The Skeleton Key Chronicles

11 hours ago

Just days after hundreds of first responders began searching for Javeayah Kemauni Harris, authorities say they believe she is deceased. Her parents, 23-year-old Johmarea Harris and 22-year-old Michilae Herring were booked into the Aiken County Detention Center.

Sheriff Marty Sawyer said investigators now believe Javeayah had been gone for at least a month before she was reported missing on June 30th, a timeline that is totally different from what authorities were initially told. Although Javeayah has not yet been located, search teams are continuing to search an area outside Aiken County.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

15 hours ago

Today marks 40 years since Patricia Colyer disappeared after telling her family she was leaving for a few days with a woman known only as "Dee." It was July 4, 1986. Patricia, 38, said Dee was a truck driver and that Dee's husband would also be joining them. She never told her family where they were headed. Investigators later believed Patricia may have met Dee at a local tavern just days before she disappeared. But police were never able to identify Dee or the man Patricia said was traveling with them, and Patricia was never seen again.

For years, there were very few answers and very little to go on. Then last month, investigators announced they had finally identified a partial cranium found in a wooded area near Entiat River Road in Washington as Patricia's. The identification was made through DNA after a relative had submitted a sample more than 20 years ago.

That answered one question, but not the one that's mattered most for nearly 40 years. Because only a partial cranium was recovered, Patricia's cause and manner of death remain undetermined. The investigation has been turned over to the Tacoma Police Department, there are still no leads or suspects, and investigators are still trying to determine what happened after Patricia left home that July 4th.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

21 hours ago

UPDATE: The Aiken County Sheriff's Office announced that investigators now believe Javeayah is deceased, and her parents, 23-year-old Johmarea Harris and 22-year-old Michilae Herring, have been taken into custody. Authorities also said they now believe Javeayah had been gone for at least a month before she was reported missing, and they are continuing efforts to locate her.

The search for 4-year-old Javeayah Harris continues as investigators and volunteers enter the weekend still looking for the missing little girl from rural Aiken County, South Carolina. Although the sheriff's office says the massive public search operation will look different in the days ahead, the crews are not stopping and will continue following leads until Javeayah is found.

Javeayah was last seen around 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30th, playing near her family's chicken coop while wearing pink Minnie Mouse pajamas and Crocs. Her mother reported her missing later that evening. At the same time, the family was preparing for the birth of Javeayah's baby sibling as her mom was going into labor. Javeayah's father, Johmarea Harris, says he was away from home doing laundry and stopping at a convenience store when he noticed helicopters, drones, and deputies near his road. He initially thought the emergency response was because Javeayah's mother had the baby. Instead, she met him in tears and told him their daughter was missing. She later gave birth during the early morning hours of July 1st.

Since then, the search has grown into one of the largest ever in that area. More than 200 personnel, assisted by helicopters, drones, K-9 teams, specialized search crews, and FBI support, have searched more than 5,000 acres surrounding the family's home. Investigators say they have also conducted numerous interviews, including with family members.
Harris says he has no idea what happened to his daughter but told detectives he had previously reported people he believed were "snooping" around the property before she disappeared.

Authorities have not said whether those reports are connected to the case, and no suspects or persons of interest have been announced. Another detail that's emerged is that Javeayah and her family previously lived in Union County before moving to Aiken County. A former neighbor described Javeayah as a sweet little girl who always wanted to hold someone's hand. The neighbor also claimed residents of the apartment complex would sometimes help care for Javeayah by feeding her, bathing her, and sending her home with clean clothes. Those are the neighbor's recollections and have not been addressed publicly by investigators.

While some roadblocks are beginning to come down and the mobile command post is being reduced, the sheriff's office says the search itself is continuing. Javeayah's photo is now appearing on digital billboards across the region as investigators continue asking anyone with information to come forward.

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