Couple Discusses Troubling Investigation Details
Posted: 9:34 pm PDT August 20, 2009
Updated: 3:57 pm PDT August 23, 2009
FREMONT, Calif. -- The foster parents of Hasanni Campbell on Thursday addressed some of the disturbing details that have surfaced during the investigation into the five-year-old’s disappearance while calling for a renewed focus in the search for the missing boy.
Louis Ross and and his fiancé, Jennifer Campbell, allowed KTVU into their Fremont house Thursday to show what Hasanni’s living situation was like. The couple said they moved into the residence less than a year ago to make a home for him and his 18-month-old sister Aaliyah.
Nearly two weeks have passed since Ross reported him missing. Earlier in the day, there were new revelations about Ross and details the police investigation had uncovered.
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During the interview at their home, Campbell and Ross told KTVU Thursday they want to refocus attention on trying to find the missing boy. The couple denied allegations Ross may have had something to do with the disappearance.
They said when they gave police permission to access their phone records more than a week ago, they told investigators about the angry, obscenity-laced text Ross sent Campbell about ten days earlier during an argument.
"It's like we had an argument and we worked through it. And now it's like the argument is being twisted and turned into something it isn't," said Campbell.
"The situation resolved," explained Ross. "I calmed down and never left the house."
They also said they were the ones who told police Ross kept a sword under his bed. That sword was among the items included in the police search warrant of the home and, according to the couple, was taken by authorities last week.
Campbell and Ross showed KTVU a list of items police took from Ross's car. However, there was no mention of latex gloves disclosed in court documents as one of the items taken from the vehicle.
The couple said they volunteered to give DNA samples to police who visited the house Thursday morning so that they could be ruled out as suspects.
"I'm cooperating with police every day," said Ross.
During the interview, the foster parents said they love Hasanni deeply and would never harm him.
"It felt just as real as this baby feels," said the six-months pregnant Campbell. "My love for him is the same."
"I know the truth," said Ross. "I am cooperating with police. so if false info is being leaked, I don't care. This isn't about me. It's about finding Hasanni.
Campbell said it was Ross, not her, who first suggested taking in the children. According to Campbell, Ross said his own parents died when he was five and that he and his siblings were raised by his aunt and uncle.
The couple also mentioned to KTVU that on Friday, child protective services would be allowing them to visit Hasanni’s little sister Aaliyah for the first time since the boy disappeared.
Earlier Thursday, Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said there aren't any new developments in the case and there still aren't any "credible" leads.
He said police are still processing the information they received when they searched the Fremont home of Ross and Campbell.
FBI spokeswoman Patti Hansen declined to comment on the investigation Thursday, saying that the Oakland Police Department is the lead agency in the case.
Thomason said police are still treating Hasanni's disappearance as a missing persons case and not a crime.
Oakland police and Crime Stoppers have announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to Hasanni.
Police describe Hasanni as a black boy with a medium complexion, brown hair and brown eyes. He is about 3 feet tall and weighs about 30 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and grant pants.
Police said he has difficulty walking because he is disabled.
Thomason said police are asking the public to call if they have any credible tips.
He said people who have information on the case should call the Oakland Police Department or Crime Stoppers at (510) 777-8572 or (510) 777-3211.
