Benjamin Everett, 3 (Found Safe/Father Killed) 6/21/2004 from Hawthorne, CA

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/everett_b.htm
June 21, 2004
Hawthorne, California

BENJAMIN EVERETT http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/everett_b1.jpghttp://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/everett_b2.jpghttp://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/everett_b3.jpg

DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth: November 15, 2001 Place of Birth: Unknown
Sex: Male Hair: Brown
Height: 4'0" (at the time of his disappearance) Eyes: Brown
Weight: 40 pounds (at the time of his disappearance) Race: Biracial
(Black and Hispanic)

THE DETAILS
Benjamin is believed to be in the company of his father, Manuel Benitez (pictured below), who is currently wanted in connection with the beating death of Benjamin's mother on June 21, 2004.


Manuel Benitez http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/fugitives/vc/murders/benitez_m1.jpg

Manuel Benitez is described as an Hispanic male, DOB: September 28, 1969, 6'0", 190 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Individuals with information concerning this case should take no action themselves, but instead immediately contact the nearest FBI Office or local law enforcement agency. For any possible sighting outside the United States, contact the nearest United States Embassy or Consulate.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.amw.com/missing_children/brief.cfm?id=28528
http://media.amw.com/multimedia/fileRepository/db/460/285/Everett_Ben_lg2.jpg
Child In Danger
Benjamin has been missing since June 21, 2004

On the afternoon of June 21, 2004, police responded to an anonymous call and discovered the body of Stephanie Spears in her apartment. Her son was missing. Police believe Mark Everett, Stephanie Spears live-in-boyfriend and father of Benjamin, brutally murdered Stephanie and took off with their son. Police have been unable to locate Mark Everett or Benjamin.

The Abductor's Past

Mark Everett and Stephanie Spears Mark Everett was one of the luckiest kids in America, living every child's fantasy of being in the movies. With his many appearances in television shows, commercials and motion pictures, Everett was on his way to becoming a child star. He worked steadily from the ages of nine to eighteen, winning part after part. But when his teen years ended, so did his life in front of the camera and that's when his life off camera began to fall apart.

In 1996, when he was 26, Everett met Stephanie Spears. Eventually, they moved in together and had a baby boy who they named Benjamin. Despite the fact that they shared a child, there was a lot Stephanie didn't know about her man. Everett never talked about his past with Stephanie or her family.

But being a great liar wasn't the worst of it. Cops say Everett was selling drugs. While Stephanie was excelling in college, even winning a five-year scholarship, cops say Everett slipped deeper into dope dealing. The two were clearly headed in different directions, and Stephanie couldn't take it any longer - then came the weekend of Father's Day, 2004.

Murderous Father's Day

Mark Everett is believed to have abducted Benjamin

Cops say that when Stephanie told Everett it was over, he waited for her to fall asleep, grabbed little Benjamin, and tried to sneak out of their apartment. According to officials, Stephanie confronted him while he was leaving with the child, and during that confrontation, he became enraged.

In that rage, police say, Everett picked up a dumbbell and began beating Stephanie. He beat her to death. Mark Everett took off with the boy and hasn't been seen since.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.pollyklaas.org/missing/kids/page.jsp?itemID=27043730
Missing child information:

Missing Child: Benjamin Everett
Date Missing: 6/21/04
Missing From: Hawthorne, CA
DOB: 11/15/01
Age at Disappearance: 2 years
Sex: Male
Race: African American/Hispanic
Height: 4’
Weight: 40 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Circumstances: Manuel Benitez is a suspect in the murder of his girlfriend, Stephanie Spears, at 13026 Florwood Avenue, Hawthorne on June 21, 2004. He then allegedly fled the scene with their 2 year old son, Benjamin Everett, who has not been seen since the murder. Sheriff’s Homicide Detectives are also requesting information in locating Ms. Elizabeth Velasco, suspect Benitez’ mother, who may know the whereabouts of her son and grandson. Manuel Benitez may use the alias birthday 9/15/69.

Wanted for Murder: Manuel Benitez
AKA: Mark Everett; Mike Evers; Manuel Velasco
DOB: 9/28/69
Sex: Male
Race: Caucasian/Hispanic
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6’
Weight: 190 lbs.

Wanted for Questioning: Elizabeth Velasco
Race: Caucasian
Age: 58 years
Sex: Female
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
http://www.pollyklaas.org/missing/kids/images/n-z/VelascoElizabeth.jpg

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.forthelost.org/family/beverett.html
http://www.forthelost.org/familyimages/BEverett.jpg
http://www.forthelost.org/familyimages/BEverett1.jpg
Above: Benjamin Everett in 2004 (left) and an age-progressed image to 6, circa 2007 (right)

Circumstances: Benjamin was last seen in the company of his mother, Stephanie Spears. A phone call to the police led them to her apartment, where she was found murdered. Benjamin and his father and mother's boyfriend, Manuel Benitez, were missing. A photo and vital statistics for him are posted below. A warrant has been issued for him for his girlfriend's murder. Manuel's mother is also missing and is wanted for questioning. Benjamin is considered to be endangered and caution is advised.

If you have any information as to Benjamin's whereabouts, please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office at 323-890-5500. Any information received can be kept confidential.

[emmeblu]

No telling where this guy high-tailed it to with the child. Since most likely he killed the g/f, he is in hiding and may be in another country. I do hope the child is safe.

So sad because there needs to be justice for the murder Benjamin's mother. May she RIP:1222423:

[KittyMom]

http://www.accessatlanta.com/entertainment/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Boy_Hostage.html

SoCal man killed by cops was 2004 murder suspect

EL MONTE, Calif. — A call to police to investigate a gaunt, seedy-looking man with a boy was the beginning of a deadly end to four years on the run for Manuel Benitez, a former child actor who authorities say used a dumbbell to beat his girlfriend to death in 2004.

Benitez was shot and killed by police Tuesday night about two hours after he holed up in the back of a Chinese restaurant where he'd taken his 7-year-old son hostage. He was armed with two handguns and had threatened to harm the boy, police said.

Benjamin Everett, whose mother was slain when he was 3, was shot in the thigh as a SWAT team burst into the locked bathroom, but his wound was not considered life-threatening. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which was investigating the incident, released no information on who wounded the boy.

He was listed in stable condition at County-USC Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said.

Benitez, 38, was a child actor who had small roles under the name Mark Everett in such 1980s fare as "Galactica 1980" and "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." He was credited as "heavy metal boy" in the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver."

However, his career went nowhere and so did his life.

In 2000, he was arrested on drug charges and in 2003 he was arrested for hiding loaded guns in his son's stroller, leading to his conviction and a sentence of probation, according to the TV show "America's Most Wanted," which obtained videos of his questioning by authorities in those cases and repeatedly featured his case.

Benitez vanished with the boy after his girlfriend and Benjamin's mother, Stephanie Spears, was beaten to death with a dumbbell on June 21, 2004, in their home in Hawthorne, a Los Angeles suburb.

He was charged with murder and a state arrest warrant was issued in 2005. The next year a federal arrest warrant was issued after he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

After Spears' killing, photographs of Benitez and the boy were placed on milk cartons and on the Web site of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

She said agents were concerned for the boy's safety because Benitez had been known to live in squalor. He had several known aliases and was rumored to speak Spanish, German, French and Cantonese, according to the FBI.

A $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to his capture.

On Monday afternoon, he showed up at a strip mall in El Monte, a blue-collar Los Angeles suburb of about 116,000 people less than 25 miles from Hawthorne.

Nobody apparently knew the straggle-haired stranger with the child was a wanted man. El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said an officer was called to the scene at about 2:30 p.m. to investigate a report of a suspicious, possibly homeless man with a child.

"When officers arrived at the location, they found the man who produced a handgun. The man grabbed the male juvenile described in the call and placed him between himself and the officer," the Sheriff's Department statement said.

Benitez took the boy into the restaurant and locked himself in the bathroom with the boy. Nearby streets were evacuated. During two hours of negotiations, Benitez "threatened to kill himself, the juvenile, and any responding officers," the statement said.

Police used a flash-bang device as they entered the restroom in an attempt to rescue the boy and arrest Benitez, it said.

The statement said "an officer-involved shooting occurred." It did not say whether Benitez fired his weapons.

Authorities said Benitez's mother, Alina Elizabeth Velsaco, was being sought.

___

Associated Press Writer Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

[Faith]

snip

Benitez was shot and killed by police Tuesday night about two hours after he holed up in the back of a Chinese restaurant where he'd taken his 7-year-old son hostage. He was armed with two handguns and had threatened to harm the boy, police said.

Benjamin Everett, whose mother was slain when he was 3, was shot in the thigh as a SWAT team burst into the locked bathroom, but his wound was not considered life-threatening.

This child will need some counseling. I am soooooo happy he's been recovered.

[KittyMom]

snip

Benitez was shot and killed by police Tuesday night about two hours after he holed up in the back of a Chinese restaurant where he'd taken his 7-year-old son hostage. He was armed with two handguns and had threatened to harm the boy, police said.

Benjamin Everett, whose mother was slain when he was 3, was shot in the thigh as a SWAT team burst into the locked bathroom, but his wound was not considered life-threatening.

This child will need some counseling. I am soooooo happy he's been recovered.

ITA. I do wonder where the grandmother is and if she is still alive.