CA - Hasanni Campbell - Links, photos, and articles ***NO DISCUSSION***

One Woman's Crusade to Find Hasanni
Sherri Miller refuses to give up hope
Updated 5:30 PM PDT, Tue, Aug 25, 2009
<snipped>
A San Leandro business owner is taking matters into her own hands in the attempt to find Hasanni Campbell, the 5-year-old Fremont boy who disappeared more than two weeks ago.

And while she won't say it, she is one of the very few is not only people who are still actively keeping this missing child's case alive.

Oakland police have stopped giving interviews regarding the Hasanni disappearance, other than to say that they have no more searches planned and have followed up on the very few tips they've received.

Even Hasanni's foster father refused to talk to reporters over the weekend as he attended a car wash that was raising money to help find the little boy.

But there is Miller. Picking up her phone and talking to anyone who will listen. She also does her fair share of calling. Miller says she hopes businesses will step up and donate money to help increase the $10,000 reward. Miller says she wants to raise another $5,000.

"I'm just a one person business. We need business to step up," Miller said Tuesday.

Miller has printed about 2,000 missing-persons fliers at her shop. She's also helped get together a Web site dedicated to the child that she says will be on line by Wednesday morning. The url will be www.findhassani.com.

When asked why she's putting out all the effort, she quickly brings the conversation back to Hasanni.

She said even if people suspect the parents had something to do with his disappearance, "There's still a five year old child who needs to be found."


Article:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/One-Womans-Crusade-to-Find-Hasanni-54861897.html
 
UPDATED: Police: Missing 5-Year-Old Was Killed; Foster Parents Arrested
Posted: 3:25 pm PDT August 28, 2009
Updated: 11:44 pm PDT August 28, 2009
<snipped>
Oakland police said Friday night that they believe Hasanni Campbell is dead, and that his foster parents, Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell, are responsible.

Ross and Campbell were arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of murder, according to Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan.

"This investigation [is] not a missing persons case anymore," police spokesperson Jeff Thomason said. "It is a homicide investigation."

Jennifer Campbell, Hasanni's aunt and foster mother, was arrested on suspicion of murder at about 1:50 p.m. at the Union City BART station, Thomason said. At about 2:45 p.m., Louis Ross was arrested on the same charge at his Fremont home. Warrants for their arrest remain sealed.

Louis did not react as he was taken into custody, according to Chief Jordan, who said that the foster father seemed to be awaiting arrest.

"We believe Hasanni Campbell is no longer alive and we have the people responsible," Thomason said.

He said Ross and Jennifer Campbell were being interviewed by detectives Friday evening.

A law enforcement source told KTVU that a compelling piece of evidence is that no one ever saw the little boy in the busy Rockridge neighborhood where his foster father reported him missing 18 days ago.

The source also says that the fact that very few tips have come in point to the couple as being the only ones who really know what happened to their foster son.

KTVU has learned that Ross has waived his right to remain silent, and has been talking to police.

&#8220;It would not surprise me in any way that the police is seeking to divide and conquer by arresting and seeing if they have something to say that they haven't already said,&#8221; said the couple&#8217;s legal advisor John Burris.


Burris told KTVU that the district attorney has until next Tuesday to decide whether to bring charges against Louis Ross and Jennifer Cambpell.


Video: Police Search Home Of Hasanni Campbell's Foster Parents
http://www.ktvu.com/video/20608579/index.html

VIDEO~ OAKLAND: Foster Parents Of Missing 5-Year-Old Boy Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder
http://www.ktvu.com/video/20608170/index.html

VIDEO~ OAKLAND: Police Search Foster Parents' Home For Evidence In 5-Year-Old's Disappearence
http://www.ktvu.com/video/20612321/index.html

VIDEO~ OAKLAND: Police Say Missing 5-Year-Old Is Dead; Foster Parents Responsible
http://www.ktvu.com/video/20612196/index.html

VIDEO~ OAKLAND: Rockridge Residents, Business Owners Shocked By Foster Parents' Arrest
http://www.ktvu.com/video/20612435/index.html

Article:
http://www.ktvu.com/news/20606391/detail.html
 
Hasanni's foster parents arrested for murder
Friday, August 28, 2009 | 5:29 PM
<snipped>
On Friday, Oakland Police said they are now convinced that 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell was killed and they accused his foster parents of the crime. Both are in jail.

"We do believe Hasanni Campbell has been murdered," says Oakland Police Officer Jeff Thomason.

Oakland police have yet to find the body of Hasanni, but they insist his foster parents killed him.

Louis Ross and fiancé Jennifer Campbell, Hasanni's aunt, were arrested this afternoon on suspicion of murder. The two were taken separately to the Oakland Police Department late Friday afternoon.

"Right now we have investigators talking to both parties. I want to clarify that this is not a missing persons case anymore. This is a homicide investigation and we are talking to the people responsible," says Officer Thomason.

Police aren't saying what led to the arrests, but investigators have been at the couple's Fremont home all afternoon searching for evidence. Still, Hasanni's birth mother and extended family stand behind Ross and Campbell.

"I'm outraged at the fact that they would arrest my sister and brother in law for something they didn't do," says Shemika Campbell, Hasanni's biological mother.

"I am very surprised that they got arrested because they didn't do anything wrong. They love those kids like there were, you know, their own," says Trinity Schwabacher, Hasanni's aunt.

Then, investigators discovered a text message on Ross's cell phone where he threatened to abandon Hassani at a BART station. Through it all, the couple maintained their innocence. Attorney John Burris has been offering them legal advice and he believes the arrest is nothing more than tactic to get the couple to talk.

"It would not surprise me in any way that police would seek to divide and conquer, by arresting, to see if one or more of the persons have something to say that they have not already said," says Burris.


VIDEO: Hasanni's Foster Parents Arrested For Murder
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=6988704

RAW VIDEO: Police Seach Hasanni's Home
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=6988728

VIDEO: Hasanni's Foster Parents Arrested For Murder
Police announced Hasanni's case turned from missing to a homicide investigation.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=6989069

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=6988575
 
Missing East Bay Boy's Foster Parents Arrested
Aug 28, 2009 4:39 pm US/Pacific
<snipped>
The foster parents of a missing 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy were arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of murder in his disappearance, Oakland police said.

A lawyer who had been advising Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell also confirmed their arrests but did not know further details.

Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said the couple were being questioned by investigators after being taken into custody.


RAW VIDEO: Campbell Foster Parent's Home Searched
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=54668@kpix.dayport.com

VIDEO: Foster Parents Of Hasanni Campbell Arrested
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=54664@kpix.dayport.com

Article:
http://cbs5.com/local/foster.parents.arrested.2.1150728.html
 
UPDATED: Foster Parents Arrested, Hasanni Campbell Believed to be Dead
8/28/2009 4:06:00 PM
<snipped>
The foster parents of Hasanni Campbell, a 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who was last seen Aug. 10, were arrested on suspicion of murder Friday, Oakland police Officer Jeff Thomason said.

"Right now, in this investigation, it's not a missing persons case anymore," Thomason said. "It is a homicide investigation."

Jennifer Campbell, Hasanni's aunt and foster mother, was arrested on suspicion of murder at about 1:50 p.m. at the Union City BART station, Thomason said. At about 2:45 p.m., Louis Ross was arrested on the same charge at his Fremont home.

"We believe Hasanni Campbell is no longer alive and we have the people responsible," Thomason said.

Thomason said investigators have not located Hasanni's body and declined to comment on specific evidence in the case that led to today's arrests.

"This investigation is still ongoing and very complex," Thomason said.

He said Ross and Jennifer Campbell were being interviewed by detectives Friday evening.


VIDEO: Foster Parents Arrested in Connection with the Hasanni Campbell Disappearance
http://serve.castfire.com/video/148631/148631_2009-08-28-193744.mp4

Article:
http://www.kron4.com/News/ArticleVi...nni Campbell Believed to be Dead/Default.aspx
 
UPDATED: Missing 5-year-old Fremont boy s foster parents arrested on suspicion of murder
Posted: 08/28/2009 03:39:08 PM PDT
Updated: 08/29/2009 08:21:27 AM PDT
<snipped>
"This is a not a missing persons case any more," Officer Jeff Thomason, Oakland police spokesman, said Friday evening.

"This is a homicide investigation, and we are talking to the people responsible."Campbell was arrested at 1:50 p.m. at the Union City BART station. Ross was arrested in the couple's Fremont home at 2:45 p.m. Hasanni's body has not been found, Thomason said.

Campbell was booked Friday night on suspicion of being an accessory to murder. Police were still interviewing Ross late Friday night and said they would be booking him on suspicion of murder.

Homicide investigator Sgt. Gus Galindo said police decided to arrest the couple "because our preliminary and follow-up investigations have shown Hasanni Campbell was never in the rear of the Rockridge shoe store as reported by Louis Ross."

Police plan to release additional details that they hope will draw more information from the public. The last confirmed sighting of Hasanni was Aug. 6 at a Wal-Mart in Fremont, where he was seen with both foster parents.

Ross, who used to live in Maryland, had a restraining order filed against him there in 2005. He also has had a number of judgments for unpaid state taxes there, including a number of income tax liens totaling thousands of dollars. As she has done since Hasanni's disappearance, Campbell's mother, Pam Clark, continued to defend her daughter and Ross after hearing of the arrests Friday evening.

"It's shocking. I think they made a mistake and arrested the wrong person," Clark said. " just feel like they don't have anything to do with it." Clark said the arrests did not dim her hopes of seeing her grandson again.

"This is not going to stop me from looking for Hasanni, because he still needs to be found. I have hopes he will come back alive," Clark said. "I just feel he's alive somewhere. I'm still looking." Police have scoured the area around the shoe store in the busy Rockridge shopping district but have turned up no clues. Police earlier served a search warrant at the Fremont home where Hasanni and his younger sister lived with Ross and Campbell, retrieving a small, decorative sword, a cell phone and other items.

Police also searched the 2002 BMW that Ross was driving the day Hasanni disappeared, taking swabs, the rear seat of the vehicle, carpet from the car, two car seats, molding and latches, according to a receipt of property from the FBI. An Alameda County Superior Court document also shows that four fingerprint lifts, eight DNA swabs and one pair of latex gloves were taken from the car.

Oakland police officers again searched the couple's home Friday, starting about 2:30 p.m. and continuing into the night. Officers could be seen searching a bedroom above the garage, going through clothes and papers, and flipping the mattress. Between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m., police officers removed a gray computer CPU tower and screen from the house. Two dogs, one large and tan-colored and the other black and white, were removed from the home and loaded into Fremont city vehicles.

Around 8:30 p.m., officers left the house with two grocery-sized paper evidence bags as they prepared to wrap up the search. Fremont police provided security during the search and restricted traffic to and from the subdivision for several hours.

Residents said they were shocked at the news of the arrests Friday. "I can't believe it," said Jim Pham, who has lived on a street adjacent to the couple's home in the Hampton Place subdivision.

Pham said the FBI came to his house in the days after the boy's disappearance and asked general questions about the couple, but Pham had never seen them. Other residents echoed his sentiments and added they were concerned about the negative publicity being brought to the quaint neighborhood.

More than a half-dozen neighbors interviewed in recent weeks described Ross and Campbell as a quiet couple rarely was seen outside their home. A woman who lives next door said she never seen Hasanni, and another woman who lives across the street said she only saw him once earlier this year. Although several of the neighborhood children play in the streets, Hasanni was never among them, they said.

Juan Bonuel, who lives in a home across the street from the couple's corner lot, had contact with Hasanni several times but never had spoken to Ross or Campbell. Bonuel said that every day during the school year he would see Hasanni on the school bus that takes kids to James Leitch Elementary School in Fremont's Warm Springs District. "He's a good-looking kid, adorable," Bonuel said recently, noting Hasanni always would say, "Hi." Bonuel said he had not seen Hasanni since summer vacation began in mid-June.


Oakland Police Department detectives prepare to enter the home of Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell on Roxie Terrace in Fremont, Calif., on Friday, August 28, 2009. The two, foster parents of Hassani Campbell, 5, were arrested in connection with the disabled child's disappearance
20090828__eoak0829arrest~1_GALLERY.JPG


As Oakland police search inside, a Fremont police officer takes into custody the dog of Louis Ross on Roxie Terrace in Fremont, Calif., on Friday, August 28, 2009. Ross and Jennifer Campbell, foster parents of 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell, were arrested in connection with the disappearance of the disabled boy. Hasanni was reported missing Aug. 10 in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland.
20090829__eoak0829arrest2~1_GALLERY.JPG


As Oakland police search inside, a Fremont Police officer guards the home of Louis Ross on Roxie Terrance in Fremont, Calif. on Friday, August 28, 2009. Ross and Jennifer Campbell, foster parents of 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell, were arrested in connection with the disappearance of the disabled boy. Hasanni was reported missing Aug. 10 in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland.
20090829__eoak0829arrest1~1_GALLERY.JPG


Article:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/top-stories/ci_13225210
 
UPDATED: Foster parents arrested in boy's killing
August 29, 2009
<snipped>
(08-28) 18:08 PDT Fremont -- The foster parents who tearfully pleaded for the public's help in finding their missing 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy were arrested Friday on suspicion of killing the boy, authorities said.

Louis Ross, 38, and his fiancee, Jennifer Campbell, 33, the boy's aunt, were taken into custody on suspicion of murder, said Officer Jeff Thomason, an Oakland police spokesman.

Oakland homicide investigators were questioning the couple Friday night and conducted a search of the couple's Fremont home in Hampton Place, a tidy community of two-story stucco homes with wide streets and rose bushes.

Campbell was arrested at the Union City BART Station shortly before 2 p.m. after being questioned earlier by police, Thomason said. Ross was arrested at the Fremont home about an hour later.

"This is not a missing persons case anymore, this is a homicide investigation," Thomason said. "And we are talking to the people responsible." The officer said the investigation was "very complex."

John Burris, an attorney who has been consulting with the couple, said he was told of the couple's arrest on Friday afternoon.

"I'm not aware of what evidence, if any, that police have that supports the detainment or the arrest," Burris said. "I know that they have been questioned extensively by the police over the last several days."

Absent a body, Burris said the arrests were probably a police tactic designed to pressure the couple to talk and turn on each other.

"That's how police work," Burris said. "Divide and conquer."

Prosecutors will have 48 hours from the arrests, not including the weekend, to decide on charging the couple.

Friday afternoon, yellow crime scene tape blocked the street about a half block from the family's home, and Oakland police officers were seen going in and out of the backyard while Fremont police stood guard. A light could be seen on in the second story window, but it did not appear that anybody was at home. The search of the home wound down about 7 p.m.

Neighbors were shocked to see police cars and news helicopters descend on Hampton Place, a neighborhood they regard as free of crime.

Entrances to the neighborhood were temporarily blocked by police, who were allowing only residents to enter.

"All along, we heard the foster parents were upset about being interviewed, and asked a lot of questions. Now today, we found out they got arrested," said Alok Verma, who lives about a block and a half away from the family's home. "It's shocking."


Police gather outside the home of missing 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell in Fremont where Oakland police were investigating.
ba-boy29_ph1_0500530854.jpg


Article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/28/BAE119FCE7.DTL&tsp=1
 
UPDATED: Missing East Bay Boy's Foster Parents Arrested
Aug 29, 2009 12:59 pm US/Pacific
<snipped>
The foster parents of a missing 5-year-old disabled boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said Friday.

After being questioned by detectives late into the night, Louis Ross was booked into the Santa Rita Jail early Saturday on a homicide charge and was being held without bond. Jennifer Campbell was jailed on an accessory charge and was being held on $15,000 bond, according to jail records.

Police indicated that they believe young Hasanni Campbell is dead, although as of Saturday no body had been recovered.

"Right now, in this investigation, it's not a missing persons case anymore, it is a homicide investigation,'' Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said. "We believe Hasanni Campbell is no longer alive and we have the people responsible."

The couple were arrested separately within an hour of each other. Campbell was arrested about 1:50 p.m. Friday at the Union City BART station, police said. At 2:45 p.m., Ross was arrested at the couple's Fremont home.

Thomason said the couple were questioned extensively by investigators after being taken into custody. Police officers also conducted a search of the couple's home on Friday evening.

Investigators declined to comment on any specific evidence in the case that led to the arrests of the foster parents.

"This investigation is still ongoing and very complex,'' Thomason said.

The couple, who are engaged, were scheduled to be arraigned in court on Monday.

The pair took custody of Hasanni and his 1-year-old sister several months ago because their mother &#8212; Jennifer Campbell's sister &#8212; had drug problems.

There's even a Web site &#8212; findhasanni.com &#8212; where his foster family tries to explain their role.

"We understand that there is a lot of speculation out there due to misconceptions about our family and the environment Hasanni was living in but to us he is a son, a brother, a family member and so much more and not just a foster child," a message from the site reads.

But, with police receiving a lack of strong tips and bloodhounds unable to detect the scent of where Hasanni allegedly disappeared, many wondered if his family had anything to do with it. Both Ross and police had said his family was cooperating with authorities, although Ross felt police believed he and Campbell, who is six months pregnant, did something wrong.

They both have denied any involvement with his disappearance.

During a second vigil for Hasanni outside the shoe store on Monday, the soft-spoken Ross told The Associated Press that "in the court of public opinion I've been charged, tried and convicted," regarding the boy's disappearance.

Prominent Bay Area civil rights attorney John Burris, who has been advising the couple shortly after Hasanni's disappearance, said Friday that he was surprised by the couple's arrest.

"I'm not aware of any hard physical evidence that ties either one into a missing child," said Burris, adding that authorities have 72 hours to file charges.


findhasanni.com
http://www.findhasanni.com/

RAW VIDEO: Campbell Foster Parents' Home Searched
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=54668@kpix.dayport.com

VIDEO: Foster Parents Of Hasanni Campbell Arrested
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=54664@kpix.dayport.com

RAW VIDEO: Briefing On The Arrests In The Campbell Case
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=54681@kpix.dayport.com

VIDEO: Missing East Bay Boys' Foster Parents Arrested
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=54683@kpix.dayport.com

Article:
http://cbs5.com/crime/foster.parents.arrested.2.1150728.html
 
Campbell&#8217;s Foster Parents Arrested: Murder Suspected in Missing Child Case
August 28, 2009 &#8211; 9:59 pm
<snipped>
Louis Ross and his fiancée Jennifer Campbell&#8212;the boy&#8217;s aunt&#8212;were taken into custody in separate arrests today, Thomason said.
&#8220;I want to clarify, this is not a missing persons case,&#8221; Thomason said at an 8 p.m. press conference held at the Oakland Police Department headquarters. &#8220;We believe Hassani Campbell has been murdered.&#8221;

Thomason would not comment on any evidence uncovered in the investigation nor on the nature of the arrests, but said police have yet to recover Hassani&#8217;s body. Campbell was arrested at 1:45 p.m. Friday at the Union City BART station and Ross was arrested at his Fremont home at 2:45 p.m., Thomason said.

High profile Oakland attorney John Burris, who has been working with Hassani&#8217;s foster parents as an advisor, said the two underwent questioning today and that the arrests were unexpected. &#8220;I&#8217;m quite surprised as to why they were arrested today,&#8221; Burris said at a press conference that took place before Thomason&#8217;s statements.

Burris said he has not been hired as an attorney but that he will be assisting the couple. He has previously represented celebrities including Barry Bonds and Tupac Shakur, and in 2003 won a $10.9 million class action settlement against the Oakland Police Department in the &#8220;Riders&#8221; case, which accused officers of planting evidence and using excessive force. Earlier this year Burris filed a $25 million wrongful death suit over the January shooting of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer.


Article:
http://oaklandnorth.net/2009/08/28/...ested-murder-suspected-in-missing-child-case/
 
Case of Missing Fremont Child Considered Homicide
Saturday, 29 August 2009 11:32AM
<snipped>
The foster parents of Hasanni Campbell, a 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who was last seen Aug. 10, were arrested on suspicion of murder Friday, Oakland police Officer Jeff Thomason said.

"Right now, in this investigation, it's not a missing persons case anymore," Thomason said. "It is a homicide investigation."


AUDIO: KCBS&#8217; Chris Filippi Reports
http://www.kcbs.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3984876

Article:
http://www.kcbs.com/Foster-Parents-Arrested/5105444
 
Hasanni's foster parents could be released
Saturday, August 29, 2009
<snipped>
The foster parents of missing 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell could be released from jail by Tuesday if formal complaints are not filed by then.

Louis Ross and his fiancée Jennifer Campbell were taken into custody Friday on suspicion of murder. That means police have 48 hours from the time of the arrests, not including the weekend, to file formal charges.

Police say they are now looking for Hasanni Campbell's body and they are investigating the case as a homicide.

Investigators would not say what led to the couple's arrest or why they now believe the 5-year-old is dead.


Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=6989730
 
UPDATED: Search for Hasanni not over yet, volunteer says
Posted: 08/29/2009 05:49:56 PM PDT
Updated: 08/30/2009 07:36:40 AM PDT
<snipped>
Those who had been aiding Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell since their 5-year-old foster son, Hasanni Campbell, vanished earlier this month expressed sadness Saturday, a day after the couple was arrested in connection with what investigators now call a homicide.

Oakland police released no new information Saturday, after arresting Campbell, 30, on Friday afternoon at the Union City BART station and Ross, 38, later Friday at the couple's Fremont home. Campbell was booked Friday night on suspicion of being an accessory to murder. Police were still interviewing Ross late Friday night and said they would be booking him on suspicion of murder.

Prosecutors must decide by Tuesday afternoon whether to charge the couple or release them pending further investigation.

Oakland attorney John Burris, who has been advising Ross and Campbell in recent weeks, said Saturday it was unlikely he would formally represent them; he mainly does civil-rights cases, not criminal defense, and he's not sure who'll end up taking the case. Still, he said, he tried to meet with them Saturday morning but was unsuccessful because they were in transit, perhaps for additional police interviews.

"I just want to let them know what's ahead for them... what the process looks like in front of them. No more than that," he said.

Burris said it appears investigators' probable cause for arresting Ross and Campbell was because Hasanni was never in the vicinity of the Rockridge shoe store where his foster parents claimed they last saw him Aug. 10; police say the boy actually was last seen Aug. 6 with his foster parents near a Walmart store in Fremont.

"It means to me that this is more of an effort, seemingly, to build a circumstantial-evidence-type case and eventually get one or more of them to turn state's evidence if they have any evidence, and I don't know that they do," Burris said. "I'm not surprised at that strategy."

Sherri-Lyn Miller, who has used her San Leandro shop, All in One Stop, to print up T-shirts with Hasanni's image to publicize the case and raise funds for the search, said the foster parents' arrests won't slow her volunteer effort to locate the boy.

"There's still a 5-year-old child that's missing. I'm putting a search team together and leaving my store at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning," she said. about 15 to 20 volunteers will caravan to the Monterey area, where Ross has lived in the past. "As far as trying to find him, nothing has changed. We just have two less people to look for him, and now that they're in custody the public has no more excuse for not helping to look for this child."


Article:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_13231554
 
Volunteers Continue Search Despite Foster Parents' Arrest
Posted: 3:25 pm PDT August 28, 2009
Updated: 8:06 pm PDT August 29, 2009
<snipped>
Volunteers who have been searching for Hasanni Campbell for weeks said they are undaunted by Oakland police department&#8217;s statement that they believe Hasanni is dead, and that his foster parents, Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell, are responsible.

On Friday night, police spokesperson Jeff Thomason said, "This investigation [is] not a missing persons case anymore. It is a homicide investigation."

Oakland police have not said what led to the arrest of the foster parents or why investigators believe the child is dead, though they have indicated they may reveal more information in this case on Sunday.

Still, volunteers on Saturday said their efforts are still concentrated on finding the missing boy.

Sherri Miller has been leading a small volunteer search effort for Hasanni since he was reported missing 19 days ago.

&#8220;Regardless of the arrests, regardless of anything else, he needs to be found,&#8221; said Miller. She added that she felt that the story&#8217;s improbability has kept many who might have aided in his search away.

&#8220;I think the story was very difficult for people to buy into. It made it very difficult for some people to feel some type of connection.&#8221;

Ande Pena is among the volunteers who plan to hand out t-shirts and flyers and search this weekend as far away as Monterey.

&#8220;I was saddened because it leads [people] to believe that he's not going to be found alive,&#8221; said Pena.

While they said they feel the arrest of Hasanni&#8217;s foster parents is irrelevant, both hope it leads both clues to the child&#8217;s whereabouts and a renewed effort to the search effort that has so far drawn few volunteers.

&#8220;[In similar cases], you've seen communities organize and volunteers be turned away because so many people have come together,&#8221; said Pena. &#8220;You didn't see that in this case.

Volunteers say they will continue with plans for a vigil Monday evening for Hasanni at the Shuz of Rockridge shoe store in the 6000 block of College Avenue in Oakland where he was allegedly last seen.


VIDEO: Video: OAKLAND: Volunteers Continue Search After Foster Parents' Arrest
http://www.ktvu.com/video/20624387/index.html

Article:
http://www.ktvu.com/news/20606391/detail.html
 

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