some kind of classes together, I figured Roy had the same offense against him."

She had known Kennedy a couple of years. "If George wanted to do that, he would have done it a little sooner," she said. "That's the way I feel. But I could be wrong."

'I'm completely innocent'

Buchanan said she met with police and the FBI at least four times. One interview lasted about five hours.

"I feel like they are putting me under the spotlight," she said. "I feel like they are pointing fingers at me, like I did something intentionally."

She doesn't have a lawyer and says she doesn't need one.

"I'm completely innocent," she said. "I didn't have anything to do with my daughter's disappearance. I don't do drugs. I hardly ever drink. I don't owe anybody any money. I have hardly any enemies. I don't understand who would come up and take my child."

Last week, Buchanan gave police permission to search her home.

The detectives took part of her computer and, she said, they asked her what Web sites she has visited recently.

Buchanan also was interviewed by behavioral specialists from the FBI. "They were asking me about my background and what" Nevaeh "was like," she said. "They went all the way back to how I felt when I was pregnant."

'She meant the world to me'

Nevaeh didn't trust strangers. And Buchanan said she didn't think her daughter would have gone silently, without at fight.

Two weeks before her daughter's disappearance, they were at a Relay for Life event at Bedford High School in Temperance.

"We were walking, and people were passing out candy. She would take no candy from anybody," Buchanan said.

Nevaeh must have put up a fight or known the person who snatched her.

"I want to know what happened," Buchanan said. "I'm racking my brains on how this could happen."

Nevaeh's beauty made strangers stop and stare. "Random people would come up to me and compliment me on how beautiful she is," Buchanan said.

She said she has wondered "numerous times" whether her daughter was abducted for her beauty.

Nevaeh finished preschool three days before she disappeared.

"She was very excited to graduate," Buchanan said. "She ran, literally ran like a track runner, across that stage to get her certificate. I was so proud of her.

"She meant the world to me. I adored her. It's hard, just talking about her."

Neighbors described Nevaeh as shy. "She was adorable, a cute little girl with a ponytail," said Haley Jennings, 39, who lived on the second floor of Nevaeh's apartment complex. "Kind of timid. ... Her voice was real soft. She was real fragile, real precious.

"She kind of clutched close. She wasn't one to wander."

Everyone in the apartment complex has grown suspicious, Jennings said. She is upset thinking that the person who took Nevaeh is still out there. "It's petrifying."

Little voices

On Friday morning, the day after the body was found, TV crews gathered in the parking lot, waiting for Buchanan to come out of her apartment.

Neighbors talked about their grief, sharing their fears, showing their anger as police searched for a killer.

At a makeshift memorial in front of the apartment, a candle flickered in the breeze and a pinwheel spun round and round.

Screams could be heard in the distance. Children ran around a school playground, yelling and screaming and laughing and clapping, so full of life. So full of innocence.

Little voices in the wind.

Just like Nevaeh.



http://www.freep.com/article/20090607/NEWS05/906070501

[Faith]

Related articles



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Complete coverage



The search for Nevaeh Buchanan (http://www.freep.com/article/99999999/NEWS05/90605035/0/NEWS06&template=theme&theme=MISSING_NEVAEH)

[Faith]

The search for Nevaeh Buchanan

June 7, 2009
Jennifer Buchanan denies killing daughter Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090607/NEWS05/906070501/0/NEWS06/Jennifer+Buchanan+denies+killing+daughter+Nevaeh)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090607&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906070501&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=220&MaxH=150&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090607/NEWS05/906070501/0/NEWS06/Jennifer+Buchanan+denies+killing+daughter+Nevaeh) Jennifer Buchanan begins to tell the story of when, she says, she thought Nevaeh went off to play with a friend. And then was gone. It's a story Buchanan has not told in so much detail before.

The key events in search for Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090607/NEWS06/906070502/0/NEWS06/The+key+events+in+search+for+Nevaeh)

May 24: Nevaeh Buchanan is reported missing. Amber Alert issued. Locked up in the Monroe County Jail is George Kennedy, 39, a friend of the girl's mother. Authorities -- describing him as a person of interest -- seek to determine whether he violated parole by being around the girl; he was convicted in 2002 of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Tearful supporters visit grave site (http://www.freep.com/article/20090607/NEWS05/906070500/0/NEWS06/Tearful+supporters+visit+grave+site)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090607&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906070500&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090607/NEWS05/906070500/0/NEWS06/Tearful+supporters+visit+grave+site) Barb Rothman put her arms around her husband and her chin on his shoulder as the two stood just feet from the little girl's crude waterside grave. The Dundee Township couple had carefully made their way down the slippery, steep hillside leading to the spot -- one they had been to before on happier occasions, to fish.

June 6, 2009
Tearful supporters visit site (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/90606036/0/NEWS06/Tearful+supporters+visit+site)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090606&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=90606036&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/90606036/0/NEWS06/Tearful+supporters+visit+site) A serene waterside spot is believed to have served for two weeks as 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan’s grave after she was abducted from outside her Monroe apartment. While they await autopsy results, Monroe County sheriff’s officials reiterated today that they’re tracking down leads.

Nevaeh signs reflect anger (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/90606014/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+signs+reflect+anger)

The makeshift memorial outside 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan's apartment has grown since the discovery of a girl's body Thursday -- and the message has turned political.

Parents shudder at little girl’s death (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/COL26/90606010/0/NEWS06/Parents+shudder+at+little+girl+s+death)

A little girl, 5 years old, is dead in a nearby community. ... I can’t stop thinking about the horror of Nevaeh Buchanan’s last moments.

Nevaeh's disappearance turns to a murder mystery (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/906060408/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+s+disappearance+turns+to+a+murder+mystery)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090606&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=906060408&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/906060408/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+s+disappearance+turns+to+a+murder+mystery) Monroe County sheriff's officials presented a grim reality Friday: They aren't looking for a kidnapper in the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan. They're looking for a killer.

Author speaks about dealing with a child’s death (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/FEATURES01/90606012/0/NEWS06/Author+speaks+about+dealing+with+a+child+s+death)

John W. James began exploring grief and writing about recovery from immense loss not out of intellectual pursuit but because of a broken heart.

Boy: Nevaeh's 'in my heart forever' (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060405/0/NEWS06/Boy++Nevaeh+s++in+my+heart+forever+)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090606&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906060405&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060405/0/NEWS06/Boy++Nevaeh+s++in+my+heart+forever+) After 8-year-old Austin Kuhn learned Thursday night that his playmate -- 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan -- might be dead, he and his mother went outside and named a star in the night sky after his friend.

Possible suspects may be off the list (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS06/906060402/0/NEWS06/Possible+suspects+may+be+off+the+list+)

In the rush for answers after Nevaeh Buchanan's disappearance, Monroe County sheriff's officials floated several names of possible suspects -- men with sexual assault convictions. But on Friday, the day that Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield confirmed that a body found Thursday likely belonged to the missing 5-year-old, none of those names was mentioned.

Monroe residents feel loss, disbelief (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060403/0/NEWS06/Monroe+residents+feel+loss++disbelief+)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090606&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906060403&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060403/0/NEWS06/Monroe+residents+feel+loss++disbelief+) Any mention of the name Nevaeh around this sleepy community Friday caused eyes to well, hands to wring and heads to fall. Even after officials confirmed that a body found Thursday was the same age, height and gender as Nevaeh Buchanan, Monroe residents -- and the missing 5-year-old's family -- did not want to believe she could be gone forever.

Monroe tragedy nothing new for town (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060406/0/NEWS06/Monroe+tragedy+nothing+new+for+town)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090606&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906060406&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060406/0/NEWS06/Monroe+tragedy+nothing+new+for+town) RAISINVILLE TOWNSHIP -- Some residents of this largely rural Monroe County community wonder if the quiet little community known for its farming is a magnet for bad news.

June 5, 2009
No ID yet, so Nevaeh's family clings to hope (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605028/0/NEWS06/No+ID+yet++so+Nevaeh+s+family+clings+to+hope)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090605&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=90605028&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605028/0/NEWS06/No+ID+yet++so+Nevaeh+s+family+clings+to+hope) UPDATED AT 9:45 P.M. -- Nevaeh Buchanan's family found little closure today on whether the girl's body found along the River Raisin is hers.

Nevaeh tragedy shakes a community (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605045/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+tragedy+shakes+a+community)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090605&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=90605045&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605045/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+tragedy+shakes+a+community) Even as reality sinks in, residents don't want to believe it's true.

Father still hopes body isn't Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605089/0/NEWS06/Father+still+hopes+body+isn+t+Nevaeh)

Nevaeh Buchanan’s father, Shane Hinjosa, is in a battle with his emotions. He says he’s spent the last 24 hours in a state of hope — and hurt — since fishermen found a body that could be that of his missing 5-year-old daughter.

Burial area favored by anglers, locals say (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605070/0/NEWS06/Burial+area+favored+by+anglers++locals+say)

Howard Clark took his puppy Gabe for a walk today near the edge of his backyard, along the River Raisin – just up the road from where a body, believed to be that of a missing Monroe child, was found yesterday in a shallow grave.

Nevaeh's grandma won’t give up her faith (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS06/90605063/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+s+grandma+won+t+give+up+her+faith)

Despite the discovery of what is likely a small child's body, Nevaeh Buchanan's grandmother refuses to accept that the missing 5-year-old Monroe girl is dead.

Facebook, Twitter users reach out for girl (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS06/90605056/0/NEWS06/Facebook++Twitter+users+reach+out+for+girl)

Bridgette Winger was at work when she found out through a text message that a 5-year-old girl was missing in her hometown of Monroe.

Monroe schools to offer counseling (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/90605037/0/NEWS06/Monroe+schools+to+offer+counseling)

Nevaeh Buchanan should have been at her preschool graduation Thursday.

Body found likely Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/906050449/0/NEWS06/Body+found+likely+Nevaeh)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090605&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906050449&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/906050449/0/NEWS06/Body+found+likely+Nevaeh) Two men fishing on a bend of the River Raisin in Raisinville Township found a body about noon Thursday believed to be that of missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

Community somber as news of body spreads (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/906050389/0/NEWS06/Community+somber+as+news+of+body+spreads)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090605&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906050389&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090605/NEWS05/906050389/0/NEWS06/Community+somber+as+news+of+body+spreads) Firefighters from area departments had mobilized early Thursday afternoon, hoping to reinvigorate the nearly two-week search for Nevaeh Buchanan. But by the time those firemen assembled, two fishermen had apparently already made the discovery on the River Raisin, about a half hour northwest of Monroe, where the girl was last seen.

June 3, 2009
$20,000 reward offered in Nevaeh case (http://www.freep.com/article/20090603/NEWS05/90603055/0/NEWS06/$20+000+reward+offered+in+Nevaeh+case)

The task force searching for missing Monroe-area 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads investigators to the little girl.

Tips about Nevaeh no longer pouring in to police (http://www.freep.com/article/20090603/NEWS05/906030351/0/NEWS06/Tips+about+Nevaeh+no+longer+pouring+in+to+police)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090603&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906030351&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090603/NEWS05/906030351/0/NEWS06/Tips+about+Nevaeh+no+longer+pouring+in+to+police) Authorities investigating the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan have interviewed ice cream truck drivers, neighbors, sexual predators, strangers and friends -- sometimes two or three times.

June 2, 2009
Police still seek green van in search for Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090602/NEWS05/90602045/0/NEWS06/Police+still+seek+green+van+in+search+for+Nevaeh)

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is still searching today for the driver of a green, box-style minivan who may have information in connection with the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

Nevaeh case may have new witness (http://www.freep.com/article/20090602/NEWS05/906020429/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+case+may+have+new+witness)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090602&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906020429&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090602/NEWS05/906020429/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+case+may+have+new+witness) The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Monday that it wants to speak with the driver of a green, box-style minivan who may have information in connection with the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

June 1, 2009
Police in Nevaeh case seek driver of green minivan (http://www.freep.com/article/20090601/NEWS05/90601038/0/NEWS06/Police+in+Nevaeh+case+seek+driver+of+green+minivan )

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090601&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=90601038&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090601/NEWS05/90601038/0/NEWS06/Police+in+Nevaeh+case+seek+driver+of+green+minivan ) The Monroe County Sheriff said they'd like to question the driver of a green box-style minivan that may have more information on the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

Man tied to Nevaeh case in trouble (http://www.freep.com/article/20090601/NEWS05/906010338/0/NEWS06/Man+tied+to+Nevaeh+case+in+trouble)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090601&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=906010338&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090601/NEWS05/906010338/0/NEWS06/Man+tied+to+Nevaeh+case+in+trouble) A third person of interest in the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan is expected to be in Monroe District Court this morning on unrelated charges while the search for the girl continues into an eighth day.

May 31, 2009
Third person of interest in Nevaeh case arraigned on unrelated charges (http://www.freep.com/article/20090531/NEWS02/90531025/0/NEWS06/Third+person+of+interest+in+Nevaeh+case+arraigned+ on+unrelated+charges)

A third man the Monroe County Sheriff has labeled a person of interest in the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan is expected to be arraigned this afternoon on unrelated charges.

More than 500 tips but still no sign of Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090531/NEWS05/905310486/0/NEWS06/More+than+500+tips+but+still+no+sign+of+Nevaeh)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090531&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=905310486&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090531/NEWS05/905310486/0/NEWS06/More+than+500+tips+but+still+no+sign+of+Nevaeh) In the parking lot where Nevaeh Buchanan rode her bike and played, they gathered. They gathered with candles and yellow ribbons. They gathered to sing and support. To play music and hold out hope for a little girl who disappeared last week.

May 30, 2009
Nevaeh's family not alone in agony as search continues (http://www.freep.com/article/20090530/NEWS06/905300355/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+s+family+not+alone+in+agony+as+search+conti nues)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090530&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=905300355&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090530/NEWS06/905300355/0/NEWS06/Nevaeh+s+family+not+alone+in+agony+as+search+conti nues) Many Monroe residents are worried about Nevaeh Buchanan, the 5-year-old girl who's been missing since Sunday.

200 gather at vigil tonight (http://www.freep.com/article/20090530/NEWS06/90530035/0/NEWS06/200+gather+at+vigil+tonight)

In the parking lot where Nevaeh Buchanan rode her bike and played, they gathered. They gathered with candles and yellow ribbons. They gathered to sing and support. To play music and hold out hope for a little girl who disappeared last week.

Flyers cover town as searchers cling to hope (http://www.freep.com/article/20090530/NEWS06/905300424/0/NEWS06/Flyers+cover+town+as+searchers+cling+to+hope)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090530&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=905300424&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090530/NEWS06/905300424/0/NEWS06/Flyers+cover+town+as+searchers+cling+to+hope) The flyer with the photo of a smiling little girl are stapled to trees and taped to storefronts and front doors throughout Monroe and its outskirts. Missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan remained the talk of the town Friday -- whether people participated in searching for her or simply speculated about possible outcomes.

May 29, 2009
Test results: Blood found at hotel not from missing girl (http://www.freep.com/article/20090529/NEWS05/90529035/0/NEWS06/Test+results++Blood+found+at+hotel+not+from+missin g+girl)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=90529035&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090529/NEWS05/90529035/0/NEWS06/Test+results++Blood+found+at+hotel+not+from+missin g+girl) UPDATED AT 9:25 P.M.: Blood found in the hotel room of a convicted sex offender who is a person of interest in Nevaeh Buchanan’s disappearance didn't match her blood, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

Rapist jailed in connection with missing Nevaeh (http://www.freep.com/article/20090529/NEWS06/905290488/0/NEWS06/Rapist+jailed+in+connection+with+missing+Nevaeh)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=905290488&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090529/NEWS06/905290488/0/NEWS06/Rapist+jailed+in+connection+with+missing+Nevaeh) A convicted rapist has been jailed as a person of interest in the disappearance of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan. Investigators in Monroe said he apparently owns the van driven by the girl's mother's boyfriend, who is a registered sex offender, too.

May 28, 2009
2nd sex offender linked to search (http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/NEWS05/90528020/0/NEWS06/2nd+sex+offender+linked+to+search)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090528&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=90528020&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/NEWS05/90528020/0/NEWS06/2nd+sex+offender+linked+to+search) UPDATED AT 7:55 p.m.: A second convicted sex offender is a person of interest in the case of Nevaeh Buchanan.

Hope being held out for missing 5-year-old (http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/NEWS05/905280476/0/NEWS06/Hope+being+held+out+for+missing+5-year-old)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090528&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=905280476&Ref=AR&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/NEWS05/905280476/0/NEWS06/Hope+being+held+out+for+missing+5-year-old) Family, friends and supporters -- at least 100 in all -- gathered Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil called to keep hope burning for the safe return of missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan of Monroe.

May 27, 2009
Search goes on to find Nevaeh, 5 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090527/NEWS05/905270357/0/NEWS06/Search+goes+on+to+find+Nevaeh++5)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090527&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=905270357&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090527/NEWS05/905270357/0/NEWS06/Search+goes+on+to+find+Nevaeh++5) UPDATED AT 10:15 P.M.: Family, friends and supporters gathered tonight for a candlelight vigil called to keep hope burning for the safe return of missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan of Monroe.

May 26, 2009
Where's Nevaeh? Mom's boyfriend quizzed (http://www.freep.com/article/20090526/NEWS05/90526013/0/NEWS06/Where+s+Nevaeh?+Mom+s+boyfriend+quizzed+)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Avis=C4&Dato=20090526&Kategori=NEWS05&Lopenr=90526013&Ref=TS&NewTbl=1&MaxW=200&MaxH=100&Border=0 (http://www.freep.com/article/20090526/NEWS05/90526013/0/NEWS06/Where+s+Nevaeh?+Mom+s+boyfriend+quizzed+) UPDATED AT 3:17 P.M. — Monroe County deputies are looking for clues in the disappearance of Nevaeh Buchanan, 5, on Sunday. Police quizzed a registered sex offender described as the boyfriend of the girl's mom.


http://www.freep.com/article/99999999/NEWS05/90605035/0/NEWS06&template=theme&theme=MISSING_NEVAEH

[Grande]

Thursday, July 16, 2009
Nevaeh investigators probe carpet fibers
Samples removed from apartment where slain girl lived
Geoege Hunter / The Detroit News

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."

ghunter@detnews.com (313) 222-2134

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090716/METRO/907160392/Nevaeh-investigators-probe-carpet-fibers

[Grande]

Naveah Autopsy Report
Story Updated: Jul 16, 2009 at 11:46 AM PDT

A month after she was found... Navaeh Buchanan's autopsy results are released... The details and reaction of the news are tonight's big story. The shock continues tonight for members of the Monroe County Family. They are still reeling from the latest news regarding the murder of their loved one. My TV 20's Dave Leval tells us how little Navaeh Buchanan died.

"Our family is upset, we're hurting."

Things seem to be getting worse for Diana Lawson and her family. Her niece, Navaeh Buchanan vanished from her Monroe home May 24th. Authorities found the body of the five year old 11 days later. Navaeh was murdered.

Diana Lawson/Navaeh's Great Aunt
"They're traumatized, they're very upset."

Fishermen discovered Navaeh's body buried under concret along a rural section of the River Raisin. Preliminary autopsy results indicate Navaeh may have been buried alive.

Monroe Sheriff's invetigators tell us the killer pressed her face into the dirt. Navaeh died after she inhaled dirt.

Shaun Lawson/Navaeh's Cousin
"Makes it hard to sleep at night, when you get that image in your mind. Close your eyes, go to sleep, that's all you see."

Navaeh's killer remains on the loose. Meanwhile, more memorials are placed near the site where her body was found. They honor a child taken from her friends and loved ones far too soon. In Monroe, Dave Leval, My TV 20 News at 10.

Relatives tell us they don't know where Navaeh's mother is staying. But, they did talk to her yesterday. Investigators have followed up on more than 12 hundred tips since Navaeh's disappearance and murder. You're asked to call Monroe County Deputies with any information.

http://www.tv20detroit.com/news/50958562.html

[Faith]

Events scheduled to raise money, awareness
, last modified August 26. 2009 11:21AM

Fundraiser planned

The extended family of Nevaeh Buchanan will host a fundraising spaghetti dinner from 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday at Sgt. Stanley Romanow-ski Post 6896, Veterans of Foreign Wars, hall, 28945 Joy Rd., Westland.

The goal is to collect enough money to erect a memorial park bench in Nevaeh’s honor at Riverside Early Childhood Center and to start an annual preschool scholarship fund.

Raffles for prizes donated by area merchants in Westland, Garden City, Livonia and Monroe will be conducted, as well as hourly 50/50 raffles. There will be live music, face painting and clowns for the kids.

Memorial T-shirts will be available.

The cost of the dinner is $8 for adults and $4 for children. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information, call Risa Thompson at 419-3232 in the Garden City/Westland area or Anthony Boyer at 497-3898 in the Monroe area.

Public prayer Sunday

A public prayer and music event to help lead police to Nevaeh’s killer is set for 10 a.m. Sunday at Monroe Middle School, 503 Washington St.

The Rev. Dale Hayford of Crosswalk Community Church, who has been the family’s spiritual adviser, said the public is invited to the service.

"We know this person is still out there," he said. "He can strike again. Every child on our streets is in danger."

The prayer session will include music provided by John Vass.

ID program coming

A child identification program in Nevaeh’s honor will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 10 at Bobby’s Bouncers indoor play facility, 38620 Michigan Ave., Wayne.

The free child ID kits, which include dental impressions, DNA samples, fingerprinting, a picture and short video, are provided by the Masons.

Children must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians.




'We need to keep her name alive' (http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/NEWS01/708269976/0/NEVAEH)


http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090826/NEWS01/708269982