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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Diajah Antionette Victoria Walker
Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: October 31, 1993
Missing Date: August 11, 2012
Age Now: 18
Missing City: Upper Marlboro
Missing State: Maryland
Case Number: 12-227-1554
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 4’11”
Weight: 98
Hair Color: Other
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: Yes
Location Last Seen: 13000 block of Marlton Center Drive, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Circumstances of Disappearance: According to Donna Nelson, Diajah’s mom, her daughter left her house voluntarily after Nelson and Diajah’s older sister tried to talk to the teen about the need for her to get a job or enroll in college.
Nelson described her daughter as a homebody who graduated high school last year and volunteered her time to help troubled youth. Nelson and Diajah’s older sister were pushing her to start shaping her own life.
“I thought maybe she just needed a breather because we were coming down on her about going to school or getting a job,” Nelson told NewsOne in an interview.
Nelson waited a day but then began receiving strange calls and texts. One text said Diajah was a “snitch” and that she would never be found. Another anonymous call claimed that Diajah’s body was on the side of Interstate 95 in Virginia.
Nelson claims Diajah’s friends have been uncooperative, with one saying he wanted a lawyer before speaking to police and another claiming to know Diajah’s whereabouts but swearing never to tell.
The odd calls and her daughter’s friends strange behavior made Nelson believe that her daughter could possibly be in danger.
“My daughter is not a problem child she is a homebody. She is my right wing. Anywhere you saw me you would see Diajah,” said Nelson. “She has never left home and even at 18 she asked can she go here or there and told me what time she would be home.”
At this point, Nelson said she just wants to hear from her daughter that she is safe. The family has been posting fliers and trying to get media attention.
“The whole situation is very bizarre. I don’t know why she left, I don’t know what happened after she left,” said Nelson. “I just want to know is she okay and that she is alive. I just want to know if something happened but it’s like I’m at a dead-end.”
Last Seen Wearing: Green cargo skinny pant; white, blue, and green T-shirt; blue polo cap; and gold Bebe sandals (leopard print) in the base of the sandals.
Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Butterfly tattoo on the right shoulder with Chinese lettering and a faded burn mark on her right inner elbow.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Diajah Antionette Victoria Walker can contact the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.
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