Although African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, we account for 33 percent of the missing in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s database. Cases involving African Americans also tend to receive less media coverage than missing Whites, with missing men of color getting even less attention.
NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.
To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.
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Marsharie Lemons-Garrett
Case Type: Endangered
DOB: January 1, 1990
Missing Date: June 22, 2012
Age Now: 22
Missing City: Palm Bay
Missing State: Florida
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 150
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Short
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No
Location Last Seen: Lemons-Garrett, described by family associates as emotionally troubled, was last seen by Marsha Muhammad, her mother, about 9 p.m. on June 22 at her home on Oaklyn Street near the Turkey Creek Sanctuary.
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Circumstances of Disappearance: Detectives say there is no immediate indication of any foul play or an abduction. Her family said Lemons-Garrett frequently walked in and around the wooded area. Her socks and shoes were also found in a nearby wooded area the same day she was reported missing.
According to FloridaToday.com, a search for Lemons-Garrett has not turned up any new information:
At least 50 people showed up at Shiloh Christian Center to participate in a grassroots effort to find Marsharie Lemons-Garrett, 22, last seen at her family’s Oaklyn Street home about two weeks ago. Palm Bay police found her shoes and socks in nearby woods after she was reported missing, but no other clues surfaced after a week of searches in the woods and Turkey Creek Sanctuary, near the young woman’s home. While they have called off the search, they continue to work the case.
For Lemons-Garrett’s mother, “the not knowing has been extremely difficult for me and my family and everyone that knows my family.”
Watch the Garrett case here:
Police say there have been reported sightings of Lemons-Garrett but that none have turned up any new information.
“There’s no indication of foul play. She’s in the system as missing and endangered,” Palm Bay Police Lt. Steve Bland told FloridaToday.com.
The community is devoted to helping the Lemons-Garrett family.
“What it did do was help our sense of unity among the community, and a pledge to keep in touch with new friends was made. We’re planning to make more of a search effort in the near future, broadening our scope and manpower,” said Student Minister Abram Muhammad, assistant regional minister for the Seventh Region of the Nation of Islam.
Lemons-Garrett’s mother said she needs the public’s help:
“Marsharie is a very beautiful person,” she said. “She loves to help people. … Right now she needs your help.”
Last Seen Wearing: A pair of purple Winnie the Pooh pajamas.
Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Short, braided black hair.
If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Marsharie Lemons-Garrett, please contact the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line or 321-952-3456 or 1-800-423-TIPS.
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