PA-"missing" 12 yo found alive in horrible conditions

[mysteriew]

THE GUARDIAN'S story about her missing 12-year-old stunk, big time, to Detective Romanita King.

King, who investigates the disappearances of missing children for the police, interviewed the guardian, identified by neighbors as Vanella Lacorne, several times during the two weeks that Lacorne's young charge had been reported as "missing."

After a three-hour interview yesterday, King still didn't believe the guardian's story, so police and FBI agents searched Lacorne's home on 6th Street near Butler a third time.

About 6:30 p.m. they found little Juirlene Dupuy barricaded in a dark, filthy crawl space in the home.

"She was wrapped in a blanket and living in squalor," Police Inspector William Colarulo said last night about Juirlene. "She was extremely dehydrated."

He added: "We are fortunate that this child was found alive."

Juirlene was doing well last night at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

Outside the family's home, Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson praised King's dogged efforts.

"She probably saved this girl's life," Johnson said.

Juirlene was reported missing May 4. The guardian, in her 20s, said the sixth-grader had never made it to Roberto Clemente Elementary that day.

Police issued alerts to the media seeking the public's help in finding the girl. The FBI even joined in the search, partly because the girl is from Haiti.

Troubled by inconsistent stories told by the guardian and the guardian's parents, who also live at the home, investigators returned to the home last night to conduct another search.

The guardian's mother watched investigators closely.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/11682660.htm

[dannyodie]

this sort of thing just makes me sick to my stomach. this makes me wonder how many other children that have never been locate could be going thru this same kind of thing. its good she was found alive. had she been there much longer, she might have never come out of that alive.

[Sheromom]

That poor little girl! She is such a cutie. I wish they would all the adults involved in prison for life. Let them know what its like to live in a little hole! I hope she is given better chances in life from now on.

[VespaElf]

Unfortunately this is all too common with Haitian children.

She was likely brought over from Haiti by her "guradian" to be used as a maid (who is also used sexually by males in the household)

This happens to Haitian children as young as 6!!!!!

Its going on RIGHT NOW in OUR Country.

These children are sold by their poor Haitian parents to rich Hatians in America(child slaves are common in Haiti).

Im surprised the little girl was even enrolled in school but some ,if they have nosy neighbors or are investigated,do register the children in school although are still expected to work 24/7 as maids and sex slaves inside the home.


I will bet thats the situation here -no doubt about it.

[mysteriew]

But why did they report her missing?

[CyberLaw]

Who knows what other people think:

It could be that if she was reported missing, she would not go to school and be able to work in the home 24/7.

A "missing" child is not expected to attend school, that would be "their" out for having her attend regularly.

The "people" would just make sure that she is not seen by neighbours.

Keep her as a slave behind closed doors, no one would be none the wiser.

Thank God, that LE was.

[A.Wood]

I saw a show on television about a mother who tortured her children. One of the kids survived the abuse and was the like a narrarator. Two of her sisters were starved and died at home...so the mother had the their bodies putin boxes and burned. These girls were never reported missing ofcourse so they were known as Jane Does. Because this girl survived she was able to identify her sisters. It was a horrible story to hear. Anyhow, I hope this little girl gets put into a GOOD home.

[mysteriew]

Girl may have been hiding, police say

A relative of her guardian said the N. Phila. girl got bad test grades and may have holed up in the basement in fear

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/11690814.htm

NO ANSWERS WHY SHE HID

Cops now think 12-year-old was a 'runaway'

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/11692616.htm

[Sheromom]

Good grief! Perhaps when she grows up, she will join Websleuths and can list this experience in the Jury Room under 10 weird/unknown things about you!:crazy:

[mysteriew]

While police piece together 12-year-old Guirlene Dupuy's last month - where she went from a fifth-grader to missing person to a weak sick child stuck under her guardian's basement staircase - the city wants her to stay away from her family.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/11703076.htm

[KatherineQ]

Possibly self-inflicted???? Are they saying she was living in the crawl space of the house and sneaking out for bowls of cereal and the adults there didn't know where she had gone? That sounds like what the article is saying, to me.

[Bobbisangel]

I saw a show on television about a mother who tortured her children. One of the kids survived the abuse and was the like a narrarator. Two of her sisters were starved and died at home...so the mother had the their bodies putin boxes and burned. These girls were never reported missing ofcourse so they were known as Jane Does. Because this girl survived she was able to identify her sisters. It was a horrible story to hear. Anyhow, I hope this little girl gets put into a GOOD home.


I've seen that story too. I think it was on CTV or one of the forensic shows.
They jailed the mother and a brother that helped with the dumping and burning didn't they? That mother was just horrible....the things she did to those girls. She should have been hung in the town square and stoned to death.

[Bobbisangel]

I wonder if the crawl space was fixed so that she couldn't get out or if she could get out when she wanted to. That should be a big clue to the LE. If it was blocked then she wasn't in there because she wanted to be.

How in the world could a 20 yr old kid be this girl's guardian? That sounds really strange to me.

[1986]

Sorry, but I get a funny feeling here. That child was not coming and going from that house and no one not suspect something. How was she getting in? How did they not notice the food missing? Did she make absolutely no sound at all? Something is not right here?

[Sheromom]

I wonder if the crawl space was fixed so that she couldn't get out or if she could get out when she wanted to. That should be a big clue to the LE. If it was blocked then she wasn't in there because she wanted to be.

How in the world could a 20 yr old kid be this girl's guardian? That sounds really strange to me.
In the article before my previous post, they said that they came and went only when he family was out of the house. Neighbors reported seeing her. She was an A and B student that failed two tests and was afraid to tell the family. But then the guardian (unintentionally, I think) set something heavy in front of the door and she was trapped. Definitely a strange story. Who knows?

[indicajane]

and the story about the girls burnt I believe is the Teresa Cross story, and her murdering her two daughters, Sheila and Suesan.

[SewingDeb]

I wonder if the crawl space was fixed so that she couldn't get out or if she could get out when she wanted to. That should be a big clue to the LE. If it was blocked then she wasn't in there because she wanted to be.

How in the world could a 20 yr old kid be this girl's guardian? That sounds really strange to me.

It was blocked.

[Scorpion]

I have to say I'm sceptical about this girl living that way voluntarily. But then, we've just had this case in the UK:-

Hundreds of central African children living in the UK may have suffered abuse or even been killed after being accused of witchcraft, charities say.

The warning follows the conviction of three people over the torture of an eight-year-old girl.

Four London charities, working with people from central Africa, told BBC News this was not an isolated case.

The children may have been returned to their home countries for "deliverance services" or other punishments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4608943.stm

I'm not sure why one of the "women" can't be named "for legal reasons" - it would normally imply she's a minor herself, in which case I'd expect them to simply say she's a teenager.

The most alarming thing to me is that I heard on the radio earlier that one of the women STILL maintains the child is a witch.

So no - I can't believe the "innocent" line without more proof.

[Sheromom]

Has anyone heard anything else about this case? I would like to know what the true story was.