Trinidadian Woman Missing in South Florida

[Bakes]

Not sure if this has been mentioned here or not, didn't see a thread on it, but Stepha Henry is a young black woman from NYC of Trini parentage who went missing in Fort Lauderdale in May


 Jun 23, 2007 12:09 am US/Eastern

Mom Walks The Streets, Searching For Stepha
 
Natalia Zea
Reporting

(CBS4) FT. LAUDERDALE The streets hold no answers for Sylvia Henry, but she walks them anyway, hoping for a clue into the disappearance of her daughter Stepha. She hands out flyers to anyone who will take them, hoping someone knows why her daughter disappeared during Hip-Hop weekend.

"I'm hoping to reach out to the community this way so that everybody will tell somebody else and the word will spread faster," Henry told CBS4's Natalia Zea. "Instead of staying home in the house and hoping somebody will call to say they saw her."

Henry has vowed to stay in South Florida, handing out flyers, until her daughter returns home, is found, or police know what happened to her.

Henry believes someone out there knows, and she just needs to connect with that person.

"People are looking at the picture, some say I think I saw her yesterday and some say oh what a pretty girl. People are just trying to help," Henry said.

Henry was visiting South Florida with a friend, spending time with relatives and taking advantage of the activities surrounding Hip-Hop weekend. She and an acquaintance visited Peppers club in Ft. Lauderdale, and while she was seen inside the club, she dropped out of sight afterward.

The grad student hasn't contacted her family, and police don't know where she is. Her story has been featured on the news a number of times, and Friday, her family increased a reward by $5 thousand, but police admit tips have been sparse.

"Obviously this girl couldn't have just vanished into thin air," said Miami-Dade police detective Roy Rutland. "We continue to follow all the leads as we have, unfortunately we have not received as many tips as we'd like, so we hope the increase in the reward will help."

Sylvia refuses to give up hope. She believes someone will help.

"Anyone there who has a daughter or a sister think of all the emotional stress and the sadness I'm going through, and all the grief my family and I are going through right now," she said. "Please try to help us by calling."

Anyone with information on Stepha Henry can contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS


dg

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)




Here's a link to an MSN feature describing the discrepancy in reporting of missing people, whites vs. blacks, and women vs. men.  Stepha Henry's case is spotlighted.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/specialguides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5289082&GT1=10323


Here's another link to her story as featured on America's Most Wanted


Please be vigilant in case there's anything that you see/can do.

[WestCoast]

you know it would be impossible for me to imagine what this or any family who has "Lost" a loved one may feel at a time like this...I hope this family may have closure sooner rather than later...my prayers are for them.

[Bourbon]

Well At least they admitting it to some extent

If you are kidnapped or missing, it helps to be the right race, age, social class and gender. Otherwise, don't expect the media to cover your story.

Meanwhile, Henry is still missing. And at one point, her case was overshadowed by celebrity news. A little more than a week after Henry disappeared, Miami Herald police reporter David Ovalle was scheduled to talk about the case on MSNBC-TV.

Ovalle says his interview was canceled because of breaking news about socialite Paris Hilton."I think the people I write about are important. I take my job seriously," he says. "I know people watch that stuff [celebrity news]. But you have a responsibility as a serious news-gathering organization, with all the things going on in the world, with all the tragedies there are; our priorities are a little skewed."

[capodetutticapi]

ah remember when this story break,all yuh could wish for then was ah safe return,too much time pass now.i eh even want to say it,all de best to de family.

[Dutty]

I guess that article should not be surprising,...yet to me it is,,such ah odd twisted mindset

Is almost as if....dey 'marketing' de woman attractiveness in order to 'help'? find her
Bottom line, if yuh is ah man, old or a minority....if yuh get kidnap yuh finish for sure

[Bakes]

see http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=30106.0

Thanks for the link...it was posted 5 hours after mine though, I searched for an article on her before making this thread.


Capo...yeah, hard not be dispirited, but God is good.

[zuluwarrior]

I red this story before and i cant understand how or if her cousin the one that picked her up from her house took her to the club and he said that he left her there with some people that he did not know, i could be wrong but i feel he know more that what he is sayin. 

[daryn]

Man Arrested in NY Woman's Disappearance

9 hours ago

MIAMI (AP) — Detectives on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of killing a New York woman who has been missing for more than seven months, authorities said.

Kendrick Williams, 32, was arrested in New York City after forensic tests on his car linked him to the victim, police said.

Williams was expected to be charged with second-degree murder in the death of Stepha Henry, who disappeared in May, authorities said. No body has been found.

No details are being released on the exact nature of the evidence found in the car, Miami-Dade police spokesman Robert Williams said.

Henry, who would have turned 23 in September, and her 16-year-old sister, Shola, came to Florida just before Memorial Day to celebrate Shola's birthday. They stayed with relatives, who last saw Henry on May 29 getting into a black sedan driven by a man.

That night, Henry had talked to her mother by phone, telling her she was getting ready to go to a nightclub. Her family has said she had made friends in South Florida during numerous visits to the area.

Miami-Dade police spokesman Mario Rachid said Henry and Williams were acquaintances, but it was unclear how they met. Police also were unclear on where Williams made his permanent home.

Miami detectives were in New York interviewing Williams, Miami-Dade police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said.

"This investigation is far from over," Zabaleta said.

During the investigation, Williams told detectives he had left the club early but Henry decided to stay, officers said.

There was no immediate indication when Williams would be transferred to Florida.

[Bakes]

Good update daryn...I read this earlier and clean forgot about this thread.

Let's hope justice prevails one way or another.

[truetrini]

dey say dat dey definitely have dey man.