10 mysterious disappearances, deaths of Arizona children

 

By: Ashley LoosePosted at 8:00 AM, Jan 03, 2022 and last updated 7:07 PM, Jan 03, 2022

Arizona is no stranger to high-profile murder cases and disappearances involving children, but there are numerous unsolved cases that may not have received as much attention over the decades.

ABC15 is taking a look at some of the children who have been reported missing in our state and related cold cases.

Analissa Monares-Leon, killed in 2007

Analissa Monares-Leon

88CRIME

Analissa Monares-Leon

Analissa Monares-Leon was asleep inside her Tucson home on Oct. 10, 2007.

Shots were fired at the home, striking the 6-year-old girl. She later died from her injuries at a hospital.

Arizona children

Photo by: Phoenix Police, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Yuma PD

Missing children, cold cases in Arizona

By: Ashley Loose

Posted at 8:00 AM, Jan 03, 2022

 

and last updated 7:07 PM, Jan 03, 2022

Arizona is no stranger to high-profile murder cases and disappearances involving children, but there are numerous unsolved cases that may not have received as much attention over the decades.

ABC15 is taking a look at some of the children who have been reported missing in our state and related cold cases.

Analissa Monares-Leon, killed in 2007

88CRIME

Analissa Monares-Leon

Analissa Monares-Leon was asleep inside her Tucson home on Oct. 10, 2007.

Shots were fired at the home, striking the 6-year-old girl. She later died from her injuries at a hospital.

"My baby girl loved nature and butterflies were her favorite, purple and yellow, her favorite colors," an obituary reads. "So any time we see butterflies or the colors purple and yellow, it's just her saying hi and any breath taking moment that nature gives us is a blessing from God that tells us to love life for every moment that it gives us."

Officials are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Jackie and Cynthia Leslie, last seen in 1974

Jackie, 13, and Cynthia, 15, were last seen walking together near Baseline and Power roads on July 31, 1974.

Arizona children

Missing Children

Photo by: Phoenix Police, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Yuma PD

Missing children, cold cases in Arizona

By: Ashley LoosePosted at 8:00 AM, Jan 03, 2022 and last updated 7:07 PM, Jan 03, 2022

Arizona is no stranger to high-profile murder cases and disappearances involving children, but there are numerous unsolved cases that may not have received as much attention over the decades.

ABC15 is taking a look at some of the children who have been reported missing in our state and related cold cases.

Analissa Monares-Leon, killed in 2007

Analissa Monares-Leon

88CRIME

Analissa Monares-Leon

Analissa Monares-Leon was asleep inside her Tucson home on Oct. 10, 2007.

Shots were fired at the home, striking the 6-year-old girl. She later died from her injuries at a hospital.

"My baby girl loved nature and butterflies were her favorite, purple and yellow, her favorite colors," an obituary reads. "So any time we see butterflies or the colors purple and yellow, it's just her saying hi and any breath taking moment that nature gives us is a blessing from God that tells us to love life for every moment that it gives us."

Officials are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Jackie and Cynthia Leslie, last seen in 1974

Cynthia and Jackie Leslie

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Jackie (left) and Cynthia (right) Leslie

Jackie, 13, and Cynthia, 15, were last seen walking together near Baseline and Power roads on July 31, 1974.

Recent Stories from abc15.com

According to the Doe Network, a nonprofit group of volunteers dedicated to the search of missing persons, the sisters were headed to a friend’s home located a few blocks from their home in the Desert Sands Mobile Home Park in Mesa.

It’s reported that they told their mother they were going to babysit but were really going to a party. Reports conflict on whether the pair made it to the party.

According to KGUN9, ABC15’s sister station in Tucson, family says there have been numerous reports of sightings and even a message from a psychic, saying they were alive.Searches were conducted in the nearby area, but no signs of the teenagers were found. They have not been heard from since.

Jesse Florez, last seen in 2001

Around 6 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2001, 14-year-old Jesse Florez left his home near 51st Avenue and Indian School Road to meet a friend to go to a party.However, police say, Florez hasn’t been seen since.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released an age-progression photo of Flores to show what he may look like at age 31.

He had a black mole on the corner of his right eye and had two ear piercings.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Phoenix Police Department

Brian Richard Bleyl, last seen in 1981

Twelve-year-old Brian Richard Bleyl left his home near 9th and Myrtle avenues in Phoenix around 3 p.m. on Feb. 28, 1981. Bleyl rode his bicycle to work a newspaper route in the area.

Bleyl didn’t return, but his bicycle was located and witnesses reported seeing him near an apartment complex.

Several years later, a man was charged with abducting and murdering Bleyl, and a jury acquitted him before he died in 1994. No other suspects or persons of interest have been identified.Bleyl’s body has never been located, but foul play is believed to have played a part in his disappearance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Phoenix Police Department.

Abduction and assault of 4-year-old girl in 1999

Chandler police say a 4-year-old girl was abducted from an apartment complex playground on March 27, 1999.

The incident occurred around 8 p.m. in the area of McQueen Road and Galveston Street.

Fortunately, the girl was located about a mile away at another apartment complex. However, the girl has been violently sexually assaulted and was left there by her attacker.

Police say she was found “badly bleeding” and needed “major surgery” to repair the trauma she suffered during the assault.The abductor was reportedly seen leaving the first apartment complex with the girl on a red or dark-colored bicycle. He had also been seen at the playground previously.

The suspect is described as a Spanish-speaking man who was in his late teens to mid-twenties. He was 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and about 140 pounds.

A computer-generated photo was created to show what witnesses say the suspect looked like.

Amberly Ann Mendoza, killed in 1996

Sometime between the hours of 11:30 p.m. on March 8 and 10:45 a.m. on March 9, 1996, someone entered 10-year-old Amberly Ann Mendoza’s Yuma home.

The girl was sexually assaulted and murdered in her bedroom. Her mother reportedly discovered what had happened when she went to wake her up for breakfast.

An advocacy center with a crisis response team was established years later in honor of Amberly.Officials say the case remains unsolved and anyone with information is asked to call Yuma Police Department.

Randy Parscale, last seen in 1979

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP6494

Randy Doyle Parscale Jr., 10, went hiking with his family in April 1979.

They were at Peppersauce Canyon, located near Oracle, Arizona, when he became separated from their group.

He was never located.

Mindi Chambers, last seen in 1982

Mindi Chambers, 17, was last seen walking her step-sister to school in the East Valley on Oct. 19, 1982.

Mesa police say she wasn’t reported missing until April 1995, but some reports say it may be because family suspected she ran away from home.

According to the Doe Network, a nonprofit group of volunteers dedicated to the search of missing persons, she left behind her purse, ID, and other belongings. Days before her disappearance, she had reportedly told police her father had molested her and she was placed in the care of her stepmother.

Police say one of her high school friends may have information about her disappearance. Anyone with information asked to contact police.

Dorothy Mildred Clitheroe, last seen in 1973

Fourteen-year-old Dorothy Mildred Clitheroe was last seen around 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 20, 1973.

Phoenix police say she was seen walking toward the bathroom area at Cortez Park near 35th Avenue and Dunlap Road.

She hasn’t been seen since.

Alan ‘AJ’ Hoover, killed in 2015

Alan ‘AJ’ Hoover, 16, was shot and killed on Jan. 7, 2015.

The incident occurred at a home near 24th Street and Cactus Road, and it’s believed multiple teenagers were around when the shooting occurred.

Police say they interviewed witnesses and those who were present at the time of the shooting, but no motive or suspects were identified.

"He had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone, no questions asked," the family said in an online obituary.

https://www.abc15.com/news/state/10-mysterious-disappearances-deaths-of-arizona-children

UPDATE: Tucson police investigating suspicious death of 9-year-old

 

Sandra Kraykovich, 38, and Elizabeth Kraykovich, 64, are facing child abuse charges after Sandra's 9-year-old child died at a Tucson apartment complex on Tuesday, March 22. As of March 25, the charges are not related to the child's death.(Tucson Police Department)

By KOLD News 13 Staff

Published: Mar. 24, 2022 at 4:07 PM MST|Updated: Mar. 25, 2022 at 4:26 PM MST

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Tucson police are investigating the recent death of a 9-year-old child.

The TPD said officers were called to the scene early Tuesday, March 22, by Tucson Fire after they responded to an unresponsive child at an apartment complex in the 8200 block of East Golf Links Road.

Despite life-saving efforts, the 9-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

While on scene, officers noted concerns regarding living conditions and child welfare.Detectives from the Child Physical Abuse Unit conducted an investigation. After interviews, detectives charged the mother and grandmother in the home with child abuse, a Class 2 felony.

The mother is 38-year-old Sandra Kraykovich.

According to police records, the mother called 911 on March 22 due to her child being unresponsive. After officials pronounced the child dead, “large amount of bugs began to cover her face”. There was “enormous amounts of lice in her hair”.

An older sibling told investigators that mouthwash had been used to try to treat the lice.Sandra Kraykovich said her child suffered from anemia and had been sick since Tuesday, March 15. The child had been vomiting, along with having a fever, headache, difficulty breathing and balance issues.

The mother said she had considered taking her child to the emergency room, but decided against it when she returned home and found her child sleeping.

When police checked the mother’s phone, she had messaged her boyfriend on March 14 and March 15 saying she needed to take her daughter to the emergency room.

On March 21, Sandra Kraykovich sent another message to her boyfriend that read, “OMG babe. Listen I’m in my room and my mom was called me. (Name redacted) was asking if I could check on her to make sure she isn’t dying.”The boyfriend urged the mother to take the child to the emergency room, but she didn’t.

Elizabeth Kraykovich, the child’s grandmother, messaged Sandra Kraykovich, her daughter, earlier that the child “can’t go to the ER with her hair but that’s left up to me cause your not home.” The grandmother, who is retired and cares for the children when their mother is at work.

Other messages indicated the child was also sick on March 8, two weeks before her death. Elizabeth Kraykovich messaged her daughter, complaining the other kids won’t help and accusing her daughter of being more interested in doing things with her boyfriend than taking care of her sick child.Investigators said the home was “dirty” and in a “general state of disarray.” Sandra Kraykovich told investigators that she knows, if she had gotten her daughter medical care, she would still be alive. She told them she should have gotten help, but didn’t because of the lice infestation.Sandra Kraykovich is being held on a $50,000 bond in the Pima County Jail.

The grandmother also said the child was not feeling well and on Monday, March 21, said she was out of breath and her throat hurt. The child was given ibuprofen. She was in court on the morning of Friday, March 25, and was released to pre-trial services. She is due back in court on April 4.

Two older siblings were in the home and but have since been removed. They were involved in the care of their younger sister, and they also had lice.

Tucson police said the child abuse charge is not related to the child’s death at this time, and that possible charges related to the child’s death will be determined after all reports and the autopsy results have been reviewed.

https://www.kold.com/2022/03/24/tucson-police-investigating-childs-suspicious-death/

Police: Infant’s remains found inside a Phoenix McDonald’s

 By Arizona's Family Digital News Staff and Gray News staff

Published: Mar. 28, 2022 at 10:40 AM MST|Updated: 3 hours ago

PHOENIX (ARIZONA’S FAMILY/GRAY NEWS) - Phoenix police confirmed Monday morning that the remains of an infant were located over the weekend inside a McDonald’s.

Phoenix Police Sergeant Philip Krynsky says detectives are actively working to investigate, Arizona’s Family reported.

No further information has been released. However, Krynsky says he expects to have an update later on in the day Monday.

Copyright 2022 Arizona’s Family via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

https://www.kold.com/2022/03/28/police-infants-remains-found-inside-phoenix-mcdonalds/

RIP 6-year-old Nicole Snyder and 3-year-old Jasmine Snyder.

‘We starved them so they would die’: Mother Turns on Girlfriend, Admits They Starved ‘Hated’ Young Daughters & Buried Them [Court]

 The mother of two dead Pennsylvania children testified Wednesday at a preliminary hearing that the children were purposely starved to death.

During a hearing at the Laramie County Court in Williamsport, defendant Marie Snyder admitted that she and her girlfriend, Echo Butler, purposely starved and abused Snyder’s two daughters until their deaths. The victims have been identified as 6-year-old Nicole Snyder and 3-year-old Jasmine Snyder.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, investigators allege that the girls were also regularly pushed into walls and choked before they died. They were buried in the yard of a rural Hepburn Township home.

What prompted the abuse? The mother’s girlfriend allegedly told police she “hated” the victims. 

In September, child welfare investigators began an investigation into allegations that a 7-year-old child was being neglected. While agents were visiting the child’s home, they questioned the child’s mother, Snyder, about the location of her other children: Nicole and Jasmine. 

Two months later, in November, authorities found human remains buried in the yard of the mother’s residence, which she shared with Butler. Investigators later identified the remains as belonging to Nicole and Jasmine Snyder.

Police subsequently interviewed Marie Snyder, Butler, and Butler’s mother and determined that the girls likely died from physical abuse and starvation.

Butler reportedly told investigators that the children were “bad.” Butler admitted that she would “knee or push” the girls’ bodies into walls. She would also “choke” Nicole until the girl’s eyes would roll back into her head, according to court documents. 

Both the girls’ mother and Butler allegedly starved the girls, feeding them only tiny portions of food and “two sips of water,” according to the court records. The girls were allegedly forced to eat by themselves in a dark room while other members of the family would have full meals and better food.

As punishment, the girls were forced to have cold baths or were required to stand in a dark room or corner, at times restrained.

Authorities believe that Nicole died in May 2016. In the days preceding her death, she was allegedly “pale, unable to stand on her own and her hair was falling out,” court records state. Echo admitted that she buried Nicole in the backyard.

Jasmine is believed to have died in 2017.

https://www.crimeonline.com/2022/03/18/we-starved-them-so-they-would-die-mother-turns-on-girlfriend-admits-they-starved-hated-young-daughters-buried-them-court/?fr=operanews

Tennessee Couple Murdered Infant Girl Who Died from ‘Acute Methamphetamine Toxicity’: Authorities

 

Christy Shadowens and Ronald Spencer appear in photos released by the MNPD.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced that Ronald Lee Spencer, 40, and Christy Michele Shadowens, 48, are accused of first-degree murder in the death of Alayna Shadowens on Jan. 27, 2021. The indictment also accuses the two defendants of aggravated child neglect, the MNPD said.

The infant was the niece of Christy Shadowens, the police determined.

“Alayna Shadowens had been staying with the couple for several days when Christy Shadowens discovered her niece unresponsive and not breathing in the couple’s Bonnalynn Drive residence,” the MNPD continued. “The child was transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.”

The local medical examiner’s office concluded that Alayna “died of acute methamphetamine toxicity,” according to an MNPD press release.

A subsequent investigation determined that the two defendants “were the sole care providers for Alayna at the time of her death and are responsible for narcotics in the home,” the MNPD added.

Generally speaking, caretakers owe a heightened duty of legal care to children.

The MNPD said Spencer was already in jail on “un-related drug charges,” but Christy Shadowens was on the lam as of Thursday. The department suspected that she may be in Dickson, Tenn., and asked anyone familiar with her whereabouts to call 615-742-7463. Callers to that number “can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward,” the department added.

According to an online court docket, Spencer also faces an ongoing prosecution involving counts of reckless driving, possession of a revoked license, driving while under the influence, and multiple counts of drug possession.  That case dates back to last July.

Online court records and a three-page indictment both indicate that Spencer and Shadowens are charged with two counts of felony murder, a charge which is included within Tennessee’s first-degree murder statute.  Prosecutors can allege felony murder when a death occurs during the perpetration of an underlying felony.  Law&Crime previously explained the elements prosecutors must prove in order to convict on felony murder and aggravated child neglect in another recent report from Tennessee.

According to state law, first-degree murder is punishable in Tennessee by the death penalty, by life in prison without the possibility of parole, or by life in prison (presumably with the chance of parole). It is unclear which possible punishment prosecutors will seek in this case because the matter is in its early stages.

The court records list Shadowens under the name Christy Michele Calhoun, which the MNPD tells Law&Crime is Shadowens’ maiden name.

The indictment against Shadowens and Spencer is below.

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/tennessee-couple-murdered-infant-girl-who-died-from-acute-methamphetamine-toxicity-authorities/?fbclid=IwAR20HDFHBZi2E5O6ho3KF_3caq1cUKtm0Y_EBhTYlIibSPzHUI3k920P7l0

More Details Released Of Houstin Kids Found Dead with Brother

In late October, we brought you the heartbreaking story of Harris County Sheriff's Deputies being called to the scene of three brothers that were abandoned by their mom and boyfriend with the corpse of their 8-year-old brother. The mom and boyfriend were arrested and are now awaiting trial with the boyfriend charged in the 8-year-old's murder. Sheriff officials have gone into a little bit more detail as to what they found when they first arrived on scene.

Harris County Sheriff Deputy, Corey Castro, sat down with ABC 13 in Houston to give them some more details into what they found when they arrived at the apartment that housed the abandoned brothers, ages 15, 10, and 7, with the decomposed body of their 8-year-old brother. Castro said there was a "very distinct smell" and the apartment was empty of furniture, there was no electricity and there were roaches everywhere.

Deputy Castro did not go into exact detail but did point out the position the 8-year-old's dead body was in. Castro said,

The main thing that got me was the position the child died in. Without going into too much positioning, I would say laying down in a certain position, and we have to be careful because of the integrity of this case.

It has also been revealed that two of the boys are autistic but were very aware and were verbal with officers. Deputy John Craig is the lead investigator for this case. He described seeing the fear in the boys eyes but also a happiness in seeing the officers.

They had the fear in their eyes. They didn't know what was coming next. They're happy. They want to talk to you and hug you and express how glad we are here. But you still see in their eyes, they have fear.

Deputy Craig did say that at one point when talking with the boys, they did hug the officer and he hugged them back.

There was some criticism of the sheriff's office because they didn't make a day one arrest after talking with the mother of the boys. Deputy Craig explained that this isn't like watching an episode of Law and Order. They have to take their time and make sure that all of the evidence is in order, get an accurate report from the medical examiner and obtain a proper arrest warrant. Because they did that, the mom and boyfriend were arrested with the appropriate charges.

Both the mom and boyfriend are behind bars awaiting a trial. The boyfriend, Brian Coulter, is charged with capital murder. The mother, Gloria Williams, is charged with injury to a child, injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence.

The boys remain in foster care where they are receiving therapy.

Pray for these three boys that find a good home and that justice will be served when the boyfriend and mom go to trial. You can find more details on this update at abc13.com.

https://classicrock961.com/abandoned-brothers-march-2022-update/?fbclid=IwAR2gWFzR_BXaYAlnlZ8cQ9URwhSAx_QwfSlhzdqkldOiIOjAZp07bN-5xm4

Read More: More Details Released of Houston Kids Found with Dead Brother | https://classicrock961.com/abandoned-brothers-march-2022-update/?fbclid=IwAR2gWFzR_BXaYAlnlZ8cQ9URwhSAx_QwfSlhzdqkldOiIOjAZp07bN-5xm4&utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral 

Idaho Man and Woman Fractured 14 Bones in 7-Week-Old Baby Girl’s Body During ‘Traumatic’ Episodes of Sex Abuse and Child Abuse: Authorities

 

An Idaho couple were recently arrested in connection with a horrific child abuse case involving sexual assault and “traumatic” injury last week. Now, new details about the case have emerged.

Nicholas T. Branson, 26, stands accused of felony injury to a child and forcible sexual penetration by a foreign object. Hailey N. Harris, 26, stands accused of felony injury to a child. Both defendants hail from Hayden, Idaho and were arrested on Jan. 21, 2022 by deputies with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. Branson and Harris remain in jail on $20,000 bail, which is mandatory in the Gem State unless one is accused of a crime that could result in the death penalty.

The alleged victim in the case is a 7-week-old baby girl.

In December, KCSO deputies responded to Kootenai Health, a hospital in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, after the agency received reports of the infant sustaining “traumatic” injuries that were said to be both “significant and critical” and consistent with sexual abuse, according to court documents cited by the Coeur d’Alene Post Falls Press.

After a month-long investigation, authorities executed arrest warrants and took the pair into custody.

Additional and recently-released documents cited by the paper allege that a doctor who examined the child described her as suffering brain injuries “very specific to abuse” and “not seen in accidental head injury.” According to medical personnel cited by law enforcement, the girl suffered at least 14 fractures, including multiple fractures to both legs. Those court documents say that such injuries are likely caused by “forceful grabbing and twisting” of an infant’s limbs.

But that wasn’t nearly all the doctors found.

Additionally, doctors reportedly said, the girl appeared to have sustained multiple rib fractures that likely occurred at different times. Those fractures are reportedly consistent with blunt force trauma and/or squeezing. The girl also had liver damage that was said to be consistent with blunt force trauma to her abdomen.

The girl also showed signs of bruising on her torso. Those bruises, doctors said, were “patterned after a fist or fingers.” She also reportedly had mouth injuries consistent with a bottle being roughly forced into her mouth. Medical staff at the hospital also told law enforcement there was evidence of trauma on the child’s genitals.

According to the KCSO, law enforcement collected evidence that included a bloody diaper and numerous allegedly tell-tale text message exchanges between Harris and Branson regarding the girl.

“She won’t stop ducking [sic] crying,” Harris reportedly said to Branson in a frantic string of messages one day in December of last year.

“I’m going to freak out,” those messages allegedly continued.  “I cannot handle it anymore.”

When questioned by police, Branson allegedly admitted to causing some of the girl’s injuries and to sexually abusing the newborn. Harris, however, denied shaking or sexually abusing the child.

The child abuse charges are punishable by up to 10 years in state prison. The sexual abuse charge is punishable by life in prison.

Prosecutors are reportedly likely to request additional bail for the defendants in a hearing currently slated for next week.

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/idaho-man-and-woman-fractured-14-bones-in-7-week-old-baby-girls-body-during-traumatic-episodes-of-sex-abuse-and-child-abuse-authorities/

RIP Daniella Price

It is with a sad heart that I must say the world lost another beautiful soul. Daniella Price has passed away. It wasn't too long ago that Child Protection Services took her children away from and decided to sever all her rights. Child Protection Services has managed to destroy yet another family and indirectly took another life.  I am in a state of shock as we speak and I will go into detail more later and fill all of you in on all the details.

RIP Daniella Price