Yasmin Acree 15, Missing Since 1/15/08 from Chicago, IL

[wheezer]

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Yasmine Acree

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Rose Starnes, Yasmine Acree’s mother, at Friday’s vigil for her daughter.

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Hoping for the best: Two of Yasmine Acree’s friends console one another last Friday during a vigil for the missing teen at Austin Polytech Academy, 231 N. Pine. Acree is an honor student at the school.



Yasmine Acree

Yasmine was last seen in her family home on Tuesday Jan. 15. She went to school the previous day, afterward going to the North Lawndale YMCA, where she went three times a week. Yasmine was involved in sports and other extracurricular activities at the Lawndale Y.

Yasmine arrived home later that evening, did a load of laundry and went to bed. She's not been seen since.

The police investigation thus far has yielded few leads.

The family said there were signs of a break-in in the home's basement where Yasmine's room was.

The family said the locks on an outside fence were cut off and the basement door forced open. No items were stolen and Yasmine's room was undamaged.

Officials at her school also want to set the record straight about her possible state of mind at the time of her disappearance. Police have told the family she might have runaway, but the family discounts that. She had never ran away before, they say.

Some of her fellow students reportedly told investigators that she was tired of life, of school, and everything. But those who know her closely said that wasn't part of her character.

"Sometimes when students, particularly ones that are 14 and 15 years old, there is a tendency to embellish information," said Gwen Kram, physical education teacher and coordinator at the academy. "I want to assure that the information gathered leads to her whereabouts. I just feel as though some information has been misconstrued."

Kram added that she never got the sense that Yasmine was unhappy.

"I saw her everyday, and spoke with her often. She was very friendly with everyone. She loved school [and] never missed a day."

Starnes also doesn't believe that her daughter ran away.

"Yasmine wears glasses and her eyesight is not very good without them. However, her glasses are still here. If she'd run away, she certainly would have taken them," Starnes insisted.

http://peasintheirpods.bravejournal.com/entry/23460/

[wheezer]

"Chicago Police are busy in a West Side neighborhood
searching for clues regarding the disappearance of 15-year-old
Yasmine Acree. She was last seen Tuesday night in her home
along the 4800 block of West Congress Parkway. She went to
bed at about 10 p.m. and hasn't been seen since. Her family said
this is uncharacteristic of Yasmine, as she's a good student and
involved with the local YMCA. She never misses classes or
meetings.." Contact: Chicago Police at (312) 746-6399
or Greater St. John Bible Church at (773) 378-3300.

http://mahoganygirl.blogspot.com/2008/02/missing-alert-yasmine-acree.html

[wheezer]

Missing teen abducted from home
House showed signs of a break-in in girl’s disappearance

By TRIANNA OWENS

Yasmine Acree left her home in the Austin Community and headed for school Tuesday morning Jan. 15. After school she went to the local YMCA to meet with her mentor, Tiffany Moore.

The 15 year old came home Tuesday evening, washed a load of clothes and went to her room. During the midnight hours she went missing. Her mother, Rose Starnes, believes burglars entered the home, but left with something more precious than gold- her daughter.

"Yasmine and I are very close," Starnes said. "She didn't run away."

Locks were found cut off the home's outside gate, and the basement door was forced open, Starnes said. Yasmine's room, which is located in the basement, was left undisturbed.

"I'm not sure if she got up once she heard them enter the basement, and they took her or what happened. Yasmine is the only thing missing," Starnes, a mother of three, said. "I don't see anything missing downstairs. It's like whoever came, came just for Yasmine."

Yasmine is a freshman at Austin Polytechnical Academy, where, according to some friends, she joked about being "tired of life, tired of school, tired of everything."

Rev. Ira Acree, Yasmine's cousin and pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, said the freshman came to church every Sunday with her mother. The last time Acree saw Yasmine, he recalled "It didn't seem like anything was bothering her. She seemed very happy and jovial."

"Yasmine is very mild-mannered and polite, you know the type that said 'yes ma'am' and 'no ma'am,'" he added.

"She's a sharp kid, her verbiage was great for a 15 year-old. She has too much potential to be sidetracked, [has] a mother who loves her - strict or not- and a family that wants the best for her. She has a bright future and a wonderful personality."

Her mother added, "Whoever has Yasmine probably think, they've gotten away with it because the police are saying 'runaway'. Nobody in the family believes she ran away."

Pastor Acree said he hopes that she was not abducted.

"If for some reason she ran away, whatever the issue, I pledge my support to help her resolve it."

It's been a couple of days since Yasmine's family heard from police, and her mother believes, "They would've called if they had a suspect - I hope."

"They may be doing the best they can, I don't know. I'm holding on," a distressed Starnes said. "It's just physically and emotionally draining to just wonder. All kind of thoughts are going through my mind, because I don't know where she is."

The 1,300 congregation at Greater St. John Bible Church, 1256 N. Waller Ave., have held prayer visuals, and dispersed 2,000 flyers in the Austin Community. Partnering with area schools and residents, they've distributed 5,000 flyers in the shopping district on Madison and Pulaski. Acree, who's also chairman of the Leaders Network, a group of clergy activists, are sponsoring a reward of $1,000 to anyone that can lead to Yasmine's safe return.

In hopes that word reaches Yasmine, Starnes said: "I love you, I miss you and I want you back at home."

Pastor Acree added, "We're worried sick about you and your safety. Please come home, you will not be in trouble. I promise."

"I'm still holding on to hope," Acree stressed. "Because of so many caring people, I've been stunned by the support of so many. I believe God is going to use these people to bring Yasmin safely home."

The family ask that if anyone has information leading to the safe return of Yasmine Acree, call Area 5 Police at 312/746-6399, or contact Greater St. John Bible Church at 773/378-3300.

http://austinweeklynews.1upsoftware.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=1608&TM=83321.78

[Grande]

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http://profiles.friendster.com/55121166

[Grande]

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http://www.flixster.com/user/lymonaide97

[Grande]

http://i29.tinypic.com/ve6qyp.jpg

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http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=211573507

[wheezer]

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YASMINE RAYON ACREE


YASMINE RAYON ACREE
Case Type: Endangered Runaway
DOB: Oct 25, 1992 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Jan 15, 2008 Race: Black
Age Now: 15 Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
Missing City: CHICAGO Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)
Missing State : IL Hair Color: Sandy
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1088268
Circumstances: Yasmin was last seen on January 15, 2008. She may still be in the local area.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1088268&seqNum=1

[packy]

I'm confused that they list her as an endangered runaway when the lock on the gate was cut and the basement broken into with her glasses left behind.

Another blog at link. http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com/2008/02/missing-yasmine-acree.html

[Roamer]

I find that strange too, packy.

[lynne1978]

I'm confused that they list her as an endangered runaway when the lock on the gate was cut and the basement broken into with her glasses left behind.

Another blog at link. http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com/2008/02/missing-yasmine-acree.html

It says she has been missing since january but someone has signed into her myspace account. Is that her parents or the police signing in as her. She was last logged in on 2/18/2008
Just wondering:missing:

[Pauli]

A lot of the reports say that she is a runaway and some say she was abducted... so if it's a case that she is a runaway, it could be her that is logging in.

[Grande]

Welcome Lynne1978!

Believe it or not, that's somewhat of a common occurrence. Sometimes I have found it was the missing person accessing the account, in most cases however it's the family that has accessed the account. Unfortunately there's no way to determine which is the case.

[packy]

Hi and welcome, Lynne1978.

I don't think she is a runaway, but just in case I hope they checked in KY where she said her hometown was. If she did have any ties back there or family it might be worthwhile.

[Roamer]

I just can't see this girl as a runaway. She had everything going for her.

[Faith]

Family wants missing girl's case kept in spotlight

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 | 5:51 PM

Family and friends of a missing Chicago teenager aren't satisfied with the search effort by police.

But authorities claim there's evidence that 15-year-old Yasmine Acree ran away from home.

Acree vanished from her West Side home almost six months ago. The family says they do not want her to be forgotten. Family members, religious leaders and community activists say that police have not given this case the attention it should be getting. They believe it is because Acree is a young African-American girl from the West Side of Chicago.

"She's an African American, 15-year-old honor student, from the West Side, that this case is not necessarily getting attention that it deserves," said Marshall Hatch, reverenc and community activist

Frankly, a little insulting, we investigate every case of crime or missing persons. And we take it very seriously. We have over 2,000 man hours invested in this case. We met on two occasions," said Police Commander Joseph Salemme.

The 15-year-old vanished from her home located in the 4800-block of Congress on Jan. 16. Acree's adopted mother, Rose Starnes, believes her daughter was abducted. She showed off the gates leading to the young girl's bedroom in the basement and says one of the locks was broken and left behind by police.

"We told the police that that lock was cut off the gate in order for someone to get into the basement. The thing is they didn't take the lock for fingerprints or anything," said Starnes.

"The lock issue is not going to go away. It's not going to go away& Somebody fumbled the ball," said Ira Acree, victim's uncle and community activist.

Commander Salemme said he could not comment about the lock.

Starnes says her daughter was not the type of child to runaway police believe otherwise.

"We believe that's a potential," said Salemme.

Community leaders say they do not understand why other cases of missing children and adults get national coverage and attention.

"We know when Stacy Peterson is missing, it is -- I mean, there's a national interest," said Hatch..

"It's been really, really rough, really rough, and as the time passed, it goes harder and harder and doesn't get any easier or better. That's why I really want the police to do like they're supposed to and really help find Yasmine," said Starnes.

At the time of Yasmine Acree's disappearance, her mother was renting a room to her former boyfriend, and he was the last person to see the young girl January 15, the night before she was reported missing. The mother says he was questioned by police and no longer lives in her home. The family added they will not give up and will continue to hold prayer vigils and pray for her safe return home.

VIDEO
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6255274

[Grande]

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http://profiles.friendster.com/55121166

I noted a change in her Friendster profile. Her profile was updated 3 weeks ago with a new application. I checked, you have to accept the terms of the application before it can be added to the profile. Someone accessed her account in the last 3 weeks, imo;

http://i34.tinypic.com/2cd8mlh.jpg

[Grande]

No new login's on her MySpace or Flixster accounts.

[Grande]

More police attention sought in missing-teen case
Teen's family, friends urge beefed-up investigation
By Deanese Williams-Harris | Chicago Tribune reporter
11:04 PM CDT, July 9, 2008

Shaquana Holmes (left) and Krystal Wilson (center), friends of missing teenager Yasmin Acree, hold fliers about her disappearance Wednesday outside Grand-Central Area police headquarters. (Tribune photo by Alex Garcia / July 9, 2008)

Before she disappeared in January, Yasmin Acree talked excitedly about starting her first job and taking an annual summer trip with a YMCA mentoring program, which was considering her for a prominent role in a new job initiative.

"There are so many reasons why my daughter wouldn't run away," said Rose Starnes, who reported her 15-year-old daughter missing almost six months ago.

On Wednesday, family, friends and several ministers gathered in front of the Chicago Police Department's Grand-Central headquarters on the West Side to urge officials to heighten their investigation into Acree's disappearance.

"Because she's a 15-year-old African-American honor student from the West Side, this case isn't getting the attention it deserves," said Rev. Marshall Hatch of New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.

Acree's family wonders why it took two days for police to gather what the family considers key evidence—a lock that may have been cut from a wrought-iron gate outside the missing teen's home.

Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said evidence technicians were at the scene in January and collected what they thought was appropriate. She said police have no suspects.

Grand-Central Cmdr. Joseph Salemme said Wednesday that the criticism was "a little insulting." He said police have spent more than 2,000 hours on the case and sent numerous items to the state crime lab.

The investigation has gone into California and Kentucky, where other family members live, Bond said.

She also said police have not gotten full cooperation from people who may have information about the missing teen.

Starnes, 51, said she last saw her daughter Jan. 14 before going to Elgin to visit her grandchildren. Starnes' boyfriend told her that Acree had washed a load of clothes and gone to bed.

When Starnes returned home, she found the locks cut on two gates, and the door was forced open to the basement, where Acree's bedroom is located.

Earlier this year, police said they found no evidence of forced entry and that Acree told friends that she planned to run away.

But others say she would never run away.

"We saw no signs that she was unhappy or that something was wrong at home," said Kimberly George, director of the youth and teen development program at the North Lawndale YMCA.

George said Acree was sociable, smart and attentive to the younger children at the YMCA, which led officials to believe she could play an important role in a summer jobs program they were starting.

"I've been working with kids for more than 30 years, and I know a good kid when I see one," said Austin Principal Bill Gerstein.

There is a $2,500 reward for information leading to Acree's whereabouts. Call 773-378-3300.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-missing-teen-web-jul10,0,1806524.story

[wheezer]

Her poster is still up at The Center For Missing and Exploited Children.

[sarahhod]

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6263456

Missing teen's family files complaint on investigation

Monday, July 14, 2008

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The family of a missing Chicago teenager is filing a complaint Monday about how the Chicago Police Department has handled evidence in her disappearance.

Yasmin Acree, 15, disappeared from her West Side home nearly six months ago. Family and friends say the investigation has been "reckless."

Police say they are taking the case seriously and have spent more than 2,000 hours on the search.

[sarahhod]

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http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1088268&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

[Amusedtdth]

I agree w/the Aunt. The locks and such should have been printed. I don't think this young girl ran away and the fact that a room was rented to an "ex-boyfriend" makes this situation a little more sticky.
Hope shes found safe.

[wheezer]

Family says police, mainstream media largely ignoring disappearance of teen

Friends and family of Austin teen Yasmine Acree held hands and prayed outside Greater St. John Bible Church last Thursday at a vigil for the 15-year-old girl, who's been missing since Jan. 15. Yasmine is the cousin of Greater St. John Pastor Ira Acree.

At a press conference held afterward inside the church, 1256 N. Waller, friends and family sat in the sanctuary while Acree and other members of the Leaders' Network, a group of West Side clergy, joined Yasmine's mother, Rose Starnes, at the podium.

The press conference was scheduled not only to call attention to Yasmine's case, but also to criticize Chicago print and broadcast media, which have largely ignored this missing-person's case, supporters insist.

"We have been very disappointed in the media because, in Chicago, it seems that when people are missing, in certain communities there is a sense of urgency," said Pastor Acree. "That doesn't appear to be the case with this 15-year-old."

http://www.austinweeklynews.com/Main.asp?ArticleID=1833&SectionID=1
Rest of article at link.

[sarahhod]

Reward increased for help finding missing teen


http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6606859


Thursday, January 15, 2009 | 5:22 PM

January 15, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The reward has been increased for information leading to a missing teenager. Fifteen-year-old Yasmin Acree disappeared one year ago today.

"None of our children in this city can be safe until we find out what happened to Yasmin," said Rev. Marshall Hatch, Leaders Network.

Acree vanished from her West Side home January 15, 2008. Acree's adoptive mother, Rose Starns, believes her daughter was abducted.

"If anyone knows anything, I wish they would make a phone call," Rose said, "because we miss Yasmin and want her back at home."

Acree's family made another appeal to the public to help in the search for the 15-year-old high school student, announcing an increased reward of $3,000 for information leading to her whereabouts.

Yasmin's best friend and classmate at Austin PolyTech joined the group and was overcome with emotion.

"My birthday is tomorrow, and it's gonna be kind of hard. Another day, another year she isn't by my side," said Rashida Redmond, Acree's best friend.

During the past year, Yasmin's family fought to keep her case in the headlines. At one point they filed a complaint with the Independent Police Review Authority about how the case was being handled.

"We're not absolutely convinced that this is the case that this is an ongoing high-priority investigation, because here we are one year later with no information," said Rev. Hatch.

Chicago Police joined the family Thursday and said several detectives are on the case, logging thousands of hours, and following up on any tips they get.

"We have several detectives assigned to his case who are eager to find Yasmin, as well as myself," said Karen Sullivan, Chicago Police Department.

Chicago Police go on to say that some of those tips have been reported sightings of Yasmin and that investigators were able to confirm one sighting of her last August in Illinois, so they believe she is alive.

Her case was featured last month on America's Most Wanted and the hope is that , with this increase in reward money, more tips will come in, leading to her.

[DarkOrchid]

I'm curious. LE said that they had a "confirmed" tip of a sighting of her in August. How do they CONFIRM such a thing? Would it have to be someone that knows her or maybe a surveillance video that was shown to her parents and THEY confirmed it was her? I just wonder how that's done so that they can positively say that the sighting is confirmed to be her. Anyone know?

[sarahhod]

Young Girl Disappears, Gate Lock Found Cut

http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=61762


Overview
Cops say Yasmin was a good student who friends describe as enthusiastic and fun to be around.

Friends describe 15-year-old Yasmin Acree as an enthusiastic young woman who is fun to be around.

Yasmin attended Austin Polytechnic High School in Chicago, where teachers said she was a well-adjusted student who made decent grades.

On Jan. 15, 2008, cops say Yasmin went to school as usual, and then to a YMCA group meeting that she attended three days each week.

After the meeting, Yasmin's YMCA mentor dropped her off at home, around 8 p.m., according to Chicago Police Detective Michael Roth.

Her mother passed away, and police say Yasmin spent several years in foster care in Kentucky before Rose adopted her.

Cops say Yasmin had been living with her aunt, Rose Starns, and her aunt's boyfriend, Charles Burt, on the west side of Chicago for about four years.

Her mother passed away, and police say Yasmin spent several years in foster care in Kentucky before Rose adopted her.

On the evening of Jan. 15, 2008, Charles said he saw Yasmin come home and do a load of laundry before retreating to her room in the basement of the house.

She has not been seen or heard from since.

Yasmin never showed up at school the following morning, and when she didn't come home as usual around 5 p.m. that night, cops say Rose and Charles called police.

Police found that a lock on a gate behind the home had been cut.

Chicago Police say they have not ruled out any possibilities, and are investigating the case from all angles.

If you have seen Yasmin, or know anything about her disappearance, call our hotline at 1-800-CRIME-TV.

[wheezer]

Rev. Ira Acree is a man of intense faith. Now that his 15-year-old niece has been missing from her West Side home for one year he says the family is trying to cope with the fact that it will be a long time before they see the outgoing, well-mannered teen again. No one has claimed the $3,000 reward and police say all leads have dried up.

Yasmine Acre left her home in the Austin Community and headed for school Tuesday morning Jan. 15, 2008. After school she went to the local YMCA to meet with her mentor, Tiffany Moore. The 15-year-old later arrived at her home on the 4800 block of W. Congress, washed a load of clothes and went to her room. During the midnight hours she went missing. Sources say a live-in boyfriend of the mother’s may have been the last person to see the child.

Rev. Acree, Yasmine’s cousin and pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, said the freshman came to church every Sunday with her mother. The last time Acree saw Yasmine, he recalled “She was very happy and just being a typical teenager,” he told the Crusader. “We don’t believe she left that house without being forced. It’s out of character. We just want her home.”

Sources claim tips have come into the Chicago police hotline and have fuelled sightings of the teen in Indiana and Mississippi. A person who asked for anonymity said the mother’s alleged live-in boyfriend failed a polygraph test. Police would not verify such information and the boyfriend is no longer in Chicago.

The reward has increased this year by $500 and without sustained media attention people in the community rarely inquire anymore about the teen.

“I just feel helpless,” her mother Rose told the Crusader. “My daughter is out there and there’s nothing I can do to get her back. I feel like she’s being held against her will. She didn’t run away. I don’t believe Yasmine is dead and I know she didn’t vanish into thin air. Someone, somewhere knows where my child is.”

According to the U.S. Justice Department, about 800,000 children go missing each year. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has said 2,200 children are reportedly missing each day. Demographic profiles of those missing children show that 51 percent are male and 47 percent are racial minorities. While half of the missing children are male and of color, it appears that mainstream television news mostly cover cases of white missing children, especially Caucasian girls. As for missing adults (those over 18), the National Center of Missing Adults and the FBI report similar findings.

Rev. Acree said it has been hard for his family to sustain media interest. “What can we do but pray and wait?” he asked. “Yasmine isn’t Caylee Anthony. The media loses its interest when our children go missing and all we can do is hope. It’s been hard to galvanize the community for the type of efforts one might see in cases where young white girls are abducted. It’s like Yasmine has just been washed away.”

Anyone with information about Yasmine Acree should call Det. Roth at (312) 745-8365 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children?1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST).

http://www.chicagocrusader.com/PressRelease_detail2.asp?ID=269

[sarahhod]

Yasmin's story
It’s been more than a year since Austin teen’s

By TERRY DEAN
News Editor


A year ago today, Rose Starnes was frantically wondering what happened to her 15-year-old daughter, Yasmin Acree, who disappeared from their Austin home the week earlier.
Last Thursday was the one-year anniversary of Yasmin's disappearance. The family believes she was kidnapped from their home, but Chicago Police can't say for sure. Yasmin turned 16 Oct. 25. Starnes believes Yasmin is still alive, perhaps being held against her will. Family and friends by habit talk about her in the present tense. The family would have thrown a party for Yasmin on her birthday, Starnes said, either at the Congress Parkway home or out at a restaurant. Yasmin loves to eat, her mother said.
Last Thursday, the family had a press conference at the 25th District Police Station at 5555 W. Grand to mark the year she's been gone. They were joined by law enforcement officials, clergy and community leaders. Yasmin's cousin, the Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church, led the proceedings. They announced a $3,000 reward offered for any information leading to her whereabouts. Yasmin, the group pointed out, is among the nearly 1 million children who go missing each year.
"It's hard but we get along," said Starnes on a Sunday morning in the family's living room. "This one year has been hard because we're nowhere close then where we were in the beginning. We don't know any more then when she came up missing."
A cardboard cut-out made by family and friends with Yasmin's photo and the words "We Miss U/Where are U" sits in the home's first-floor. Police call Starnes every week about the case but there's been no serious leads.
In October, her story appeared on the Maury Povich Show that featured missing children and on America's Most Wanted in December. Producers from the Povich show filmed at the family's home. Yasmin's room, which is in the basement, hasn't changed that much, except for a new bed spread. About a dozen stuffed animals are on the bed. Yasmin's gym shoes are resting on a stool. Her salutatorian plague and trophy for winning an essay contest while at May Elementary School where she was an academic scholar sits on the window sill. Yasmin talked about becoming a fashion designer or a model, and sometimes talked about college.
"She enjoyed reading," said Starnes. "When she finished reading her own books, she'd read her mothers.'"
She also liked watching the Disney Channel, which is one of her favorite stations, her mom said. Yasmin, Starnes added, has some friends but was quiet, mostly stayed at home and went to school. That's why the family never believed she ran away, one of the earlier theories by police shortly after she went missing.
It was Tuesday evening, Jan 15, 2008 when Yasmin was last seen. She went to school that day at Austin Polytech Academy on the Austin High School campus, 231 N. Pine, then to the Austin YMCA, 501 N. Central, after school where she was part of a mentoring program. Her teachers at May school, where Yasmin graduated in 2007, recruited her for the program. Yasmin spent time with her mentor that Tuesday before heading home that evening. Family members saw her. They said she washed clothes in the basement before going to bed. She was gone the next day and hasn't been seen since.
Rev. Ira Acree believes she's alive. The family is concerned that her case has not gotten the type of media attention other missing children have received.
"It gives the impression that people have moved on," he said. "It's also hard on her friends and other youth in our community. They think, 'Would this happen to me if I was missing?' When other kids go missing in other communities, everything stops. Unfortunately, in urban America, when a little girl disappears, they just don't get that 100 percent attention."
Acree also wonders how any children can disappear without a trace.
"We know she just didn't vanish off the face of the earth. I believe in my heart that somebody knows something. My thing is: if there's anyone police have a suspicion about, investigate every lead and no one is off limits."
Some of Yasmin's friends and teachers from Austin Polytech attended last Thursday's press conference. Yasmin's best friend was her cousin Shakenna Banks. They liked to go out or hang out in the basement, Shakenna noted, either listening to music or making up their own songs. Yasmin's favorite artists are Omarion, Lil Wayne and Bow Wow.
"We use to write songs together, and she has a journal and we would just write about what we did that day. Or we would just sing or get on her brother's nerves," Shakenna said.
Yasmin's last birthday with the family was in 2007, but her brother wanted to throw one for her last year. Starnes said the family didn't because Yasmin is not here.
Starnes also thinks her daughter's case has gone largely ignored by much of the media.
"Sometimes I really don't [believe it has gotten the attention it deserves]," she said. "With some people, it all depends. Sometimes they can find people real quick. But maybe that's how I feel because they haven't found her. It's really frustrating too because she's a child. And it's made other kids scared too, that a child could disappear into thin air."
Starnes also talked of feeling useless because, "she's probably out there wondering when someone is going to come and get her."

http://www.austinweeklynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=2088&TM=10298.12

[Roamer]

Seems to me they should pay more attention to the mom's boyfriend.

[TigressPen]

This is a very odd case. No news updates can be located. I pray she is safe.

[packy]

I could find nothing either about her or about Yasmin Johnson.

[AmyE]

No updates!

[sarahhod]

http://imgsrv.wbbm780.com/image/DbGraphic/200909/1354846.jpg?1252746805
Yasmin Acree, 15, has been missing since January 15, 2008.
Posted: Friday, 11 September 2009 9:52AM

Missing teen's family to get meeting with top cop

Bob Roberts Reporting
WBBM Newsradio 780

CHICAGO (WBBM) - The activist pastor of a West Side church, his extended family and fellow ministers meet next week with Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis over the department's handling of his cousin's disappearance, more than 18 months ago.
Members of missing teen Yasmin Acree's family have insisted from the beginning that she was not the type of teen who would run away, and say there was ample evidence of forced entry into the family's home that police ignored and failed to collect for three days.
By that time, charged Yasmin's cousin and minister, the Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church, the broken padlocks and door frames had all been compromised as evidence by repeated handling.
Instead, Rev. Acree says, police initially treated Yasmin as a runaway. Weis said the police Internal Affairs Division, after a 13-month investigation, sustained the family's view.
"It appears that some of our officers made a mistake. We'll deal with that," Weis said, but added, "I think it's safe to say that particular incident had no impact upon the efforts of our detectives in locating that young lady."
Yasmin remains missing. Rev. Acree disputed Weis' view.
"I don't know how the superintendent can sit back and say there's police misconduct, and then in the same breath say there's no impact in the case," he said. "It makes absolutely no sense."
Acree said botched evidence collection at the scene cannot have helped.
Yasmin was a freshman at Austin High School when she disappeared, on Jan. 15, 2008.
The meeting, at Chicago Police headquarters, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. Rev. Acree said he, Yasmin's mother, and other ministers from his Leaders' Network will attend.

http://www.wbbm780.com/Missing-Teen-s-Family-Demands-Meeting-With-Top-Cop/5192006

[sarahhod]

Complaint filed against 2 cops in missing teen investigation: source

WEST SIDE | Aunt says they failed to note lock cut off door


September 10, 2009

BY FRANK MAIN (fmain@suntimes.com) Staff Reporter

The Chicago Police Department has sustained a complaint against two officers in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl, a police source confirmed Thursday.
The department would not officially discuss the nature of the complaint or what punishment the officers might face, if any.
But a source said the complaint was filed by Rose Starnes, an aunt of the girl, Yasmin Acree, who was first reported missing from the West Side on Jan. 16, 2008.
In her complaint, Starnes said two officers responded to her home in the 4800 block of West Congress to take a missing-persons report.
Starnes said she showed them a lock that had been cut off a rear basement door. Yasmin lived in the lower level of the house.
But the officers would not inventory the lock, Starnes said in her complaint.
The family continued to call police about the lock, which Starnes considered evidence in Yasmin’s disappearance. On Jan. 17, 2008, the lock was inventoried by police. Starnes filed her complaint on Jan. 18, 2008.
The police source said the officers should have inventoried the lock at the time they first responded to the home.
Starnes and a group of ministers gathered outside police headquarters today to announce that officers were “found guilty of misconduct.”
But police Supt. Jody Weis told reporters today that “in no way did these officers’ actions impact the investigation” into Yasmin’s disappearance.
Yasmin remains missing.
“We still believe and hope that she is out there and that whoever abducted her will be apprehended,” Cy Fields, of the Leaders Network coalition of religious leaders, told reporters outside police headquarters at 35th and Michigan.
At the time of her disappearance, police told reporters there was no evidence of a break-in and that Yasmin had told friends she was planning to run away. But Starnes said she believes the Austin Polytechnic Academy freshman was kidnapped.
Police said Yasmin went to school on Jan. 15, 2008, then to a YMCA group meeting she regularly attended. Her YMCA mentor dropped her off at home at about 8 p.m., police said.
Starnes’ boyfriend told police he saw Yasmin come home. She did a load of laundry before going to her room, he told police.
Starnes adopted Yasmin after her mother died. Before she was adopted, Yasmin had spent several years in a foster home in Kentucky, police said.


http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1764089,police-complaint-yasmin-acree-investigation-091009.article

[packy]

It's just sad that in many cases they first treat them as runaways. A cut off lock should be enough right there to think foul play.

[Faith]

Family of missing girl meets with CPD chief

September 17, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The family of a missing teenager met with Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis Thursday.

Yasmin Acree disappeared more than a year-and-a-half ago. Her family believes police hampered efforts to find her. Police officials have admitted there was misconduct while investigating the case.

And it is those mistakes that the family of Yasmin Acree says cost precious time and effort in finding the teen. Thursday, the girl's family asked Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis to reclassify the case and have detectives investigating the Yasmin's disappearance, not treat her as a runaway, but as a missing person who was kidnapped.

Surrounded by supporters, Rose Starnes left Chicago Police Department headquarters Thursday afternoon still hoping her daughter will come home safe.

"Yasmin, if you can hear me, give me a call and let us know you are ok and alive," said Starnes.

Starnes and several West Side clergy had a nearly two-hour meeting with police superintendent Jody Weis, which comes as a sometimes frantic 20-month search for the girl continues and after a ruling by the CPD's internal affairs division that officers botched efforts to find Yasmin.

"She was instantly classified as a runaway. From our standpoint, runaways don't break locks, nor do they break doors," said Rev. Cy Fields, Leader's Network of West Side Clergy.

On January 15, 2008, the family of the then-15-year-old Austin Polytechnical Academy high school student says she went to the Austin YMCA before returning home later that evening. They say they last saw Yasmin doing laundry in the basement where her room was also located.

The next morning, Yasmin was gone -- the only clue to what happened was a broken lock and a damaged outside door.

"We don't know if this case could have had an earlier resolution that we don't have today," said Rev. Marshall Hatch, New Mt. Pilgrim Church.

The family remains concerned that the home wasn't treated like a crime scene and neither the door nor broken lock was dusted for fingerprints.

Thursday, Weis acknowledged that mistakes were made but still believes in the integrity of the investigation, and in a statement says: "This is the highest priority missing person case for Area 5 detectives. All of us share the family's desire to find Yasmin Acree".

Still, an outpouring of support from the community have brought few leads.

Yasmin's relative, the Reverend Ira Acree, maintains Yasmin was abducted and wants whoever has her to let her go.

"There's no apartment, no job, there has to be an adult somewhere harboring her," said Rev. Acree.

The pastors say Superintendent Weis did assure them, if warranted, the police officers involved would be disciplined for their mishandling of the case.

This week, the reward for information about the teen's disappearance was raised from $3,000 to $5,000.

The girl's family and friends are asking anyone with information about the whereabouts of Yasmin Acree to call (773) 745-6052.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7019889

[AmyE]

Chicago Teen Investigation Continues in Cleveland

Acree was an honor student at a Chicago school and involved in sports.

She was 15-years-old when she went missing.

Authorities allegedly thought she was a runaway but her mother insisted she wasn't.

Rose Starnes, Yasmine's mother, says someone broke the lock on her basement door.

She says after police arrived at her residence, they didn't ask enough questions, ignored the broken lock and told her Yasmine ran away.

Chicago police later admitted to making mistakes when they investigated the evidence in Acree's disappearance.

But now authorities say they are focused on the missing persons case.

The story of Yasmine caught the attention of America's Most Wanted.

The show aired on Fox 8 and after seeing the now 17-year-old's picture, a tip from someone in Cleveland came in claiming they saw the teen.

Chicago Police Detective Mike Roth says, "The tip was that an anonymous caller saw the child in a friend of a friend's home. The caller does not remember the address or street name of the residence. The child was getting an auburn curly weave put in her natural hair at the residence. That's the tip and it's just somewhere in Cleveland Ohio."

With no street address or location, police have little to go on.

If you have any information regarding Yasmine Acree's whereabouts, you're asked to call the Cleveland or Chicago Police Department.


http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-americas-most-wanted-chicago-teen-txt,0,1467586.story

[AmyE]

So her name is Yasmin with out the "E".

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&LanguageCountry=en_US&searchLang=en_US&caseLang=en_US&orgPrefix=NCMC&caseNum=1088268&seqNum=1

[Faith]

Still Missing
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1088268&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

[Amusedtdth]

This one has always bothered me as to why it wasn't investigated properly. Wish things had been different maybe then she would have been found. I really feel for the family, their frustration and anger must be off the charts.