Mariha Trenice Smith, age 5, missing 7/24/11, Detroit, MI (deceased)

[ka8lhi]

This one is not going to end well...

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/07/detroit_police_continue_to_loo.html

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Smith told officers she last saw Mariha about 3:30 a.m. Sunday asleep on a floor in one of the home's rooms, and that she didn't notice her daughter was missing until about noon. She also told police that a window in the house was "wide open."
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authorities were trying to identify the charred body of a child found in a burning abandoned building
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[ka8lhi]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110725/NEWS01/110725014/Autopsy-Child-found-dead-burning-house-suffocated?odyssey=nav|head

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The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled a little girl found dead in a fire in an abandoned building died in a homicide due to asphyxiation.

But the identity of the little girl, estimated to be 5 to 7 years old, won't be confirmed until investigators receive DNA testing results, which could take days, Wayne County spokesman Dennis Niemiec said this afternoon.

"Her skull was crushed and she was burned, but the cause of death was asphyxiation," Niemiec said. "Whatever killed her occurred before the fire."

And while Detroit Fire Department investigators say the girl resembled 5-year-old Mariha Trenice Smith, missing since early Sunday, Niemiec said that cannot yet be confirmed.
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[cookie]

Terrible...another innocent child murdered...why don't people give these children up rather than murdering them?

[cartfly]

[cartfly]

Last Updated: July 25. 2011 6:07PM
http://detnews.com/article/20110725/METRO01/107250366/-1/rss4331
Body of asphyxiated child matches missing girl's description
Josh Katzenstein/ The Detroit News

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The Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children Task Force is investigating the kidnapping and has a person of interest in custody, FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold said. Multiple family members said they did not recognize the person of interest from a blurry photo police showed them.
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Mariha's mother, 24-year-old Konesha Smith, had a lie detector test at a Detroit police precinct starting at 9 a.m. this morning, family members said. As of 1:30 p.m. she was still with police.

"She's taking it hard," Diane Henry, grandmother of Mariha, said of Konesha.

Detroit Fire Department Lt. Patrick McNulty said today the body of the child matches the description of Mariha, who was reported missing from her home Sunday.

"Everything looks like that child, but the child was terribly burned," he said. "She'd be unrecognizable except for the basic structure, the approximate size, approximate weight and the fact that she's a female."

A fire on the 2900 block of Waverly near Davison and Linwood at a vacant two-family house was reported around 8 a.m. Sunday. Poole said she didn't know anyone who lives on Waverly and doesn't think Konesha does, either.

A neighbor of the burnt house said people used the abandoned home to use drugs.

McNulty said the fire, which was reported at 7:57 a.m. Sunday, appeared to be arson based on the investigation. The fire started on a mattress in the front room of the house where the dead child was found.

A male bought 41 cents of gasoline at 7:47 a.m. at a gas station just two blocks from the burnt house, one of the store's workers said. Police took the store's surveillance cameras, he said, but police would not confirm the information.

Mariha is too young to have dental records, McNulty said, so the medical examiner is awaiting a DNA test, which could take one to two days. Mariha's mother gave police clothes for a DNA sample, Poole said.

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[cartfly]

Last Updated: July 26. 2011 7:42PM

http://detnews.com/article/20110726/METRO01/107260401

Aunt of missing Detroit girl flunked lie detector test, family confirms
Josh Katzenstein/ The Detroit News

Detroit— The aunt who was housing a missing 5-year-old girl and her family failed a lie detector test with the Detroit Police, the girl's mother said around 3 p.m. today.

Mariha Trenice Smith was last seen at 3:30 a.m. Sunday sleeping on the floor of her aunt Virginia Smith's house while her mom, 24-year-old Konesha Smith, slept on the couch.

"Shes still in custody with the police," Konesha said of Virginia. "She failed the lie detector test."

Konesha didn't know what specifically her sister failed on the test. Konesha also had a lie detector test
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[cartfly]

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/child-found-dead-in-home

Family says missing girl's aunt being held after failing lie detector test
DNA test on burned body expected soon

Posted: 07/24/2011
Last Updated: 2 hours and 51 minutes ago
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DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) - Action News has learned the aunt of a missing 5-year-old girl and her boyfriend are in police custody. Family members say the woman is being held after failing a lie detector test. Police have not released details about the nature of the test.

Mariah Smith went missing early Sunday morning from her home on Burlingame Street in Detroit. The last time she was seen by her family, Mariah was sleeping in that home with her mother, six other children, her aunt and the boyfriend.

The family of Mariah Smith tells Action News the girl's aunt, Quanita Smith, has not been heard from since she was taken in for questioning on Monday. They were unable to say if the boyfriend, Daniel Cheatam, was released from questioning.

The family is holding out hope that the little girl will be brought home safely despite a nearby homicide investigation after a child’s body was found the same day Mariah went missing. The discovery was made when neighbors saw flames coming out of a home on Wavely, which is about a mile from Mariah’s home. Investigators say the body was burned beyond recognition, but believe it was a young child.

Our sources also say the charred remains of a child found in a burned out duplex could be identified within just days. We're told Michigan State Police are conducting the DNA test and could have the results by the end of the week.

Sources in the fire department also tell Action News that investigators found fabric under the burned body that seems to match what Mariah was wearing when she went missing. Her mother, Kenosha Smith, says the girl had a black shirt with pink flowers and blue jeans on the last time she saw her.

At this point, Detroit Police are still calling Mariah's disappearance - and the body of a child found on the same day - two separate investigations.
There are no suspects in custody in the case of missing Mariah. Detectives have questioned a number of people in connection with her disappearance, but no arrests have been made.

Police are also searching for a man who bought gas at a BP station on Waverly around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, just 30 minutes before neighbors saw flames at the Waverly house. The station manager told police the unidentified man paid for less than $2 in gas with a $20 bill and never returned for his change.

At this point it is not known if he is connected to the case or not.

The Michigan Arson Prevention Committee has placed signs by the burned out home, offering a $5,000 reward for any information on who started the fire that leads to an arrest.
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[ka8lhi]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110727/NEWS05/107270430/DNA-test-results-burned-remains-child-expected-soon?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

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Smith, 24, has told police she was drunk and passed out after a gathering at the home she shared with her sister.
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Not blaming the mother but...really makes me mad with all those babies in the house someone should have been sober!!! Yes - four kids age 5 and under and you don't wake up until noon???!!!

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/07/26/search-for-missing-detroit-girl-continues/

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Mariha was reported missing around noon Sunday from her westside Detroit home. Her mother, Konesha Smith, said she last saw Mariha when she put her and her three younger siblings down to sleep on the floor of their home on Burlingame in front of a fan that was in a window. She then noticed her daughter missing around noon the next day, and called police. She also noticed the front window was open.
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[klaasend]

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/07/shots_fired_at_detroit_vigil_f.html

Shots fired at Detroit vigil for missing girl, 5
Published: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 7:12 AM

A vigil for a 5-year-old Detroit girl reported missing over the weekend was disrupted by scuffles breaking out and the sound of gunfire.

No injuries were reported.

TV stations WDIV and WXYZ captured the sound of multiple gunshots at the Tuesday night vigil in Detroit for Mariha (mah-RY'-ah) Trenice.
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[klaasend]

Shots Fired At Vigil For Missing Detroit Girl
July 27, 2011 6:31 AM

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Konesha Smith, Mariha’s mother, said she cannot remember anything about the disappearance of her daughter because she was drunk and passed out on a couch after a party at the home Saturday night.

According to a police source, a polygraph test indicated Smith was being truthful. However, another family member did not pass the polygraph and currently remains in police custody. Konesha told the Detroit News her sister, Virginia Smith, failed the test.


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[cookie]

Terrible...another innocent child murdered...why don't people give these children up rather than murdering them?

guess I jumped the gun on this comment since more info is coming out..sorry...just used to reading these stories and my hinky meter goes rampant..

but really, mom was drunk, passed out and doesn't wake up until noon? no other adults in the home who were awake either until noon..?
but I suppose that no one thinks that this will happen to them..at least the mom did not leave the kids alone. she was partying in their own home where she probably assumed that her children were safe...

[klaasend]

Cookie - you didn't jump the gun, I'm sure you are right.  The burned child will be Martha.  It is very sad.

[cookie]

Cookie - you didn't jump the gun, I'm sure you are right.  The burned child will be Martha.  It is very sad.

thanks Klaas...{{hugs}}
I know this child will be her..
I was jumping the gun in thinking that the mom had harmed the child directly...murdered her and then tried to cover it up..now it appears that 'possibly' someone else murdered her..sigh..
it is soooo sad..beautiful little girl who didn't deserve what happened to her..none of them do

[MuffyBee]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110727/NEWS05/107270430/DNA-test-results-burned-remains-child-expected-soon?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
DNA test results on burned remains of child expected soon
July 27, 2011

The results of DNA testing to determine whether the burned remains of a child are that of a missing 5-year-old Detroit girl could be complete as soon as today, an official said.

The DNA samples are being processed by the Michigan State Police crime lab -- but getting to that point hasn't been easy.
Since Sunday morning, investigators and family members have been trying to determine whether the burned remains found in an abandoned home are those of Mariha Trenice Smith, who went missing that morning.

Investigators retrieved the girl's DNA from Sinai-Grace Hospital, where she was born, and took a sample from her mother, Konesha Smith, an official familiar with the investigation told the Free Press.

Police were unable to get Mariha's DNA from the home where she was staying because other children there were known to share personal hygiene items, including toothbrushes, the official said.

Further complicating the process, Smith told police she doesn't know where her daughter's father is, the official said.
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The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office determined the girl died of asphyxiation before she was set on fire, Wayne County spokesman Dennis Niemiec said. He said Tuesday that there was no evidence she was sexually assaulted, but the exam was limited because of the condition of the body.

Smith, 24, has told police she was drunk and passed out after a gathering at the home she shared with her sister.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the girl's aunt was still being detained for questioning and was held on outstanding misdemeanor warrants. Smith was released after a polygraph test indicated she was being truthful.

Detroit police officers brought the aunt's boyfriend in for questioning, and an arson dog capable of detecting flammable liquids was expected to be used on him, sources told the Free Press.
Meanwhile, police are still trying to determine the identity of a man who bought 41 cents in gasoline at a nearby gas station at 7:44 a.m. Sunday -- 10 minutes before the Detroit Fire Department was called to the burning home at 2918 Waverly and found the girl's body.

According to police, a man was seen running from the scene.

Police said Smith's boyfriend, who is a brother of the aunt's boyfriend, also was being sought for questioning.
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[wildmala]

I noticed one of Mariha's cousins posted that they had found her and she was burned.  Keeping my eyes open for a media report to confirm...

[wildmala]

Sorry...I saw it posted on Facebook by her cousin

[cartfly]

Terrible...another innocent child murdered...why don't people give these children up rather than murdering them?

guess I jumped the gun on this comment since more info is coming out..sorry...just used to reading these stories and my hinky meter goes rampant..

but really, mom was drunk, passed out and doesn't wake up until noon? no other adults in the home who were awake either until noon..?
but I suppose that no one thinks that this will happen to them..at least the mom did not leave the kids alone. she was partying in their own home where she probably assumed that her children were safe...

I don't think you were far off base Cookie. IMO, from all that I read and saw (video), this baby girl never had a decent chance at life in that crime/drug ridden neighborhood. The Mother on video acted like her dog was missing.....no emotion or real concern. Sorry to be so judgmental of a victims mother, but I don't think her children were her priority. So sad for these innocent babies. Hopefully, CPS will remove the other children in the home until the perp is caught and the home is deemed safe.

[cookie]

Terrible...another innocent child murdered...why don't people give these children up rather than murdering them?

guess I jumped the gun on this comment since more info is coming out..sorry...just used to reading these stories and my hinky meter goes rampant..

but really, mom was drunk, passed out and doesn't wake up until noon? no other adults in the home who were awake either until noon..?
but I suppose that no one thinks that this will happen to them..at least the mom did not leave the kids alone. she was partying in their own home where she probably assumed that her children were safe...

I don't think you were far off base Cookie. IMO, from all that I read and saw (video), this baby girl never had a decent chance at life in that crime/drug ridden neighborhood. The Mother on video acted like her dog was missing.....no emotion or real concern. Sorry to be so judgmental of a victims mother, but I don't think her children were her priority. So sad for these innocent babies. Hopefully, CPS will remove the other children in the home until the perp is caught and the home is deemed safe.

   so sad how some children have to grow up isn't it? sadder yet that some children don't get to grow up because of choices their parents make...

[KarmaRoundUp]

I was born and raised in the city of Detroit and I have to say that because of people like this I am soooo glad we finally left Detroit.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/28661107/detail.html

DETROIT -- On Wednesday, more relatives were questioned in the disappearance of a 5-year-old Detroit girl, Local 4 learned.

An Amber Alert has been in effect since Sunday for Mariah Trenice Smith.

The girl's mother, Konesha Smith has said she thinks her daughter was kidnapped from their home on the city's west side after a family party. She has already taken a polygraph test.

The mother told Local 4 that her sister, Quanita Smith, had failed a polygraph and was being held. Police said they were also questioning Quanita Smith's boyfriend and two cousins.

One of the cousins, Felisha Smith, said she was the last person to see the girl.

"I was the one who laid her down on the dining room floor and I gave her a hug and a kiss and everything," she said. "I left at 3:30 and she was still in the house. I was on my way to church and they called me and said, 'Do you got Mariah?' And I said, 'No, I do not.''
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[KarmaRoundUp]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/28700040/detail.html


Police Search For Man Of Interest In Burned Child Investigation
Police Question Whether Missing Girl, Burned Girl Cases Are Connected

POSTED: Thursday, July 28, 2011
UPDATED: 10:46 pm EDT July 28, 2011


DETROIT -- Surveillance video from a Detroit gas station shows a man who police say may be connected to an arson fire at a home where the charred body of a young girl was found.

Police said they want to question the man who sources say is shown purchasing a couple of dollars worth of gasoline at about 7:45 a.m. Sunday at the BP gas station at Dexter Avenue and Davison Street in Detroit.

Thirty minutes after he left the gas station, 911 received its first call about a fire at a vacant house in the 2900 block of Waverly Street.
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video at link