Roneyka Holmes & Dau. Masaraha Ross 3 yo, Last heard from 10/20/09 (Bodies Found)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11463397
Search continues for missing mother and child
Posted: Nov 07, 2009 4:52 PM Updated: Nov 07, 2009 4:58 PM



 By Lynda Figueredo - email

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – The family of a missing Savannah mom, and her child are hoping someone will come forward with information on their whereabouts.

It has been almost 3 weeks since a Savannah woman and her child simply vanished.

Now family members are doing some searching of their own, canvassing two cities in Florida looking for 29-year-old Ronkeya Holmes and her 3-year-old baby girl Masaraha Ross.

"We not able to sleep. All of us had our own personal relationship with my sister you know. It's just, it's hard, real hard having to be there for each other," said Angel Fletcher, the sister of the missing mom.

It was October 18, 2009 when Ronkeya drove to Florida to pick up her daughter from the child's father.

Masaraha was staying at her father's home in Winter Haven while Ronkeya took classes at Savannah Technical College.

The child's father says he handed the girl over at a Haines City Walmart, but police haven't found any evidence to back up that claim.

We spoke to the Ronkeya's mother shortly before she headed to Florida in search of her daughter.

"It's just hard knowing that you have spent two weeks without her not knowing anything. Where she is, or how she is doing," said Ronekya's Mother, Edith Fletcher.

With each day that passes Fletcher worries that her daughter may no longer be alive.

"I'm ready for that call, but I don't want to get that call," said Fletcher.

Investigators found Ronkeya's car shortly after her disappearance with her luggage in the front seat, her college badge hanging from the rear view mirror and several children's items in the back seat.

"I think they planted it in there to cover it up," said Fletcher.

Ronkeya's mother believes the child's father may have something to do with their disappearance.

Either way the family says they won't stop searching until they know what really happened to Ronkeya Holmes and her child.

The FBI is also looking into this case.

If you know anything about the missing mother and daughter, just call Polk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.


*nut edits change name/ Jones to Holmes

[MuffyBee]

http://www.newschief.com/article/20091107/NEWS/911075034/1021?Title=Police-still-seek-info-on-girl-mother
Police still seek info on girl, mother

News Chief staff report

Published: Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 4:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 2:25 a.m.

WINTER HAVEN - Law enforcement officials continue to seek new information about the disappearance of 3 1/2 year old Masaraha Ross and her mother, 29 year old Ronkeya Holmes.



As of Friday afternoon, the whereabouts and condition of Holmes and Masaraha remained undetermined, said Sgt. Brad Coleman, spokesman for the Winter Haven Police Department, said in a press release.

"Winter Haven Police detectives, in cooperation with other involved law enforcement agencies, continue to follow up on multiple leads in this case. We are attempting to interview anyone who may have information related to their disappearance," Coleman said.

Earlier in the week, Coleman indicated officials were following several leads that might possibly shed light on the disappearance of the mother and daughter.

"Sometimes what appear to be promising leads do not yield anticipated results, however we continue to utilize all available resources and all legal means available to seek information and/or evidence that will bring this investigation to conclusion," he said in the release.

Anyone with information who wants to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Polk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.

In accordance with Florida public records laws, redacted copies of case reports from this incident may be available to the media. Requests for reports should be made through the WHPD records division at 863-291-5649.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.bloggernews.net/122856
Update - Masaraha Ross - Still Missing With Mother - FBI Involved Now
Posted on November 4th, 2009

[Fanny Mae]

Where was her car found?

[Fanny Mae]

http://www.bloggernews.net/122856
Update - Masaraha Ross - Still Missing With Mother - FBI Involved Now
Posted on November 4th, 2009

I answered my own question.. It was in the article Muffy Bee posted. 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.bloggernews.net/122856
Update - Masaraha Ross - Still Missing With Mother - FBI Involved Now
Posted on November 4th, 2009

I answered my own question.. It was in the article Muffy Bee posted. 

http://www.theledger.com/article/20091102/NEWS/911025069/1338?Title=Ga-Mother-s-Toddler-s-Belongings-Found-in-Car
SUITCASE, CLOTHES, TOYS
Ga. Mother's, Toddler's Belongings Found in Car
Man found driving vehicle offers no answers as to missing pair's whereabouts.
more...
(Picture of car in article)

[linds1980]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=117200&provider=rss

Missing mom's family in town handing out flyers
November 8, 2009

Winter Haven, Florida - The family of a Savannah, Georgia woman who went missing more than two weeks ago from the Winter Haven area is hoping someone, somewhere has seen the woman and her 3-year-old daughter.

A dozen family members of 29-year-old Ronkeya Holmes are spending the weekend in Winter Haven. They're passing out and posting up flyers about the missing mom and her daughter, Masaraha.

Family members traveled in from Savannah, Georgia and from other cities across the country with one goal in mind - to find their two missing family members.

Ronkeya's 8-year-old daughter, Remiah Holmes says, "They need to help my mama. They definately need to help some of my family help to find my mother."

Angel Fletcher is Ronkeya's sister and says, "We're not able to sleep. All of us had our own personal relationship with my sister and it's hard. It's real hard, you know, having to be there for each other."

Back in April, Ronkeya Holmes left her daughter, Masaraha, in the care of the child's father, Lester Ross, who lives in Winter Haven. She wanted to focus on her Early Childhood Care and Education classes at Savannah Technical College. Six months after her classes ended in early October, she tried to get her daughter back.

Her mother says it wasn't an easy process.

Edith Fletcher says, "She would call and say, 'Well, you know, let me speak to Masaraha' or 'I'm going to come get her.' He would always say she's either asleep or she's out of town. And I just told her to just go and get her and, so, when she got there, he didn't want to give her to her."

Family members say Ronkeya made the 10 hour roundtrip from Savannah to Winter Haven a few times and was unsuccessful in picking up her child, so Ronkeya filed a report with detectives at the Winter Haven Police Department. A few weeks later, she tried to pick up her daughter again. She stayed at her former stepfather's home and her grandmother's home during that time.

Lester Ross told investigators that he handed over his daughter to Ronkeya on October 18th at a Wal-Mart store in Haines City. Ross says he has not seen or heard from either of them since.

But police say they have no evidence that the child exchange actually happened. Edith doesn't believe the exchange happened either. She says, "Even with the surveillance cameras that they have at Wal-Mart, they didn't show him nowhere."

Edith and other family members have said they believe Ross's family members cared for Masaraha. Several of Ross's neighbors say they never saw a child at his home.

Meanwhile, on the very same day Ross says he gave his daughter back, his cousin, Joseph Wilcox, was stopped by Lake Mary Police around 11 p.m. He was driving Ronkeya's car. Wilcox was arrested on unrelated charges.

Investigators say they're getting inconsistent stories from the people involved and so believe the mother and daughter are in danger.

Fletcher says she's hoping for the best but bracing for the worst. "I'm ready for that call, but I don't want to get that call."

She adds, "Ronkeya has never gone long without calling family members."

She says, whether her daughter is alive or not, she needs closure.

The FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are assisting Winter Haven police in the case by providing their resources.

If you know anything about the missing mother and daughter, you could earn a cash reward and you don't have to reveal your identity. Call Polk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS

[Nut44x4]

This is ridiculous! The father of the child knows!! GGGGRRRRRRRrrrrrrr 

[Sister]

I would put the squeeze on the cousin so hard he would need to change his name to Josephine.

[Nut44x4]

MASARAHA L. ROSS 
Case Type: Endangered Missing   
DOB: Mar 24, 2007 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Oct 18, 2009 Race: Black
Age Now: 2 Height:  3'2" (97 cm)
Missing City: HAINES CITY Weight:  30 lbs (14 kg)
Missing State :  FL Hair Color: Black
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1134329 
Circumstances: The photo on the right and in the center are of Masaraha. She may be in the company of her mother, Ronkeya Holmes. Ronkeya may have dyed her hair.
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=1134329&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

[Nut44x4]

RONKEYA HOLMES 


Case Type: Endangered Missing   
DOB: Sep 22, 1980 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Oct 18, 2009 Race: Black
Age Now: 29 Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
Missing City: HAINES CITY Weight: 145 lbs (66 kg)
Missing State :  FL Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1134329   
Circumstances: The photo on the right and in the center are of Masaraha. She may be in the company of her mother, Ronkeya Holmes. Ronkeya may have dyed her hair.
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewCsawDetail&caseNum=1134329&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

[Nut44x4]

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 11:26 p.m.

MOTHER, DAUGHTER LAST SEEN IN OCTOBER
Father of Missing Girl Denies Part in Pair's Disappearance
Lester Ross complains about scrutiny, says he doesn't "have anything to hide."

WINTER HAVEN | The father of missing 3 1/2-year-old Masaraha Ross said he had nothing to do with the disappearance of his daughter or her mother.

Masaraha and her 29-year-old mother, Ronkeya Holmes, have been missing since October, and Lester Ross may have been the last person to see the two. Lester Ross said the media attention and police scrutiny has caused him to drink heavily and has affected his ability to get contracts through his company, Ross Construction.

"I feel like they are mostly at me," Lester Ross said about investigators. "Jack Daniels made a lot more money from me. I don't have anything to hide."

Lester Ross said he hired an Orlando lawyer who is using a private investigator to help with the search, but he hasn't received any updates.

"I just think that she doesn't want to be bothered," Lester Ross said. "I just want them to surface so then I can just be done with pretty much her family."

Winter Haven detectives have the assistance of a special agent from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who is working full time on the case.

Winter Haven investigators say they have tried to interview Lester Ross again and said they have had a hard getting a response from him. The last time investigators spoke with him was Oct. 29, said Winter Haven Detective Amity McGee.

But Lester Ross said he's always been accessible and is still living in his Winter Haven residence.

"I took seven individual lie-detector tests," Lester Ross said. "I told them everything I knew."

Detectives are puzzled by conflicting statements from witnesses, including Lester Ross and Holmes' family, McGee said. She would not say whether Lester Ross is a person of interest or a suspect in the case.

Lester Ross, who is originally from Georgia, said he had a sexual relationship with Holmes, but he never was her boyfriend. He first met Holmes five years ago at a motel on U.S. 17 North in Winter Haven where he said he went with his cousin, Joseph Wilcox, to meet some friends.

Lester Ross said he continued a sexual relationship with Holmes, who he said was living at the motel, and she also had a relationship with Wilcox, 34.

Wilcox has been at the center of the investigation into the disappearance of Holmes and her daughter because he was found driving Holmes' car.

"We talked every now and then," Ross said about his involvement with Holmes. "I met one of her sisters, and I had a relationship with one of her sisters. My cousin (Wilcox) had a relationship with her. It wasn't nothing to brag about."

When he found out Holmes was pregnant with Masaraha, Ross said, he willingly took on the responsibility of fatherhood and kept his daughter for a year shortly after she was born.

He kept her again for a second time for five months beginning in June because Holmes was pursuing nursing at a community college in Georgia.

"She was saying she needed a break, and she needed to get herself together," he said.

GETTING MASARAHA BACK

Three weeks before Holmes and Masaraha were declared missing, Holmes was trying to get her daughter back from Lester Ross and contacted the Winter Haven Police Department seeking help.

Police reports show Holmes sent text messages to Lester Ross, questioning him about their daughter's whereabouts.

Lester Ross told Holmes that Masaraha was out of town with his uncle and should come back in a few days, according to the police report. When that didn't happen, she turned to the police for help.

On Oct. 7, Officer Lloyd Smith was sent to Lester Ross' home to make arrangements for Holmes to get the girl.

In his police report, Smith said he rang the doorbell and knocked on the door several times with no response.

Holmes told the police officer her mother received a voice mail message from Lester Ross, indicating he had a family crisis in Fort Lauderdale and that he would return Masaraha once the family crisis was resolved.

But every time Holmes called to check on Masaraha, Lester Ross told her the girl was somewhere else, said Nafateria "Angel" Fletcher, Holmes' sister.

Rather than wait, Holmes wanted to report Masaraha missing. Smith told her that if she wanted to report her daughter missing, she needed to contact her local police department in Georgia and file a missing-person report. He also said he would file an informational report documenting their conversation.

Lester Ross said that during his conversations with Holmes, there was no mention of getting her daughter back. What she did want was to become a family with Lester Ross, he said.

"She wanted to be together," Lester Ross said. "I told her, 'You don't have yourself together yet and I can't take care of nobody else.' She wasn't working."

Fletcher said she doesn't doubt her sister wanted a relationship with Lester Ross.

"She was so in love with Lester," Fletcher said. "It's like he meant the world to her. I guess she trusted him so much because she was in love with him."

In addition to rekindling a romance, Lester Ross said, Holmes wanted to relocate to Polk.

In her 1992, baby-blue Ford Escort, Holmes returned to Winter Haven from Savannah, Ga., on Oct. 14 to try to pick up her daughter from Lester Ross.

Lester Ross told investigators he last saw Holmes and his daughter Oct. 18 at the Haines City Walmart, where Holmes got her daughter back.

Haines City police detectives reviewed surveillance tapes from Walmart and found no evidence Holmes or her daughter were there.

The last time Edith Fletcher or Nafateria Fletcher say they heard from Holmes was Oct. 20, when Holmes was stopped by police in Sanford and needed paperwork on the Ford Escort.

Nafateria Fletcher said Holmes sounded "stressed" on the phone. Then Nafateria Fletcher received another call from Holmes' phone and an unidentified woman asked for the car's registration. When Nafateria Fletcher asked to speak with Holmes, the woman hung up.

The car was recovered the day before the last phone call from Holmes when police in Lake Mary stopped Lester Ross' cousin, Wilcox, who was driving it with a suspended license.

Neither Holmes nor her daughter was found in the car when Wilcox was stopped, but police did find Holmes' belongings, including toddler clothes and toys.

Wilcox was moved from the Seminole County Jail to the Polk County Jail, where he was held on a charge of violating probation. He was released from jail Jan. 17 and could not be reached for comment.

Wilcox initially told detectives he didn't know whose vehicle it was and that Lester Ross had asked him to drive the Escort to Florida's east coast.

Lester Ross disputed that and said he didn't know what his cousin was doing with Holmes' vehicle and hadn't asked after Wilcox was arrested.

In a recent follow-up interview with Lester Ross, he said he talked a few times to his cousin in jail on a three-way conversation with Wilcox's girlfriend. Lester Ross said he never asked Wilcox where Masaraha was.

"It was nothing about what was going on," Lester Ross said about the jail telephone conversations.

Lester Ross also said he doesn't think his cousin would endanger Holmes or his daughter. "He ain't that type of guy," he said.

If Holmes were endangered, it wasn't while he made contact with her, Lester Ross said. She managed to call her family after his cousin was arrested, he said.

"If something was wrong, then she needed to tell somebody then," Lester Ross said. "Why didn't she tell her people?"

But Nafateria Fletcher doesn't believe how Lester Ross recounted the incident.

"I really think he's lying because how did Joe get her car?" she said.

Holmes' mother said Lester Ross initially helped the family search for the missing pair. Edith Fletcher said that was the only time she saw Lester Ross and she hasn't heard from him since.

She said she fears something bad has happened to her daughter and granddaughter.

Edith Fletcher said she has worked tirelessly to keep her daughter and granddaughter fresh in people's minds. She travels frequently to Polk to circulate fliers, to knock on doors and to organize volunteers. A few months ago, Holmes' family raised a $2,000 reward. With each passing day, it gets harder for Holmes' mother to have hope.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the Winter Haven Police Department at 863-291-5733 or 863-291-5312.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100202/NEWS/2025055/1410?Title=Father-of-Missing-Girl-Denies-Part-in-Pair-s-Disappearance

[Nut44x4]

Winter Haven, Florida, January 6, 2010, photo taken during the January 6 Lester Ross interview about the disappearance of Masarah Ross and Ronkeya Holmes.

[Nut44x4]

The Ledger (Lakeland, FL) 
May 22, 2010 Saturday 
 
 Flier to Feature Missing Polk Girls;
The "Have You Seen Me?" notice will go to 44 million households.

LAKELAND | Two girls from Polk County will appear on a list of missing children distributed to about 44 million households beginning Sunday.

Masaraha Ross of Winter Haven and Chawntel Smith of Bartow are among the 145 youngsters whose photos, names, hometowns and birth dates will appear on the "Have You Seen Me?" flier, a nationwide newspaper insert and direct mailing.

Masaraha, 4, was last known to be with her mother, Ronkeya Holmes, who is also missing, according to the Winter Haven Police Department.

Police have said Holmes, a Georgia resident, and Masaraha were last seen Oct. 18, 2009, at a Walmart in Haines City.

Chawntel Smith, 16, has been missing since May 2009, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Smith took a flight from Orlando to Mexico City with her then 4-week-old daughter, Asariela Garcia-Smith.

Next week's edition of "Have You Seen Me?" is an expanded version of the weekly RedPlum Share Mail Wrap, said a spokeswoman for Valassis, the parent company for RedPlum.

The expanded flier marks the 25th anniversary of a partnership among Valassis, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. and the U.S. Postal Service.

The flier also recognizes National Missing Children's Day, which is Tuesday.

The Valassis spokeswoman said the children's center chooses the children to be featured in the inserts. The fliers include the contact number for the organization - 800-843-5678.

The "Have You Seen Me?" program has featured more than 2,000 children since its inception.

Of those, more than 1,200 have been recovered, the Valassis spokeswoman said.

The case of Smith had been quiet until last week, said Polk County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Donna Wood.

Smith's mother told Sheriff's investigators that she spoke by phone with her daughter May 15, Wood said.

The mother said her daughter had been in Guatemala and is now in Mexico and does not want to return home.

Wood said the disappearance remains an open case until the Sheriff's Office can confirm that Smith is in no danger.

Wood said the Sheriff's office welcomes the new attention from the national flier.

"Any time where we have a missing person, certainly it is our goal to try to get as much exposure," Wood said. "We rely on the media to get those descriptions out there and the names and to say, 'Hey, has anybody seen this person?'"

Sgt. Brad Coleman of the Winter Haven Police Department said publicity can help in finding missing children.

"In most cases like this, law enforcement needs the help of people out in the community," Coleman said. "In most missing-persons cases someone out there knows something, and we would hope that they would do the right thing and forward any information they have to local law enforcement."
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:1190716572&start=2

[linds1980]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=151728

Missing mother and child signs to be posted in Winter Haven

Carolyn Dolcimascolo  Tammie Fields     8 hrs ago 10/18/2010

Winter Haven, Florida -- Detectives are still working around the clock trying to figure out what happened to a mother who was trying to juggle college classes while caring for her little girl. Later this week, detectives will post 500 signs in this missing mother and child case.

Ronkeya Holmes and 3-year-old Masaraha were supposedly last seen in Haines City on October 18, 2009.

Holmes who was living in Savannah, Georgia and taking classes at Savannah Technical College. She left Masaraha with the baby's father, Lester Ross, so she could focus on her education. Ross lives in Winter Haven.

But last year, when Ronkeya went to pick up her daughter from Lester at a Haines City Walmart where the two agreed to meet, the mother and child disappeared. Winter Haven Police have not been able to find any security video showing Ross handing the child over.

But now, they're hoping for new clues in the case. Lester Ross has been evicted from his Winter Haven home. The property owner allowed police to recover Holmes' abandoned property. Evidence technicians removed carpet and padding from the home to have it processed.

Lt. Brad Coleman with Winter Haven Police Department added, "They were looking for anything that could possibly have any physical evidence attached to it, that would include items such as carpeting or padding up underneath the carpet, anything that might reveal some physical evidence in this case."

10 News has attempted to contact Lester Ross for months about the case but he has not returned our phone calls. Ross runs a construction company for a living.

Meanwhile, Ronkeya's mother Edith Fletcher, lives in Savannah, Georgia. Monday night she was gearing up for a candlelight vigil in honor of her daughter and granddaughter on the one year anniversary of the last time they were supposedly seen.

Fletcher says she wants to keep the case fresh while family members continue to try to raise money for a reward.

Lt. Coleman says they not only have a detective assigned to the case but a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement works out of the Winter Haven Police Department on the case daily. "I can't think of any other case I've heard of at the Winter Haven Police Department where people have been assigned to just a case non stop continuously working the case on a daily basis."


Tammie Fields, 10 News

[Nut44x4]

Detectives Digging Where Father of Missing 3-Year-Old Lived

Last Modified: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 12:25 p.m.


WINTER HAVEN | Winter Haven police detectives have erected a tent and are digging at the former home of Lester Ross, the father of a 3-year-old girl who has been missing for a year.

Detectives had been used ground penetrating radar earlier today but have switched to digging.

“What they are looking for is to see if anything has been buried around the house,” said Lt. Brad Coleman, WHPD spokesman.

The toddler, Masarah Ross, and her 29-year-old mother, Ronkeya Holmes, had been missing since October 2009.

Ross lived at 703 Hemenway Drive N.E. He has denied any involvement in the mother and daughter's disappearance in previous interviews with The Ledger and detectives.

Detectives were able to search the property after Ross was evicted and obtained a consent to search document, in which the owner of the property gives permission to law enforcement to conduct a search, Coleman said. Several items were taken including carpet samples, he said.

Ross has not been officially named a suspect and detectives don't know about the mother and daughter's whereabouts.

“There's no proof to indicate (they're) alive and there's no proof to indicate she's deceased,” Coleman said.

Ross said he was not evicted and he hasn't lived at the residence for three months. Ross said he has lived out of state, but would not disclose his location.

“They can tear the house down. I haven't done anything.”

Holmes' older sister, Nafateria Fletcher said Tuesday she and her family were told by Winter Haven detectives about Ross' eviction and that detectives will keep them updated.

Nafateria Fletcher and mother, Edith Fletcher, held a candelight vigil in Savannah, Ga., Monday for the missing pair.

“What we plan to accomplish is from that is to keep support behind us,” said Nafateria Fletcher. “We're not giving up.”

Edith Fletcher said she agrees.

“I have no other choice but to hope,” the mother said. “I still got faith.”

Nafateria Fletcher said sometimes it has been hard for her family to keep hope.

“We have our breakdown moments but we call each other to strengthen each other,” she said. “We're in prayer.”

Ross was arrested in February for driving on a suspended license and was released in March. His arrest history dates back to 2002 and charges include aggravated battery and cruelty to animals.

Ross, who is originally from Georgia, previously told The Ledger he had a sexual relationship with Holmes, but he never was her boyfriend. He first met Holmes five years ago at a motel on U.S. 17 North in Winter Haven where he said he went with his cousin, Joseph Wilcox, to meet some friends.

Three weeks before Holmes and Masarah were declared missing, Holmes was trying to get her daughter back from Lester Ross and contacted the Winter Haven Police Department seeking help.

Police reports show Holmes sent text messages to Lester Ross, questioning him about their daughter's whereabouts.

Lester Ross told Holmes that Masarah was out of town with his uncle and should come back in a few days, according to the police report. When that didn't happen, she turned to the police for help.

On Oct. 7, 2009, Officer Lloyd Smith was sent to Lester Ross' home to make arrangements for Holmes to get the girl.

In his police report, Smith said he rang the doorbell and knocked on the door several times with no response.

Holmes told the police officer her mother received a voice mail message from Lester Ross, indicating he had a family crisis in Fort Lauderdale and that he would return Masarah once the family crisis was resolved.

But every time Holmes called to check on Masarah, Lester Ross told her the girl was somewhere else, said Nafateria “Angel” Fletcher, Holmes' sister in previous interviews with The Ledger.

Rather than wait, Holmes wanted to report Masarah missing. Smith told her that if she wanted to report her daughter missing, she needed to contact her local police department in Georgia and file a missing-person report. He also said he would file an informational report documenting their conversation.

In her 1992, baby-blue Ford Escort, Holmes returned to Winter Haven from Savannah, Ga., on Oct. 14 to try to pick up her daughter from Lester Ross.

Lester Ross told investigators he last saw Holmes and his daughter Oct. 18, 2009 at the Haines City Walmart, where Holmes got her daughter back. Haines City police detectives reviewed surveillance tapes from Walmart and found no evidence Holmes or her daughter were there. The last time Edith Fletcher or Nafateria Fletcher say they heard from Holmes was Oct. 20, when Holmes was stopped by police in Sanford and needed paperwork on the Ford Escort.

Nafateria Fletcher said Holmes sounded “stressed” on the phone. Then Fletcher received another call from Holmes' phone and an unidentified woman asked for the car's registration. When Nafateria Fletcher asked to speak with Holmes, the woman hung up.

The car was recovered the day before the last phone call from Holmes when police in Lake Mary stopped Lester Ross' cousin, Wilcox, who was driving it with a suspended license.

Neither Holmes nor her daughter was found in the car when Wilcox was stopped, but police did find Holmes' belongings, including toddler clothes and toys.

Wilcox was moved from the Seminole County Jail to the Polk County Jail, where he was held on a charge of violating probation. He was released from jail Jan. 17 and could not be reached for comment.

Police detectives have not named Wilcox either as a suspect.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20101019/NEWS/101019815/1410?Title=Detectives-Digging-Where-Father-of-Missing-3-Year-Old-Lived

[Nut44x4]

Authorities acting on 'credible tip' in search for missing mom and daughter

WINTER HAVEN --
Winter Haven Police, the Polk Sheriff's Office and the FDLE are all acting on a 'credible tip' in their search of a Winter Haven orange grove for a missing mother and daughter.

Authorities are using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs after receiving a tip that Ronkeya Holmes, 29, and her 3-year-old daughter Masarah Ross may be buried in the orange grove near Dundee Road and Sage Road.

Holmes and Ross have been missing since last December. Winter Haven Police said before they disappeared, Holmes was desperately trying to get her daughter back from the child's father, Lester Ross, and was also questioning where their daughter was.

Ross was arrested last Friday on child support charges, but police say that arrest had nothing to do with the search for Holmes and Masarah Ross. He bonded out of jail late Wednesday morning.

In October, police searched for the bodies of the mother and daughter at Ross' former home. That dig turned up no evidence. Ross told police he last saw Holmes and Masarah Ross at a local Walmart, but surveillance tapes according to police revealed the two were never there.

Winter Haven Police are not calling Ross a suspect in the disappearance of Holmes or his daughter, but they do say he has been a "significant part" of their investigation.

More digging in the orange grove is expected Wednesday, with police saying they may be searching the grove for several days to come.
http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/december/186187/Buried-or-hoax-Another-day-of-digging-for-missing-mom-and-daughter

[Nut44x4]

12.22.10

Winter Haven police: "Human remains" found in groves in search of Ronkeya Holmes and daughter Masaraha Ross
Eric Glasser 16 mins ago

Winter Haven, Florida -- Within hours of digging near the foot of several orange trees, Winter Haven police say they found a shallow grave containing two sets of human bones, one of an adult and one appearing to be of a child.

"It's going to take a forensic pathologist to examine the remains to give us some insight into gender, age, race," said Winter Haven Police Chief Gary Hester.

Still, given the remoteness of the location and the preciseness of the search area, it suggests a major break in the October 2009 disappearance of 29-year-old Ronkeya Holmes and her 3-year-old daughter Masaraha.

Police contacted family members earlier in the day to let them know what they had found.

"You know our heart goes out to them and at this point we can't confirm that it's their loved ones, but we highly suspect that," said Hester.

Detectives say Holmes had gotten into a nasty custody battle with Masaraha's father, 32-year-old Lester Ross, who was booked on unrelated charges this past weekend.

Investigators have been hesitant to call Ross a suspect, but there was never any evidence, they say, to support his claim that he had handed his daughter over to Holmes at a local Walmart on October 18th 2009.

There was nothing on store security cameras, and Ross's cousin was stopped driving Holme's car that same night. The mother and daughter were nowhere to be found.

"You know he's not been cooperating with police or the FDLE special agent investigators for months now, he's not been cooperative," said Chief Hester.

"I mean, I hope her and her child are found alive," said Diamond Burnham, who says she'd been friends with Holmes for years.

Burnham came out to the search area, hoping the remains found are not those of Ronkeya and her daughter, and that somehow the two are still out there somewhere.

But if the remains are found are those of the mother and daughter, it may, she concedes, it will finally offer family members some small sense of closure

"I know the family is going to be glad that justice will be brought, but whoever did it I just hope they're brought to justice most of all," says Burnham, "and the family will not be happy, you know. The mom will be upset, but she'll be able to sleep well knowing at least her child has been found."

"I would say some nights you can't sleep, or you wonder why it happened," says Archie Forte, Ronkeya Holmes step-father.

Forte had prayed, despite the odds, that his step-daughter and Masaraha would somehow, someday, be found alive. Now, listening to police confirm that human remains had been found here earlier this morning, he says he understands - it may be a matter of closure for him and other family members.

"Well right now, we would know for sure it's over," says Forte.

Acting on a tip, police began searching this particular section of the orange groves, and within hours, found what they confirm is a shallow grave with skeletal remains.

"There's no doubt," says Chief Hester, "That has been confirmed that, this is on fact, human remains."

An agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement aiding in the investigation says an identification will require complex forensic techniques.

David Waller, with the FDLE's Lakeland office says "it could be weeks or months."

Police say cadaver dogs helped scour the area where they found the remains. There are, they say, other spots they may still excavate.

But for now, they've told Holmes' relatives they are concentrating their efforts on the shallow grave, unearthing what may be the long-awaited break in a 14-month mystery.

"We're just hoping to find them and put some closure to it," says Forte.

Ross had been released after his arrest last week, but he has since been located and re-arrested, this time on an unrelated charge of witness tampering. Ross is currently in police custody.

As for this phase of the investigation, police say they will likely be at the groves for several more days.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/crime/story.aspx?storyid=163972

[Nut44x4]

[Fanny Mae]

Thank you NUTT for keeping this thread updated. I have wondered and prayed about Ronkeya and Masaraha often. I don't think many of us expected any different outcome. Such a hard thing for the family, especially during the holiday season. I pray her family will find some kind of peace.