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Speaker 1: Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're highlighting a case that happened in October twenty twenty three. A twenty five year old woman vanished from Washington, d c. She was reliable in daily contact with her family and known for being independent, but one day, she and her gray Mercedes disappeared without a trace. For months, her family searched while police shifted her case to homicide detectives. Then five months later, an arrest rocked the community, but to this day, she has never been recovered. This is the story of China Crawford and Danielle Crawford was twenty five years old in the fall of twenty twenty three. Known to her family as Shasha, she stood five feet seven inches tall and weighed about one hundred and twenty pounds. Her black hair was styled in long locks, and she had distinctive tattoos the name Anthony on her hip and a heart with double horns on the right side of her chest. According to her sister Kia, China was independent, blunt, and a go getter who would speak up when something wasn't right. Most importantly, she spoke with her mother often. According to her family, she had no involvement with drugs, and her sudden disappearance was completely out of character. Monday, October twenty third, two thousand and three, it started like any other day. China spoke with her mother and made plans to meet her later that week. She also had arrangements to go shopping with a friend that evening. Around the sixteen hundred block of Good Hope Road, Southeast, China's sister Kia saw her. According to Kia, they talked briefly before she had to return to other tasks. I was supposed to see her during the weekend. Kia later recalled, but that reunion never happened. When China's shopping plans fell through and her friend couldn't reach her, concern began to grow. For several days, family members called and texted her with no response. Her mother tried tracking her phone through to find my iPhone app, but the device had been turned off. By Thursday, October twenty sixth the family knew that something was wrong. Kia got a frantic call from her mother. Everyone checked China's location on their phones, but nothing showed up. That same day, China's mother filed a missing person report. Police conducted a welfare check at her apartment. Inside, nothing looked out of place, but one critical detail did stand out. China's car was missing two a gray twenty twelve Mercedes Benz CLS five point fifty with Virginia temporary tags. On November three, twenty twenty three, DC Police issued a press release asking the public for help. They classified her as critical missing. Behind the scenes, detectives were already taking the case seriously. According to The Washington Post, police escalated the investigation to a major crimes unit, the same team that handles homicides after finding suspicious circumstances. While there wasn't publicly disclosed evidence of foul play, detectives saw suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance. It was a signal they feared the worst. Her family refused to wait passively. Kia became the driving force behind the search, organizing multiple community efforts. The first search took place October thirtieth. Volunteers split into groups to comb through Anacostia park, behind railroad tracks, and through wooded areas they found nothing. He had printed hundreds of flyers and posted them all over the city. On November fourth, she led another search. Both times we had a good amount of people, Kia said, Even people from other states showed up to help. As days turned into weeks, he is fear deepened. I can't eat because I'm thinking about has she eaten? She told Dateline. I can't sleep because I'm thinking about has she had a chance to sleep. The family started to GoFundMe to raise money for a five thousand dollars reward. They launched the hashtag find China to spread awareness, but despite their efforts, there was still no trace of China or her car. On March twenty six, twenty twenty four, five months after she vanished, everything shifted, the US Marshall Service arrested thirty two year old Lashawn Tweety Washington. Prosecutors charged her with first degree murder, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors alleged Washington and others conspired to rob China and that she was killed in the process. The arrest provide some answers, but many details remain unclear. What we know China disappeared October twenty third, twenty twenty three, her car was never found, and five months later, Leshawn Washington was arrested and charged what we don't know what specific evidence led to the arrest, who may else, who else may be involved, and where China is today? Without her remains, Prosecutors face the challenge of building their case on circumstantial evidence. Her family is left with more questions than answers as well, Why was she targeted? Was this random or something else entirely? Investigators cleared her boyfriend, who was incarcerated at the time she vanished, but no clear motive has been made public. As of October twenty twenty five, on the those two years after her disappearance, China Crawford has not been found. Washington remains in custody awaiting trial, but court dates have been delayed due to pending cases in Virginia. The investigation continues. Black women make up nearly thirty seven percent of missing persons cases, yet far too often their disappearances don't receive the attention they deserve. China's family took action, organizing community searches, raising reward money, and sharing her story online to keep it visible. Even with police escalation and an arrest. Nothing can erase the void left by China's absence. Her body has not been found, and many questions about what happened, who else may have been involved, and the circumstances of her disappearance remain unanswered. Today, China would be twenty seven years old. My thoughts and prayers are with her family as they continue to grieve and see justice for China. Anyone with information about China Crawford's disappearance should contact DC's Metropolitan Police. You can find their contact information in the description below. As we close out this episode, remember sharing China's story helps spread awareness anne could help lead to answers that her family and investigators are looking for. Don't forget to click the follow button to stay updated on China's case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime content and case updates. Also, if you're watching us on YouTube, share your thoughts on this case and the comments below. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode Until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect podcast network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.