Grande
12-08-2008, 04:21 PM
Aunt to slain teen goes missing
Published: Monday, December 8, 2008
De QUEEN (AP) — The aunt of a teenage girl found slain in September is missing, raising concerns among detectives that she too might be dead.
Sandra Lerma, 39, of De Queen, has been missing since Friday afternoon. Lerma’s family found her purse and her car parked outside a building she planned to remodel into a beauty salon, said Police Chief Richard McKinley.
The door to the building was unlocked when her family arrived, McKinley said.
“She was going to have some work on the building done Friday afternoon, but she wasn’t in the building when he (electrician) arrived,” he told the Texarkana Gazette. “Her family said she never went anywhere without her purse. It’s one of the reasons we’re suspicious something happened.”
Lerma is the aunt of Ivonne Ramirez, 15, whose body was found Oct. 21 near the Story Creek area of De Queen Lake.
The state crime lab in Little Rock has ruled Ramirez’s death a homicide but had not released the cause of death. The girl was last seen alive Sept. 20 and was reported missing by her father Sept. 21. No arrests have been made in that case.
“The aunt was close to her niece,” McKinley said.
On Saturday, police said they didn’t know if Lerma was a victim of foul play or if the death of her niece is related to her disappearance.
“It was a busy street and we hope someone saw something. Even if they saw a vehicle leaving, contact us,” Arkansas State Police Special Agent Hays McWhirter said.
Nearby residents have been questioned about Lerma’s disappearance, said Arkansas State Police Special Agent Ray Gentry.
McKinley said the FBI has also been notified to assist in the investigation.
Lerma is 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build. She also has an eyeliner tattoo.
Those with information about Lerma are asked to call the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department at (870) 642-2213.
http://www.guardonline.com/?q=node/50133
Published: Monday, December 8, 2008
De QUEEN (AP) — The aunt of a teenage girl found slain in September is missing, raising concerns among detectives that she too might be dead.
Sandra Lerma, 39, of De Queen, has been missing since Friday afternoon. Lerma’s family found her purse and her car parked outside a building she planned to remodel into a beauty salon, said Police Chief Richard McKinley.
The door to the building was unlocked when her family arrived, McKinley said.
“She was going to have some work on the building done Friday afternoon, but she wasn’t in the building when he (electrician) arrived,” he told the Texarkana Gazette. “Her family said she never went anywhere without her purse. It’s one of the reasons we’re suspicious something happened.”
Lerma is the aunt of Ivonne Ramirez, 15, whose body was found Oct. 21 near the Story Creek area of De Queen Lake.
The state crime lab in Little Rock has ruled Ramirez’s death a homicide but had not released the cause of death. The girl was last seen alive Sept. 20 and was reported missing by her father Sept. 21. No arrests have been made in that case.
“The aunt was close to her niece,” McKinley said.
On Saturday, police said they didn’t know if Lerma was a victim of foul play or if the death of her niece is related to her disappearance.
“It was a busy street and we hope someone saw something. Even if they saw a vehicle leaving, contact us,” Arkansas State Police Special Agent Hays McWhirter said.
Nearby residents have been questioned about Lerma’s disappearance, said Arkansas State Police Special Agent Ray Gentry.
McKinley said the FBI has also been notified to assist in the investigation.
Lerma is 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build. She also has an eyeliner tattoo.
Those with information about Lerma are asked to call the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department at (870) 642-2213.
http://www.guardonline.com/?q=node/50133