Amber Alert: 2-year-old Trenton Duckett in Florida

[Jacqueline]

Team Trenton took to the streets in Downtown Leesburg Saturday trying to get 2-year-old Trenton Duckett’s face out into the public even more.
The Duckett case is being highlighted by CNN's Nancy Grace who broadcasted her show live from Leesburg the past two nights.  

This week Marion County investigators opened a new investigation, thinking the child might still be alive.  
     
On Friday night, Grace hinted at a lead Trenton had been taken to an abandoned house south of Leesburg where a ball similar to one Trenton had was reportedly found.    
Trenton hasn't been seen since late August, and his mother Melinda remains the prime suspect. She committed suicide a few weeks later.

The reward is now up to $11,000. If you have any information about the whereabouts of Trenton Duckett, call CrimeLine at 1-800-423-TIPS.

[Jacqueline]

Mom of missing boy made porn videos



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

   Trenton Duckett's mother. Nude photographs of Melinda Duckett, including one image where she is straddling a child's crib and another explicit video where the sound of a crying baby can be heard in the background surfaced in the missing boy investigation and caused concerns for detectives. WKMG Local 6 image.
 
 

ORLANDO, Fla. -- As authorities renew their search for missing Central Florida boy, Trenton Duckett, WKMG Local 6 News has learned that a private investigator is looking into his mother's apparent secret side business of creating and performing in amateur pornographic videos.

Nude photographs of Melinda Duckett, including one image where she is straddling a child's crib and another explicit video where the sound of a crying baby can be heard in the background surfaced in the missing boy investigation and caused concerns for detectives, the report said.

Before Duckett's suicide, authorities told Local 6 News that they thoroughly looked into her alleged involvement in the adult entertainment industry to see if the 21-year-old made any enemies or possibly had given her son away to someone she met while making the movies. However, there was no connection found between the adult videos and the boy's disappearance.

Now, Team Trenton investigator P.A. Turner and his staff are looking into who may have purchased Duckett's adult videos and whether they had direct contact with her son, the report said.

"That's a risky proposition to place yourself in the position of selling adult entertainment as an individual where it can be traced back to you," Turner said. "If she is conducting this activity and Trenton is in the home, that would raise questions of who else was available in the home."

Turner is also trying to determine if Duckett sold adult videos of herself out of her apartment.

"We do know that some of the movies were sold through an out-of-state adult video Web site," Local 6's Mike Deforest said.

A source told Local 6 News that the Web site operator paid Duckett to videotape herself nude and even provided the camera equipment for about two years.

"Although detectives have ruled out any connection between the Web site and Trenton's disappearance, authorities acknowledge they never interviewed the Web site operator saying, 'We didn't need to,' " DeForest said.

"If there are other parties involved in the video, then naturally those are individuals who, for lack of a better term, have an intimate relationship with Melinda -- we don't know who those people are and what their background is," Turner said.

Melinda Duckett reported her son missing Aug. 27, telling police she found a cut in his bedroom window screen when she checked on him around 9:20 p.m. She committed suicide Sept. 8.

Melinda Duckett remains the primary suspect, officlals said.

Search continues for Trenton

MIAMI -- Investigators have renewed their search for a 2-year-old boy whose mother committed suicide days after reporting him missing, saying he may still be alive, authorities said Tuesday.

A witness said she saw Trenton Duckett with his mother, Melinda Duckett, hours before his reported disappearance, said Capt. Jimmy Pogue of the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Investigators have not clearly determined the mother's whereabouts in the 24 hours or so before the boy went missing.

"He could still be alive, and we need people to start looking for him and stop assuming he's passed away and that we're not looking for him," Pogue said.

The witness reported seeing Melinda Duckett with the boy at a restaurant in Belleview on Aug. 27, Pogue said.

"She believes she saw Melinda and the baby during the time that Trenton is unaccounted for," he said.

Belleview is 20 miles northwest of Leesburg, where Trenton lived with his mother and her grandparents.

--Associated Press
 
 
   
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[Jacqueline]

Melinda Duckett Estate Suing Nancy Grace
Attorney's representing the estate of Melinda Duckett say they are planning to sue CNN's Nancy Grace and her producers.

The attorney's say Duckett killed herself just hours after being questioned, some say grilled, on the show by Grace over the disappearance of Melinda's 2-year-old son Trenton Duckett.

The lawsuit is expected to be filed Tuesday and alleges that Grace and the news network inflicted emotional distress on Duckett.

She appeared on Grace's show on September 7 where she was asked with several questions including an implication that she murdered her son.

Duckett committed suicide on September 8. Trenton Duckett has been missing since August 27.
 
I don't know about this law suit...

If someone gets fired from their job and they kill themselves do you sue the boss who fired you?  Or if one kills themselves over a romance, does the estate sue the person who dumped you?

I just can't see how this holds water...
But ya never know...

[sharon]

Thanks Jacquie!

I wouldn't be able to keep up on this if not for you.

I'm with you on this one -- so strange.

And the father's family is singing Nancy's praise for bringing the additional attention to the case. And the new tip.

Plus -- what estate? Who's behind the suit? Her estranged parents (wasn't she sexually abused by one of them?) or her grandparents who raised her?

I don't get it

[Jacqueline]

Thanks Jacquie!

I wouldn't be able to keep up on this if not for you.

I'm with you on this one -- so strange.

And the father's family is singing Nancy's praise for bringing the additional attention to the case. And the new tip.

Plus -- what estate? Who's behind the suit? Her estranged parents (wasn't she sexually abused by one of them?) or her grandparents who raised her?

I don't get it

I don't know Sharon what they mean by Estate ...Grandparents, or Parents...I do feel for this Melinda, sounds like she really did have a screwed up childhood....It's too bad she couldn't rise above it....
I just hope if  Trenton is alive he is healthy and found soon...

[Jacqueline]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1121061grace1.html

It appears that Melinda's parents are the ones suing.
Yes, she was abused but I believe it was by a relative, not her mother or father...

I could be wrong...

[Red]

The Estate of Melinda Duckett Sues Nancy Grace for Wrongful Death

http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/2006/11/21/the-estate-of-melinda-duckett-sues-nancy-grace-for-wrongful-death/



The attorneys that represent the Estate of Melinda Duckett filed a wrongful death law suit against Nancy Grace, CNN and her producers. Melinda Duckett committed suicide the day after a harsh exchange during an interview with TV cable host Nancy Grace.

http://missingexploited.com/2006/11/21/the-estate-of-melinda-duckett-sues-nancy-grace-producers-cnn-for-wrongful-death/

[Red]

Program Reminder:

Please note that Jay Paul Deratany, attorney representing the Estate of Melinda Duckett will be a guest of Dana Pretzer on Scared Monkey’s radio Friday, November 24 at 9:00 EDT.



http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/radio/

[Jacqueline]

Second Witness In Trenton Duckett Search
Tuesday, deputies in Marion County confirmed there is a second witness who saw Melinda and 2-year-old Trenton Duckett at a Belleview Wendy's.
Last week police announced they believe Trenton is alive, all because of a worker at the restaurant who saw the boy.

Deputies are considering the possibility Melinda Duckett handed the boy off to someone else, before killing herself a few days later.

[Red]

Lockport Couple Sues CNN Journalist

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5718843

Not sure if this is criminal, but it sure isn't in good taste. It may have been one of the determining factors that caused the suit to go forward. The Nancy Grace Show had to have known that Melinda was dead and killed herself when they aired the taped show.

They may have been better served to have held back.

Melinda did a phone interview on CNN's Nancy Grace Show on September 7th. One day later, the young mother took her life.

Her parents in Lockport were outraged by the talk show hosts harsh, accusatory line of questioning. The segment aired just hours after her death.

Melinda's father, Jerry Eubank: "It was 3-4 hours after I heard that Mindy died and I'm watching this woman banging the table, and screaming about why aren't you telling us this, I mean she was judge, jury and executioner."

[Jacqueline]

Lockport Couple Sues CNN Journalist

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5718843

Not sure if this is criminal, but it sure isn't in good taste. It may have been one of the determining factors that caused the suit to go forward. The Nancy Grace Show had to have known that Melinda was dead and killed herself when they aired the taped show.

They may have been better served to have held back.

Melinda did a phone interview on CNN's Nancy Grace Show on September 7th. One day later, the young mother took her life.

Her parents in Lockport were outraged by the talk show hosts harsh, accusatory line of questioning. The segment aired just hours after her death.

Melinda's father, Jerry Eubank: "It was 3-4 hours after I heard that Mindy died and I'm watching this woman banging the table, and screaming about why aren't you telling us this, I mean she was judge, jury and executioner."

Agree wholeheartedly Red.  Poor taste indeed.

[Jacqueline]

On third-anniversary of Trenton's disappearance...
Posted on Nov 27, 2006 4:55:29 PM
Discuss This: Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Linking Blogs | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it Every so often, whether there is much new to report or not, we get an e-mail from authorities about the Trenton Duckett case. You hope for the best, but fear the worse. Today, Leesburg police sent another update on the missing toddler. Nothing, unfortunately, is new to report on this, the three-month anniversary since Trenton's mother, Melinda Duckett, reported him missing. You can read the Leesburg release below. We have our coverage of the case on this Web page.

The Leesburg Police Department continues to investigate the disappearance of Trenton Duckett. Finding little Trenton has been, and remains, our primary mission. While new information has been received regarding possible sightings of Melinda and Trenton for Sunday we continue asking for the public’s help in the ongoing search for little Trenton. We still need any information about Melinda or Trenton’s whereabouts from Saturday afternoon August 26th to anytime on Sunday, August 27th.

While organizing existing leads and investigative information, we continue interviewing persons familiar with Melinda and Trenton as well as reviewing phone, financial, and computer records. In response to and clarification of recent inquires, aside from Melinda Duckett, the investigative team has not developed any additional persons of interest or suspects.

Anyone who may have information regarding Trenton’s or Melinda’s whereabouts Saturday August 26th or Sunday August 27th is asked to call CrimeLine at 1-800423-TIPS.



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[Jacqueline]

On Sept. 8, a lithe and comely South Korean orphan named Melinda Duckett—21 years old and known to friends as Mindy—went to her grandparents’ retirement home and shot herself in the head.
 
That was fewer than 24 hours after she had taped an interview for Nancy Grace’s prime-time Headline News show to talk about the Aug. 27 disappearance of her 2-year-old son, Trenton.
 
In the days after Melinda Duckett’s suicide, Ms. Grace utilized the services of Anna Cordasco, who is the managing director of the New York firm Citigate Sard Verbinnen, which specializes in below-the-radar corporate-image resuscitation.
 
Ms. Cordasco, who has Martha Stewart as another high-profile TV client, is old friends with Ms. Grace’s executive producer at Headline News, Dean Sicoli. Ms. Cordasco and her colleagues immediately set to work restoring the fire-breathing former prosecutor to her pre-Duckett level of dignity and national esteem.
 
Except, according to three sources close to Ms. Grace, once the crisis manager stepped in, the crisis just got worse.
 
In mid-October, six weeks after Duckett’s suicide, Ms. Cordasco e-mailed out a letter to producers of TV entertainment and news shows, pitching them on an upbeat story about Ms. Grace’s dogged pursuit of little Trenton and, if applicable, his killer.
 
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The *******, proposed a story on Ms. Grace’s upcoming trip to Florida, where she would join the boy’s father, Joshua Duckett, at an outpost called Team Trenton Headquarters. From there, Ms. Grace would broadcast her show each night, confer intimately with the police and continue to shine her national klieg light on the case of the missing 2-year-old—undaunted by the tragic fate of his mother, who, the letter noted, “committed suicide after appearing on her show.”
 
Ms. Cordasco mentioned parenthetically that Ms. Grace might even “go diving” in search of Trenton. CNN could provide footage, or Ms. Grace would happily do a “video diary.”
 
As near as can be ascertained, no one bit.
 
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Meanwhile, privately, to reporters, Ms. Cordasco was touting the close relationship between Ms. Grace and the local police.
 
Ms. Cordasco sent an e-mail to print reporters in the Florida region, a copy of which was read to The ******* over the phone. In it, she wrote that Ms. Grace “will be going to Leesburg to search for Trenton Duckett with his father Josh …. Josh and the local police have asked Nancy to come down in order to bring the national spotlight back on the case. In addition, the police want to give Nancy special access to their helicopters, etc. Nancy has already made two trips to Florida to investigate the missing-child case and assist in the search efforts on her own.”
 
“A lot of the media feels like we coordinated our efforts around Nancy Grace and her show coming to Florida,” said Capt. James Pogue of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. “And honestly, that is not the truth. What happened, it had nothing to do with Nancy Grace coming to town and doing all that. Our objective was to get Trenton Duckett’s face back on national TV so that the world would know who Trenton Duckett was, what he looked like, so they would start looking for him again.”
 
On Nov. 22, Lauren Ritchie, a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, pounced on Ms. Cordasco’s talking point. “Just so the truth is known, Leesburg police did not invite Grace to come here, and when questioned about it, the public-relations firm backed away from that claim,” she wrote.
 
Ms. Ritchie also noted that there were no police helicopters to borrow anyway.
 
The piece caused an uproar at CNN and Headline News. “There were certainly some people pretty upset over here,” said one high-level network source.

[Carnut]

Heck, Nancy, it's easy, just call DeVries, feature him on your show and then do a real investigative report dig into the Nat case.

If Nancy could help get the case resolved she'd be right back on top.

[Jacqueline]

OCALA, Fla. -- For three agonizing months, investigators have not been able to find Trenton Duckett.

Trenton's mother, Melinda, killed herself hours before she was named the main suspect in her 2-year-old son's disappearance.

Investigators said Wednesday they now consider one of her close friends a person of interest, WESH 2 News reported.
 

The 25-year-old man is not being called a suspect, but Marion County investigators said based on some information the WESH 2 I-Team uncovered, they're taking the case in a new direction.

He was questioned Wednesday for two and a half hours by Leesburg police, Marion County detectives and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He declined to answer WESH 2's questions.

From e-mails obtained by the WESH 2 I-Team, it's clear Melinda Duckett and this man were close friends.

On the day she reported her son missing and within minutes of the time two witnesses reported seeing Duckett and her son at a Belleview Wendy's, Leesburg police confirm that Duckett called him on her cell phone.

"He is a person of interest," said Major Chris Blair of the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said they became even more interested when WESH 2 told them where he works -- in Belleview at a Rent-A-Center directly across the street from the Wendy's where Duckett was spotted.

"So, is it coincidence? It could be coincidence, but then it's something that we certainly can't turn our heads to," Blair said.

WESH 2 spoke to the person of interest on Tuesday to ask him what he and Duckett talked about on Aug. 27 during that important window of time when investigators say she may have conspired with someone to hand off her son.

"I'm not trying to shut you guys out, but no, I can't," he said.

"They said you cooperated, and all we're trying to find out is what Melinda said to you. What did she say to you?" WESH 2 I-Team reporter Bob Kealing asked him.

He closed the door and said "nothing."

Investigators said the person of interest has told them that she simply invited him over to her apartment to watch movies.

"He's been very cooperative," Blair said. "No problem whatsoever. He's cooperative. I'm sure he understands we have to do our job and that's what we're doing. He's not the only one we're interviewing."

Based on these developments, investigators said they will be taking an even closer look at the Belleview shopping area to try and develop more leads and more witnesses.

Sources also told the WESH 2 I-Team that Leesburg police gave the person of interest a polygraph test last week, but because there was more than enough interest with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, they asked him to submit to a new round of questions this week.

Investigators said a person of interest is someone more than a witness but less than a suspect.

Anyone with any information about Trenton Duckett is urged to call 888-FL MISSING or call Team Trenton, a group set up by the missing boy's father, at 877-TRENT65.


To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Bob Kealing.


Previous Stories:
November 21, 2006: Missing Boy's Family Sues CNN, Nancy Grace, Boy's Father
November 17, 2006: Police Consider Second Wendy's Witness In Duckett Case
November 16, 2006: New Tip

[Jacqueline]

Investigators in the search for missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett named a person of interest Wednesday who apparently had cell phone contact with the boy's mother the day the child vanished, according to Local 6 News.

Detectives with the Marion County Sheriff's Office said a man named Chai Chin, who works in Ocala, Fla., was named a person of interest in the case.

"(Sheriff's officials) tell us that this is more than just a person they want to interview," Local 6's Mike DeForest. "Again, (he is) not a suspect."
 

Authorities said Chin and Trenton's mother, Melinda Duckett, spent time with each other before the boy vanished.

Police said Chin was being cooperative with them during questioning Wednesday night.

Recently, new information from employees at a Wendy's restaurant in Belleview, Fla., sparked a renewed search for the boy.

Marion County sheriff's deputies said two witnesses placed Trenton's mother at the fast-food restaurant at the time of Trenton's disappearance, according to a police report.

Information that the boy vanished within a 20 minute period near the restaurant has led investigators to believe Duckett gave her son away to someone else before she committed suicide.

Belleview is 20 miles northwest of Leesburg, where Trenton lived with his mother and her grandparents.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

[Jacqueline]

http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061130/NEWS/211300342/1001/NEWS01

A Little bit more about the Person of Interest.

[sharon]

Thanks Jacquie!

I hope this leads to something that helps find Trenton.

[Jacqueline]

Thanks Jacquie!

I hope this leads to something that helps find Trenton.

\

So do I.

[Jacqueline]

Police: Trenton Duckett's Mom May Have Handed Him Off
POSTED: 7:01 pm EST November 30, 2006
UPDATED: 7:43 pm EST November 30, 2006

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OCALA, Fla. -- Investigators searching for a missing Lake County boy said they think they know where a deal went down during which someone took 2-year old Trenton Duckett and possibly handed him off to somebody else.

That was three months ago, and Trenton hasn't been seen since. The new development has investigators thinking Trenton is still alive, WESH 2 News reported.

Marion County investigators said they believe the boy's mother, Melinda Duckett, conspired to give him to someone.
 

They said they are focused on a Belleview shopping area straddling both sides of U.S. Highway 441.

"We believe that it was an original location where there was a drop-off," said Maj. Chris Blair of the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

On Aug. 27, the day Melinda Duckett reported her son missing, just before noon, two workers at a Belleview Wendy's reported seeing her with the boy. Minutes later, at 12:08 p.m., authorities confirm that she made a phone call to close friend, Chai Chen, 25.

He works across the highway from the Wendy's at a Rent-A-Center.

"With that new development, with him working across the street, him being the last one to speak to her in Marion County in that 12:08 telephone call, with the connection to the two witnesses at Wendy's, yeah, we're going to go down different avenues," Blair said.

Marion County investigators call Chen a person of interest but not a suspect. He voluntarily answered investigators' questions this week and took an FBI polygraph last week.

According to law enforcement officials, the only thing that Melinda Duckett told him during that critical 12:08 p.m. phone call was that she invited him over to her Leesburg apartment to watch videos that night.

Law enforcement wants to know if that's all they talked about. Melinda Duckett killed herself on Sept. 8 in her grandparents' Lake County home.

"It all points somewhere," said Josh Duckett, the missing boy's father.

Marion County investigators believe Melinda Duckett conspired to get their son away from him. He said the new Belleview connections are a big step toward finding his son alive.

"I think Melinda has passed him off to someone, and it's just a matter of finding him," Josh Duckett said. "It's pieces to a puzzle."

Marion County detectives have been in the process of contacting and interviewing as many people as possible from the shopping area, including Chen.

Anyone with any information about Trenton Duckett is urged to call 888-FL MISSING or call Team Trenton, a group set up by the missing boy's father, at 877-TRENT65.


To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Bob Kealing.


Previous Stories:
November 29, 2006: Police: Person Of Interest Questioned In Duckett Case
November 21, 2006: Missing Boy's Family Sues CNN