Aliayah Paige Lunsford Top Row and Bottom Left and Center: Aliayah, circa 2011; Bottom Right: Age-progression to age 5 (circa 2013) Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: September 24, 2011 from Weston, West Virginia Classification: Endangered Missing Date Of Birth: July 29, 2008 Age: 3 years old Height and Weight: 30, 35 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Aliyahs ears are pierced and her top four front teeth are missing. Her name is pronounced Ah-LEE-ah. Clothing/Jewelry Description: A pink sweatshirt with a picture of a princess, purple Dora the Explorer pajama bottoms and no shoes. Details of Disappearance Aliayah was last seen in bed in her Weston, West Virginia home on September 24, 2011. She had been sick with flu-like symptoms, including vomiting, the previous evening. When her mother, Lena Lunsford, went to check on her at 6:30 a.m., Aliayah was in bed asleep. The childs nine-year-old sister also saw her around that time. The next time her mother checked, at 9:00 a.m., she was gone. She has never been heard from again. Her mother didnt report her missing until 11:30 a.m., five hours after she was last seen and two and a half hours after Lena realized she was gone. She said that in the interim she drove around in her car looking for Aliayah, running out of gas at one point. A photograph of Lena is posted below this case summary. There were no indications of forced entry to the house, and an extensive search of the area, including a nearby river, turned up no sign of the child. Aliayahs family described her as shy and said she would never have left her house or yard alone. Nine days following Aliayahs disappearance, her four siblings, aged between nine months and eleven years old, were removed from the household and placed in foster care. The state Department of Health and Human Resources didnt give a reason, but its worth noting that all of Lenas children, including Aliayah, had previously spent time in foster homes or with relatives. She was pregnant with twin girls at the time Aliayah went missing. In the month following Aliayahs disappearance, Lena was arrested on federal charges of welfare fraud. She pleaded guilty in January 2012 to selling $114 in stamps for $50 in cash, and was sentenced to eight months in prison. She and her husband, Ralph Keith Lunsford, who is Aliayahs stepfather, both have criminal records for various charges for minor offenses. (Lena has filed for divorce.) Authorities havent said whether shes a suspect in her daughters disappearance, but they believe Aliayah is probably deceased. Lena says she knows nothing about what happened to Aliayah and only hopes shes still alive. Her mother, who occasionally cared for Aliayah, died in early 2012. In February 2013, while Lena was still incarcerated, she lost her parental rights to her other six children. Ralph, who is the father of five of the children, also had his parental rights terminated. The court found the Lunsford children had been neglected and some of them had irreversible tooth decay as a result. Court documents noted that Lena and Ralph had vaguely accused each other of involvement in Aliayahs disappearance; the court believed Lena knew more about her daughters disappearance than she disclosed. She was released from jail later that month. Little evidence is available in Aliayahs case. Investigators stated they have a theory as to what happened to her and they dont believe anyone broke into the house that night. Her disappearance remains unsolved. Above: Lena Lunsford Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Lewis County Sheriffs Office 304-269-8245 Source Information The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children Facebook Page for Aliayah Lunsford The Examiner Americas Most Wanted WDTV West Virginia Metro News CNN The Charleston Gazette Aliayah Lunsford The Charleston Daily Mail Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated February 6, 2014; age-progression added. Charley Project Home
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:45:50 +0000
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