Missing and Murdered Children

Original Post: May 12, 2010 | A Michigan Amber Alert has been issued for a teen mother and her toddler son who disappeared from a vehicle while waiting for their guardian to return from an errand inside the IRS office in Grand Rapids Township.

According to the guardian, she left 16-year-old Octavia Pendergrass, and the teen’s 15-month-old son in the car while she went inside the IRS office. She returned to the vehicle about thirty minutes later and found the car empty. Octavia suffers from severe mental disabilities that poses a risk to herself and her son. Read the rest of this entry »

• Original Post
• Part II
• Update: September 2008

Original Post: August 11, 2009Last Updated: September 7, 2009View Sources

It has been a little more than twenty-four-hours since anyone has seen 5-year-old Hassani Campbell of Oakland, California. He and his younger sister live with their aunt, Jennifer Campbell, who is also their foster mother and legal guardian. According to Jennifer Campbell’s fiancée, he parked the car in the back parking lot behind Jennifer’s place of employment. He took the younger child inside the store and when he went back outside to get Hassani he was no longer in the vehicle.

I suppose it is a plausible story that a 5-year-old got bored with sitting in the car and decided to get out. One problem with that is Hassani has cerebral palsy and wears leg braces. Most likely he could not have traveled very far given his condition. Certainly when canvassing the neighborhood of shops people would have remembered seeing the little boy with the leg braces.

The FBI has joined the search for Hassani. Police have impounded the fiancée’s BMW and it is being treated as a ‘crime scene’ in case Hassani was indeed kidnapped. Authorities have also conducted an extensive searched of the aunt’s home trying to determine what exactly happened to Hassani Campbell.

Hassani was last seen yesterday afternoon in the fiancée’s BMW in the vicinity of 6000 College Avenue in Oakland, California. He was reported missing at 4:15 p.m. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released his missing poster via the Poster Partner Program on August 11, 2009 at 5 p.m.

If you have information about this case you are asked to call 9-1-1 or the Oakland California Police Department at 1-510-777-3333.

If this case does not turn out well this will be the fourth case of a child being harmed or murdered in the state of California in the past month who were under the watchful eye of the Department of Childrens’ Services. Let’s hope Hassani Campbell is found alive and well and is not just another sad statistic.

Missing Child: Hassani Campbell

Hassani is a 5-year-old light skinned Black male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 3’0″ tall and weighs 40lbs. When last seen Hassani was wearing a gray sweatshirt and gray pants. He has cerebral palsy and wears leg braces.

Updates 

August 11, 2009: 10 p.m. PST

There is more information about Hassani Campbell’s family life. As I wrote previously, Hassani lives with his biological aunt, Jennifer Campbell, and Campbell’s fiancé, Louis Ross. They have been in the process of adopting Hassani. The child has lived with them since December of last year. Hassani’s biological mother lives in San Francisco and she suffers from drug and health problems. Hassani’s biological father lives in San Francisco as well. Both parents have been interviewed by police.

I don’t know. I watched the interview with the two foster parents and I am not sure what to make of it. Jennifer appears to be grief-stricken and Louis appears to be mildly upset. Jennifer is pregnant with their first child. Watch the video here and leave a comment below about what you think. I read another article somewhere that said the foster parents hired an attorney late this afternoon.

Oakland Police and members of the FBI evidence response unit descended on the home of Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell this afternoon. The home is located on Roxie Terrace in the town of Fremont. According to media sources the home is owned by Louis Ross.

August 13, 2009: 1:15 a.m. PST

There is still no sign of little Hassani Campbell. Louis Ross, the foster father, was grousing to the media about how the FBI and local authorities are trying to put the blame on him for what happened to Hassani. I wrote in the previous entry that both Ross and Jennifer Campbell and hired an attorney. When the FBI asked Ross to take a polygraph exam at first he refused. His attorney advised him it is best to cooperate fully with law enforcement so Ross agreed to take the exam. Their is no word on a pass or fail on the exam. Interestingly enough or should I say surprisingly enough, Jennifer Campbell refused to take a polygraph. I mentioned in another entry that Jennifer is pregnant. According to her attorney she was concerned about what effect the polygraph might have on her unborn child. Hmmm. Maybe she is more concerned that she won’t pass the polygraph. I am sure they explained to her that the polygraph is a non-invasive procedure, that it just measures blood pressure, pulse, respiration and skin temperature. I forget what else it measures but certainly the test does not do anything that would effect a developing fetus in a negative way. Another thing that was said that is interesting is Campbell stayed upstairs while the press was there. That is a very different way of relating with the press compared to yesterday when she ‘vomited’ her emotions all over the interview.

The grandmother says she ‘does not think’ that Ross or Campbell had anything to do with Hassani’s disappearance. I wonder why she has not said something like “I know for sure they would not do a thing to harm Hassani, they love him.”

The other things Ross is grousing about is the fact that they took away the 1-year-old and put her in another foster home.

“We were very upset,” he said. “We were dealing with a loss of a child, and the other child was taken from us.
“All of a sudden, it was like we were thrown against the wall,” Ross said. “We had to prove we were not responsible, but our son is out there missing. We cannot be part of the search.” ¹

The last time I remember police telling parents they could not help in the search for their ‘missing’ child was when Ricky Holland was reported missing from his Michigan home. He was an adopted child. Police did not allow the parents to search because they did not believe the story the parents told them. A year and a half later the adoptive father, Tim Holland, led authorities to where he had dumped the little guy’s body. Lisa Holland, the adoptive mother, was tried and convicted of murdering him. Tim Holland testified against her at her trial as a part of a plea arrangement. Lisa Holland received life without parole. Tim Holland was sentenced to sixty years, if I recall correctly. Ricky, of course, received death.

I don’t think police believe Ross’ account of what happened to Hassani Campbell. They are hopeful but it has been more than 48 hours since he was last seen according to Ross. One problem is that police have canvassed the area of the shoe store where Ross claims he left the child in the car and no one has said they saw Hassani with Ross during that time-frame. Wednesday afternoon six homicide detectives joined the search. They are looking in drainage ditches and dumpsters. They have also alerted the Alameda County landfill to be on the lookout for a body.²

It is always interesting when following these stories and reading various news accounts because the persons involved eventually trip up and tell two or three different versions of their story or parts of the story to the press. For example, all of the earlier news accounts have been that Hassani wears leg braces and he has trouble walking. Even Ross said he could not imagine the boy walking away from the car by himself. He admitted the reason he left the boy in the car was to walk through the shoe store, go to the rear door and unlock the door so it would not be so far to bring the child into the store. However, Wednesday he is quoted in the press:

He said the boy wears arch-support braces because of his cerebral palsy, not full leg braces, and that the public may have the idea that he needed the braces to get around. “They are to reshape his foot, give him an arch,” Ross said. “He doesn’t need them to walk.” ³

Investigators are under the impression he has great difficulty walking. Where would they get that idea unless either Ross or Campbell gave them that information?

Investigators said they doubted Hasanni could have gone far if he left the car by himself. He uses leg braces and has difficulty walking, they said.

According to this quote:

…The leg braces Campbell has to wear are decorated with a Spiderman design, according to KGO… ⁴

I know I have read a lot of discrepancies as well in media reports. Early reports even said Ross and Campbell are divorced and this drop off of the kids was after a scheduled visitation. Now we know that is not true. I just wonder why Ross would come out and say now that Hassani does not wear leg braces at all.

August 15, 2009: 12 a.m. PST

I was hoping for some good news regarding Hassani. Unfortunately he has not been found. The foster father, Louis Ross, was seen being taken from his home yesterday by homicide detectives for more questioning. Apparently one of the new detectives had not yet had a chance to question Ross, hence the interview. According to Ross he and Jennifer Campbell spent 5 hours searching with police and then another 12 hours being questioned. Ross mentioned again during his interview with reporters that Hassani does not wear the typical metal leg braces. In fact, the braces he wears are worn underneath his socks. If that is the case I wonder why it was important to mention the cartoon character stickers affixed to the braces.

Later today police plan to do a grid search of the area around Ross’ home and they are also planning to do a search in Hayward. The longer Hassani is missing the worse it looks that he will be found alive.

August 18, 2009: 12 Noon PST

A candlelight vigil was held last night at the spot outside the shoe store where Hassani’s foster father says he left him a week ago while he went inside the store to unlock the back door. He and Jennifer Campbell issued a plea for continued media coverage of their missing foster son. It was also announced that their is now a $10,000 reward being offered through CrimeStoppers for information leading to Hassani’s return.

⁵ Louis Ross, Hassani’s foster father, is upset that people still suspect he and his pregnant fiancée in Hassani’s disappearance. He says he just wants ‘his son’ home. According to the media report the couple has been told whether Hassani is found or not they will no longer be able to have Hassani and his sister in their home as foster children.

According to law enforcement reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the day of Hassani’s disappearance, Ross made what they are characterizing as an ‘unusual’ stop at an auto salvage yard and apparently he had Hassani with him. Authorities say Ross was looking for a particular part and he drove to the Hayward Pick Your Part auto salvage yard. However, witnesses at the salvage yard said Ross never got out of the car and finally drove off. Ross went with police when they searched the salvage yard but they did not find any trace of Hassani.

Police are hoping more tips will come in with the offer of the reward. Thus far, they have received fewer than fifty tips. They say this is unusual for such a high-profile case. My experience in following this case in the media is as the days pass there have been fewer and fewer stories about Hassani’s disappearance.

August 20, 2009: 12:30 a.m. PST

The Oakland Tribune confirmed last night that authorities were searching for a “sword or cutting instrument” at the home and in the car belonging to Louis Ross when the search warrant was served the day after Hassani was reported missing. They were also searching for biological evidence from Hassani in the home. According to the article police recovered the following evidence:

…a pair of latex gloves, 8 DNA swabs and 4 fingerprint lifts from the car. They did not recover anything from the home.⁶

Authorities also confirmed that Louis Ross failed the polygraph examination administered by the FBI. The tipline has been down for a couple of days but it is working again. You can phone your tips to 1-(510) 777-8572 or 1-(510) 777-3211. If those numbers do not work you can call Sgt. Gus Galindo directly at 1-(510) 238-7934.

Things are not sounding very good for Hassani. I wish they would just fess up if they did something to the little guy.

August 26, 2009: 5:45 p.m. PST

Much has happened since I last updated on the disappearance of Hasanni Campbell. Mentioned in the news was an expletive-laced text message found on Louis Ross’ cell phone. The message was sent to Jennifer Campbell at 9:30 a.m. on July 31.

“This is f— over, I will watch her (the boy’s 1-year-old sister) but he (Hasanni) will be out on the BART and its your responsibility to hey (sic) him so f— you.”⁷

Of course we all become angry at times and say things we wished we hadn’t said. However, the text message speaks volumes about how Ross felt about caring for the disabled boy.

The day after media reported about the text message as well as the search for the sword or cutting instrument mentioned in the search warrant, Louis Ross tried to explain things during a phone interview with a reporter from the Oakland Tribune. He basically complained he had to keep defending himself in the media and it was taking the focus off of the search for Hasanni. He felt he was not being fair to his ‘son’ because the focus has been on him.

He explained during a phone interview with reporter Kristin Bender of the Oakland Tribune, about the sword and the text message.

…Ross said police took his small decorative sword that he kept under his bed for protection⁸

Ross said the message was not meant to imply that he planned to leave the boy, who has cerebral palsy, alone at BART but rather that he wanted to meet Campbell at a Union City BART station to give her the boy.
Ross said he sent the angry text message because the two had an argument, and he was going to end the relationship.
He said he eventually calmed down, apologized and decided not to break off the relationship. “I should not have let the situation escalate,” he said…⁹

I have been pondering this case on many different levels, including giving Jennifer Campbell and Louis Ross the benefit of the doubt. I try to understand how Ross can own a relatively nice looking home in what appears to be an upper middle-class neighborhood. I wonder how he came to be able to afford a 2002 BMW. Jennifer Campbell is a manager of a shoe store. Certainly she cannot make too much money. The media has not mentioned how long Ross has been unemployed.

What prompted all of this pondering on my part was when Ross made the following statement to reporter Kristen Bender:

In fact, Ross, who is unemployed, said Hasanni “put the fire under me to be a neurologist.”
“Medicine was my ultimate goal,” he said, adding that he was heading to an orientation at Stanford Medical Center the day the boy went missing.¹⁰

So a man with no visible means of support, with a future wife who is employed and six months pregnant decides the time is right to go to medical school. Most likely Jennifer will have to quit working for a while after she gives birth to the baby. Even if she were to planning to return to work she would most likely need at least 6 weeks or more maternity leave. I wonder why Ross needs to have the sword underneath his mattress for protection. Usually people needing to protect themselves while they sleep are involved in illegal activities.

I wondered how much money Campbell and Ross were receiving from the state for being foster parents. According to the San Bernardino County Foster Care site:

You, as a foster parent, you do not get paid. For each foster child placed in your home, you will receive a foster care reimbursement to be used for the care, clothing and feeding of the foster child. The basic foster care rates currently range from $365 to $ 513 per month, depending on the age of the child. For children who have special requirements, there is a specialized care increment, $42.00, $84.00 or $169.00 per month, determined by the child’s social worker.¹¹

I’m not sure how long ago the page was updated but I believe the data is valid from 2003. With the current state of the economy in this country and our governor making so many cutbacks to health and human services programs it really is hard to determine the actual amount received. Also, there was an article I read an article in the Los Angeles Times written in March 2008 that referenced a lawsuit brought against the state because the actual amount paid to foster parents was approximately 29 – 40% lower than actual costs. The judge did not rule to increase the rates. He ruled that the department needed to investigate the actual costs.¹²

Most likely Campbell and Ross were receiving the high-end amount for Hasanni’s care. No one has said the little girl suffers from any disabling conditions. Basically the monies received made up for what Ross did not make being unemployed. They certainly were not getting rich on the monies received.

A car wash fundraiser was held this past weekend at Tone’s Car Wash that netted a little over $600 to aid in the search for Hasanni. Sherri Miller, owner of All in One Stop, a San Leandro printing business has printed posters and t-shirts to help aid in the search. She also donated t-shirts with Sandra Cantu’s face on them when she was reported missing from the area earlier this year. Sandra’s body was located in a drainage pond stuffed in a suitcase. A neighbor, Melissa Huckaby, has been charged with Sandra’s murder.

Although Miller continues to search for Hasanni and has set up a website for the missing child, police have ceased searching for him. They have received fewer and fewer leads from the tipline and all ideas for where to search have been exhausted. My thoughts are police believe it is just a matter of time before Ross cracks and confesses to harming Hasanni or Jennifer Campbell comes forward and tells what she knows. For now police are no longer giving news conferences about the case and Ross did not speak to reporters at the car was fundraiser. Campbell has been pretty much in seclusion and does not speak to reporters unless Ross is by her side. He has done most of the talking.

Miller is trying to organize another fundraiser but she can’t seem to get local businesses to donate items for the planned auction. So far a jewelry store has donated a watch valued at just under $2,000. The family plans to hold a candlelight vigil each Monday evening behind the shoe store where Hasanni was reportedly left by Louis Ross and at the time he was last seen, a little before 5 p.m. The vigils will be held until Hasanni is found. The website address for Hasanni Campbell is http://findhasanni.com.

Ross appeared on Nancy Grace’s Headline News show on CNN. He related the following scenario to Grace about the last time he saw Hasanni:

Louis Ross told Nancy Grace that it was routine for him to drop off the children at the shoe store so Jennifer Campbell could watch them while he attended medical assistant classes. He drove to the area behind the shoe store that has parking places for about four cars. He exited the car and opened the rear door where Hasanni was sitting. The child had already unfastened his seat belt and was standing up in the vehicle. He let Hasanni out of the car and the child went over to the rear door of the shoe store. Ross then said he went to the other side of the vehicle to get Hasanni’s sister out of the car seat. He then popped the trunk of the car and walked to the front of the shoe store to let Campbell know they had arrived and to tell her to unlock the back door for Hasanni. He then walked back the same way he came, outside the shoe store to the parking area. When he got there Campbell asked him “Where’s Hasanni?” He said that Hassani, who has cerebral palsy, sometimes would get frustrated and freeze in place. Sometimes he would be in a playful mood and hide from them. At first, Ross said, that was what he thought. They searched for Hasanni but he was no where in the area.¹³

So he is taking classes to become a medical assistant. That night he was going to his regularly scheduled medical assistant classes. He was not heading to an orientation for medical school. I wonder why he popped the trunk of the car. I wonder why he did not follow Jennifer through the store to the back door. That makes more sense.

August 28, 2009: 4:45 p.m. PST

The Mercury News is reporting this afternoon that Louis Ross, the foster father of missing Hasanni Campbell, has been arrested and taken into custody concerning the child’s disappearance. The aunt and foster mother of the child, Jennifer Campbell, has been taken to police headquarters for further questioning. Police plan to search the couple’s Fremont home later today.¹⁴

The Associated Press is reporting that both Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell have been arrested on charges of suspicion of murder. Oakland police spokesperson Jeff Thomasan the two continue to be questioned.¹⁵

August 29, 2009: 12:30 a.m. PST

There is more information this morning about how the arrests went down yesterday afternoon. Jennifer Campbell was arrested at the Union City BART station at 1:50 p.m. Louis Ross was arrested at his home at 2:45 p.m. I am guessing authorities wanted a chance to speak with Campbell alone to see if she would roll-over on Ross. Perhaps she did and that is why he was arrested. Police say this case is now definitely a homicide investigation and they have the persons responsible in custody.

Reporters for the Mercury News spoke with Jennifer Campbell’s mother, Pam Clark after news of the arrests broke. This is what she had to say about the arrests:

“It’s shocking. I think they made a mistake and arrested the wrong person,” Clark said. “I just feel like they don’t have anything to do with it.”
Clark said the arrests did not dim her hopes of seeing her grandson again.
“This is not going to stop me from looking for Hasanni, because he still needs to be found. I have hopes he will come back alive,” Clark said. “I just feel he’s alive somewhere. I’m still looking.”¹⁶

This family is about as dysfunctional as they come.

The Mercury News also reported that Ross was served with a restraining order in 2005 in Maryland. He also owes thousands of dollars in income taxes and judgments for state taxes. Yep, he is fine, upstanding man. I guess the state of California Department of Children’s Services did not bother to do a nationwide background check on Ross. It kind of makes you wonder even more how he is able to live the lifestyle he has grown accustomed to, i.e. fancy car, nice house with all of that outstanding debt to the government.

Police searched the Ross home on Fremont Street from early afternoon to well after dark. Among the items removed from the scene was a gray computer CPU tower and screen. Two dogs were removed from the home and loaded into Fremont city vehicles. I hate to think this way but people are so crazy anymore. I hope they don’t have information that Ross and Campbell fed Hasanni’s body to those dogs. Stranger things have happened in this sick world. Plainclothes detectives left the home about 8:30 p.m. two grocery-sized paper evidence bags and that was the end of the search.

Reporters spoke with neighbors. Most said they did not know the couple, some said they had never seen Hasanni. One gentleman said he used to see the sweet little boy riding the school bus and he always said “Hi”. He said he had not seen Hasanni since June when school let out for the summer.

Unfortunately the arrests of these two was not surprising. Poor Hasanni. I hope one of these objects finds enough compassion in their hearts to tell authorities where they put the little guy so he can have a decent burial.

August 31, 2009: 2:30 p.m. PST

There will be no charges filed at this time against Jennifer Campbell regarding the presumed death of her nephew and foster child, Hasanni Campbell. The Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers said there is not enough evidence to charge her with a crime at this time.

John Burris, the attorney retained by the couple days after Hasanni’s reported disappearance, said he is not surprised at the announcement regarding Campbell. Claiming there was never any evidence to link her to a crime, he said at best it was her association with Louis Ross and not criminal behavior on her part.

As for Louis Ross, Burris thinks he was arrested simply because police do not believe the story he gave about leaving Hasanni behind the shoe store.

“From there, they inferred that if he’s lying about that, then he must know something about it,” Burris said. “But there’s no real evidence. There’s no independent evidence of any kind, no corroborative evidence and no admissions by him. In that sense, it’s pretty weak.”¹⁷

Louis Ross is still in custody and the district attorney will be looking into charges for him, if any, this afternoon. Burris thinks because police do not believe Ross’ story about leaving Hasanni behind the shoe store, they also do not believe he must also know about what happened to Hasanni. Burris has referred Ross to an unnamed criminal defense attorney. I guess he thinks that is needed.

September 7, 2009

There really isn’t much new to add to the story on the search for Hasanni Campbell. The arrests of Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell proved to be a rush to judgement on the part of the police since the district attorney decided there is insufficient evidence at this time to charge either party with any crime pertaining to Hassani’s disappearance or murder. Jennifer Campbell, when she was released, declined to speak about her arrest or make comment about the actions of the police. She rushed to the candlelight vigil being held for Hasanni that night at the shoe store where he disappeared.

Louis Ross was released the following day after the district attorney determined there was insufficient evidence at this time to hold him. Ross had an attitude when he was released. Police believe Hasanni is dead and they want the public’s help in solving this case so Ross can be rearrested on homicide charges. A reward for information regarding Hasanni’s disappearance has grown to $60,000.

Sources 

FBI Joins Search for Missing Disabled Boy, KTVU.com, Last Accessed: August 11, 2009.

NCMEC Missing Poster: Hassani Campbell, NCMEC, Last Accessed: August 11, 2009.

Terisa Estacio, Missing Boy’s Family Talks with KRON 4′s Terisa Estacio, KRON.com, Last Accessed: August 11, 2009. (Video)

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, Cops with Search Dogs Scour Missing Boy’s Home, SFGate.com, Last Accessed: August 11, 2009.

Foster Father of Missing Boy Undergoes More Police Questioning, KTVU.com, Last Accessed: August 15, 2009.

Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer, Missing Boy’s Parents Plead for His Return, SFGate.com, Last Accessed: August 18, 2009.

Lori Preuitt, One Woman’s Crusade to Find Hasanni, NBC Bay Area, Last Accessed: August 26, 2009.

1. Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer, Missing Boy’s Foster Dad Pleads for His Return, SFGate.com, Last Accessed: August 13, 2009. [↩]
2. Homicide Detectives Working on Missing 5-Year-Old Case, KTVU.com, Last Accessed: August 13, 2009. [↩]
3. Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer, Missing Boy’s Foster Dad Pleads for His Return, SFGate.com, Last Accessed: August 13, 2009. [↩]
4. Emily Friedman, FBI Joins Search for Missing Disabled Boy, ABCNews.com, Last Accessed: August 13, 2009. [↩]
5. Photo: Lea Suzuki The Chronicle [↩]
6. Kristen Bender, Police Sought “Sword or Cutting Instrument” in Search of Missing Boy’s Home, Foster Father’s Car, Oakland Tribune, Last Accessed: August 20, 2009. [↩]
7. Kristin Bender, Missing Boy’s Foster Father Speaks Out About Hasanni, Oakland Tribune, Last Accessed: August 26, 2009. [↩]
8. Ibid. [↩]
9. Ibid. [↩]
10. Ibid. [↩]
11. San Bernardino California Department of Children and Family Services Foster Parent Questions, Last Accessed: August 26, 2009. [↩]
12. Carol J. Williams, California’s Low Payments to Foster Parents Violate Federal Child Welfare Act, Judge Rules, LA Times, Last Accessed: August 26, 2009. [↩]
13. YouTube Interview with Nancy Grace – Disabled Boy, 5, Vanished; Stepfather Under Scrutiny, YouTube.com, Last Accessed: August 26, 2009. [↩]
14. Missing 5-Year-Old Fremont Boy’s Foster Father Arrested, San Jose Mercury News, Last Accessed: August 28, 2009. [↩]
15. Foster Parents Arrested in Disappearance of Boy, WireAPNEWSCA.com, Last Accessed: August 28, 2009. [↩]
16. Cecily Burt, Angela Woodall, Ben Aguirre, Jr. and Harry Harris, Missing 5-Year-Old Fremont Boy’s Foster Parents Arrested on Suspicion of Murder, Mercury News, Last Accessed: August 29, 2009. [↩]
17. Jaxon Van Derbeken,Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writers, No Charges Against Hasanni’s Foster Mother, The San Francisco Chronicle, Last Accessed: August 31, 2009. [↩]