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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:49:52 GMT -5
Missing child's mother once said she had no child COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott says they're still getting very little help from the mother of a missing toddler about that child's whereabouts. Scott says that started the night police say they caught up with Zinah Jennings. At one point, Zinah told Columbia police she didn't even have a child. Police say this is definitely not typical behavior for a mother. "I don't like the way this case is going," said Scott. "I'm staying optimistic, but right now, we're not getting any information, anything concrete that is telling us that Amir's safe and the last location that Amir is at and who he is with." Zinah faced a judge Saturday with her family by her side. Her mother, Jocelyn, filed a missing persons report Dec. 8 after seeing her daughter and getting no answers as to where her grandson was. "Zinah was not necessarily reported as missing," said Jocelyn, "It was the child that I was concerned with because I had actually seen her the night before." Police say the last time anyone saw Amir was the day before Thanksgiving. Zinah told the judge she's spent the past four months living with her sister in Atlanta. On Christmas Eve, police caught up with Zinah after she crashed her car in Columbia just blocks away from her mother's home. Amir wasn't with her and police quickly got suspicious. "Traffic investigators asked her about her son and at that point, that's when she started giving inconsistent stories to the point, at one time, even saying that she doesn't have a child," said Scott. The story hasn't changed, according to police. And it was a statement Zinah made during an interrogation last week that has investigators worried. "During an interview with her, when I mentioned she would be going to jail, she said, 'That's the place I need to be,'" said Scott. As for what that cryptic statement means for Amir, Scott says police still haven't pieced everything together. "What we do know is that we've pretty much been able to specifically say that he was in Atlanta with his mother, but anything telling us concrete, that's new, that Amir is safe -- we don't have anything at this point," said Scott. The FBI in Atlanta is tracking Zinah's life for the past six weeks. Investigators are going through bank records and digging through weeks of security camera footage in hopes to put a timeline together, or at least a place to start looking for Amir. www.wistv.com/story/16448127/missing-childs-mother-on-going-to-jail-thats-where-i-need-to-be |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:50:28 GMT -5
SC police: Mother won't tell them where son is COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) —A former college student who became depressed and erratic after becoming a mother is charged with lying about where her missing 18-month-old son has been for more than a month, police said Wednesday. Authorities said they were desperately searching for Amir Jennings after his 22-year-old mother, Zinah Jennings, told them several inconsistent and false stories about the boy being with relatives and friends in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. "I'm trying to stay optimistic about this," Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott told The Associated Press Wednesday. "But short of being optimistic, this case bothers me." The mother and son were reported missing in early December, but the mother turned up after she was involved in a car accident on Christmas Eve. Scott said officers hope a tip line and media exposure will lead to more information. "I want someone to call us and say, 'We just saw this on the news, we have Amir, we're sorry, we didn't realize this was going on,'" he said. "Her stories are so across the board that our search right now is from Charlotte to Atlanta." Investigators said they hoped Amir Jennings was alive but they weren't getting much help from his mother. In early December, grandmother Jocelyn Jennings Nelson reported her own daughter missing, saying that she hadn't seen her in several days and hadn't seen her grandson since the Thanksgiving holiday. According to an incident report, Jennings had had a car wreck several days before and had been making "cryptic phone calls to other family members indicating her ongoing fight with depression is continuing." That sort of behavior wasn't unusual for the young mother, according to relatives, who told investigators the one-time college student had begun disappearing for days on end, with her son, since his birth. "The grandmother told me specifically that, when she was in school, she was a very good person, a very good student," said Scott, adding that relatives had previously filed several missing persons reports on Jennings. "But once the baby was born, the conduct kind of changed." Jennings attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., for one academic year, from fall 2007 until spring 2008, according to a school spokeswoman. Early on the morning of Christmas Eve, Jennings wrecked her Dodge Neon in a one-car accident near her house in Columbia. Authorities learned that Jennings was reported missing and they say Jennings began giving shaky stories about her son's whereabouts. They also spoke with Amir's father, who told them he had seen the boy during Thanksgiving but generally has had little contact with the boy. "First it's, 'He's with my sister in Atlanta. Oh no, I'm sorry, he's with my friend in Charlotte,'" Scott said. "It's all over the place. ... Everything she's telling us is just lies." Several days later, police again spoke with Jennings, who said her son was with a friend in Columbia, but that story was also a dead end. After days of giving police bad information, the mother was charged Dec. 29 with unlawful conduct toward a child and is being held on $150,000 bond. The police chief said he did not know if Jennings had an attorney. The number listed for both Jennings and her mother was not working, and the grandmother did not immediately return a message left on her work number. Police have not released the name of Amir's father. At this point, Scott said investigators have two theories. "It's either A: Zinah has given Amir to someone. Or Zinah has, in some way, shape or form, harmed Amir," Scott said. "Until we have something more on Amir, I do not rule out foul play. And in my mind, there's already an air of foul play, because no one will tell us where Amir is at. Foul play doesn't have to mean that someone is deceased. Foul play is lying to police." Scott said he's struggling to remain optimistic that Amir will be found unharmed. He would not discuss any evidence police have collected from the mother's home or car. "It's the way this whole case is playing out," Scott said. "It's more than just that the child is missing. The mother is lying about the whereabouts of the child." There was no answer Wednesday at the blue two-story home where police say Jennings, her mother and son live, its door and front porch still festooned with Christmas decorations. The house, just a few blocks from one of Columbia's busiest thoroughfares, is on a quiet, tree-lined street of other one- and two-story homes, some with fenced-in yards and porches. "We see each other and speak and say hello," said Selwyn Young, who lives across the street from the Jennings family and said he recalled seeing Jennings pushing the baby around the neighborhood and walking the family's dog. "Hopefully they find him. Hopefully they get it right." www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMNpFfY1e6NtXxbeHazhooR4tzOg?docId=26c9dbf21935453b8abc18566a480d09 |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:51:16 GMT -5
SC police in Atlanta tracking down leads in missing toddler case ATLANTA — FBI agents in Atlanta continue to track down phone and bank records, trying to figure out where to even start looking for a missing 18-month-old boy. Channel 2's Tony Thomas learned Thursday night South Carolina police are in Atlanta looking for clues as the frustration and worry grows. "I don't like the way this case is going," Columbia, S.C., Police Chief Randy Scott said. Scott said mother Zinah Jennings still was not cooperating with investigators Thursday. It's now been six weeks since anyone has seen her 18-month-old son, Amir Jennings. "What we do know is that we've pretty much been able to specifically say that he's been in Atlanta with the mother, but anything that's telling us concrete that's new that Amir is safe, we don't have anything at this point," Scott said. Police said Jennings and Amir lived in a southwest Atlanta house for several months withJennings' sister. No one answered at the door when Thomas knocked Thursday night. Jennings and Amir vanished in November, and then police found Jennings after a traffic accident Christmas Eve. Investigators said Jennings has told various lies about where her son is. "To the point at one point, she even said she didn't even have a child," Scott said. Investigators said they have used cadaver dogs when they executed search warrants at the family's home in Columbia and on Jennings's car. Investigators said they have discovered possible leads, but won't go into detail. "I am staying optimistic, but it's just right now we are not getting any information, anything concrete that is telling us that Amir is safe and the last location that Amir was at," Scott said. FBI agents at the Atlanta region headquarters told Thomas they are working on "good leads" both in Atlanta and in the Augusta area. Jennings' relatives had said they would release a statement at some point Thursday but did not, and police said they weren't able to get a hold of them, either. www.wsbtv.com/news/news/sc-police-atlanta-tracking-down-leads-missing-todd/nGGh2/ |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:51:37 GMT -5
Family pleads for help to find missing 18-month-old boy COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Family members of a boy who hasn't been seen since the day before Thanksgiving appeared before the media Friday to plea for help to find the 18-month-old. Amir Jennings' grandmother, Jocelyn Jennings Nelson, stood beside Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott at police headquarters just after noon to ask for help in locating the toddler whose mother, Zinah, is in jail. "I am the mother of Zinah Jennings and the grandmother of Amir Jennings," said Nelson. "I reported Amir missing to the Columbia Police Department by phone on December 8, 2011." "Amir is 18-months-old. He has four 4 to 6 front teeth and a distinct gap. Amir answers to 'Mir, Mir." He is a whistling baby. He likes music...he responds by singing, bouncing, and, clapping his hands," said Nelson. "Amir is familiar with nursery rhymes and he knows the song, 'Good Morning Sunshine, How Are You Today.'" "My family and I are requesting your support in locating my Amir who is of young and tender age." "I believe that Amir could be in the Atlanta area, Charlotte or Columbia vicinities. These are areas in which Zinah is familiar and has ties." "Amir was last seen wearing black K Swiss tennis shoes and a black bomber jacket." "If there is anyone who has seen and/or knows the whereabouts of Amir, please contact law enforcement immediately." "My family and I also request your prayers for Amir's safe return," concluded Nelson. Chief Scott then distributed missing person posters with Amir's picture on them. Nelson and other family members left the press conference without taking any questions. Police executed two search warrants at Nelson's Lady St. home early Wednesday. The little boy's mother, 22-year-old Zinah Jennings, is jailed for lying about his whereabouts. Jennings was found after a car wreck Christmas Eve. Columbia police say she has told inconsistent stories, saying her son, Amir, was with friends in North Carolina and Georgia. Police also searched the car that Zinah Jennings' confiscated car. According to Chief Randy Scott, investigators have discovered possible leads as a result of Thursday's searches. Scott would not say what those leads are. "We've done the search warrants. We have been able to recover some evidence from the vehicle," said Scott. "We did a search warrant also yesterday on a possibility where Zinah and Amir have been and again we're not stopping." Columbia police investigators spent Thursday in Atlanta, following up on leads and searching places where they think Zinah and Amir Jennings may have been. Jennings has been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. Chief Scott says he's trying to stay positive but hasn't ruled out foul play. "I'm fearful," said Scott. "I will tell you I'm concerned, but I'm not willing to say, until we have proof...that something has happened drastically to Amir." Police fear they may be running out of leads if they don't soon get a break in the case. www.wistv.com/story/16452564/sc-police-mother-wont-tell-them-where-son-is |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:52:14 GMT -5
Search continues for missing S.C. toddler EAST POINT, Ga. — Investigators continued to search for clues this weekend in the disappearance of an 18-month-old South Carolina boy last seen in Atlanta. Amir Jennings vanished with his mother six weeks ago. His mother has been found in South Carolina, but has refused to tell investigators where her son is. Amir’s aunt, Denise Jennings, lives in East Point. She said local and federal authorities searched her property on Ridgecrest Lane on Thursday with cadaver dogs. Amir and his mother lived with Jennings for several months last fall before disappearing. Jennings said she still holds out hope for her nephew and believes he is alive and well. Denise Jennings’ sister, Zinah Jennings, is jailed in Columbia, S.C., on child cruelty charges. Police said, since they found her, she has told them various stories about where Amir might be. Denise Jennings said she thinks he sister suffered from postpartum depression. “I think she left him with someone. I think she was scared and wanted him to be cared for,” Denise Jennings said. Denise Jennings' yard was searched because Amir and Zinah Jennings had lived with her for most of the fall before they vanished on Nov. 17. She said there was no indication anything was wrong when her sister left for the final time. “We love him, and we want him home,” Denise Jennings said about her nephew. Authorities said they have found some evidence and leads, but would not go into detail about what that evidence is. www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/search-continues-missing-sc-toddler/nGHgY/ |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:53:35 GMT -5
Warrants: Bloody clothes, blankets found in Zinah Jennings' car COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Columbia police investigators found bloody blankets and clothes in the vehicle of a woman whose 18-month-old son vanished the day before Thanksgiving, according to search warrants released Monday. The search warrants show that police went to 22-year-old Zinah Jennings' Lady St. home after Jennings' step dad told police he saw her in the backyard with a shovel during the time Amir Jennings went missing. During a January 4 search, investigators found and confiscated a shovel at the home, according to a warrant. Warrants also show that police, on December 30, also found what appear to be blood stains on blankets and clothes in the back of Zinah Jennings' 2004 Dodge Neon. Zinah Jennings is currently in jail for lying about her son's whereabouts. Police say she refuses to say where the little boy is. She is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. Zinah Jennings' mother, Jocelyn Jennings Nelson, reported Amir missing to the Columbia Police Department December 8. Investigators are searching from Charlotte to Atlanta in hopes of finding the toddler alive. Police say the boy's mother has given several different accounts as to where the child is. Jennings was found after a car wreck Christmas Eve. Columbia police said she told them that Amir was with friends in North Carolina and Georgia and even said that she didn't even have a child. Investigators also say Zinah said the child was with a man named Ernest Robinson -- a man who doesn't exist. On January 2, Zinah took police investigators to an apartment complex where she said she dropped off her son, the warrant states. Once there, however, she told investigators that she did not know the apartment number or its location within the complex. The warrants also show that police took DNA from Zinah Jennings and investigators went to the Richland County Public Library to look into Jennings' computer use there. On Friday, relatives of Jennings and the 18-month-old held a news conference to ask for the public's help to locate the missing toddler. "Amir is 18-months-old. He has four 4 to 6 front teeth and a distinct gap. Amir answers to 'Mir, Mir." He is a whistling baby. He likes music...he responds by singing, bouncing, and, clapping his hands," said Jocelyn Nelson. "If there is anyone who has seen and/or knows the whereabouts of Amir, please contact law enforcement immediately." "My family and I also request your prayers for Amir's safe return," concluded Nelson. If you have any information about the whereabouts of Amir Jennings, You are urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. www.wistv.com/story/16480659/warrants-bloody-clothes-blankets-found-in-zinah-jennings-car |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:54:28 GMT -5
Bloody clothes found as police seek missing SC boy COLUMBIA, S.C. —Police looking for a South Carolina toddler missing since Thanksgiving have found a shovel and what appear to be bloody clothes and blankets in his mother's Columbia home and in her car, according to search warrants. Authorities went to the home of Zinah Jennings earlier this month after her stepfather told police he had seen her in the backyard with a shovel around the time Amir Jennings disappeared. Using a cadaver dog to search the house near downtown Columbia, investigators found a shovel. A dog was also used to search Jennings' car, where investigators say they found blankets and clothes with stains that appear to be blood. Investigators said the items were being analyzed by state police. Also Tuesday, police said a $10,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the toddler's return. Police also obtained surveillance video and records of Jennings' computer use at the Richland County Public Library after receiving a tip Jan. 5 that the woman was a frequent visitor there. Warrants show authorities also collected a DNA swab from Jennings' cheek and her medical records from a visit to the hospital after a Christmas Eve car wreck. Jennings has been jailed since Dec. 30 after police said she repeatedly lied to them about where her son was. Last week, the boy's grandmother pleaded with the public to help authorities find the toddler she described as a happy, gap-toothed child who enjoys nursery rhymes and responds to "Mir Mir" and "AJ." He was about 18 months old when he was last seen. Jocelyn Jennings Nelson reported her daughter missing in early December, saying she was worried about the boy and Jennings, who she said struggled with depression and started acting erratically after her son's birth. Police began looking for the 22-year-old mother but said they also considered that relatives said she had repeatedly left town for days at a time, taking her son to visit friends in neighboring states. Several weeks later, on Christmas Eve, police investigating a one-car wreck just blocks from Jennings' home were surprised to find the driver was the young mother they'd been looking for. Interviewed at a hospital, Jennings gave conflicting statements about where the boy was, according to police, first telling authorities she didn't have any children before saying Amir was with friends and family in cities from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C. After several dead ends, the mother was arrested and charged with lying to police. Authorities say they have stepped up their efforts to find the boy and are hoping a tip line will yield some information. Jennings also took investigators to a Columbia apartment complex where she said she had dropped off her son, later saying she didn't know the apartment number or location within the complex, according to search warrants. www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/bloody-clothes-found-as-1297628.html |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:55:06 GMT -5
Missing Toddler Amir Jennings: Hope Fades as New Developments Revealed - Tue, Jan 10, 2012 When police executed a search warrant in the case of missing toddler Amir Jennings, they recovered a shovel from his mother's home and a blood-stained blanket and clothes from the back of her car, Associated Press reported today. The 18-month-old boy's grandfather had told police he'd seen the baby's mother, Zinah Jennings, with a shovel in her Columbia, S.C., yard in the time frame during which Amir disappeared. Police are not declaring these items connected to the toddler's disappearance, saying that they could possibly be explained by Zinah Jennings' involvement in a Christmas eve auto crash. Here's a recap of key events in the Amir Jennings investigation along with the latest news on the status of the investigation: * The last person known to have seen Amir other than his mother was his father , according to ABC News. That was on Thanksgiving. The parents do not live together. * Amir's grandmother Jocelyn Jennings Nelson reported both the toddler and Zinah Jennings missing Dec. 8 after seeing Zinah Dec. 7 and getting no response to her questions about Amir's whereabouts. * Jennings was allegedly involved in a hit and run Dec. 6, according to a police search warrant affidavit filed in the case. That crash put her on police radar and led to them questioning her on Dec. 24 when she was involved in another car crash, ABC News said. * In response to police questioning, Jennings provided inconsistent information. After initially denying she had a son, police said she gave them different, false accounts of baby Amir's whereabouts placing him in different states with different friends and relatives. * In the affidavit supporting the search warrant, a police detective noted that Jennings told him her son was with a man named Ernest Robinson, whom he determined did not exist. This information has prompted public comparisons to the Casey Anthony case in which Anthony told police she'd left her daughter Caylee in the care of a nanny named Zenaida Gonzalez, whom police found didn't exist. * Jennings' leading police to an apartment building where she said she left Amir but then was unable to identify a specific apartment led to further comparisons with the Anthony case. Like Jennings, Anthony led police on a wild goose chase as she brought them to Universal Studios where she claimed to work and gave them fictitious information about people involved in case, including the supposed residence of the non-existent nanny. * In one police interview, when police investigator Colin Bailey told Jennings she would be going to jail, she replied, "That's the place I need to be, " WIS TV reported. * Police arrested Jennings and charged her with unlawful conduct toward a child, Associated Press said. She is being held on $150,000 bond. * Police Chief Randy Scott said Monday Jennings is being more cooperative than she was previously. Jennings reportedly told police she last saw Amir Nov. 29 in her home. But she has stopped short of telling them where Amir is, WLTX reported, instead saying he disappeared and it was up to police to find him. m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/missing-toddler-amir-jennings-hope-fades-developments-revealed-231600121.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang=en-us |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:55:30 GMT -5
Mom of missing S.C. boy faces prostitution charges in East Point, GA COLUMBIA, S.C. —The mother of a South Carolina toddler missing since Thanksgiving was arrested in East Point and accused of prostitution shortly before her son disappeared, according to police records. Zinah Jennings, 22, was arrested by East Point police in November after she offered sex to an undercover officer, police said in a report obtained by The Associated Press. Clad in a short skirt, Jennings "appeared to be trying to get the attention of every passing motorist" when an undercover officer saw her Nov. 9, the report said. The officer approached Jennings, who agreed to take $40 in exchange for sex. She also faces a marijuana charge. Jennings had been staying with a half-sister, Denise Jennings, in the Atlanta area for three weeks before her Nov. 9 arrest. On the day Zinah Jennings was arrested, her half-sister reported her missing, telling police that she had left her home and suffered from "schizophrenic tendencies" that had not been diagnosed. Zinah Jennings has been in jail in Columbia since late December, charged with lying to authorities about where her son is. Amir Jennings was 18 months old when his grandmother said she last saw him over Thanksgiving. The grandmother, Jocelyn Jennings Nelson, has said her daughter frequently traveled to visit relatives and friends in the Carolinas and Georgia but had been depressed since the birth of her son. Nelson said she reported Jennings and the boy missing last month after becoming concerned during their visit to Atlanta. "I was assured by both her sister and her that, ‘Everything is fine.'" Nelson said. After Zinah Jennings and her son were reported missing, police looked for them but also took into consideration relatives' statements that she had repeatedly left town for days at a time. On Christmas Eve, police investigating a one-car wreck just blocks from Jennings' home were surprised to find the driver was the young mother they'd been searching for. Interviewed at a hospital, Jennings gave conflicting statements about where the boy was, first telling authorities she didn't have any children before saying Amir was with friends and family in cities from Atlanta to Charlotte. After several dead ends, the mother was arrested. Authorities said they have stepped up their efforts to find the boy and are hoping a tip line and $10,000 reward will yield information. State police are analyzing stains on blankets and clothes removed from Jennings' car to see if they are blood. Jennings had no prior arrest record in South Carolina, according to state police. www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/mom-of-missing-s-1301792.html |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:56:01 GMT -5
Lawyer cites pregnancy in arguing for release of South Carolina mother jailed in son's disappearance COLUMBIA, S.C. – The mother of a South Carolina toddler missing since Thanksgiving is pregnant and should be released from jail because she needs prenatal care, the woman's attorney argued in court papers filed this week. Hemphill Pride II also said in the motions filed Tuesday in Columbia that Zinah Jennings is mentally ill, has been ordered to have treatment for a year and has been told to take Risperdal, which is used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. On Thursday afternoon, federal, state and local police were searching a county in the central part of the state for the toddler. Columbia police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said officers were scouring an 8-mile area near a small rural church in Richland County. Jennings, 22, has been in jail since late December, when Columbia police say they arrested her for lying about the whereabouts of her son, Amir. Her mother had reported Jennings missing several weeks earlier, telling police she thought her daughter and grandson were in Atlanta but that she was receiving evasive answers when she asked about Amir. Speaking to police after a Christmas Eve car wreck, Jennings first said she didn't have children and then said her son was with relatives and friends in cities from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C. Investigators say they chased down Jennings' stories but met with several dead ends before arresting her. Authorities said they hope a tip line and $10,000 reward will yield information, and state police are analyzing stains on blankets and clothes removed from Jennings' car to see if they are blood. Jennings was arrested on prostitution and drug charges in Georgia shortly before her son disappeared, accused of offering sex to an undercover officer. Jennings had been staying with a half-sister in the Atlanta area for three weeks before her Nov. 9 arrest. On the day Zinah Jennings was arrested, her half-sister reported her missing, telling police that she had left her home and suffered from "schizophrenic tendencies" that had not been diagnosed. The grandmother has said her headstrong daughter frequently traveled to visit relatives and friends in the Carolinas and Georgia but had been depressed since the birth of her son. In his motion, Pride cites a doctor who has examined Jennings and says she "lacks sufficient insight or capacity to make responsible decisions" about her treatment. In a separate motion, Pride asks a judge to allow his client to wear street clothes during hearings because of intense media attention on her case. In a previous appearance, Jennings wore an orange jail jumpsuit and handcuffs. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday. www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/26/attorney-for-jailed-south-carolina-mother-argues-for-her-release-citing/ |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:56:24 GMT -5
Officials call off search for missing SC toddler COLUMBIA, S.C. —Authorities have called off a search in central South Carolina for a toddler who has been missing since Thanksgiving. Dozens of federal, state and local police officers scoured an eight-mile radius for more than four hours Thursday, looking for Amir Jennings. The boy's mother, 22-year-old Zinah Jennings, has been held in jail since late December. Columbia police have accused her of lying about Amir's whereabouts. Police said they received a tip to search the area near a small church in Richland County. Zinah Jennings' attorney says his client is not speaking to police and is on psychiatric medication. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. The mother of a South Carolina toddler missing since Thanksgiving is pregnant and mentally ill and should be released from jail because she needs medical care, the woman's attorney argued in court papers filed this week. Hemphill Pride II said in the motions filed Tuesday in Columbia that Zinah Jennings has been ordered to have treatment for her mental illness for a year and has been told to take Risperdal, which is used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. He also said she needs prenatal care. On Thursday afternoon, federal, state and local police were searching a county in the central part of the state for the toddler. Columbia police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said officers were scouring an 8-mile radius near a small rural church in Richland County. Jennings, 22, has been in jail since late December, when Columbia police say they arrested her for lying about the whereabouts of her son, Amir. Her mother had reported Jennings missing several weeks earlier, telling police she thought her daughter and grandson were in Atlanta but that she was receiving evasive answers when she asked about Amir. He was 18 months old when he disappeared. Speaking to police after a Christmas Eve car wreck, Jennings first said she didn't have children and then said her son was with relatives and friends in cities from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C. Investigators say they chased down Jennings' stories but met with several dead ends before arresting her. Authorities said they hope a tip line and $10,000 reward will yield information, and state police are analyzing stains on blankets and clothes removed from Jennings' car to see if they are blood. Her half-sister who reported her missing told police that she had left her home and suffered from "schizophrenic tendencies" that had not been diagnosed. Jocelyn Jennings Nelson has said her headstrong daughter frequently traveled to visit relatives and friends in the Carolinas and Georgia andt had been depressed since the birth of her son. Nelson said she reported Jennings and the boy missing last month after becoming concerned during their visit to Atlanta. Jennings was arrested on prostitution and drug charges in Georgia shortly before her son disappeared, accused of offering sex to an undercover officer. Jennings had been staying with a half-sister in the Atlanta area for three weeks before her Nov. 9 arrest. On the day Zinah Jennings was arrested, her half-sister reported her missing, telling police that she had left her home and suffered from "schizophrenic tendencies" that had not been diagnosed. The grandmother has said her headstrong daughter frequently traveled to visit relatives and friends in the Carolinas and Georgia but had been depressed since the birth of her son. In his motion, Pride cites a doctor who has examined Jennings and says she "lacks sufficient insight or capacity to make responsible decisions" about her treatment. In a separate motion, Pride asks a judge to allow his client to wear street clothes during hearings because of intense media attention on her case. In a previous appearance, Jennings wore an orange jail jumpsuit and handcuffs. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday. www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/officials-call-off-search-1318560.html |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:56:52 GMT -5
Mother of missing SC toddler expected in court COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - The mother of a South Carolina toddler missing since Thanksgiving is expected in court this afternoon. An attorney for Zinah Jennings is expected to tell a judge during a hearing in Columbia on Monday that his 22-year-old client is pregnant and mentally ill and should be released from jail because she needs medical care. Hemphill Pride II says Jennings has been ordered to have treatment for her mental illness for a year and has been told to take Risperdal, which is used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. He also said she needs prenatal care. Last week, officers scoured a rural area but found no evidence of Amir Jennings. The boy has been missing since Thanksgiving, and his mother has been arrested for lying about his whereabouts. Related stories: Officers find nothing, call search for missing toddler off Woman starts Facebook page to help find missing toddler m.wistv.com/autojuice?targetUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wistv.com%2fstory%2f16629563%2fmother-of-missing-sc-toddler-expected-in-court |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:57:14 GMT -5
100 days and counting: Where is Amir Jennings? COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - It has been 100 days since the last known sighting of Amir Jennings, the 20-month-old toddler missing since Nov. 29, 2011. It's most definitely a milestone the child's family does not want to visit, but they are still hopeful Amir will be found safe and alive. "I believe with all my heart that Amir is alive and I pray that he's in safe hands," said Amir's grandmother, Jocelyn Jennings Nelson, during a prayer and vigil for the boy that took place back on Feb. 12. Columbia Police Department spokesperson says the department hasn't lost any energy looking for Amir. "Investigators still follow up on some leads and tips and backtrack," said Timmons. "We have reviewed the case and we continue to do so and we are not going to stop until we find him." The boy's mother, Zinah Jennings, has been in jail since late December on a cruelty to children charge. Police say Zinah has lied to them about where her son is. Her attorney says she is pregnant again and is on psychiatric medication. Nelson asked for prayers for her daughter's mental health so that she can cooperate with authorities to help bring Amir home. "I don't know what happened in my daughter's life that broke her spirit --that broke her down and brought her to this very dark place," she said. Meanwhile, Timmons and CPD say as the days go by, the department grows more concerned about Amir. "Until we can know what has happened to him, we are not going to assume one way or another at this point and we are not going to give up hope," said Timmons. If you know anything about the whereabouts of Amir Jennings, you are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. m.wistv.com/autojuice?targetUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wistv.com%2fstory%2f17065593%2f100-days-and-counting-where-is-amir-jennings |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:57:38 GMT -5
Tuesday, May. 01, 2012 Missing-toddler case headed to grand jury Prosecutors push for indictment against mother Prosecutors plan to take the case of missing Columbia child Amir Jennings to the Richland County grand jury next week in hopes of indicting his mother. “The case for which she was arrested, unlawful conduct toward a child, is proceeding to the grand jury May 10,” Fifth Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson confirmed Monday. Since Dec. 29, Zinah Jennings, 23, has been in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on that charge. She is under a $150,000 bond and has not been able to make bond. The last time anyone saw Amir Jennings was Dec. 6, according to a warrant in the case. Amir was 18 months old at the time he was reported missing. Jennings’ lawyer, Hemphill Pride II, said Monday if his client is indicted, he will move before a judge to have the charges dismissed. “They don’t have the evidence to go to trial on the charge,” Pride said. “The conduct for which a person should go to trial in connection with the charge against her is absent.” Jennings is also pregnant, said Pride, who did not know when the baby was expected. The charge Jennings faces is a felony, carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison. In early December, relatives reported mother and child missing to Columbia police. But it wasn’t untilDec. 24 that Jennings was found, when she wrecked her Dodge Neon in a one-car accident near Millwood Avenue and Lady Street in Columbia. When police ran her name through law enforcement databases, they found she and her son were listed as missing. Once detectives began question her, Jennings gave different accounts of Amir’s whereabouts. After her accident, when Jennings was taken to the hospital, she told workers there she did not have a child, according to police. Jennings later told police Amir was in Atlanta with a sister, in Charlotte with a friend and in Columbia with a friend. Police checked all these stories out and could find no one to verify them. Finally, Dec. 29, police arrested Jennings on charges of unlawful conduct toward a child. Amir remains missing. Since Jennings has been in jail, Pride said she has been examined by state-appointed mental health professionals and found to be mentally ill. “She went though a series of examinations by a state psychologist,” Pride said. That doctor then testified before a judge in probate court that Jennings was mentally ill, Pride said. The judge then ordered Jennings to take a medicine that would help her mental condition for one year, Pride said. “How can a person who is mentally ill be responsible for the information that they give?” Pride asked. “She was suffering under a disability when police were talking with her.” Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott said Monday detectives are still “actively working on this case. It may not be in the news every day, and we don’t consider it a cold case.” Police have searched wooded areas near Columbia, used cadaver dogs to examine Jennings’ Lady Street home and taken DNA samples from the home. Police also said they found clothes and blankets with what appeared to be blood on them in Jennings’ car. The results of those tests were not available. “Ms. Jennings has not given us any help,” Scott said. “She is the confirmed last person to see Amir. We are trying to find out what happened, and we are not giving up hope.” www.thestate.com/2012/05/01/2257356/missing-toddler-case-headed-to.html |
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Post by meme on May 12, 2012 22:58:01 GMT -5
Grand Jury indicts Zinah Jennings COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A Richland County Grand Jury has decided that the mother of a boy who mysteriously disappeared almost six months ago will go to trial. Zinah Jennings was indicted late Thursday on charges of unlawful neglect of a child. Jennings, has been in jail for the last 5 months in connection with the disappearance of her 18-month-old son, Amir. The boy vanished shortly after Thanksgiving last year. Columbia Police have been frustrated in their investigation largely by what they say is Zinah Jennings' refusal to cooperate with them and provide accurate information about Amir's whereabouts. Jennings' lawyer told WIS last week that he fully expected the Grand Jury to indict his client. Earlier this week, Amir's grandmother, Jocelyn Jennings, said Zinah has battled depression and a drinking problem. Jennings says she is no closer now to knowing what happened to her grandson than she was several months ago. Jennings is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on $150,000 bond. m.wbtv.com/autojuice?targetUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wbtv.com%2fstory%2f18263038%2fgrand-jury-indicts-mother-of-missing-boy |
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Post by earl on May 15, 2012 1:26:54 GMT -5
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Post by earl on May 15, 2012 1:34:54 GMT -5
Amir Jennings Update: South Carolina Judge Denies Lower Bail For Zinah Jennings, Missing Boy's MotherThe Huffington Post Steven Hoffer 02/01/2012  The attorney for the South Carolina mother of a missing child believes that a judge is refusing to reduce his client's bail as punishment for her not speaking with police. Richland County Judge Casey Manning denied on Tuesday a request to lower the $150,000 bail for Zinah Jennings, the pregnant and mentally unstable mother of missing toddler Amir Jennings. She's been charged with child neglect and held since December in the county jail in Columbia. ..... ....."The missing child creates a very volatile kind of atmosphere in the community," Jennings lawyer said. "There is great hysteria over the child being gone, and I think that had an impact on the court's decision." ..... www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/zinah-jennings-bail-south-carolina_n_1246653.html
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Post by meme on Aug 15, 2012 21:51:28 GMT -5
Police: Amir Jennings' Blood Found in Zinah Jenning's Trunk 9:36 AM, Jul 31, 2012 COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Police say bloodstains found in the trunk of a Columbia mother's car belong to her missing son. Officers discussed the evidence in the case against Zinah Jennings during a court hearing Monday. Jennings' son, Amir, was 18 months old when he was last seen at the end of 2011. His mother has been charged with lying to police about where her son is. Jennings is due to give birth to another child later this year. It's up to a judge now to decide if the blanket on which the blood was found can be used in Jennings' trial, set for late August. Jennings' attorney says the blanket could prejudice a jury against Jennings, who is charged with illegal conduct toward a child. www.wltx.com/news/article/196037/2/Police-Amir-Jennings-Blood-Found-in-Moms-Trunk |
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Post by meme on Aug 15, 2012 21:52:52 GMT -5
Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 JENNINGS CASE Toddler’s blood in trunk allowed as evidence A judge ruled Wednesday that bloodstains belonging to a missing Columbia toddler may be used as evidence in the coming trial of his mother on a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child. An attorney for Zinah Jennings had argued that prosecutors shouldn’t be allowed to introduce the evidence at trial because it came from the trunk of her car, which sat in a salvage yard for the week between Jennings’ Christmas Eve wreck and the day it was taken into police custody. During that week, Jennings’ attorney argued, anyone could have accessed the car, which wasn’t guarded or sealed with police tape. “You don’t know today who else it was exposed to,” attorney Hemphill Pride II said in court. “And that is very important in this case.” But Circuit Judge Knox McMahon sided with prosecutors, who argued that there is no evidence that anyone tampered with the car and that police are only tasked with maintaining evidence once they retrieve it – as, in this case, from a salvage yard – and aren’t responsible for it prior to that. “We do not feel that this is actually a chain of evidence issue,” prosecutor Luck Campbell said. Clad in a striped, collared shirt, a pregnant Jennings sat quietly in court Wednesday, speaking only with her mother and other relatives during a short break. Jennings has been jailed since December as police have investigated the disappearance of her son, Amir. Jennings was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child after authorities say she told them several inconsistent and false stories about who is caring for him. Amir was 18 months old when he was last seen around Thanksgiving. Jennings’ mother reported her missing several weeks later, telling police that she thought her daughter and grandson were in Atlanta but that she was receiving evasive answers when she asked about the boy. Speaking to police, after the Christmas Eve car wreck in downtown Columbia, Jennings first said she had no children and then said the boy was with relatives and friends in cities from Atlanta to Charlotte. Investigators say they chased down Jennings’ stories in several states but arrested her after several dead ends. Prosecutors and police have said Amir’s blood was found on blankets in Jennings’ car. Jennings has not been charged in the boy’s death, but her attorney had asked that the blood not be allowed to be used as evidence in her coming trial, saying the blanket would imply that. Pride also has asked a judge to suppress search warrants and statements that Jennings made to police during their investigation and has asked that television cameras be barred from her trial. On Wednesday, Jennings’ aunt testified that she took her niece to a salvage yard to retrieve clothes and other belongings from her totaled car two days after the wreck. Questioned by Jennings’ attorney, Millie Houston also said that no police officers were guarding the car and that there was no evidence tape visible. Jennings’ mother also testified that she stored bags of her daughter’s things, ultimately washing and storing the items and clothing within. Jennings’ trial is set to begin Aug. 27. In court Wednesday, McMahon said that he has ruled that evidence related to cadaver dogs was relevant to the case but may not be introduced during Jennings’ coming trial. Dogs were used to search the car as well as the home of Jennings’ mother. McMahon also ruled that the blanket was admissible at trial. Pride has long said that police have unjustly charged his client for simply refusing to speak with them. “You can’t make somebody cooperate with you … and that’s not a basis, in this country, for an arrest,” Pride said. Jennings also has been charged with assault. Pride has said that the charge stems from an allegation that his client pushed and shoved a jailhouse nurse over medication earlier this year. Jennings has been ordered by a judge to take Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug, while in jail awaiting trial. After the fight, she was ordered to be held in solitary confinement for 90 days. www.thestate.com/2012/08/15/2401524/apnewsbreak-bloodstains-allowed.html#.UCxXqt1lQjM%23storylink=cpy |
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