imagine, a beautiful 5 year old little girl is sound asleep when the person whom she probably trusted more than anyone, awakens her to go away in the cold of the night. wrapped in a blanket and clutching the shoulders of the man who would carry her to her death, little shaniya disappears in the arms of a murdering rapist. shaniya is taken to a hotel approximately 30 miles from her home – what happens next will bring much needed attention to the crime of human trafficking.
shaniya was born on valentine’s day in 2004. she had been living with her father and was being cared for by her aunt (her father’s sister) in fayetteville, north carolina. although shaniya’s mother had some history of drug abuse, her father said he believed that she was changing her life for the better and had held down a job for at least 6 months – so he decided to allow shaniya to live with her mother for a while.
shaniya’s father stated that she was just learning to ride her scooter - her aunt recalls how she would come home excited about the good grades she received in school.
on tuesday, november 10, 2009, shaniya’s mother calls 911 to report her child missing. later, police obtain the shocking video showing little shaniya being carried away to her brutal rape and murder. as they wait for an elevator, the chilling image of shaniya’s last moments alive leaves one haunted by what she is soon to face. does this photo not send chills down your spine?
on monday, november 16, 2009, the gruesome discovery of shaniya’s body was found along a rural highway in stanford, north carolina dumped among trash and dear carcasses. shaniya had been kidnapped; the 5 year old had also been brutally raped. shaniya had been murdered and dumped like garbage on the side of a highway.
police reports say that shaniya was prostituted as repayment for her mother’s drug debt. shaniya’s mother, antoinette davis (shown below) is charged with human trafficking for allegedly selling her child as a sex slave. the killer, mario andretti mcneill (pictured below) is charged in shaniya’s kidnapping, rape and murder –both are being held until their trials.
kevin dayshawn wooden – 6 years old
several years ago i bordered on obsession as i fought to keep up with every report and update about the brutal killing of a 6 year old boy in my home town of new orleans. the child’s name was kevin wooden and on february 6, 1999 he was brutally murdered.
for many months and even a few years following this vicious killing, i would contact the police department to find out if there were any breaks in the case. kevin was violently beaten about the head and body to the point that it is reported his liver ruptured in the process. kevin’s body was then thrown into an abandoned auto parts shop.
most of the clues in that case had pointed to the mother’s boyfriend as the killer, but the case has not been solved and an arrest has yet to be made.
in researching the latest events of this case, i was able to reach a journalist and one of the detectives who worked on the case in 1999. the journalist said to me, “It was among the hardest [cases] i've ever had to cover.” as a reporter assigned to the story, she said, “Kevin Wooden…is a name I won’t forget.”
i was also able to reach one of the detectives who once worked on the case and told me that all of the original detectives have since retired. he did note however, that there is a cold case unit staffed by detectives and he led me to a detective who is currently involved in the case. the case does remain open according to the detective with whom i spoke, but there is no new information to report.
the last day of kevin’s life was so brutal, his story was so painful to recall that it gripped me for a very long time and would not let me go. i had contacted local media to keep his story alive and for at least a couple of years, it was. i had reached out to national media and television shows which profiled cold case murders but nothing had sparked any new leads in the case.
unfortunately, i could not find any photographs of kevin – but his obituary read as follows:
Kevin Dayshawn Wooden, was a Student at Ronald Mcnair Elementary School, He was Found Beaten To Death Tuesday At Burthe And Joliet Streets. He Was 6. He Was A Member Of The Youth Department At Providence Missionary Baptist Church. Survivors Include His Father, Craig White; His Mother, Sherine Wooden; His Stepfather, Ricky Jones; A Brother, Ricky Jones Jr.; And His Grandparents, Audrey Wooden And Earl Ratcliff. A Funeral Will Be Held Monday At 11 A.M. At Providence Missionary Baptist Church,2311 Seventh St. Visitation Will Begin Monday At 9 A.M. Burial Will Be In Providence Memorial Park Mausoleum. Magee Funeral Home Is In Charge Of Arrangements. Times Picayune 02-13-1999
sarah haley foxwell – 11 years old
born may 18, 1998, sarah foxwell was preparing to welcome santa claus and looking forward to christmas presents when she and her younger sister went to bed on the nite of tuesday, december 22, 2009. as she slept, 11-year-old sarah foxwell was snatched from her bedroom in salisbury, maryland by a convicted, registered child molester, thomas leggs, jr. (pictured below). what’s more shocking is that leggs was the former boyfriend of sarah’s aunt who was the child’s legal guardian.
while sarah and her 6 year old sister were sleeping, the killer entered the house using a key that he knew the aunt kept hidden under a door mat. sarah's little sister provided a complete description of the kidnapper - the child said, “tommie took sarah.” she was so thorough in her description of him that everything she said he wore on that nite was surprisingly accurate down to the color of his sneakers, jeans and jacket according to a detective in the case. "When we apprehended Leggs in his family home, he was wearing the same exact clothing the sister described."
at approximately 4pm on christmas day, 2009, sarah’s body was found wearing the bedclothes she was last seen in, red fuzzy pajama’s decorated with images of christmas trees on them. sarah had been kidnapped and suffered multiple injuries; she had been brutally raped and her body had been severely burned.
do u notice a trend in these three stories? the children were murdered (or accused to have been murdered) by someone close to them, a family member or friend of the family. we have to be excruciatingly vigilant of those we allow in our inner circle.
unfortunately, our newspapers are littered with stories such as these. can u imagine what goes on in the mind of a child who is facing such a violent death? the last person they see before they leave this earth is the person who is causing them pain, the person who his robbing them of their innocence, their laughter, their youth, their life. when we die we would hope to be surrounded by those who love and care for us and help keep us at peace as we transition, these children did not have that opportunity.
Matthew 18:6 – “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” we must continue to be vigilant and not rest until these perpetrators are thrown into the sea of accountability and punishment.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7. those whom have sown harm, injury, evil, rape and murder in the lives of our children must reap the swiftness of justice.
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