Kathy Chaney

When news broke about 12-year-old Jahmeshia Conner’s body found in an alley Nov. 30 near her home on the South Side, about two weeks after she was reported missing, heartbreak and outrage set in. Technical difficulties or human error prevented the missing persons case being reported to the media, according to Chicago Police. And, preliminary reports indicated the girl was strangled about 24 hours before her body was discovered.

Her family and friends were upset with Chicago Police because they felt not much was done to assist in efforts to find the little girl and said she was classified as an “endangered runaway.” The news alert didn’t reach the media as they usually do when someone of a priority status (under age 10, seniors and the mentally ill).

I receive every news alert from the Chicago Police Department and nothing about Jahmeshia was e-mailed to me. Nor was a missing persons alert about 14-year-old Christine Nicole Harris who was reported missing Nov. 7, 2009, and is still missing.

http://kathychaney.com/2009/11/08/missing-christine-nicole-harris/

DOB: 6/14/95  HEIGHT: 5′ 5 1/2″ WEIGHT: 110 LBS. EYES: BROWN HAIR: REDDISH BROWN WORN IN A PONYTAIL

Kim Harris, Christine’s mother, had felt on Day one about the police what the Conner’s are now feeling.

“I too got a similar response. My heart and deepest condolences goes out to that family. I’m praying I’m not next. I think the fact that these are minors 12 to17 years old, that makes it a priority,” said Harris.

Harris and I used to work together and I’ve known Chris since she was about age 4. When she contacted me the last day she saw Chris I gathered the pertinent information and photo that would appear on a flyer and made the flyer.

The police advised her to keep in touch with them and let them know if she heard from her daughter, plus, it hadn’t been 24 hours since Chris was last seen by her mother, other relatives or the girl’s friends Harris contacted. I was a little put off by their response so I began to make calls and provide the mother with contact info for local media outlets.

The next morning I met Harris at her district’s station at 9 a.m., a full 24-hours later. They wouldn’t put a flyer up in the station because it wasn’t “official.” Next step, call Area 1 Special Victims Unit. We sent the flyer to them — complete with the report number — and asked if it could be send it to the media.

An officer said an in-house flyer had to be made. Once the official flyer was completed, they e-mailed it to Harris so she could make copies to distribute, post, etc. We then asked if the department’s News Affairs office could send the alert to the media.

Nothing was ever sent. However, the mother contacted local media outlets.

“Upon calling, e-mailing and faxing various media outlets I was told ‘We’re working with local authorities to see if a story develops before we can show her picture.’ It sounds to me like they’re waiting on her to meet with foul play before they’ll do a story. At that point I wouldn’t want to talk. It wasn’t until the alleged mishandling of the Conner case that a local news reporter interviewed me and got a couple of shots of my daughter for their station,” said Harris.

The detectives have kept in touch with her to inquire whether or not she heard from her daughter and to inform her they received no leads. Christine hasn’t shown up in school since she was reported missing.

Fast-forward a few weeks and there was a missing person’s alert to the media on Nov. 19 (three days after Jahmeshia was reported missing) about a 12-year-old girl on the South Side. Thankfully the girl was reunited with her family within one day. On Dec. 2 a missing persons news alert was sent about a 14-year-old boy on the West Side. Thankfully he was reunited with his family within one day.

Technical glitch or human error, when the Chicago Police knew that an alert hadn’t gone out in Jahmeshia and Christine’s case, they should’ve corrected the issue and sent one out. When the Conner and Harris families continuously contacted the police and the media about their cases, attention should’ve been given.

Too often children are classified as runaways, and even if it is the case, the child is still missing. The parent has no knowledge of their whereabouts and want their children home. Danger lurks often and God forbid another child reported missing is met with the same fate as Jahmeshia.

-Kathy Chaney