Glendale police seized bleach, disinfecting wipes and used latex gloves nearly two months ago from the home of a missing Glendale girl's mother, according to court documents released Friday.
The Maricopa County Superior Court documents were released Friday after a judge agreed to unseal the search warrant document.
Police had obtained the warrant to search Jerice Hunter's apartment on Nov. 21, hours before they arrested her on suspicion of child abuse involving 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley.
Hunter was later released after prosecutors said they didn't want to create a situation of double jeopardy if they later decided to pursue a felony murder case against her.
The document reveals some of what police recovered from Hunter's apartment.
A police detective wrote in the search warrant affidavit that police aimed to find DNA evidence at the home, although it is unclear what may have been obtained.
Among the roughly 100 items police seized during the search were the cleaning supplies such as a vacuum, its filter and a mop that police suspect Hunter may have used before she reported her daughter missing on Oct. 11.
Police took a range of items, from Hunter's self-help diary to a child's drawing.
Police recovered incense, which Jhessye's 13-year-old sister told authorities had been used to cover a stench, according to police documents.
The older sister had told police that she last saw Jhessye in her mother's closet, bruised and looking like a "zombie." She said the closet "looked like a grave and smelled like dead people," according to court documents.
The 13-year-old also said her mother had cleaned her bedroom and closet, as well as the rest of the apartment, before calling police to report Jhessye's disappearance.
Glendale police said late Friday they would not comment on the contents of the court document. An attorney representing Hunter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police intend to search the Butterfield Station Landfill, about an hour south of the Valley, in the coming weeks in hopes of finding Jhessye's body.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2012/01/13/20120113glendale-missing-girl-mom-has-items-seized-from-home-by-police.html#ixzz1jOcPuTMO
No comments:
Post a Comment