Search warrant executed in case of missing girl

5/27/2009

MONROE A search warrant served in the case of missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan revealed that the motel room of a convicted sex offender who is a person of interest in the case contained shorts and a towel with blood stains and blood stains above the sink.

Hairs also were found in the room, where property was searched and some was seized, the warrant said.

The last two children to see the girl on Sunday claimed that she went into the woods and was kidnapped by a bad man and stabbed in the stomach, according to the search warrant.

One of the children said she witnessed Nevaeh being stabbed with a knife and tried to help but could not after she saw the girl going into the woods ... to meet Daddy George.

The statements were used to obtain the search warrant signed by Magistrate Mitchell McFadden of Monroe s 2A District Court Tuesday to search the Motel 7 room of George Kennedy, a convicted child molester.

Kennedy has been described by police and relatives as Nevaeh s mother s boyfriend and a person of interest in the case. He remains in custody on an unrelated parole violation.

The warrant also covered a search of a vehicle believed to be driven by Kennedy. In the center console of the van, a JVC radio face case was found to have contained a silver multitool, which appeared to have blood on the exterior. A preliminary examination confirmed the blood found to be human.

Yesterday, the search for Nevaeh was expanded to a quarry and man-made lake nearby.

Authorities said the former France Stone quarry near South Dixie in Monroe Township and the man-made lake, also once a quarry near North Dixie and I-75 in Frenchtown Township, were being searched to rule out the locations and were not examined because of tips given to the task force.

Water rescue and dive units from the Wayne County Sheriff s Office and Grosse Isle Fire Department spent the day combing the 105-acre water filled quarry, reportedly to be about 100 feet deep, in Monroe Township, and near the motel where Kennedy lives.

In a press conference yesterday morning, Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said the task force of more than 100 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers has been given more than 200 tips.

The tips have resulted in the interview of numerous persons and the searches of several locations, he said. We are searching every location that tips lead us to.

An Amber Alert was issued in the disappearance of the child after she was reported missing by her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, on Sunday evening.

Nevaeh which spells out Heaven when written backward was last seen riding a scooter in the parking lot of Charlotte Arms garden apartments, 1160 North Macomb.

At the news conference, Sheriff Crutchfield said undisclosed items taken as part of the investigation have been sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab for analysis. He refused to give details on the origins of any items sent to the crime lab or possible connection to the investigation.

Sheriff Crutchfield didn t address questions about whether a bloody hunting knife was among the property sent to the crime lab.

The sheriff also said authorities searched all vehicles that entered or left the apartment complex between Sunday evening and Tuesday. He said and many residents have been questioned and officers have searched some units in the complex.

Meanwhile, the girl s grandmother made a public plea for her safe return.

Sherry Buchanan, who has custody of Nevaeh, cradled some of her granddaughter s favorite toys as she begged for help in the return of the child.

Standing near a large Cottonwood tree in the apartment complex where Neveah was last seen which is serving as the gathering spot for balloons, posters, and ribbons she asked for the community s help but hinted that she was prepared for the worse.

Whosever got her, I want her back. But if I got to get her back in a way that I don t want, at least I know where she is at and I can go visit her, she said tearfully. I want some closure.

Of the stuffed animals that she cradled, Sherry Buchanan said Harley, a small beagle, was the toy that Naveah carried stashed away her in a backpack when she went to preschool at Cantrick Learning Center near where she lived.

If you would see Harley, you would see Navaeh, she said. He was her buddy.

The doors of stores and business throughout Monroe have been plastered with copies of flyers featuring Nevaeh s picture, including many in the shopping center of the Food Town on North Telegraph where Sherry Buchanan works as a cashier.

Marie Zunk, a co-worker at the grocery, yesterday bought a money canister at the nearby Family Dollar to collect donations from customers.

It is unbelievable at how the community has really come together with their support. It has really brought everyone closer together, she said.

A makeshift search party organized Tuesday by Ryan Duvall, a private investigator in Monroe, attracted nearly 350 volunteers, who combed rural areas near Maybee and Carleton in Monroe County. He is related to the fiance of Jennifer Buchanan s brother, Michael Buchanan.

A reward fund also initiated by Mr. Duvall grew to more than $10,000 yesterday. The money is intended to be given for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrests of persons or persons involved in the disappearance of Nevaeh.

FBI Agent Andy Arena, who joined Sheriff Crutchfield in the press conference, acknowledged that statistics on missing and abducted children show that the longer Nevaeh remains missing the less chance she will be returned safely.

You never give up hope. For every 10 cases like that, there is one where a miracle happens, said Mr. Arena, who is in charge of FBI s Detroit office.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Nevaeh is asked to the call the Monroe County Sheriff s Office at 734-243-7070.

Information from The Blade s news services was used in this report.

Contact Mark Reiter at:markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.