03-14-2012, 03:55 PM
I just got a google alert about this:
Detroit Free Press: The father of a missing 2-year-old girl has been charged with felony murder and child abuse in connection with her disappearance, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced today.
D’Andre Lane is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Detroit’s 36th District Court on the charges. If convicted on the murder charge, Lane faces life in prison without parole.
Lane’s attorney, Terry Johnson, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Bianca Jones went missing Dec. 2 and has not been found.
Worthy said cases where a body is not recovered or where one is recovered in a condition that is not helpful to police and prosecutors are difficult to prosecute.
“A human body is sometimes the best piece of evidence the prosecutor and the police can have,” she said. “It can speak to you, it can sometimes tell you what happened. It can sometimes tell you who did it and who didn’t. It can sometimes lead you in the right direction.
“But bodies, as you know, are not always found in cases that police investigate or found in a condition that … can help police and prosecutors out.”
Lane told investigators he was carjacked in Detroit while driving to the home of Bianca’s mother to get some clothing for the little girl. Police found his car about 10 minutes later and the toddler was gone.
Police have questioned his account and have searched his home several times.
A source familiar with the investigation previously told the Free Press that a cadaver dog alerted its handler to spots in a bedroom at Lane’s house, as well as in his car, on Bianca’s car seat and her blanket.
Cadaver dogs are trained to find human remains and can be capable of detecting even trace amounts of decomposition, experts say.
Lane’s attorney, though, has said his client longs for his daughter’s return.
Lane previously said he failed a police polygraph test, but blamed that on his thoughts about Bianca and the carjacking. He insisted he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Lane was arrested in December shortly after Bianca’s disappearance for violating conditions of a personal protection order. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews ordered Lane to take an anger management course after he violated the PPO that prohibited him from contacting his ex-wife, Rakiba Mitchell. He was later released.
When Matthews learned Monday that he had failed to attend the course, she ordered him jailed again. He is currently serving 14 days in the Oakland County jail. Lane is scheduled for release on March 23, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Wesley Beltz said.
Mitchell sought the PPO in March 2011, following the couple’s divorce, saying he was harassing her and threatening her. She accused Lane of assaulting her at a family birthday party. Mitchell and Lane share a young child, who is in Mitchell’s custody.
The PPO was granted on April 1 but according to court records, Lane continued to contact Mitchell. On July 18, Mitchell said in court records that she found a note from Lane asking to see their son. She called police and a bench warrant was issued.
Detroit Free Press: The father of a missing 2-year-old girl has been charged with felony murder and child abuse in connection with her disappearance, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced today.
D’Andre Lane is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Detroit’s 36th District Court on the charges. If convicted on the murder charge, Lane faces life in prison without parole.
Lane’s attorney, Terry Johnson, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Bianca Jones went missing Dec. 2 and has not been found.
Worthy said cases where a body is not recovered or where one is recovered in a condition that is not helpful to police and prosecutors are difficult to prosecute.
“A human body is sometimes the best piece of evidence the prosecutor and the police can have,” she said. “It can speak to you, it can sometimes tell you what happened. It can sometimes tell you who did it and who didn’t. It can sometimes lead you in the right direction.
“But bodies, as you know, are not always found in cases that police investigate or found in a condition that … can help police and prosecutors out.”
Lane told investigators he was carjacked in Detroit while driving to the home of Bianca’s mother to get some clothing for the little girl. Police found his car about 10 minutes later and the toddler was gone.
Police have questioned his account and have searched his home several times.
A source familiar with the investigation previously told the Free Press that a cadaver dog alerted its handler to spots in a bedroom at Lane’s house, as well as in his car, on Bianca’s car seat and her blanket.
Cadaver dogs are trained to find human remains and can be capable of detecting even trace amounts of decomposition, experts say.
Lane’s attorney, though, has said his client longs for his daughter’s return.
Lane previously said he failed a police polygraph test, but blamed that on his thoughts about Bianca and the carjacking. He insisted he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Lane was arrested in December shortly after Bianca’s disappearance for violating conditions of a personal protection order. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews ordered Lane to take an anger management course after he violated the PPO that prohibited him from contacting his ex-wife, Rakiba Mitchell. He was later released.
When Matthews learned Monday that he had failed to attend the course, she ordered him jailed again. He is currently serving 14 days in the Oakland County jail. Lane is scheduled for release on March 23, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Wesley Beltz said.
Mitchell sought the PPO in March 2011, following the couple’s divorce, saying he was harassing her and threatening her. She accused Lane of assaulting her at a family birthday party. Mitchell and Lane share a young child, who is in Mitchell’s custody.
The PPO was granted on April 1 but according to court records, Lane continued to contact Mitchell. On July 18, Mitchell said in court records that she found a note from Lane asking to see their son. She called police and a bench warrant was issued.
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.