WEBVTT - Hell and Gone Murder Line: Ieshia Jackson Part 1 0:00:07.565 --> 0:00:09.645 Oh School of Humans. 0:00:11.845 --> 0:00:16.085 It was Halloween night, October thirty first, twenty twenty, and 0:00:16.205 --> 0:00:19.085 twenty two year old Ayisha Jackson was getting ready to 0:00:19.125 --> 0:00:22.525 go to a party. Ayisha was braiding her hair and 0:00:22.565 --> 0:00:26.045 getting into costume while talking to her mother, Laquita Parker. 0:00:27.005 --> 0:00:29.925 Aisha and her girlfriends were doing a purge theme that night, 0:00:30.365 --> 0:00:33.085 so they had hockey masks and slash shirts with fake 0:00:33.125 --> 0:00:36.925 blood on them. Aisha is small in stature, only five 0:00:36.965 --> 0:00:39.845 foot two and one hundred and fifteen pounds, but her 0:00:39.885 --> 0:00:42.405 family said she could fill and light up a room, 0:00:42.605 --> 0:00:46.725 especially when she danced, which she loved to do. Aisha 0:00:46.725 --> 0:00:50.245 had a happy life. She lived in Eldaredo, Arkansas, just 0:00:50.285 --> 0:00:53.085 a short distance away from her mother, her fifteen year 0:00:53.125 --> 0:00:57.005 old brother, Jaiques, and the rest of her family. Aisha 0:00:57.045 --> 0:01:00.645 lived on South Roslawn Avenue in Eldaredo, but because she 0:01:00.645 --> 0:01:03.005 had a couple of break ins at her home recently, 0:01:03.365 --> 0:01:07.085 she was staying in her uncle's house. Her uncle, William 0:01:07.125 --> 0:01:12.165 Parker Junior, is Laquita's brother. William and his wife, Shequila, 0:01:12.525 --> 0:01:15.325 lived on the five hundred block of Stuart Avenue in Eldaredo, 0:01:15.365 --> 0:01:18.005 which was just a few minutes away from Ayisha's house. 0:01:18.845 --> 0:01:21.605 Ayisha had multiple cats and dogs at home, and she 0:01:21.725 --> 0:01:25.405 took great care of all of her animals. Ayisha and 0:01:25.405 --> 0:01:29.085 her mother were very close. They normally spoke several times 0:01:29.125 --> 0:01:33.925 per day. So when Laquita did not hear from her 0:01:34.005 --> 0:01:37.805 daughter at all on November first, by November second, she 0:01:37.965 --> 0:01:43.765 was scared. So early that morning on November second, Liquita, 0:01:43.925 --> 0:01:48.205 her boyfriend Freddie, and Ayisha's brother Jacques, jumped in their 0:01:48.245 --> 0:01:51.805 car and headed to Ayisha's house on South Roselawn. When 0:01:51.845 --> 0:01:55.285 the family got there, they could see immediately that something 0:01:55.365 --> 0:01:58.925 was very wrong. Liquita went in and found her daughter's 0:01:58.925 --> 0:02:02.725 stuff there, including her wallet and cell phone. One of 0:02:02.765 --> 0:02:06.605 Ayisha's dogs was out running around, which was very unusual. 0:02:07.445 --> 0:02:09.765 The place kind of looked like she had just stepped 0:02:09.805 --> 0:02:13.325 out for a few minutes, but Aisha never came back home. 0:02:14.405 --> 0:02:17.725 I'm Catherine Townsend. Over the past five years of making 0:02:17.765 --> 0:02:21.245 my true crime podcast, Helen Gone, I've learned there's no 0:02:21.405 --> 0:02:24.485 such thing as a small town where murder never happens. 0:02:25.325 --> 0:02:28.205 I've received hundreds of messages from people all around the 0:02:28.245 --> 0:02:31.645 country asking for help with an unsolved murder that's affected them, 0:02:31.885 --> 0:02:35.605 their families and their communities. If you have a case 0:02:35.645 --> 0:02:38.005 you'd like me and my team to look into, you 0:02:38.005 --> 0:02:40.285 can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder 0:02:40.325 --> 0:02:44.085 line at six seven eight seven four four six one 0:02:44.245 --> 0:02:47.645 four or five. That's six seven eight seven four four 0:02:47.925 --> 0:03:23.965 six one four five. This is Helen Gone Murder Line. 0:03:24.325 --> 0:03:27.645 On that car ride over to Ayisha's apartment, jack Wu 0:03:27.845 --> 0:03:29.925 said he was hoping that he would walk in and 0:03:30.005 --> 0:03:31.845 just see his sister there, and that the reason they 0:03:31.885 --> 0:03:34.725 hadn't heard from her was maybe just a prank by 0:03:34.725 --> 0:03:38.845 his sister, or maybe a misunderstanding, maybe her phone had died. 0:03:40.005 --> 0:03:43.645 As soon as Ayisha's brother walked in, he knew that 0:03:43.765 --> 0:03:47.885 something was very wrong. He noticed that Ayisha's door was 0:03:47.965 --> 0:03:49.805 unlocked and a little bit cracked open. 0:03:50.685 --> 0:03:53.405 My mother had already said that she had a bad feeling. 0:03:53.645 --> 0:03:56.965 I never, you know, knew you know, too much of it. 0:03:57.325 --> 0:03:59.525 And under my impression my sister is at home, I'm 0:03:59.525 --> 0:04:02.445 going to go over with my sister. You know, when 0:04:02.485 --> 0:04:04.285 I walked up the stairs, I was happy. I'm going 0:04:04.285 --> 0:04:05.765 to see my sister. You know, we're going to talk 0:04:05.925 --> 0:04:07.685 left job around, you know. 0:04:08.285 --> 0:04:10.765 So when we when I walked up the stairs and 0:04:10.805 --> 0:04:11.685 I noticed. 0:04:11.325 --> 0:04:13.685 That I could see something was wrong, but I didn't 0:04:13.725 --> 0:04:15.605 want to think that, you know what I'm saying. But then 0:04:15.645 --> 0:04:18.325 I looked down down the stairs. Their mama how to 0:04:18.445 --> 0:04:20.485 open and she not in there. How house was ramshaped. 0:04:20.605 --> 0:04:22.005 My sister did not like that. She had to twenty 0:04:22.045 --> 0:04:22.765 eaware house like that. 0:04:25.285 --> 0:04:29.245 Inside, Jacques said, the house looked like it had been ransacked, 0:04:29.845 --> 0:04:33.805 but on closer inspection, some of Ayisha's family members believed 0:04:33.805 --> 0:04:37.085 that the scene looked kind of staged, like someone had 0:04:37.085 --> 0:04:39.565 come in and pretended they were trying to rob the place, 0:04:39.605 --> 0:04:43.245 but they didn't really take anything. Things were thrown around, 0:04:43.325 --> 0:04:47.205 but only superficially, and everything of value was still in 0:04:47.245 --> 0:04:50.685 the apartment. Ayisha's purse was lying out in the open 0:04:50.725 --> 0:04:53.885 on her bed, her phone was plugged into the charger 0:04:53.925 --> 0:04:56.965 in the living room, and her animals were all fine. 0:04:57.605 --> 0:05:00.885 Usually Ayisha would make sure to feed her dogs, take 0:05:00.925 --> 0:05:03.045 them out, and put them all in their kennels when 0:05:03.045 --> 0:05:07.045 she left, but one was out, which Jacques said was 0:05:07.165 --> 0:05:08.085 highly unusual. 0:05:08.525 --> 0:05:11.045 Picture of clean house. Right, you got a reclowner, You 0:05:11.125 --> 0:05:14.885 got a black couch, and you have like a little 0:05:14.965 --> 0:05:16.885 end table. It's in like in the middle of the room. 0:05:16.965 --> 0:05:19.925 And then we have like a regular queen sized bed 0:05:20.125 --> 0:05:22.925 with a tall dresser, tall black dresser, and on top 0:05:22.965 --> 0:05:25.645 of that you have clothes and all those dressers. You 0:05:25.725 --> 0:05:27.645 have a TV on top of that dresser as well. 0:05:27.845 --> 0:05:30.525 And everything is clean. Nothing is on the floor. You 0:05:30.565 --> 0:05:32.805 have blankets and stuff like that. Everything is put up. 0:05:32.845 --> 0:05:34.565 You have a dog cage and. 0:05:34.485 --> 0:05:34.805 All of that. 0:05:34.965 --> 0:05:35.965 The bathroom and everything. 0:05:36.005 --> 0:05:37.605 Everything is cleaned up and stuff like that. 0:05:37.885 --> 0:05:40.125 And you know how your sister is, especially when it 0:05:40.125 --> 0:05:40.685 comes down. 0:05:40.485 --> 0:05:41.125 To your animals. 0:05:41.165 --> 0:05:43.245 She's not going to beat her animals with two long 0:05:43.725 --> 0:05:45.565 She either had somebody to be over there and check 0:05:45.605 --> 0:05:48.325 up on the animals or something. Dog is out the 0:05:48.365 --> 0:05:51.605 page and running around. Her animals is loose. None of 0:05:51.605 --> 0:05:55.125 her personal items has took it. But you know that 0:05:55.245 --> 0:05:57.405 this is not the way your sister would have left 0:05:57.405 --> 0:06:00.765 her house. Her phone was neatly placed on the couch 0:06:00.965 --> 0:06:01.205 on the. 0:06:01.245 --> 0:06:03.445 Tasure, Her herds were on the table. 0:06:03.605 --> 0:06:07.525 Her brother was on the table alone with her medicine. 0:06:07.805 --> 0:06:10.685 Oh so her medicine was there too, right. 0:06:10.845 --> 0:06:13.125 So Dan, this is where it gives you a clear 0:06:13.205 --> 0:06:14.805 idea that that's the first ideal. 0:06:14.885 --> 0:06:16.685 Okay, Well, something got. 0:06:16.765 --> 0:06:18.445 To be wrong, because she's not just gonna leave her 0:06:18.525 --> 0:06:22.805 personal stuff. You're not gonna leave a while that phone 0:06:23.125 --> 0:06:24.965 in their prayer going go here? Where'd she go? 0:06:28.965 --> 0:06:32.245 Because Aisha was a young woman who had recently gotten 0:06:32.245 --> 0:06:35.685 out of a long term relationship, of course police started 0:06:35.685 --> 0:06:39.245 to investigate the men in her life. Jacques told me 0:06:39.285 --> 0:06:41.685 that he went over and talked with Ayisha's long term 0:06:41.725 --> 0:06:44.325 ex boyfriend, the one she had been with for years 0:06:44.405 --> 0:06:47.645 and recently broken up with. Jacques said, by the way, 0:06:47.805 --> 0:06:52.045 the long term ex was extremely upset, cooperated completely with 0:06:52.165 --> 0:06:56.445 law enforcement, helped search for Aisha, and to my knowledge, 0:06:56.845 --> 0:06:59.525 has never been mentioned as a potential person of interest 0:06:59.525 --> 0:07:02.845 in this case. Aisha had been on dates with a 0:07:02.885 --> 0:07:05.285 few different people in the weeks before she went missing. 0:07:06.245 --> 0:07:08.765 She was being a normal twenty two year old young woman, 0:07:08.965 --> 0:07:11.765 not rushing to jump into a serious relationship after getting 0:07:11.805 --> 0:07:14.445 out of one, living in her own place and enjoying 0:07:14.445 --> 0:07:18.365 her life. And one guy who she did casually date 0:07:18.765 --> 0:07:21.845 was a twenty three year old man named Samaji. I've 0:07:21.885 --> 0:07:25.725 seen the police report, and according to this document, Samaji 0:07:25.765 --> 0:07:29.245 and Aisha had been dating, but that changed in the 0:07:29.325 --> 0:07:32.365 days leading up to her being reported missing. And of course, 0:07:32.405 --> 0:07:36.085 anytime you have anyone who has recently ended a relationship 0:07:36.205 --> 0:07:38.445 and they go missing. Of course, you have to take 0:07:38.485 --> 0:07:39.525 a hard look at. 0:07:39.445 --> 0:07:40.285 All of their exes. 0:07:41.205 --> 0:07:43.565 But contrary to what's been reported in some of the 0:07:43.605 --> 0:07:47.285 media I've seen, when I talked to Ayisha's family and friends, 0:07:47.645 --> 0:07:51.245 they say that her relationship with Samaji was not full 0:07:51.285 --> 0:07:54.405 of drama or serious or anything like that, that it 0:07:54.445 --> 0:07:57.765 was a casual relationship. Basically to their knowledge, they just 0:07:57.845 --> 0:08:04.165 hung out a few times. On October twenty third, just 0:08:04.205 --> 0:08:07.765 a week before Aha and went missing, someone broke into 0:08:07.805 --> 0:08:13.405 Ayisha's house. Now, Ayisha's grandmother, Ernestine, told a local news 0:08:13.405 --> 0:08:16.805 station that Ayisha and Samaji had recently ended things, and 0:08:17.365 --> 0:08:19.805 she also told the reporter something else that was kind 0:08:19.805 --> 0:08:24.325 of alarming. Ernestine said, Aisha told her that she had 0:08:24.325 --> 0:08:27.925 come home and seen men breaking into her house. And 0:08:28.165 --> 0:08:31.645 not only that, Ernestine said, Aisha knew who these men were. 0:08:32.645 --> 0:08:35.845 There were actually two incidents. So the first incident, according 0:08:35.845 --> 0:08:39.045 to Ernestine, Ayisha came home and saw that someone had 0:08:39.085 --> 0:08:39.965 broken in her house. 0:08:40.645 --> 0:08:42.925 Then the second time she came home. 0:08:43.045 --> 0:08:46.325 Ernestine said that Aisha walked in the house, saw two 0:08:46.365 --> 0:08:50.885 guys actually in there, and recognized one of them as Samaji. 0:08:51.685 --> 0:08:54.885 Apparently Aisha call the police. The two men fled the scene. 0:08:55.965 --> 0:08:59.685 Ernestine said that Samaji was quote one of the guys 0:08:59.685 --> 0:09:02.765 that Ayisha identified is breaking into her home. She was 0:09:02.845 --> 0:09:05.005 already in the house when he came in there on her. 0:09:05.485 --> 0:09:10.165 He explained this to us. She told us this ute. Now, 0:09:10.285 --> 0:09:14.765 I should say that other members of Ayisha's family who 0:09:14.805 --> 0:09:18.885 have spoken to have questions about whether that conversation happened 0:09:18.885 --> 0:09:21.685 that way and whether Samaji actually was one of the 0:09:21.725 --> 0:09:23.965 men who was allegedly in Aisha's home that day, But 0:09:24.045 --> 0:09:29.565 we will get to that in next week's episode. After 0:09:29.605 --> 0:09:32.765 the break in, Ayisha's name was added to the police 0:09:32.805 --> 0:09:35.365 patrol list, which means she was supposed to have a 0:09:35.405 --> 0:09:39.805 patrol car drive by her home at regular intervals. And again, 0:09:39.925 --> 0:09:43.005 because of that break in, Aisha was staying with her uncle, 0:09:43.285 --> 0:09:48.725 Liquita's brother William and his wife Shequila. When Aisha went missing, 0:09:49.005 --> 0:09:52.085 the case made local news. And remember this was during COVID, 0:09:52.165 --> 0:09:54.125 so a lot of people were stuck at home watching 0:09:54.165 --> 0:09:57.725 a lot of TV. In November of twenty twenty, an 0:09:57.765 --> 0:10:01.085 old high school friend of Liquita's named Rina Borden saw 0:10:01.085 --> 0:10:04.405 that Aisha was missing. Rena will get a lot more 0:10:04.445 --> 0:10:09.805 involved with this case. Later on November second, after Ayisha's 0:10:09.845 --> 0:10:12.245 mother and brother left her apartment. 0:10:12.165 --> 0:10:13.645 They called the police immediately. 0:10:14.565 --> 0:10:17.965 The police told Luquida that she had to wait forty 0:10:18.005 --> 0:10:22.325 eight hours before her daughter could be reported missing. Now, 0:10:22.325 --> 0:10:24.845 I'm bringing this up because the elder rated police department 0:10:25.285 --> 0:10:28.005 have made statements to other people saying this was not 0:10:28.125 --> 0:10:31.405 the case and that's not their policy. I'm really mentioning 0:10:31.445 --> 0:10:34.405 this because I think it is so crucial for everyone 0:10:34.445 --> 0:10:37.085 to understand that is not the law, that is not 0:10:37.205 --> 0:10:39.325 the rule. You do not have to wait twenty four 0:10:39.445 --> 0:10:42.605 forty eight seventy two hours to report someone missing. So 0:10:42.805 --> 0:10:46.165 if the police tell you that, stand your ground and 0:10:46.285 --> 0:10:51.365 demand that they do it immediately. It's very important. Police 0:10:51.405 --> 0:10:55.165 did not immediately seem to be treating Ayisha's house as 0:10:55.205 --> 0:10:59.805 a crime scene, and her family said they couldn't understand this. Granted, 0:10:59.845 --> 0:11:02.645 Ayisha is above legal age, but why would a young 0:11:02.685 --> 0:11:06.685 woman leave all of her stuff, herself, her purse, and 0:11:06.765 --> 0:11:08.925 everything else at home and just walk out the door, 0:11:09.005 --> 0:11:13.405 leaving it unlocked. Ayisha's mother also pointed out that Ayisha 0:11:13.405 --> 0:11:16.805 had medical conditions, medical conditions that meant that she needed 0:11:16.885 --> 0:11:20.045 daily medication. And she had also left all of her 0:11:20.125 --> 0:11:26.685 medication behind. But after a few days police did start 0:11:26.685 --> 0:11:30.285 the search for Aisha. Captain Harwell the elder Ated Police 0:11:30.325 --> 0:11:34.925 Department said police conducted multiple searches on foot, with drones 0:11:35.525 --> 0:11:39.485 and with all terrain vehicles. Police also told reporters they 0:11:39.525 --> 0:11:42.045 had cadaver dogs looking for Aisha on at least two 0:11:42.045 --> 0:11:42.885 different occasions. 0:11:44.445 --> 0:11:46.325 Weeks went by and there were no arrests. 0:11:46.685 --> 0:11:50.525 Captain Harwell said the department had multiple items of evidence 0:11:50.565 --> 0:11:53.365 that would require submission to the Arkansas State Crime Lab 0:11:53.405 --> 0:11:56.845 for processing, which really does not tell us much and 0:11:56.925 --> 0:11:59.485 we don't know what those items were or. 0:11:59.445 --> 0:12:01.245 If they were given any kind of priority. 0:12:02.285 --> 0:12:04.845 And we know that in the Arkansas State Crime Lab 0:12:04.885 --> 0:12:08.005 if something is not a homicide, there have been serious 0:12:08.045 --> 0:12:11.925 backlogs with evidence testing in the past. Of course, once 0:12:12.005 --> 0:12:14.085 the case made the news, the police and the family 0:12:14.165 --> 0:12:17.725 did get some false leads. The family got several tips, 0:12:18.005 --> 0:12:21.565 including someone that told them Ayisha may be buried in 0:12:21.605 --> 0:12:25.925 a shallow grave in a cemetery near Strong, Arkansas. Police 0:12:25.965 --> 0:12:28.845 from the Union County Sheriff's Office responded to that scene 0:12:29.005 --> 0:12:32.365 with Ayisha's family. They went out there and searched in 0:12:32.405 --> 0:12:35.205 those Woods, but in the end they didn't find anything. 0:12:38.165 --> 0:12:41.605 And then in December of twenty twenty, all of a sudden, 0:12:42.205 --> 0:12:45.245 there were two arrests. And this is a strange set 0:12:45.245 --> 0:12:47.125 of circumstances how this all played out. 0:12:47.765 --> 0:12:49.685 I don't feel like it's been reported. 0:12:49.325 --> 0:12:50.725 On a lot, and we're going to go a lot 0:12:50.805 --> 0:12:54.085 more in depth into exactly what went down with these arrests. 0:12:54.205 --> 0:12:58.165 Next week, one of the men arrested was Samaji, the 0:12:58.165 --> 0:13:01.685 twenty three year old man whom Ayisha had dated. At first, 0:13:01.725 --> 0:13:03.725 this seemed like it could be a huge break in 0:13:03.765 --> 0:13:08.885 the case. Samaji was brought up on charges of capital murder, kidnapping, 0:13:09.245 --> 0:13:13.765 and an enhanced penalty for engaging in criminal group activity. 0:13:13.805 --> 0:13:17.805 This was weird though, because after the arrest, police said 0:13:17.965 --> 0:13:20.205 they still hope to find Ayisha alive. 0:13:20.965 --> 0:13:22.645 So this seems contradictory. 0:13:23.045 --> 0:13:26.325 They're charging someone potentially with capital murder, yet they still 0:13:26.365 --> 0:13:30.085 hoped to find her alive. Then there was another twist 0:13:30.085 --> 0:13:34.685 in the case. News broke that another man had been arrested, 0:13:35.365 --> 0:13:40.685 forty six year old Kenneth Lee. Liquita said Kenneth Lee 0:13:40.805 --> 0:13:45.485 had contacted Aisha's uncle, William, and allegedly told him if 0:13:45.485 --> 0:13:48.965 the family gave him eight thousand dollars he would give 0:13:49.005 --> 0:13:51.045 them information about where Ayisha was. 0:13:52.205 --> 0:13:54.765 It turned out this was all just a big scam. 0:13:55.205 --> 0:13:58.885 Kenneth was allegedly basically blackmailing the family and had no 0:13:59.045 --> 0:14:02.245 information about Aisha, which of course was heartbreaking to her family. 0:14:02.925 --> 0:14:05.765 But eventually the charges against Kenneth were dropped as well. 0:14:07.205 --> 0:14:10.365 Now it was very interesting here because from the statements 0:14:10.365 --> 0:14:14.165 that Captain Harwell was making, he said, the possibility of 0:14:14.205 --> 0:14:17.685 making further arrests is quite possible. We may have another 0:14:17.725 --> 0:14:22.765 person involved. It really seemed like police were leaning into 0:14:22.885 --> 0:14:26.245 a potential theory that there might be multiple arrests or 0:14:26.285 --> 0:14:30.405 that Samaji could face more charges. Another interesting point is 0:14:30.445 --> 0:14:34.365 even though Samaji and Kenneth were arrested pretty much at 0:14:34.405 --> 0:14:37.205 the same time, initially it seemed like there was zero 0:14:37.365 --> 0:14:38.485 connection between them. 0:14:38.925 --> 0:14:41.285 It did not appear that they knew each other at all. 0:14:41.565 --> 0:14:44.005 And I'm flagging this up because, as you'll see in 0:14:44.085 --> 0:14:47.605 next week's episode, William Samagi and Kenneth and how this 0:14:47.685 --> 0:14:51.245 whole scenario played out has not really been reported on 0:14:51.365 --> 0:14:52.965 and is actually fascinating. 0:14:54.525 --> 0:14:55.325 Be patient with me. 0:14:55.365 --> 0:14:58.245 This is a real time investigation, and so I am 0:14:58.285 --> 0:15:00.445 looking into that right now, and I will be giving 0:15:00.485 --> 0:15:07.165 you more details going back to to these arrests. After 0:15:07.205 --> 0:15:10.165 the arrest of Samaji, especially, most people in the community 0:15:10.285 --> 0:15:12.765 believe police were moving forward. And I can see why 0:15:12.765 --> 0:15:15.565 they would think that the victim's ex was arrested. 0:15:15.605 --> 0:15:16.965 It was someone she was involved with. 0:15:17.005 --> 0:15:21.765 Intimately, police have filed potential capital murder charges, so people 0:15:21.845 --> 0:15:25.125 were thinking, well, the police must have evidence. But then 0:15:25.725 --> 0:15:28.605 one month went by, and then two months police had 0:15:28.685 --> 0:15:30.645 still not charged Samaji. 0:15:31.925 --> 0:15:33.485 And again Kenneth. 0:15:33.125 --> 0:15:36.085 The second guy, seemed to be a scammer, someone who 0:15:36.125 --> 0:15:40.485 had nothing to do with Ayesha's disappearance. Samaji's defense attorney 0:15:40.485 --> 0:15:43.285 filed in order to have him released from custody. He 0:15:43.485 --> 0:15:46.565 said that in Arkansas, formal charges had to be filed 0:15:46.605 --> 0:15:50.485 within sixty days of an arrest. So in February of 0:15:50.525 --> 0:15:55.725 twenty twenty one, police released Samaji and he walked out 0:15:55.725 --> 0:15:59.925 a freeman. At the time, Captain Harwell told the media 0:16:00.005 --> 0:16:02.805 that police just didn't feel they had enough evidence to prosecute. 0:16:03.205 --> 0:16:05.325 He said they would prefer to wait until they had 0:16:05.365 --> 0:16:09.125 more rather than moving forward and risking a loss in court. 0:16:10.365 --> 0:16:13.245 Reporters did ask Captain Harwell if he felt like they 0:16:13.325 --> 0:16:16.925 had made the arrest too quickly, but he said he 0:16:17.005 --> 0:16:21.165 believed the police made the right choice. What he mentioned 0:16:21.165 --> 0:16:24.285 that he had as his ammunition to get the arrest 0:16:24.605 --> 0:16:25.605 was witness statements. 0:16:25.645 --> 0:16:27.525 We're going to get more into that later too. 0:16:27.685 --> 0:16:30.485 Exactly who these witness statements were made by and why 0:16:30.525 --> 0:16:31.565 this went down this way. 0:16:32.605 --> 0:16:34.685 Of course, it's just speculation. 0:16:34.485 --> 0:16:38.405 But my guess is that after they arrested Samaji, police 0:16:38.445 --> 0:16:40.965 thought that they really might have their guy, and if 0:16:41.005 --> 0:16:43.245 he had done something to di Aisha, potentially they could 0:16:43.245 --> 0:16:46.565 apply pressure to him and figure out where Ayisha's body was. 0:16:47.605 --> 0:16:51.845 Captain Harwell basically said that he told the media that 0:16:52.405 --> 0:16:56.085 the main reason that they were unable to prosecute is 0:16:56.085 --> 0:16:58.165 because they did not have a body. They had no 0:16:58.285 --> 0:17:01.685 idea where Ayisha might be, and they were looking for 0:17:01.725 --> 0:17:05.045 help from the public. So the police were openly admitting 0:17:05.165 --> 0:17:09.325 they had no idea where Ayisha was. So months went 0:17:09.405 --> 0:17:17.325 by and months became years. In twenty twenty two, Laquita's 0:17:17.365 --> 0:17:19.685 high school friend, Rena Borden, the same one who had 0:17:19.685 --> 0:17:21.925 seen the news report back in twenty twenty, came into 0:17:21.965 --> 0:17:26.205 the story. Like many people, she remembered seeing the item 0:17:26.245 --> 0:17:27.965 on the news about Ayisha being missing. 0:17:28.685 --> 0:17:31.125 Then she remembered seeing. 0:17:30.805 --> 0:17:33.685 Something on the news about the arrest, so she assumed 0:17:33.685 --> 0:17:38.165 the police were making progress. When Rena saw on social 0:17:38.205 --> 0:17:41.685 media there were still no suspects, she reached out to Laquita. 0:17:42.365 --> 0:17:44.605 At the time, she said she had no idea how 0:17:44.685 --> 0:17:47.005 much this case would consume her life. 0:17:47.645 --> 0:17:51.685 I didn't get involved until like September of twenty twenty two. 0:17:52.685 --> 0:17:55.365 And the reason I got involved was because I had 0:17:55.405 --> 0:17:58.565 gone to eat at a restaurant here in town and 0:17:58.605 --> 0:18:01.805 they had a flower of Ayisha, just like a Facebook 0:18:01.885 --> 0:18:04.925 print out. They didn't really have very information on there, 0:18:05.005 --> 0:18:07.605 and I was just like, oh my gosh, they might 0:18:07.645 --> 0:18:10.965 need some help. I could get flyers and print them 0:18:11.005 --> 0:18:13.645 and distribute them. That's something I could do, you know, 0:18:13.725 --> 0:18:16.365 And that's really all I had the intentions of doing. 0:18:16.405 --> 0:18:18.965 I didn't even reach out to Laquito. I went straight 0:18:19.005 --> 0:18:21.245 to the police department and I was just like, hey, 0:18:21.885 --> 0:18:24.205 just wanted to ask if it was all right if 0:18:24.285 --> 0:18:27.685 I could pass out flyers to local businesses because I 0:18:28.005 --> 0:18:32.205 noticed there wasn't any up And the receptionist went back 0:18:32.245 --> 0:18:34.285 to the Captain's office and then came back. He said, 0:18:34.285 --> 0:18:36.445 be his guest go ahead, and I was like, can 0:18:36.485 --> 0:18:39.085 you give me the flyer to make a coffee or 0:18:39.085 --> 0:18:42.045 do something? And she said, just the one online, I'll do, 0:18:43.485 --> 0:18:45.285 And so that's what I did. I printed up a 0:18:45.285 --> 0:18:48.005 bunch of them and started passing them out, and I 0:18:48.045 --> 0:18:50.285 was looking for Laquita as well, you know, trying to 0:18:50.325 --> 0:18:52.165 get a hold of the mother, just because I didn't 0:18:52.205 --> 0:18:54.725 want her to think. I was wanted to touch base 0:18:54.805 --> 0:18:57.205 with her and say, is it's okay, you know what 0:18:57.245 --> 0:18:58.925 else would you like me to do? Do you want 0:18:58.965 --> 0:19:01.405 me to bring you dinner? You know, something like that. 0:19:02.045 --> 0:19:05.205 So I decided to play a vigil and then that's 0:19:05.205 --> 0:19:06.965 when I brought Joanna. 0:19:06.645 --> 0:19:11.445 And Joanna is a friend of Rena's. Together they started 0:19:11.445 --> 0:19:14.445 printing flyers and trying to help Luquet up get some 0:19:14.485 --> 0:19:16.645 clarity on what was going on with her daughter's case. 0:19:17.325 --> 0:19:20.365 When Rena started to research the case and saw the 0:19:20.405 --> 0:19:23.925 missing person's flyers that were already out there, she noticed 0:19:23.965 --> 0:19:26.285 that most of them said a Usha had been seen 0:19:26.405 --> 0:19:29.325 on the night of November fourth, but she said she 0:19:29.405 --> 0:19:31.125 knew that this was just not true. 0:19:31.925 --> 0:19:36.165 We had a meeting and Lookquita came. She remembered me 0:19:36.205 --> 0:19:38.685 from school, so that took a lot of the you know, 0:19:39.325 --> 0:19:41.925 I wasn't a total stranger to her or anything. And 0:19:42.805 --> 0:19:46.925 during the meeting, she was trying to address the fact 0:19:47.045 --> 0:19:50.325 of the date her daughter went missing, and of course 0:19:50.365 --> 0:19:53.405 me and Joanna's ears are all parked up, and nobody 0:19:53.445 --> 0:19:55.365 else seemed to like kicked on. 0:19:55.805 --> 0:19:58.165 So we knew something was wrong because I was just 0:19:58.325 --> 0:20:01.085 casually reading the flower out loud and I was like, okay, 0:20:01.125 --> 0:20:04.565 so she was last seen November fourth, and someone had 0:20:04.645 --> 0:20:07.685 chimed in and they we were like, well, actually it 0:20:07.725 --> 0:20:11.965 was October thirty first, like with wow, like and it 0:20:12.005 --> 0:20:15.965 was just awkward for a second. So we're like, oh, okay, 0:20:16.605 --> 0:20:16.965 all right. 0:20:18.645 --> 0:20:23.005 Rina and Liquita started to wonder if the day Aisha 0:20:23.085 --> 0:20:26.765 went missing was wrong after two years, what else could 0:20:26.805 --> 0:20:29.725 have potentially slipped through the cracks, and why was the 0:20:29.765 --> 0:20:33.725 wrong date continuing to be reported. I went back and 0:20:33.765 --> 0:20:37.005 tried to figure this out. I've seen the police report, 0:20:37.165 --> 0:20:39.885 which has a record of Aisha calling to report that 0:20:39.965 --> 0:20:42.885 break in on the twenty third of October, and on 0:20:42.965 --> 0:20:46.565 that report, the officer wrote down that the last time 0:20:46.685 --> 0:20:49.965 anyone in her family had seen her was November fourth, 0:20:50.005 --> 0:20:53.485 but he doesn't note who told him that we're going 0:20:53.565 --> 0:20:56.525 to go way more in depth about this next week, 0:20:56.925 --> 0:21:00.405 because figuring out this timeline is a crucial part of 0:21:00.445 --> 0:21:03.885 this story. But it turns out that that's not true. 0:21:04.485 --> 0:21:07.325 Ayisha's family met meers tell me no one has seen 0:21:07.405 --> 0:21:11.725 Nisha in person since October thirty first, Rena said when 0:21:11.725 --> 0:21:14.805 she started printing the flyers, she found out because of 0:21:14.845 --> 0:21:17.925 this misinformation, she believed that there was not a sense 0:21:17.965 --> 0:21:22.005 of public urgency. Rena has spent almost two years now 0:21:22.205 --> 0:21:23.365 trying to help her friend. 0:21:23.725 --> 0:21:26.365 I'm not an investigator, I'm not an attorney, I'm not anything. 0:21:26.765 --> 0:21:29.685 But I can be a friend, and you know, at 0:21:29.725 --> 0:21:31.405 least get her out of the house, because I'm thinking, 0:21:31.485 --> 0:21:34.365 how does she sit in that house all this that's 0:21:34.405 --> 0:21:37.725 got to be miserable, and then not getting any answers. 0:21:37.885 --> 0:21:40.005 Nobody will call her back to let her know what's 0:21:40.005 --> 0:21:40.885 going on with her daughter. 0:21:41.125 --> 0:21:43.205 You have a son that's around the same. 0:21:43.005 --> 0:21:45.845 Age, yeah, yeah, and I do have a Yeah, my 0:21:45.925 --> 0:21:48.765 son's big part of it too. My son went to 0:21:48.805 --> 0:21:53.965 school with Ayisha, So yeah, that hit me hard. So 0:21:54.885 --> 0:21:56.965 I would take her to lunch, and she was so 0:21:57.125 --> 0:22:00.125 upset about that. The date on those flyers and so 0:22:00.325 --> 0:22:03.685 I just realized nobody's listening to this mom, and so 0:22:03.805 --> 0:22:06.245 I just said, why don't you just sit down one 0:22:06.325 --> 0:22:08.925 day and just tell me the story. You know, I'll 0:22:08.965 --> 0:22:11.245 listen to you tell me the story. And so she 0:22:11.325 --> 0:22:14.885 told me the story, and I email the prior captain 0:22:15.085 --> 0:22:18.405 at the time that was on the case and he said, 0:22:18.685 --> 0:22:22.525