JaShyah Moore, a 14-year-old girl from East Orange, New Jersey, has been missing since October 14.
On the morning of October 14, JaShyah’s mother, Jamie Moore, sent her to Poppie’s Deli on Central Avenue around 7:30 a.m. to buy juice and paper towels.
When the teen returned home, she had lost the family’s debit card.
Jamie told her daughter to retrace her steps and hopefully she will be able to find the card.
JaShyah Moore hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Surveillance video from the deli showed an older man paid for JaShyah’s things at the deli (more than likely because she had lost the debit card), but they did not leave the store together.
The man has been identified and he is cooperating with police.
JaShyah is 5-foot-5 and she weighs around 135 pounds.
She was last seen wearing khakis, black boots, and a black jacket.
A $15,000 reward is being offered for JaShyah’s safe return or any information leading to her whereabouts.
Investigators used sonar to search a pond as they continued to search for possible leads in JaShyah’s disappearance.
Essex County undersheriff Amir Jones said:
We don’t want to leave any stone unturned.
We know she’s been in the park before; Poppy’s Deli is about five blocks from here, so we want to check this park thoroughly.
The FBI is now involved in the case and their first order of business was JaShyah’s mother, Jamie Moore.
Jamie was questioned by FBI agents for two hours and they collected her DNA.
She was then asked to take a polygraph test on Tuesday morning at Newark’s FBI headquarters.
But, here’s where things get fishy.
While Jamie was being questioned by the FBI, East Orange police officers went to her apartment and took her old deactivated cell phone into custody.
The iPhone contained very important photos and videos related to a domestic violence case against her estranged husband…who is an East Orange cop.
Jamie Moore told PIX11:
While I was talking to the FBI, they went to my house and took my iPhone, which was deactivated.
I didn’t sign a consent. I feel my rights were violated. These people, they treat me mean.
JaShyah’s aunt, Yolanda Moore, told PIX11 that JaShyah was abused by her stepfather:
I saw him punch my niece twice in the face.
And this guy’s in his 30s. And he’s really tall and he’s really big.
The stepfather, whose name has not been released, was arrested in 2020 for simple assault.
Jamie Moore had recently received a letter for JaShyah Moore to testify before a grand jury.
Essex Country prosecutors said they do not believe the case has anything to do with the teen’s disappearance.
Katherine Carter, a public information officer in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office wrote:
The domestic violence case is proceeding against the defendant.
We are aware of the fact that the mother reported the daughter missing.
The missing person’s case is being handled by municipal authorities in East Orange.
At this point, the domestic violence assault and the status of the missing person do not appear to be related; however, it is being monitored by law enforcement.
JaShyah Moore has been missing nearly a month and this case still isn’t garnering national attention.
Her aunt, Yolanda Moore, told PIX11:
My niece is a Black, Afro-Latina girl, you understand?
When you’re in a disenfranchised community like East Orange…there’s a lot of, I would say, ignoring of Black little girls.
Watch the latest news conference below.
Anyone who has tips or information regarding Moore are asked to call the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office at 877-847-7432 or the East Orange Police Department 973-266-5041.
Source: PIX11
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