Missing Glendale girl: Timeline of events in Jhessye Shockley case
OCTOBER 2011
Oct. 11: Jerice Hunter calls Glendale police about 5 p.m. to report that her daughter, Jhessye Shockley, is missing from her apartment near 45th and Glendale avenues. Hunter said she had gone on a brief errand and returned to find Jhessye missing.
“Hello, hello, hello, I need an officer at my house. I can’t find my daughter,” the Glendale mother says.
Police scour the neighborhood, looking for the 5-year-old. They initially suspect that Jhessye may have simply managed to unlock her apartment door and walk out. | READ MORE >>
Oct. 12: Authorities activate an Amber Alert hours after a tipster said she saw a woman put a girl who looked like Jhessye in a dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu. | READ MORE >>
Hundreds of officers from across the Valley search the neighborhood. Bloodhounds are deployed.
Oct. 13: Police find no sign of Jhessye after canvassing her neighborhood. Meanwhile, news of Hunter’s past child abuse conviction surfaces.
Oct. 14: The Amber Alert for Jhessye is called off but police say they will continue to work to find the 5-year-old. | READ MORE >>
Oct. 16: Grandmother Shirley Johnson says Child Protective Services has removed her three granddaughters from their mother’s care.
Oct. 18: Glendale police hold a news conference about the case. A police commander tells reporters it’s not clear whether Jhessye was abducted or might have been the victim of foul play. Police say they can’t rule out the possibility that the girl had wandered off. | READ MORE >>
Oct. 19: Police announce they will offer an $11,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads them to Jhessye. | READ MORE >>
Meanwhile, Mayor Elaine Scruggs, City Manager Ed Beasley and Police Chief Steve Conrad meet with Jhessye’s grandmother and aunt to discuss the family’s concerns that not enough is being done to find Jhessye.
Oct. 20: Jhessye’s grandmother, Shirley Johnson and about 15 supporters, gather at the state Capitol in Phoenix in an effort to draw national media attention to the case. They pass out fliers. some supporters wear purple, Jhessye’s favorite color. | READ MORE >>
Oct. 21: A cousin who helped raise Jhessye tells The Republic she called CPS several times to report her suspicions that Jhessye and her older sister were being abused. | READ MORE >>
Oct. 24:: Jhessye’s mother goes to the state Capitol to raise awareness about her missing 5-year-old. she criticizes the media for focusing on her rather than on finding Jhessye. | READ MORE >>
Oct. 25-29: Hunter, Jhessye’s mother, gives birth to another baby. It is later confirmed that CPS also removed the newborn from Hunter’s care. | READ MORE >>
