Jamisha Gilbert (18) Missing Lynchburg, VA - 11/29/13 / Deceased

[texasmom]

Video at link

http://www.wset.com/story/24117441/lynchburg-police-no-clues-found-in-search-for-missing-teen

Lynchburg Police: No Clues Found In Search For Missing Teen
Posted: Dec 02, 2013 9:01 PM CST
By James Gherardi

Lynchburg, VA - It has been a terrifying few days for a mother, wondering where her 18 year old daughter is. The search for Jamisha Gilbert wrapped up Monday along Concord Turnpike where Lynchburg police say her Honda Accord was found.

Police say they found no signs at all giving them any idea to what happened to this young, promising woman.

Her mom says, she last heard from her daughter on Wednesday.

"She said I just wanted to hear your voice" said Norma Gilbert-Eldridge.

Those were the last words Eldridge would hear her 18 year old daughter Jamisha Gilbert speak, "And that's when I started to worry" she said.

Friends tell police they last saw her late Thursday night when she was dropping her boyfriend off at home. Early Friday morning her car was found wrecked on Concord Turnpike.

So far police won't comment on the damage, but her mother did.

"The side view mirror was off, and some other parts of the car, the headlight was off. And the railing where she had hit had a lot of paint from the car" said Eldridge.

Eldridge says Jamisha was an honor roll student at Heritage High School; a scholarship recipient, looking to study at CVCC, this spring.

"She graduated with high honors and her hopes is to be a lawyer one day" she said.

"We are concerned for her welfare and for her safety" said Lt. Dave Gearhart of the Lynchburg Police Department.

Lynchburg Police describe her disappearance as suspicious. On Concord Turnpike Monday, a frenzy of law enforcement scour the scene where Jamisha's car was found. The search extended into the James River by boat, even into the sky with a state police helicopter.

 

Lynchburg Police say they are interviewing Jamisha's boyfriend, the one friends say, she was last with before her disappearance. However police tonight saying no suspects have been identified.

If you have any information on this young woman's disappearance, you're asked to call Lynchburg Police at (434)455-6054.

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=729402600420476&set=a.470790266281712.118856.175608919133183&type=1

Lynchburg Police Department
11 hours ago

On December 1, 2013 at 9:09 p.m., the Lynchburg Police Department took a report of a missing person: 18-year-old Jamisha Gilbert of Lynchburg. Jamisha is described as a black female, 5’5, 140 lbs., medium complexion with brown eyes and black hair - wearing a white t-shirt and brown boots.

Jamisha’s family reports last seeing her sometime on Wednesday and friends report last seeing her between midnight and 1:00 a.m. Friday morning. A 2002 Burgundy Honda Accord now believed to have been driven by Jamisha was found unattended in the area of Concord Turnpike and Winston Ridge Road around 8:00 a.m. Friday morning. There are no other details to release at this time.

This incident is currently under investigation by the Lynchburg Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the LPD Criminal Investigations Division at 434-455-6054, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. Visit the Central Virginia Crime Stoppers website at www.cvcrimestoppers.org to enter a web tip, or text “CVCS” plus your message to 274637.


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=729460997081303&set=a.701740099853393.1073741848.175608919133183&type=1

Lynchburg Police Department
8 hours ago

This is an update regarding today’s earlier press release on the missing female, Jamisha Gilbert of Lynchburg.

A missing person alert system has been activated and anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Lynchburg Police Department at this number: 434-455-4090.

Attached is a better photo that can be used for distribution.

This case is being investigated as a missing person under suspicious circumstances.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the LPD Criminal Investigations Division at 434-455-6054, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. Visit the Central Virginia Crime Stoppers website at www.cvcrimestoppers.org to enter a web tip, or text “CVCS” plus your message to 274637.


December 2, 2013

Press Release completed by: Lt. Dave Gearhart
Public Information Officer

[texasmom]

http://www.wset.com/story/24113796/lynchburg-police-searching-for-18-year-old-woman

Lynchburg Police Searching for 18-Year-Old Woman
Posted: Dec 02, 2013 1:16 PM CST
Featured Videos
 


Police on Concord Turnpike

Update: 4:45 p.m.:

Police had a brief news conference Monday afternoon, saying that they consider Jamisha Gilbert's disappearance as being under suspicious circumstances. Between 35 and 40 Lynchburg Police, State Police officers and firefighters have been searching for her.  We will continue to update you as more information becomes available.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_67f4d718-5b7d-11e3-9121-001a4bcf6878.html

Officers search river for missing teenager

 Posted: Monday, December 2, 2013 11:00 pm | Updated: 11:06 pm, Mon Dec 2, 2013.

Steve Hardy

Dozens of officers combed the Concord Turnpike area Monday afternoon near the industrial area where officers found the wrecked and abandoned car of a missing Lynchburg teenager.

Jamisha Monique Gilbert, 18, last was seen by friends early Friday morning, but disappeared under what investigators are calling “suspicious circumstances.”

Her wrecked burgundy 2002 Honda Accord was found near the intersection of Concord Turnpike and Winston Ridge Road a few hours after she was last seen.

Officers used a state police helicopter, tracking canines and boats to search the James River for clues to find Gilbert on Monday evening. The search stretched from Garnet Street to U.S. 460, through industrial areas, woods, a train yard and the river.

Gilbert was reported her missing on Sunday by her mother Norma Gilbert-Eldridge.

Monday, the Lynchburg Police Department issued a missing person alert as they searched the area.

“We are concerned for her welfare and her safety,” Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart said. However, he said he did not think there was a threat to the public.

Gilbert-Eldridge is holding out hope that her daughter will return home soon.

“It’s stressful. It’s hard. It’s unbelievable. … It just doesn’t seem real,” she said from her College Hill home Monday evening.

“I’m just gonna keep hope alive.”

She spoke of her daughter with pride, saying Gilbert was an honor roll student every semester at Heritage High, where she graduated last May.

Gilbert enjoys poetry and has been playing piano since she was five years old, her mother said.

The teenager has been living near Lynchburg College where she was caring for an ill relative. She planned to go to Central Virginia Community College in the spring, before continuing on to the University of Maryland to earn her bachelor’s degree on her way to becoming an attorney, her mother said.

In a video posted to YouTube in February, Gilbert expressed her happiness at being accepted into the University of Maryland and proudly displayed her acceptance letter.

In other videos, she discusses topics ranging from music to hair care.

One video, titled “This is Me,” was created for her Advanced English class. In it, she discusses her family, her favorite books, movies and food, as well as her dreams, such as visiting Spain and working as a corporate lawyer.

It also gives a glimpse into her philosophy.

“Without struggle, there is no progress,” she says.

“No matter what life throws at you, as long as you get back up, the only thing that matters is how you take it.”

Investigators have released little information about the search for Gilbert. Gearhart declined to answer questions about evidence gathered during Monday’s search, the condition of her car, where she may have been heading or whether investigators believe any crimes have been committed.

When asked if whether they suspect foul play, the lieutenant said only that officers with the department’s Criminal Investigations Division have classified her disappearance as “suspicious,” and do not believe Gilbert is a runaway.

Investigators have found no evidence linking Gilbert’s disappearance to that of Alexis Murphy, the 17-year-old reported missing from Nelson County in August. Alexis has not yet been found. Randy Taylor, of Lovingston, has been arrested and charged with abduction in connection with Alexis’ disappearance. He remains in jail awaiting trial.

In a news conference late Monday, Gearhart said officials still were deciding how the search for Gilbert would continue in the coming days.

Until then, he asks anyone who may have information about her disappearance to come forward.

 

[texasmom]

Jamisha's FB
https://www.facebook.com/mesha105

Her mom's FB
https://www.facebook.com/norma.gilberteldridge

[texasmom]

http://www.wset.com/story/24126853/gilberts-mother-speaks-out-about-her-daughters-disappearance

Gilbert's Mother Speaks Out About Her Daughter's Disappearance
Posted: Dec 03, 2013 4:30 PM CST
By Whitney Delbridge

Lynchburg, VA - Family and friends have come together to help with the search for Jamisha Gilbert.

Right now, family members say they have no idea where Gilbert might be or who she's with.

Jamisha's mother, Norma Gilbert-Eldridge, said they had an argument last week and Wednesday was the last time she spoke to her daughter.

 

"Everybody was saying like she was probably scared that mom was going to be mad at her. But she would have called me because we talked, like we're always together and she calls me all the time," Diamond Blake, a friend of Gilbert's said.

If that is the case, Gilbert's mother says she hopes Jamisha is listening and knows they just want her to come back.

"If you're listening, Jamisha, if you're out there and you're just thinking that I'm going to be mad about a stupid car, you know it's just a car. Your safety, you coming home, that's what it's about," Norma Gilbert-Eldridge, Jamisha Gilbert's mother, said.

Eldridge says she does not believe Jamisha's boyfriend had anything to do with her disappearance but she's not ruling anything out at this point.

The phone number to call with any tips on Jamisha Gilbert is 434-455-4090.

[texasmom]

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_2d3b23d6-5c20-11e3-a414-0019bb30f31a.html

Update: Missing teen may have been seen walking in area Friday morning

 Posted: Tuesday, December 3, 2013 5:45 pm | Updated: 6:16 pm, Tue Dec 3, 2013.

Steve Hardy and Alex Rohr

UPDATE: Missing teen Jamisha Gilbert was seen walking in the area where hours later officers would find her wrecked car, police said Tuesday afternoon.

Friends last saw Gilbert between midnight and 1 a.m. Friday when she left in her burgundy 2002 Honda Accord.

At about 8 a.m., it was found wrecked and abandoned near the intersection of Concord Turnpike and Winston Ridge Road.

As Tuesday’s search for Gilbert wrapped up at about 4:30 p.m., Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart said someone told investigators Gilbert was on foot in the area sometime before police found her car.

Officers still are investigating that statement, and Gearhart declined to identify the tipster and whether he or she noticed if Gilbert was injured, distressed or alone. The lieutenant also said it is unclear if she was spotted before or after her car wrecked.

EARLIER:

Police say clothes were found near the location a missing Lynchburg teenager was last seen early Friday morning around the intersection of Concord Turnpike and Winston Ridge Road.

Jamisha Monique Gilbert’s 2002 Honda Accord was found after it wrecked into a guardrail in a rocky lot between railroad tracks and woods just off Concord and Winston, Lynchburg Police Detective John Bragg said this morning.

Bragg said clothes were found nearby. He referred to Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart for more details. Gearhart declined to comment.

Gilbert was last seen early Friday by friends, and Gearhart said police have information that she was near Concord and Winston on foot shortly after the crash. She could not be directly connected to the crash, he said.

Around 8 a.m. this morning, officers doubled their search, sending 70 to 80 officers and firefighters through “very challenging terrain” in an area bordered by Winston Ridge Road, Concord Turnpike and U.S.460, Gearhart said.

Gearhart said the search will end at sundown because the terrain “is very dangerous to search after dark. …It’s just very hilly, it’s rocky, it’s wooded, it’s just very difficult to navigate.”

While Lynchburg and Virginia State Police and the Amherst County Sheriff’s deputies search on foot, Lynchburg firefighters are looking by boat along the James River, which runs parallel to Concord Turnpike.

 

Gilbert, 18, last was seen by friends early Friday morning, but disappeared under what investigators are calling “suspicious circumstances.”

[texasmom]

http://www.wset.com/story/24126370/investigators-expand-search-for-jamisha-gilbert

Investigators Expand Search for Jamisha Gilbert
Posted: Dec 03, 2013 3:48 PM CST
By Carleigh Griffeth

Lynchburg, VA - Crews are still searching in Lynchburg for anything that could lead them to Jamisha Gilbert, 18, last seen early Friday morning.

 

Tuesday, police expanded their search of the Concord Turnpike area, now spanning between Winston Ridge Road and Route 460.

Lieutenant Dave Gearhart with Lynchburg Police says they had about 70 people involved in their search Tuesday.

Gearhart also says they're planning to continue their search until they find something that could lead them to Gilbert.

"Essentially what we did is just bring in additional people to help us search a larger area," Lt. Gearhart said.

Officials are expanding their search for Gilbert, who police say went missing under suspicious circumstances early Friday morning.

Friends last saw Gilbert driving her 2002 Honda Accord between midnight and 1 a.m., about a mile from where the car was found on the Concord Turnpike.

"This area is the area where we had information on where she was last," Lt. Gearhart said.

Gearhart says police have information that Gilbert was seen walking near the site of the crash early Friday morning, but cannot say if it was before or after the crash.

Police also cannot say whether Gilbert was driving the car when it wrecked, or if she was involved in the accident at all.

"We believe she was driving the vehicle. We do not know for sure if she was in the vehicle when it crashed," Lt. Gearhart added.

 

"We are as part of the investigation, we're questioning a lot of people. I don't think we're going to comment on who we've talked to at this point," Gearhart said.

Gearhart also says officers were not able to determine who the car belonged to when they found it Friday.
 

[texasmom]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/2424617-12/hotline-set-up-for-missing-lynchburg-teen-as.html

Hotline set up for missing Lynchburg teen as search continues

by
Steve Hardy | The (Lynchburg) News & Advance

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Authorities have set up a hotline to take tips specifically related to the case of missing 18-year-old Jamisha Monique Gilbert, of Lynchburg.

The phone number — 434-455-4090 — will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart said.

Gilbert, 18, last was seen by friends early Friday morning, but disappeared under what investigators are calling "suspicious circumstances."

 

[texasmom]

http://www.wric.com/story/24117327/lynchburg-police-searching-for-missing-teen

Lynchburg Police Search for Missing Teen
Posted: Dec 02, 2013 8:38 PM CST Updated: Dec 03, 2013 8:04 PM CST

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WRIC)—Lynchburg Police are searching for 18-year-old Jamisha Gilbert, who disappeared under suspicious circumstances last week.

Jamisha's mother, Norma Gilbert-Eldridge, said that when she last spoke to her daughter on Wednesday, Nov. 27 the teen was apologizing for keeping her younger brother out late.

"She said, ‘I just wanted to hear your voice,'" Gilbert-Eldridge said. "That's when I started to worry."

The Thanksgiving weekend came and went with no word from Jamisha, an honors graduate of Heritage High School. When Gilbert-Eldridge still hadn't heard from her daughter on Sunday, she filed a missing persons report.

Lynchburg Police found Gilbert's car, a burgundy 2002 Honda Accord, crashed off of Concord Turnpike, near Winston Ridge Road in Lynchburg.

"The side-view mirror was off, and some other parts of the car," Gilbert-Eldridge said. "The headlight was off and the railing where she had hit—it had a lot of the paint from the car."

"We are concerned for her welfare and her safety," said Lieutenant Dave Gearhart of the Lynchburg Police Department.

LPD has set up a command post along Concord Turnpike. Dozens of Lynchburg Police officers, firefighters and the Virginia State Police are searching by foot, air and boat.

"We do not have any information that she is with anybody at this time. And we have no information that there's any danger to the public," Gearhart said.

State Police sources tell 8 News that clothing was found during their search, and while they can't confirm this clothing belongs to Gilbert, they do say they are acting under the assumption that it is that of the missing teen.

"We are treating this as a suspicious missing person, and we are concerned for her safety at this point as we have been from the beginning," Gearhart said.

Gilbert-Eldridge is left with many questions and very few answers; now, she is waiting and hoping for her daughter's safe return.

"Your safety, you coming home, that's what it's about. That's what we want, we want you," Gilbert-Eldridge said. "Come on back home."

 

[texasmom]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/2427936-12/news-conference-on-jamisha-gilbert-case-planned-for.html

News conference on Jamisha Gilbert case planned for today

December 3, 2013

by
Steve Hardy | The (Lynchburg) News & Advance

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Authorities are planning a news conference this afternoon to provide an update on the case of missing Lynchburg 18-year-old Jamisha Gilbert.

It is unclear exactly when the news conference will be held.

Dozens of officers are restricting traffic in the area of Concord Turnpike and Pleasant Valley Road, near where Gilbert's wrecked Honda Accord was found Friday morning.

Friends last saw Gilbert between midnight and 1 a.m. Friday. Investigators have said she was alone when she drove the Accord.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.wset.com/story/24134226/updated-press-conference-expected-in-gilbert-search-heavy-police-presence-at-megginson-cemetery

UPDATED: Press Conference Expected in Gilbert Search; Heavy Police Presence at Megginson Cemetery
Posted: Dec 04, 2013 10:59 AM CST

UPDATE: 2:06 p.m.

Lynchburg, VA - A press conference is expected to be underway soon in Lynchburg about the search for missing 18 year old Jamisha Gilbert.

Police have set up a command post off of Concord Turnpike near the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road. Police presence has been especially heavy at Megginson Cemetery Wednesday.

A press conference is expected within the hour.

 

[texasmom]

I didn't catch the very beginning only caught bits and pieces...Investigating a crime scene (I think I understand that a body has been found in a field?  Also mention of a heavily wooded area...), they did say no identification has been made yet.

http://www.wset.com/story/24133685/watch-live-jamisha-gilbert-press-conference


WATCH LIVE: Jamisha Gilbert Press Conference
Posted: Dec 04, 2013 10:20 AM CST
 

Lynchburg, VA - Investigators are holding a press conference on Jamisha Gilbert.

http://www.wric.com/story/24134499/search-teams-seeking-missing-teen-told-to-stand-down

WATCH LIVE: News Conference on Missing Lynchburg Teen Jamisha Gilbert
Posted: Dec 04, 2013 11:24 AM CST Updated: Dec 04, 2013 1:51 PM CST

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WRIC)—Sources at Virginia State Police tell ABC 8 News that search teams looking for missing 18-year-old Jamisha Gilbert have been told to stand down and stay in place.

Police found clothing thought to belong to Gilbert during their search, but at this time are not saying why teams have been asked to stand down.

A news conference will be held Wednesday afternoon regarding the investigation. Reporter Parker Slaybaugh is in Lynchburg and we'll live stream the conference here on wric.com.

This is a developing story. Stay with ABC 8 News on air and online for updates.

[texasmom]

http://wtvr.com/2013/12/04/jamisha-gilbert-search-crews-find-body/

Jamisha Gilbert search crews find body, waiting for positive ID

Posted on: 1:49 pm, December 4, 2013, by Nacarla Webb and Web Staff, updated on: 03:11pm, December 4, 2013

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WTVR) – Search crews looking for missing teenager Jamisha Gilbert discovered the body of a black female, police announced Wednesday. Police have not yet positively identified the body.

Jamisha Gilbert, 18, was last seen Friday.

State troopers were looked for clues along Concord Turnpike in Lynchburg on Wednesday. Gilbert’s car was located along the turnpike in Lynchburg last week. Police said it looked like the Honda Accord had been involved in a crash, but it was unclear whether Gilbert in the vehicle at the time.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/latest-news/body-found-as-police-search-for-missing-teen/article_415fad8a-5d21-11e3-8836-001a4bcf6878.html

Latest News
Lynchburg Body found as police search for missing teen

Posted: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 3:18 pm | Updated: 3:26 pm, Wed Dec 4, 2013.

BY STEVE HARDY The News & Advance

LYNCHBURG -- The body of a woman was found this morning in the Pleasant Valley Road area between U.S. 460 and Concord Turnpike, said police who have been searching for 18-year-old Jamisha Gilbert.

The body, that of a black woman, has not been identified and has been sent to the medical examiner's office for identification.

Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart said police are continuing their search for Gilbert.

Gilbert, who graduated this year from Heritage High School, was reported missing Sunday by her mother, Norma Gilbert-Eldridge. Friends last saw her between midnight and 1 a.m. Friday.

 

Gilbert had been living near Lynchburg College, where she was caring for an ill relative. She had planned to go to Central Virginia Community College in the spring, before continuing on to the University of Maryland. Gilbert's mother said her daughter wanted to become an attorney

[texasmom]

Video of the press conference from earlier today at the link:

http://wtvr.com/2013/12/04/jamisha-gilbert-search-crews-find-body/

Jamisha Gilbert search crews find body, await positive ID

Posted on: 1:49 pm, December 4, 2013, by Nacarla Webb and Web Staff, updated on: 03:28pm, December 4, 2013

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WTVR) – Search crews looking for missing teenager Jamisha Gilbert discovered the body of a black female, police announced Wednesday. Police have not yet positively identified the body discovered about 10:30 a.m. in the woods near Route 460 and Concord Turnpike in Lynchburg.

“The area is being treated as a crime scene and is being thoroughly processed by Lynchburg Police Department and Virginia State Police crime scene technicians,” Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart said. “The body of the deceased female will be sent to the Roanoke Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification.”

Gearhart said search crews would remain in the area and continue investigating the crime scene.

 

[klaasend]

Sad    I'll move the thread once confirmed.   

[MuffyBee]

Video of the press conference from earlier today at the link:

http://wtvr.com/2013/12/04/jamisha-gilbert-search-crews-find-body/

Jamisha Gilbert search crews find body, await positive ID

Posted on: 1:49 pm, December 4, 2013, by Nacarla Webb and Web Staff, updated on: 03:28pm, December 4, 2013

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WTVR) – Search crews looking for missing teenager Jamisha Gilbert discovered the body of a black female, police announced Wednesday. Police have not yet positively identified the body discovered about 10:30 a.m. in the woods near Route 460 and Concord Turnpike in Lynchburg.

“The area is being treated as a crime scene and is being thoroughly processed by Lynchburg Police Department and Virginia State Police crime scene technicians,” Lynchburg Police Lt. Dave Gearhart said. “The body of the deceased female will be sent to the Roanoke Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification.”

Gearhart said search crews would remain in the area and continue investigating the crime scene.

 

Really sad news.    

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/LynchburgPolice/posts/730564290304307

Lynchburg Police Department shared a link.
2 hours ago

This is an update regarding the missing person investigation involving Jamisha Gilbert of Lynchburg.

On today’s date at approximately 10:30 a.m., a search team made up of personnel from the Lynchburg Police Department, the Lynchburg Fire Department, and the Virginia State Police was searching a wooded area near Rt. 460 and Concord Turnpike. During this search, team members located a deceased black female.

At this time, the area is being treated as a crime scene and is being thoroughly processed by crime scene technicians from the Lynchburg Police Department and the Virginia State Police.

The body of the deceased female will be sent to the Roanoke Medical Examiner’s office for positive identification.

The dedicated hotline established for this investigation will remain open and staffed until further notice. We would like anyone with information related to this investigation to call 434-455-4090.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the LPD Criminal Investigations Division at 434-455-6054, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. Visit the Central Virginia Crime Stoppers website at www.cvcrimestoppers.org to enter a web tip, or text “CVCS” plus your message to 274637.





https://www.facebook.com/LynchburgPolice/posts/730587096968693

Lynchburg Police Department shared a link.
about an hour ago

At 6:00 p.m. this evening, the hotline set up for this missing person case will be closed down and we are asking anyone with information related to this case to notify Crimestoppers at the below number. Please report this during your next newscasts.
Thank you.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the LPD Criminal Investigations Division at 434-455-6054, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. Visit the Central Virginia Crime Stoppers website at www.cvcrimestoppers.org to enter a web tip, or text “CVCS” plus your message to 274637.

[texasmom]

Sad    I'll move the thread once confirmed.   

Yes it is really sad, I'm afraid it's her.  Such a beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead of her.  My thoughts and prayers are with her family.