1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: podcast network and iHeartRadio. This episode contains references to alleged 3 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: child abuse and the disappearance and presumed death of a child. 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: Listener discretion is advised. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: highlighting a case that was widely cited by reporters as 7 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: a well known example of serious failures in Florida's child 8 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: welfare oversight. In early two thousand and one, a four 9 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: year old girl disappeared from a Miami area home. She 10 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: had been placed through the foster care system, but her 11 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: absence was not discovered for about fifteen months. During that time, 12 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: required monthly visits were not properly completed. By the time 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: authorities realized she was missing, it was far too late. 14 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: Her name is said to stand for remember I Love 15 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:13,839 Speaker 1: you Always. This is the story of Rollio Wilson. Rilia 16 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: Shenise Wilson was born on September twenty ninth, nineteen ninety six. 17 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: According to the case records and later reporting, her mother, 18 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:27,559 Speaker 1: Gloria Wilson, struggled with substance abuse and housing instability. Rillia 19 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: and her siblings were removed from her custody, and her 20 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: mother's parental rights were later terminated from infancy. Relia's life 21 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 1: was shaped by the foster care system. In two thousand, 22 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: Relyia and her siblings were placed in a Miami Dade 23 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: County home with a woman named jerrel Lynn Graham. Reporting 24 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: at the time said Rollia was supposed to be living 25 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: with Graham, who described herself as Roya's grandmother, but Brillia's mother, 26 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: Gloria Wilson, told reporters that Graham was Relia's godmother. The 27 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: exact biological relationship remains unclear. What happened next would become 28 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: a mystery that has now spanned more than two decades. 29 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: When jeral Lynd Graham was later arrested, investigators reported that 30 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: she had dozens of aliases, forty seven by some counts. 31 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: Investigators said she possessed multiple identification documents under different names. 32 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: Court records and news reports also said a physician had 33 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:39,239 Speaker 1: previously evaluated Graham and described her as having been diagnosed 34 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: with a psychotic disorder. In the aftermath, reporting in court 35 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: proceedings raised questions about how thoroughly the placement had been vetted. 36 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: The exact last scene timeline for Willia Wilson varies across 37 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: public reports. Jerre Lynd Graham told investigators that on January eighteenth, 38 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: two thousand and one, a woman claiming to be from 39 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: the Florida Department of Children and Families DCF came to 40 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: the home and took Realia four in evaluation. Investigator accounts 41 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: and reporting said that there was no official DCF visit 42 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: records showing a worker removed Relyia on that day. Some 43 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: trial testimony and reporting indicated there was conflicting recollection about 44 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: when Realia was last seen in the home. Reporting and 45 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: court records show no confirmed documented sightings of Rollio Wilson 46 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: after early two thousand and one. She was four years old. 47 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: State records showed that required monthly visits were not being 48 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: made in Relia's case to verify her safety. Court testimony 49 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: indicated that the assigned caseworker did not complete all required 50 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: in person visits, and there were allegations that some contact 51 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: notes were inaccurate or falsely documented. Reports say the caseworker 52 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: later admitted to documentation failures and the state sought restitution 53 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: related to salary and benefits. She was not criminally charged 54 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: in connection with Relia's disappearance. Reports say Relia's status was 55 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: not physically verified for more than a year. It wasn't 56 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: until March two thousand and two, during a state review 57 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: of case records that officials flagged serious concerns in Relia's file. 58 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: DCF then reached out to jer Lynn Graham. Graham said 59 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: take two. Graham said Rerilia had already been taken by DCF, 60 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: a claim the agency denied. The follow up contact led 61 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: investigators to discover that Rilia was missing after fifteen months 62 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: after she was last seen. On April twenty fifth, two 63 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: thousand and two, Rollia Wilson was officially reported missing. As 64 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:21,359 Speaker 1: the investigation continued, multiple witnesses testified to abuse and improper 65 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:26,359 Speaker 1: confinement inside the home. One household member, referred to in 66 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: reports as Pamela Kendrick and sometimes as Pamela Graham, testified 67 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: that Rolyia was physically punished and at times confined, including 68 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: being locked in a room, placed in a dog cage, 69 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: and at times restrained in bed at night. According to testimony, 70 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: investigators searched the property and used chemical testing methods designed 71 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: to reveal hidden blood evidence inside the home, Reporting on 72 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: the case says they did not find forensic evidence. A 73 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: stout the house as a homicide scene. Rilia has never 74 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:11,839 Speaker 1: been found. Despite claiming the child had been taken, jerre 75 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 1: Lyn Graham continued receiving in cashing state benefit checks issued 76 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: for Relia's care. In August two thousand and four, more 77 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: than three years after Rilia was last confirmed scene, Jerrelyn 78 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: Graham was charged with kidnapping and aggravated child abuse. A 79 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: murder charge was later added. The second household member, Pamela, 80 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: was also charged. Court record show Pamela later cooperated with 81 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: investigators and testified in the case. Court records show that 82 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: with no recovered remains in limited physical evidence, prosecutors relied 83 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: heavily on witness testimony. A key witness was a jailhouse informant, 84 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: Robin Lunceford, who testified that Graham told her she had 85 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: suffocated Relia with a pillow. According to her testimony, Graham 86 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: spoke about the child in degrading terms and said her 87 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: remains were put in water near the home. Appellate court 88 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: record summarized testimony that Graham referenced the idea of quote 89 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: no body, no murder. The defense strongly challenged Lunsford's credibility, 90 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: pointing to her criminal history and what was described in 91 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: court as a sentence reduction agreement. A Miami Dade Corrections 92 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: lieutenant testified that some of the conversations Lunsford claimed could 93 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: not have happened because she and Graham were housed separately. 94 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: Multiple jailhouse informants provided testimony. As a result, the reliability 95 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: of the informant testimony became a central issue at trial. 96 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: The trial began in November twenty twelve. In January twenty thirteen, 97 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: the jury convicted jeral Lyn Graham of kidnapping and aggravated 98 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: child abuse on the murder charge. The jury deadlocked and 99 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: no murder conviction was entered. The murder count was not retried. 100 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: On February twelve, twenty thirteen, Graham was sentenced to thirty 101 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: years for kidnapping and twenty five years for aggravated child abuse, 102 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: for a total of fifty five years. The case led 103 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: to statewide scrutiny of Florida's child welfare system. DCF leadership 104 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: changed after the case came to light. Lawmakers passed a 105 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: reform law often referred to as the Rillia Wilson Act. 106 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: It requires attendance tracking and quick reporting when children in 107 00:08:55,080 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: state care missed school or childcare without approval. More than 108 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: two decades later, Rollo Wilson has never been found. Anyone 109 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: with information related to the disappearance of Roia Wilson to 110 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: contact the Miami Dade Police Department or the National Center 111 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: for Missing and Exploited Children. Their contact information is listed 112 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: in the description below. Our thoughts are with the family 113 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 1: and friends of Rollia Wilson as we close out this episode. 114 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: Remember that sharing her story helps cape Rollia's case from 115 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:39,040 Speaker 1: being forgotten and supports the continued search for Answers. For 116 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: updates on this case and others, follow Hunting for Answers. 117 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: You can also connect with us through our Facebook group 118 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: and find us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Reach out 119 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: to us if there's a case or story you believe 120 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: deserves attention. Thank you for joining us for another episode. 121 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: Until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of 122 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the 123 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:27,200 Speaker 1: Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 124 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.