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Risa Thompson, left, signs out posters as part of an effort to keep Nevaeh Buchanan's case in the spotlight. At right is the child's great-aunt, Diana Lawson.
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In year since she vanished, Nevaeh's loss weighs heavily

The Blade/Lori King

In year since she vanished, Nevaeh's loss weighs heavily

MONROE - Jim DuBay said a day doesn't go by that someone doesn't drive into St. Joseph Cemetery in search of Nevaeh Buchanan's grave.

They have left stuffed animals, toys, and bouquets of artificial flowers at the granite headstone for the 5-year-old girl whose killing remains unsolved, said Mr. DuBay, manager of the Catholic cemetery.

"There has been a steady stream of people into here. There is no question that she has attracted a lot of visitors," he said. "Some people come into the office to ask where they can find her grave. They want to know where Nevaeh is buried."

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Tomorrow will mark the one-year anniversary of her disappearance while playing outside the Monroe apartment complex where she lived with her grandmother and mother.

Finding the missing girl became the community's top priority.

Hundreds of volunteers and law-enforcement officers scoured woods and fields throughout the county. Divers explored the deep waters of quarries and lakes, and police officers took to the air in helicopters in search of clues.

A mammoth memorial of candles, notes, stuffed animals, flowers, and toys sprang up around a towering cottonwood tree outside the girl's home at Charlotte Arms apartments.

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The high-profile search gained national attention. Television, radio, and newspaper reporters from Detroit and Toledo and as far away as New York descended on the North Macomb Street apartment complex.


Candlelight vigils were held nearly nightly at Charlotte Arms and other locations in Monroe, drawing hundreds of concerned people.

For 11 days, Nevaeh's mother, Jennifer Buchanan, her grandmother, Sherry Buchanan, and other relatives clung to hope she would be found alive and unharmed.

Their hopes gave way to tragic reality June 4 with the grisly discovery of the girl's body buried in concrete along a remote stretch of the River Raisin.

Days later, scores of people watched along Monroe's streets as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle pulled the glass-enclosed hearse containing her tiny white coffin to the cemetery.

Nearly a year later, there have been no arrests. Nevaeh's mother and grandmother no longer live in the two-bedroom apartment at Charlotte Arms.

Sherry Buchanan, who was Nevaeh's legal guardian, now lives with her sister and brother-in-law across town at the Willow Green Mobile Home Park.

A poster offering $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the girl's abduction and killing hangs on the fence outside the couple's well-kept mobile home.

Mrs. Buchanan said in an interview last week that she often thinks of Nevaeh, especially at night after working shifts at a Monroe grocery store.

"She is never out of my mind," she said. "She was like my little sidekick. Me and her did everything together."

Nevaeh's father, Shane Hinojosa of Toledo, said knowing that the person responsible for his daughter's death is still on the loose is both worrisome and painful.

"There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about what happened. All I can do is to keep the memories that I have of her," Mr. Hinojosa said.

In the days after the abduction, a task force of local, state, and federal investigators was handling more than 100 calls a day, leading to nearly 1,300 tips collected in the case.

On the three-month anniversary of her disappearance, investigators with the task force said daily tips in the case had trickled to single digits.

Detroit FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold said the investigation is continuing and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency, is still seeking tips.

"We are still very proactive in this case," Agent Berchtold said. "By far, this is not a cold case. It is still open. There is still sufficient work to be done. We are still receiving tips and we still want tips."

Sherry Buchanan said she last talked to sheriff's investigators about a month ago when a detective asked to obtain a copy of a digital video recording taken of Nevaeh's graduation from preschool just days before her abduction.

For the most part, she said, detectives have been tight-lipped, limiting details of the investigation.

"It is frustrating. Not knowing just exactly what is going on and how close in the investigation they are," Mrs. Buchanan said.

The investigation almost immediately focused on George Kennedy, a convicted sex offender who had been in a relationship with Nevaeh's mother.

Kennedy and Roy Lee Smith, also a convicted sex offender and acquaintance of Jennifer Buchanan, were arrested for parole violations.

Described as "persons of interest" in the investigation, neither was charged but both men were sent back to prison for parole violations.

Kennedy, 40, who was transferred in January to a low-level correctional facility in Jackson. Mich., will have his next parole hearing one year from tomorrow, said John Cordell, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman.

Smith, 49, who is locked up in a state prison near Traverse City, Mich., will go before the parole board on May 25, 2011, the spokesman said.

Sherry Buchanan said she cannot begin to feel closure until an arrest is made and someone is prosecuted.

"The hardest part is not knowing. If anybody knows anything, and if they can understand the pain I am going through, just please come forward," she said.

The lack of an arrest has spurred Risa Thompson, a cousin of Mr. Hinojosa, and others to form a group that strives to keep Nevaeh in the public spotlight.

Called Justice for Nevaeh, the organization has launched a poster campaign and offered a $1,500 reward for information in the crime. That reward is separate from the $20,000 reward offered by law enforcement.

"Our group decided that we need to do a totally anonymous reward to get people to start talking," said Ms. Thompson, 42. Through spaghetti dinners and raffles, the charity group has raised money for the reward and funded a scholarship for youngsters in the Monroe Public Schools preschool where Nevaeh was enrolled.

The Discovery Preschool program for children ages 2 to 5 moved from Cantrick Elementary near Charlotte Arms to the Riverside Learning Center in September.

A wrought-iron bench donated in memory of Nevaeh by a local greenhouse overlooks the school playground. Plans are in the works to install a plaque on the back with an inscription and the little girl's name.

Karen Herkimer, director of Discovery Preschool, said the bench gives a place for parents to keep an eye on their children or sit together and talk.

More important, Mrs. Herkimer said, she hopes the bench serves as a reminder of the tragedy and the importance of protecting youngsters.

"We can never forget what happened," she said. "We also cannot forget that somebody is still walking around out there who is responsible. That is a hard memory and a hard thought to have to think that someone has not been caught yet," she said.

Yesterday, Justice for Neveah marked the one-year anniversary with a carnival at the Moose Lodge on North Macomb near Charlotte Arms.

Games, entertainment, and children's activities were scheduled as well as informational booths on child-safety awareness and abuse and counseling programs.

Gabby's Ladder, a grief and counseling service in Monroe that consoled Nevaeh's classmates and offered counseling support in community sessions after the tragedy, was among the groups that had literature available.

"Life is precious. Life is fragile. We need to be watchful all the time," said Kaye Lani Wilson, executive director of the nonprofit group.

The carnival and tributes such as the playground bench, she said, can have a healing effect for children and their families.

"When it hits so close to home like it did for these kids, it is very frightening. Children and adults and most everyone felt very vulnerable and probably felt that anything can happen at any time," she said. "The bench is a place of reflection and place to remember the short life of a very beautiful girl who was tragically taken from us."

Information about the reward offered by Justice for Nevaeh can be obtained at 412-849-0079 or by contacting Ms. Thompson at 734-419-3232. Tips and information can be left with the Nevaeh Buchanan Task Force at 734-457-6713.

Contact Mark Reiter at:

markreiter@theblade.com

or 419-724-6199.

First Published May 23, 2010, 9:44 a.m.

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Risa Thompson, left, signs out posters as part of an effort to keep Nevaeh Buchanan's case in the spotlight. At right is the child's great-aunt, Diana Lawson.  (The Blade/Lori King)  Buy Image
Nevaeh Buchanan
Jim DuBay, manager of St. Joseph Cemetery in Monroe, directs visitors to Nevaeh Buchanan's grave daily. The 5-year-old girl's death is unsolved, despite offers of rewards.  (The Blade/Andy Morrison)  Buy Image
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