Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Search expands for missing six-year-old

Monday, January 12, 2009
IMMOKALEE: Deputies will expand the search area when they resume the hunt for a missing Immokalee boy Monday morning.

Six-year-old Adji Desir was last seen Saturday evening when he went outside to play with friends in Immokalee's Farmworker's Village.

His grandmother went to check on him and couldn't find him.

Children who were outside with Adji when he went missing says they just noticed at one point that he was gone.

Investigators say the boy is developmentally disabled and functions on a two-year-old level.

He has a very limited vocabulary - he knows his name, but cannot speak it. Adji also understands Creole, but cannot speak it.

Deputies from Lee, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties will join in the search Monday morning.

Collier deputies have not said where they will expand the search area, but they will conduct the search by air and ground.

They'll also follow up on a handful of tips they've received from the public.

Adji’s description:
3 feet tall
45 pounds,
Black hair
Brown eyes.
Blue and yellow T-shirt
Blue and yellow shorts

If you have any information about Adji call CCSO at 239-774-4434.

http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=24909&z=3

View of the area.  Circled the Village so you have an idea. 

Florida Fish and Wildlife was also out on the scene the past few days as this area is heavy traffic for the Florida Panther, the reserve is south of this city.  A male panther dominates on average a radius of 13 miles while a female a radius of 5 miles.  Males do not tend to over lap on other males turf, but a female can.
However, I fear the only preditor this child may have come in contact with is that of the human kind.

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Farmers.jpg)

Well I can not get that right, so here is the link to the latest video.  Adji's family speaks out.  As I said yesterday they do not speak much english, and what they do is limited.
This family has been beating the pavement with volunteers as well, something I did not see in the Caylee case.

http://www.fox4now.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3326063&at1=News&h1=Losing a child

Adji's Mother, Grandmother, and Stepfather.  All have been aiding in the search.

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/11/091011NS-LS-Missing08_t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS824_t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS825_t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS823_t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS821_t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/11/091011NS-LS-Missing25_t600.jpg)

Yes the weather down here has gotten rainy and windy.  The tempature tonight is going to drop into the low 50's.  I live on the Gulf coast too, Naples, and it has been nothing but rain.  We are to be getting 2 different cold front systems coming from the north west.

Despite the weather conditions many searchers still remained looking for Adji.

Search area doubled, but boy’s whereabouts still a mystery
Missing 6-year-old's grandmother says Adji may hide from searchers
By KATHERINE ALBERS (Contact), ELYSA BATISTA (Contact), RYAN MILLS (Contact)
Originally published 2:04 p.m., Monday, January 12, 2009
Updated 5:20 p.m., Tuesday, January 13, 2009

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/12/missing-6-year-olds-grandmother-says-boy-may-hide-/

IMMOKALEE — The search in Immokalee for 6-year-old Adji Desir, who disappeared from outside his grandmother’s Farmworker Village home on Saturday, expanded to a 12 mile radius on Tuesday.

More than 150 law enforcement officers from agencies around the state continue to search for the boy.

Though the focus of the search has shifted to the outskirts of Immokalee, Collier County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten said there is still some searching going on in Farmworker Village as well. Tuesday’s weather was foggy, rainy and cool, but Batten said it hasn’t affected the search.

"Obviously cold and rain can cause some challenges," Batten said. "Thankfully, all of the thing that rain or the elements may affect, like evidence...those sorts of issues and areas have already been covered.

"We feel we have covered all the ground here. We’re not going to lose (bloodhound) scents. We’re not going to lose evidence."

Adji’s immediate family members were notified this morning that they are not being looked at as suspects in the boy’s disappearance, Batten said. It is not clear if any family members could face neglect charges.

"Right now our focus is on finding the boy," Batten said.

According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement database, there are 18 registered sex offenders living within five miles of Farmworker Village. The Sheriff’s Office said previously they have been tracking down and interviewing those individuals.

Despite Adji being gone for four day, Batten said investigators are still hopeful that he will be found alive.

"It’s not that uncommon for a child to survive for a long time," she said. "This boy is young, he’s resilient, his body is small. He might be able to survive for a long time."

"We can’t stop the search," Batten said. "We’re always going to be searching. There’s always been amazing tales of people who survive out in the elements."

The Sheriff’s Office also reported that all the garbage in Immokalee has been collected and isolated.

"It hasn’t been searched," Batten said. "It’s been isolated so if we need to search it, it’s all in one place."
<snipped>

<snip>
Search area doubled, but boy’s whereabouts still a mystery
Missing 6-year-old's grandmother says Adji may hide from searchers
By KATHERINE ALBERS (Contact), ELYSA BATISTA (Contact), RYAN MILLS (Contact)
Originally published 2:04 p.m., Monday, January 12, 2009
Updated 5:20 p.m., Tuesday, January 13, 2009

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/12/missing-6-year-olds-grandmother-says-boy-may-hide-/

IMMOKALEE — The search in Immokalee for 6-year-old Adji Desir, who disappeared from outside his grandmother’s Farmworker Village home on Saturday, expanded to a 12 mile radius on Tuesday.

More than 150 law enforcement officers from agencies around the state continue to search for the boy.

Though the focus of the search has shifted to the outskirts of Immokalee, Collier County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten said there is still some searching going on in Farmworker Village as well. Tuesday’s weather was foggy, rainy and cool, but Batten said it hasn’t affected the search.

"Obviously cold and rain can cause some challenges," Batten said. "Thankfully, all of the thing that rain or the elements may affect, like evidence...those sorts of issues and areas have already been covered.

"We feel we have covered all the ground here. We’re not going to lose (bloodhound) scents. We’re not going to lose evidence."

Adji’s immediate family members were notified this morning that they are not being looked at as suspects in the boy’s disappearance, Batten said. It is not clear if any family members could face neglect charges.

"Right now our focus is on finding the boy," Batten said.

According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement database, there are 18 registered sex offenders living within five miles of Farmworker Village. The Sheriff’s Office said previously they have been tracking down and interviewing those individuals.

Despite Adji being gone for four day, Batten said investigators are still hopeful that he will be found alive.

"It’s not that uncommon for a child to survive for a long time," she said. "This boy is young, he’s resilient, his body is small. He might be able to survive for a long time."

"We can’t stop the search," Batten said. "We’re always going to be searching. There’s always been amazing tales of people who survive out in the elements."

The Sheriff’s Office also reported that all the garbage in Immokalee has been collected and isolated.

"It hasn’t been searched," Batten said. "It’s been isolated so if we need to search it, it’s all in one place."
<snip>

Currently: 74 °
Thunderstorms
Hi: 73° | Low: 53° | Humidity: 87%
Wind: SW at 16 mph

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS830__t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS828__t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/12/090112NS-da-KIDMISS836__t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/13/090113NS-da-SearchAdji847_t600.jpg)

(http://ms2.naplesnews.com/npdn/content/img/photos/2009/01/13/090113NS-da-SearchAdji848_t600.jpg)

http://www.fox4now.com/global/story.asp?s=9653723



UPDATE: Tuesday, Jan. 13 - The lead investigator, Lt. Tom Smith, tells Four In Your Corner that CCSO will scale back its local search efforts for missing 6-year old Adji Desir. CCSO will now shift its focus to abduction. The search area will now expand and national resources will be used to find the child. Several tips came up short today. Video tape from Cape Coral gas stations did not show the child. The family has been cleared of any suspicion.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan. 14-  The Collier County Sheriff's Office is now focusing on a criminal investigation as the search for Adjo Desir continues. The Sheriff made a plea for more tips as CCSO has very little information to work with. All 600 homes in the Farm Workers Village have been cleared of any wrong doing. The family cannot think of anyone who would want to hurt the 6 year old boy. Deputies shifted through tons of trash on hold since Monday from Farm Workers Village. A reward has been offered for any information that leads to a break in the case. The search starts again Thursday

http://www.fox4now.com/global/story.asp?s=9653723

http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1870589618

http://www.fox4now.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipId1=3341612&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Searching+for+Adji&d1=235934&redirUrl=www.fox4now.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv (ftp://http://www.fox4now.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipId1=3341612&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Searching+for+Adji&d1=235934&redirUrl=www.fox4now.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv)

RAW VIDEO: Officials Search Water for Adji

<a href="http://www.naplesnews.com/videos/detail/raw-video-officials-search-water-adji">RAW VIDEO: Officials search water for Adji</a> (http://<a href="http://www.naplesnews.com/videos/detail/raw-video-officials-search-water-adji">RAW VIDEO: Officials search water for Adji</a>)

Interview with Adji's Parents

<a href="null/videos/detail/interview-adji-desirs-parents">Interview with Adji Desir's parents</a> (http://<a href="null/videos/detail/interview-adji-desirs-parents">Interview with Adji Desir's parents</a>)

(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg246/chrysti756/111208004-4.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji1.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji9.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji8.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji7.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji6.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji5.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji4.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji3.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji29.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji28.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji267.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji26.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji25.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji24.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji23.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji22.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji21.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji20.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji2.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji19.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji18.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji17.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji16.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji15.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji14.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji13.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji12.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji11.jpg)

(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo335/Dolce_Chic/Adji10.jpg)

http://www.winknews.com/news/top/37790924.html

Ground search for Adji to end Sunday
By WINK News

Story Created: Jan 18, 2009 at 10:19 AM EST

Story Updated: Jan 18, 2009 at 2:03 PM EST

IMMOKALEE, Fla. - The massive ground search for missing six-year-old Adji Desir will end Sunday. The Collier County Sheriff's Office will now switch to a "task force" style investigation starting Sunday afternoon.

Currently the headquarters for the investigation has been in the Immoaklee Farm Workers Village, where Adji lives. The headquarters will now be moved to the Collier County Sheriff's Office Substation in Immokalee.

Investigators will be changing their focus to primarily following-up on tips in the investigation, versus the ground search of the area where Adji lives and was last seen.

Reward Offered for Missing Florida Boy
Tuesday January 20, 2009
A $10,000 reward has been offered and the FBI has entered the case of a 3-year-old Florida boy who has been missing since January 10. Adji Desir disappeared from outside his grandmother's house in Farmworker's Village in Immokalee while playing with other neighborhood children.
A massive search by up to 150 law enforcement officers using dogs and helicopters has not turned up any clues.

http://crime.about.com/b/2009/01/20/reward-offered-for-missing-florida-boy.htm

Adji is featured on Nancy Grace's website under "Missing Persons".  Thank you NG for keeping Adji's picture out for public eyes.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/nancy.grace/

Update Video:

http://www.nbc-2.com/Video/RSSplayer.shtml?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3351651 (ftp://http://www.nbc-2.com/Video/RSSplayer.shtml?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3351651)

http://www.fox4now.com/global/story.asp?s=9750836

New leads in seach for missing 6-year old

Posted: Jan 28, 2009 09:03 PM EST


2,000 copies of a new full page color poster will help get the word out to keep looking for missing Adji Desir. The 6-year old vanished from Farm Workers Village in Immokalee on January 10th. The fliers will go to the East Coast. Haitian communities in Miami and Fort Lauderdale will to post the fliers their neighborhoods.

  Lead Investigator Lt. Tom Smith says, after halting the ground search, now his team is filtering through 500 tips. "We've had tips that cover everything from you need to look in the trunk of a red truck to I've had visions of a house with 666. You have to take each one very seriously."

  What continues to make this case so difficult is direction. Did Adji wander off or did someone take him? Lt. Smith says, "now we are spending time looking at people, at vehicles and doing analytical checks."


  Investigators have re-interviewed the children, some as young as 5-years old, Adji was last seen playing with. Farmer Workers Village only has one way in and one way out. It is very normal for parents to let their kids play outside- even late at night.

  With Adji's developmental disability, he might not be able to explain to someone he is lost or in danger. "Where a child might say, 'this is not my dad' or 'this is not my mom', he might not be able to articulate that," says Lt. Smith

  Collier County Sheriff Office sergeants, patrol officers, and members from the FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are dedicated full time to the Immokalee Substation in the search for Adji.

  Lt. Smith said there are no similarities to the case of missing Fort Myers child Baby Byran. Baby Bryan's parents first reported a woman kidnapped him, but later investigators determined the parents gave the child back to smugglers.

  The Adji's family has been cleared of any suspicion in his disappearance. Another challenge, investigators have to work with consulates to communicate with Adji's father who lives in Haiti.

  The reward for Adji is now at $33,500.

  "We've just got to keep going until we are at the right place at the right time and the right person tells us something," says Lt. Smith.

  If you have any information on the location of Adji Desir call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.

::MonkeyCool::

I Called for Help and My friends came to the rescue - Victor Allen, Mario Hemsley & Female co-host- * I wish I knew her name -"All and Each of them "-   They  made it happen  - Victor is and has been my friend for some time.

Broadcast from Pax Stereo -  Mario is reading my letter I wrote to Mario Hemsley himself - for the Aid to Find ADJI - I added DOLCE's Witness and word. I am Bixa, Bix to Victor - who he references. Thank god that They made this Video and put this Broadcast out !  I am so thankful for their Efforts to make this happen. Thank you Victor if you read this.
Pax Stereo has uncountable numbers of  listeners - so I am so thankful.

Lets Find ADJI and bring him home to his Momma and his Grandma - so He can rest and continue on with his life. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/eY_0fOYS6zo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1

We Need to Bring Adji Home - He is alive in our Hearts~ Precious Adji ~ I have faith he is out there and he is alive - He just has to be Found.  :smt049 He may not be able to speak, but his Spirit is Strong and in my Mind he is Alive. 
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k14/boxah104/adjisonofsun-1-1.jpg)
Bring him home Safe,Sound and whole -
K

AMW link:

http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=62497

God bless Adji and all of the missing!

Naples Daily News (Florida)
 
March 5, 2009 Thursday
B; Pg. 3 
Program segment brings new leads for Adji Desir

The Collier County Sheriff's Office received seven new leads into the disappearance of 6-year-old Adji Desir after his case was featured last Saturday on the "America's Most Wanted" television program.

"You never ever know when you go on any show whether you're going to get a lot or a little," agency spokeswoman Karie Partington said. "It's a matter of getting the right one."

The Sheriff's Office also released a new photo of Adji on Wednesday, in which he is wearing the two-tone, blue sneakers he wore the day he disappeared. Investigators hope the sneakers will generate fresh leads.

Sheriff's Office Lt. Thomas Smith was slated to appear on CNN's Nancy Grace show again Wednesday night to discuss the case. He has appeared on the program several times since Adji disappeared from outside his grandmother's Farm Worker Village home in Immokalee on Jan. 10.

Anyone with information about Adji's whereabouts can call the Collier County Sheriff's Office at

(239) 793-9300, or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477).
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:935844852&start=12

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0903/04/ng.01.html

<snipped to include Adji coverage only>

NANCY GRACE

Aired March 4, 2009 - 20:00:00   ET

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Law enforcement officials say they continue to get tips in the case of missing Florida boy, Adji Desir, who was last seen playing outside his grandmother`s home. The Collier County Sheriff`s Office are investigating all tips that come in, including one tip that police are looking into today. A tip that may be deemed credible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their assignment will be to go through all the tips and leave some signs that we`re posting in the stores and when information is coming through from the media.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A multi-agency task force has been working day after day to find out what happened to 6-year-old Adji, who`s developmentally disabled and has the mind of a 2-year-old. The South Florida community is pulling together, praying for the boy`s safe return, while a $38,500 reward is being offered in an effort to bring out more credible leads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Straight out to Rory O`Neill with Westwood One. Rory, what`s the latest in the search for Adji?

RORY O`NEILL, REPORTER, WESTWOOD ONE RADIO, COVERING STORY: Well, good evening, Nancy. They have had some success in getting at least a few more tips. One of them, a good tip that they`re following. That`s because the case of Adji`s disappearance was recently profiled on "America`s Most Wanted," so they did get at least one solid tip they`re still following through on.

No big ground searches going on. That`s been suspended for about 50 days now. So really they`re just trying to follow up this latest lead in the case.

GRACE: Everyone, this little boy cannot verbally communicate. He has the mind of a 2-year-old little child. Therefore, he can`t even explain to anyone that he is lost.

Rory O`Neill, are police now accepting that this is not a case of the child wandering off, that this is a kidnap?

O`NEILL: That`s really what -- as soon as Adji was reported missing, they spent about nine days doing this massive manhunt, while working parallel investigations, that, one, that he just wanted off, and two, that perhaps something had happened. Though they say if a boy this age, developmentally disabled, as you say, really couldn`t walk away too far on his own.

They feel secure in the search that they mounted on the ground. They think someone else was involved in his disappearance.

GRACE: Joining me right now, special guest, Lieutenant Tom Smith with the special crimes bureau, Collier County Sheriff`s Office. He`s the lead investigator into Adji`s disappearance.

Lieutenant, thank you for being with us.

LT. TOM SMITH, SPECIAL CRIMES BUREAU, COLLIER CO. SHERIFF`S OFFICE, ON THE CASE: Thank you again for airing Adji`s story, you know, keeping his picture in everybody`s mind is very crucial to finding him.

GRACE: Lieutenant, it`s stunning to me that this little boy disappears out of his own yard, his grandmother there in the home, taking care of him. What can you tell us about the new lead that is being researched?

SMITH: Well, you know, to say that there`s a specific tip that has some specific potential, it`s pretty difficult. I mean we`ve been getting a lot of leads. And we`ve had about 250 leads, about 30 of those have been -- are still remaining to be, you know, closed out. From the "America`s Most Wanted" show, we got a few tips and a few of them have elements that allow us to dig into them a little bit deeper.

GRACE: Lt. Smith, tell us again about the circumstances surrounding Adji`s disappearance.

SMITH: Well, Adji was out in front of his home in a community housing authority project that consists of about 611 homes, just about dusk on January 10th. And within about, just a 15-minute time frame, around 5:30 p.m., he disappeared. And we`ve not been able to find any information to lead us towards an abduction or towards a walkoff, so, you know, we`ve always accepted the possibility that it could be either one and we`ve worked both of those avenues.

GRACE: What do you mean by a 15-minute window?

SMITH: Well, he was seen around 5:30 and around 5:45, he was not there where he could be called back to the house and they began searching. And it took about two hours of their own searches before they realized that they couldn`t find him and then they called the sheriff`s office.

GRACE: Who saw him at 5:30?

SMITH: He was playing football, tossing a football with a child about his own age, and then the older brother to that friend came over and said, time to come home for dinner, and they`ve left him standing 100 feet from his home.

GRACE: How old was the older brother that came and got the little friend?

SMITH: He`s in his early teens, probably 11 or 12. I don`t know specifically.

GRACE: So that`s a reliable witness?

SMITH: Oh, absolutely. You know, we`ve interviewed all the children that`s playing in the community. It`s a very close knit community because of the type of development that it is. We`ve interviewed his classmates and all the children that he`s played with that whole evening from the time he woke up until the time he disappeared and he just vanished.

GRACE: So at around 5:30, the neighbor friend comes to get the little brother, it`s time to come in for dinner. They leave Adji about 100 feet from his own home and then 15 minutes later what happens?

SMITH: Grandmother comes out to tell him to come into the house and he`s obviously not out front. And the stepfather had been in the same neighborhood doing laundry down at the local washhouse and had walked up to the house, so I mean, it even makes it a little bit more difficult to know that he was right there and nobody saw anything.

GRACE: And this is a very low-crime area?

SMITH: Well, it`s a typical housing authority unit where people are screened very closely before they move in. You know, it`s a zero tolerance type of, you know, crime community, so if you commit a crime or have associated that come in that commit crimes, you run the risk of being kicked out. So, yes, it is a good-natured community.

GRACE: To Dr. Marty Makary, physician and professor of public health at Johns Hopkins, joining us from Washington, D.C..

Dr. Makary, what is your take on the special needs of little Adji?

DR. MARTY MAKARY, PHYSICIAN, PROF. OF PUBLIC HEALTH, JOHNS HOPKINS: Well, it really all comes down to water. You know, from a developmental perspective, a child like this with the mental age of 2 does not have the mental construct to put the logic together that water that they see is what would satisfy their thirst and they`re at high risk for dehydration.

Also because of their stranger anxiety, they may hide from people actually looking for them.

GRACE: What do you mean stranger anxiety?

MAKARY: Well, they can detach from their environment because they become lonely and scared at an early age when they`re not around their typical environment. So they detach and can really burrow into their surrounding.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Sheeba in Illinois. Hi, Sheeba.

CALLER: Hi, hi, darling. I just want to know, Nancy, when people take these pictures with their cell phones, why don`t they stay there -- I would. If I thought, God forbid, it be one of your children, I would not let that person that I thought was your child away from my sight.

Now, I might have to apologize (INAUDIBLE) profusely, but I would not let them out of my sight.

GRACE: You know, Mike Brooks, former fed with the FBI, you dealt with a lot of tips. Why when people really believe they`ve spotted a missing child, do they walk away?

BROOKS: That`s a great question, Nancy. You know, I mean, I think as the lieutenant said, they`ve had over -- about 250 leads, 30 of them, they need to follow up on. It`s going to be case management and also keeping this out in the public, as the lieutenant said, that`s going to find this little boy.

But it sounds like because of his developmental problems, it`s highly, highly unlikely that he walked away from there himself. Someone probably had to take him out of there because it`s such a rural area.

GRACE: The reward is now nearly $35,000. Tip line, 800-780-8477.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: This is a farm worker`s village. It`s a housing authority community consisting of about 600 homes, about 468 are occupied. And it`s a stand-alone community in the middle of a farm field. Most of them are permanent migrant workers. They`re farm hands and they work at the packing houses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It takes boots on the ground, individual deputies getting out there and crawling through culverts and looking in brambles and bushes. So we`re just taking the search and being as thorough as we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Where is little Adji? To Rupa Mikkilineni, our producer on the case in the very beginning. Rupa, what can you tell me?

RUPA MIKKILINENI, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, you know, police have a couple of really theories here. The real theory is that he was abducted. I mean they`re leaning towards this. Mostly because they have done extensive searches in area almost immediately as soon as he disappeared, Nancy. So they`re thinking somebody in the Haitian community might know something.

GRACE: And what are they doing about it? I know the entire area has been canvassed. I know they`ve got a lot of press just recently. How many tips did that generate, Rupa?

MIKKILINENI: Over 2500 tips, actually, in the last two months. This child has been missing almost two months now, Nancy. What they`re also doing is expanding throughout all of southeast, southwest Florida, the Miami area, hitting the Haitian communities in those areas, talking with Haitian minister, apparently, they`re speaking with who might be going to Haiti soon and will be spreading word even there.

GRACE: And I understand new photos have been released.

MIKKILINENI: Yes, new photos have been released. One important clarification for one of the photos is there`s a photo of him sitting Indian style, I think, and it shows the sneakers that he was wearing when he disappeared. In previous photos, I think, those sneakers were described as grayish. They`re actually dark blue and light blue.

GRACE: Special thank you tonight to Rory O`Neill and Lt. Tom Smith, along with Rupa Mikkilineni, joining us on the story.

Little Adji, 800-780-8477.

Found this video...to help find Adji.

FindAdji.com Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojjs40Y5BFE

Found this posted, but asked for a link...from a myspace page.

Adji's flyer

(http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh340/JustMe_029/AdjiDesirFlyer.jpg)

Naples Daily News (Florida)
April 5, 2009 Sunday
 
The question remains: What happened to Adji?

For Marie Neida, the horror of her son going missing continues to dominate every facet of her life.

"I pray to God for my son to come back home," Neida said Friday.

It's been about three months since 6-year-old Adji Desir disappeared from outside his grandmother's house at Farm Workers Village in Immokalee.

Since then, Neida and her family members have tried to continue with their daily lives, while passing out fliers with her son's information and keeping in touch with the Collier County Sheriff's Office for updates on the case.

"My family is so-so," Neida, 36, said in a sad voice. "I'm so-so."

The situation has taken an emotional and psychological toll on the family, but especially on Neida and Adji's grandmother, Jesula Thebaud, 55, said Neida's husband, Antal Elant, 42.

"They don't sleep at night," Elant said. "Nobody sleeps."

Elant said the family prays daily for the safe return of Adji.

"We pray to God for Adji every night," Elant said. "Everybody wants Adji to come back home."

As for the outpouring of support from community members, Elant and Neida said they are grateful for everyone's efforts.

Elant said that above all else, people should keep looking for his stepson.

"I don't want anyone to give up," Elant said. "We need help very much."

Although 12 weeks have gone by, hope that the mentally disabled boy could be found remains in the community.

"It's good to know that the fliers are still out there and that people are still looking for him," said Sgt. Ken Becker with the Collier County Sheriff's Office Special Crimes Bureau.

Even three months later, local and statewide businesses have kept the missing-child fliers with Adji's information posted.

"I am glad to see that," Becker said.

Becker admitted that after the initial rush of tips back in January, the flow of information has slowed down a bit.

However, that doesn't mean that the multi-agency task force has stopped working the case. The task force is headed by the Collier County Sheriff's Office and includes agents from the FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

"Over the last 12 weeks, we have done a number of follow-up investigations," Becker said.

The department received between 400 and 500 tips related to the disappearance of the developmentally disabled 6-year-old.

And it's community tipsters that could ultimately make the difference, he said.

"A case like this is going to depend on somebody that has seen something or has information that will help us find Adji," Becker said. "If you've got any information, no matter how small, contact us so we can follow up. It could be a key component to solve this case."

He added that on a case like Adji's, because time has passed, the tips aren't concentrated in Collier County anymore.

That's where help from the FBI, FDLE and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children comes in, Becker said.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children president Ernie Allen agreed.

"Time dramatically expands the boundaries," Allen said.

It's one of the reasons the center has been adamant about getting Adji's story to national media, he said.

"We're trying to use media to keep awareness big," Allen said. "So we can generate the new leads we need to break this case loose."

He said Adji's information also had been sent to law enforcement agencies around the world.

"Obviously the primary focus initially was the rapid response, the search and rescue," Allen said.

At this point, Allen said the investigation had changed and become a more traditional criminal investigation.

"Now our focus is to keep the level of awareness of Adji as high as possible, so we can generate leads," Allen said. "Somebody out there knows what happened to Adji."

Allen said one of the key messages that the group wants to send is that, just because it has been three months, it doesn't mean the world can forget.

"Adji is still out there," Allen said.

As for whoever has her son, Neida has a simple request - take care of Adji and return him safely home.

"I want my son back," she said. "If someone sees Adji, call the police right away."

For more information about the search for Adji Desir visit the Collier County Sheriff's Web site at www.colliersheriff.org or visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Web site at www.missingkids.com. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:952091714&start=5

Something is FINALLY moving forward in the search for Adji!!!!!!!

Gale St.John is arriving in Orlando today, and driving down to search for Adji.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/apr/15/nationally-known-psychic-search-adji/

A update...

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/apr/16/psychic-searches-adji-immokalee-area/

Here are a couple of links for info pertaining to that area.

Grace try here

http://www.collierclerk.com/RecordsSearch/CourtRecords

and also http://www.colliersheriff.org/Index.aspx?page=1922





 

Article mentioning  little Adji.

http://www.seattlemedium.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=95798&sID=3&ItemSource=L

bumping Sat. image of the area...reduce it to get good view

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Farm+workers+village+Immokalee+FL&sll=26.419891,-81.408048&sspn=0.012337,0.033731&ie=UTF8&view=map&ei=pOj-Se7jJ4qINOn84a0E&attrid=

<snip>
Please light a candle for Adji:

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=adji


Keep him in our prayers.

Thank you.

Parents of Adji, Baby Brian holding on to hope their children will be found

By ELYSA BATISTA (Contact)
Originally published 7:37 p.m., Friday, June 26, 2009
Updated 7:37 p.m., Friday, June 26, 2009
SEARCH FOR ADJI DESIR

Adji Desir has been missing from Immokalee since Saturday evening, Jan. 10, 2009.

Time is the enemy for the parents of a missing child.

The first 72 hours are the most crucial.

After that, statistics show the chance of the child ever being found continuously falls.

It has been six months since six-year-old Immokalee resident Adji Desir disappeared from outside his grandmother’s house at Farm Workers Village.

Meanwhile, the search for Baby Brian Dos Santos, who was taken from his mother in Fort Myers, has been going on for the past two-and-a-half years.

And in spite of hundreds of man-hours and thousands of dollars, both investigations have yet to turn up the missing boys.

However neither the Collier County Sheriff’s Office or the Fort Myers Police Department are calling it quits.

“As far as any tips, they’ve slowed down to about nothing,” said Sgt. Ken Becker with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Bureau. “In the last three weeks, we probably got one. Other than that, we haven’t been getting any tips.”

And the majority of the case leads, Becker said, didn’t come from within Collier County.

One of the leads that arose soon after Adji went missing was that the developmentally challenged boy could be in Haiti.

“That was something that we looked into early on,” said Becker, adding that the agency spoke with Adji’s biological father and that the boy’s extended family members have taken fliers back and posted them in Haiti. “There is no indication at this point that he is in Haiti.”

It’s always ongoing, said Fort Myers Police Department Detective Matt Sellers, of the search for now 2-year-old Bryan Dos Santos.

“This past month we received two leads,” said Sellers, who said the Fort Myers Police department gets tips on the Baby Bryan case from time to time.

Investigators previously said they believed the baby was taken because his parents failed to pay human smugglers. Bryan’s parents, Maria de Fatima Ramos Dos Santos and Jurandir Gomes Costa, both Fort Myers residents, were brought into the United States illegally from Brazil, but failed to pay the smugglers’ entire fee, police said.

A woman driving a dark SUV took Bryan from Ramos Dos Santos at knifepoint Dec. 1.

It’s hard, said Sellers, because sometimes investigators have to refer back to the family when a lead is found.

“A lot of the leads are dead ends,” he said. “You don’t want to give false hope to the victims.”

Fort Myers Police officials said that from November 2006 to June 2007 alone, the department dedicated roughly 1,278 man-hours and $36,409.65 to the Baby Bryan search.

The search for Adji, said Collier Sheriff’s spokeswoman Michelle Batten, is a little harder to quantify.

Back in January, Sheriff’s Office officials estimated that roughly 300 law enforcement officials — 100 of which were Collier County deputies — were involved in the search for Adji, with boats and airboats joining the effort.

In addition to law enforcement from Collier County, several sister agencies turned out to help, including the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigations and Hendry Correctional Institution and the Tampa Search and Rescue Team.

“Investigations like that, just can’t be tracked in the form of dollars and cents,” said Batten. “From the beginning this was about the safety and welfare of a little boy.

Yet time, officials said, has a way of slowly fading memories.

“Obviously your freshest information will come in the first couple of days. The public is paying attention to the case the most,” said Sellers, who has been involved with the Baby Bryan case since day one. “As time goes on, it gets harder. ... There’s less news, less public interest.”

Sellers said he still holds out hope, for the one lead that will help him find Baby Bryan. He said the family is doing the best they can.

“I don’t know if it ever gets easier,” said Detective Matt Sellers, with the Fort Myers Police Department. “It’s something that will stay with the parents forever.”

Also holding onto the hope of a miracle are Adji’s mom Marie Neida and stepfather Antal Elant.

“I think when we get Adji back, then the life will come back,” said Elant 42, at the family’s Immokalee home. “I can talk and I can laugh, but in my heart is tight.”

And although it doesn’t ease the pain of missing child, in May the couple welcomed a baby girl, who they’ve named Adjiani — after her brother.

Neida, 36, said that she prays daily for her son’s return and urged anyone who thinks they may have seen her son to please contact the authorities.

“I pray, and pray, and pray,” said Neida.


http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jun/26/parents-adji-baby-brian-holding-hope-their-childre/


Interactive search map for Adji
http://www.naplesnews.com/thesearchforadji/