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Author speaks about dealing with a child’s death

John W. James began exploring grief and writing about recovery from immense loss not out of intellectual pursuit but because of a broken heart.

The discovery of a little girl’s body this week has broken metro Detroit’s heart, too.


The exhuming of what is thought to be 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan’s body from the banks of the River Raisin has affected the emotions of her family and the thousands of people who helped search for her, donated money to¬ward finding her and prayed for her return.


James, 65, whose 3-day-old son died three decades ago from improper lung development, was driven from working through his own grief process to founding the Grief Recovery Institute and coauthoring “The Grief Recovery Handbook.” A 20th Anniversary edition was published this spring. James spoke from his California office Thursday afternoon about dealing with a child’s death, comforting those who hurt the most and a communal sense of loss.

<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.freep.com/article/200906...hor+speaks+about+dealing+with+a+child+s+death
 
Hunt for a killer
Possible suspects may be off the list

In the rush for answers after Nevaeh Buchanan's disappearance, Monroe County sheriff's officials floated several names of possible suspects -- men with sexual assault convictions.

But on Friday, the day that Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield confirmed that a body found Thursday likely belonged to the missing 5-year-old, none of those names was mentioned.

"Task force investigators have continued to follow up on tips and leads," Crutchfield said. "We've received approximately 1,000 tips since the task force was formed."

<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.freep.com/article/200906...NEWS05/Possible+suspects+may+be+off+the+list+
 
A city's grief
Monroe residents feel loss, disbelief
Some hold out hope body isn't Nevaeh

Any mention of the name Nevaeh around this sleepy community Friday caused eyes to well, hands to wring and heads to fall.

Even after officials confirmed that a body found Thursday was the same age, height and gender as Nevaeh Buchanan, Monroe residents -- and the missing 5-year-old's family -- did not want to believe she could be gone forever.

"I'm just hoping and praying that she's still alive out there," the girl's father, Shane Hinjosa, said Friday afternoon.

Residents described their emotions in mostly one-word answers: Heartbroken. Sad. Disappointed. Angry.

<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.freep.com/article/200906...NEWS05/Monroe+residents+feel+loss++disbelief+
 
Monroe tragedy nothing new for town
Plane crash, deadly wreck mark its past

RAISINVILLE TOWNSHIP -- Some residents of this largely rural Monroe County community wonder if the quiet little community known for its farming is a magnet for bad news.

It was Jan. 9, 1997, when twin-engine Comair turboprop plane Flight 3272 en route from Cincinnati to Detroit Metro Airport crashed into a field off of Dixon Road, killing 29. Now, just minutes up the road, investigators are examining a site where a child's body ..............

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.freep.com/article/20090606/NEWS05/906060406/0/NEWS05/Monroe+tragedy+nothing+new+for+town
 
DNA test makes a positive ID: It's Nevaeh's body

Michigan State Police have identified the remains of the little girl found Thursday in a shallow grave in Raisinville Township as 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office announced today.
Advertisement

The police's Northville crime lab used DNA to verify that the remains were indeed those of Nevaeh, who disappeared May 24 from outside of her Monroe apartment complex.

The announcement ends five days of speculation, during which law-enforcement agents and Nevaeh's family acknowledged they were looking for the girl's killer, while at the same time holding out hope that the remains proved to be someone else.

Officials still haven't released the cause of death in the case, which has generated national attention and prompted the Michigan Department of Corrections to send two convicted sex offenders back to prison for violating their paroles by being friends with Nevaeh's mother, Jennifer Buchanan.
http://www.freep.com/article/200906...+test+makes+a+positive+ID++It+s+Nevaeh+s+body
 
http://www.freep.com/article/20090610/NEWS05/90610031

June 10, 2009

Visitation for Nevaeh begins Thursday

Services for murdered 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan are set to begin Thursday, with calling hours open to the public from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Merkle Funeral Service in Monroe...

...
Nevaeh&#8217;s funeral is scheduled for noon Saturday at Stewart Road Christian Ministries Center, 1199 Stewart Road, with visitation an hour before the service. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, 909 N. Monroe St...
Click to expand...
 
Nevaeh’s case becomes top priority for crime lab

Meanwhile, the death has earned the dubious honor of being priority No. 1 for State Police forensic analysts.
Capt. Michael Thomas, director of the State Police forensic division, said Nevaeh’s case leapfrogged thousands of others backlogged for months — hundreds of them homicides — because of its “sensitive nature.”

“There’s someone out there who might have killed a little girl,” Thomas said. “She is the top priority.”


http://www.freep.com/article/200906...aeh+s+case+becomes+top+priority+for+crime+lab
 
A small, white casket covered with a rainbow of flowers will greet mourners today as they begin to say their final good-byes to 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

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Nevaeh’s funeral is scheduled for noon Saturday at Stewart Road Christian Ministries Center, 1199 Stewart Road, with visitation an hour before the service. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, 909 N. Monroe St.

http://www.freep.com/article/200906...EWS/Mourners+gather+to+say+good-bye+to+Nevaeh
 
Sheriff: Nevaeh case will be solved

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said he is confident the case will be solved.
"We&#8217;ll resolve it," he said.

Information continues to be held tight by investigators, and the FBI continues to be involved with the investigation, Sheriff Crutchfield said. He said a cause of death either is not being released or has not been determined because test results still are not completed even though the Michigan State Police crime lab has made the case a priority.

http://www.monroenews.com/article/20090625/NEWS01/706259986/-1/NEVAEH
 
'Monroe's Baby'
Nevaeh's fate haunts residents
Visits to grave wane, but not sense of loss
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
<snipped>
But that doesn't mean Nevaeh Buchanan has been forgotten. The slaying of the 5-year-old girl still haunts family members, residents and visitors to the Monroe area.

"She was everything to me," said her mother, Jennifer Buchanan. "She was a tomboy; she liked cars, trucks, motorcycles and camping and fishing. She never liked to sit at home; she always wanted to be doing something."

However, Nevaeh's short life also was marred by conflict. Even before she was born on Feb. 3, 2004, she was at the center of a nasty custody battle between her drug-addicted mother and a father who ran off with her uncle's girlfriend, family members said.

Shane Hinojosa, Nevaeh's father, said he was estranged from his daughter even before her birth, with the Buchanans holding a grudge against him for running away to Toledo with the girlfriend of Mike Buchanan, Jennifer's brother.

"I gave up. I was tired of fighting, though I wanted to be part of her life," Hinojosa said of the custody battle.

Nevaeh called Kennedy "step-daddy George." Jennifer Buchanan said Kennedy provided her daughter with toys, including pocket motorcycles that she'd roll on the dining room table, and clothing for schools and holidays. Buchanan insists that Kennedy was never left alone with Nevaeh.

"He was there more for her than her actual father," Jennifer Buchanan said.

When Nevaeh was two years old, her mother was sent to prison for home invasions she said she committed to support her drug habit. While her mom was incarcerated, Nevaeh went to live with her grandmother until eight days before her fifth birthday, when Jennifer Buchanan was released.

Now, there is no headstone at her grave; only a temporary plastic placard marks the site. A gravestone is expected to be delivered in a few weeks, Jennifer Buchanan said.

Tributes adorn the grave of Nevaeh Buchanan. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of that little girl," said Kelly Muncie, a local waitress.
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Article:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090701/METRO/907010352/Nevaeh-s-fate-haunts-residents
 
These articles haven't been posted here yet!
Nevaeh's mom disputes rumors
She answers whispers about role in death: 'None of it's true'
Friday, June 19, 2009
<snipped>
Monroe -- Jennifer Buchanan has felt love and support from relatives and neighbors after her daughter's murder -- but she admitted Thursday she senses the suspicion and has heard whispers from those who speculate she knows more than she's telling. And, she said, it's starting to get to her.

"I realize some people think I had something to do with it," Buchanan said Thursday, referring to the slaying of her 5-year-old daughter, Nevaeh, who disappeared May 24 from her apartment complex. That set off a massive, weeks-long manhunt until the girl's body was discovered in early June by two fishermen in a shallow grave beneath a slab of concrete on the bank
of the River Raisin.

"I hear the rumors," Buchanan said. "I hear what people are saying. But none of it's true."

She said investigators have not contacted her recently about the case.

"They don't talk to me about it," she said. "But at this point, they can't say anything to me. They did tell me there would be a time and place when they can sit down and explain everything, but that now they can't say anything."

Article:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090619/METRO/906190371
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Person of interest in Nevaeh case left free despite actions
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
<snipped>
George Kennedy's parole officer urged corrections officials three times to send the convicted sex offender back to prison for violating the terms of his parole, but each time the officer's supervisors overruled the recommendations.

Kennedy, 39, who has been named by police as a person of interest in the murder of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, was released from prison in July 2007, after serving five years for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Within three months of his release, he had violated the terms of his parole, said John Cordell, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Meanwhile, police continue to investigate convicted sex offenders in the area for possible clues.

According to neighbors, FBI agents have twice visited the Monroe home of VD, a 33-year-old man who was convicted in May 2007 of having sex with a minor younger than 16. D served no prison time for the offense, records show.

The Michigan Sex Offender Registry reports that D' home address is an apartment complex on Bacon near downtown Monroe. But his neighbor, 24-year-old Katherine Taormina, said Davis is never there. She said FBI agents questioned her about D after Nevaeh was reported missing.

"They came by here twice," Taormina said. "They asked if I'd seen him. They told us they were trying to get information about where he was when the girl disappeared. I told them I know he's supposed to be living here, but he never comes here. He usually stays down in Toledo."

Article:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090616/METRO/906160371
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still no answers for Nevaeh's murder
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 4:15 p.m.
<snipped>
Officials in Monroe County, Mich. say they have yet to make any arrests in the disappearance and murder of Nevaeh Buchanan.

Investigators are still waiting on lab tests results for evidence collected at the burial site.

Authorities continue to ask for any information or tips that public may have in the case. They are asking for anyone who may have fished along the River Raisin in recent months to come forward with any information they may have related to Nevaeh's murder.

Article:
http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=317010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tips still wanted,who killed Nevaeh?
June 24, 12:17 PM
<snipped>
When most of us think of little girls we imagine ponytails, baby dolls and barrettes. One gruesome scene left in our minds and on our hearts is that of a little girl someone left along the River Raisin near Monroe, Michigan as a mother and community searched for her.

Officials still are waiting to learn what killed the girl found buried and covered in concrete in a shallow riverside grave. A preliminary autopsy showed no signs of outward trauma, authorities said.

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said only that his department is looking for a “disturbed” person who murdered an innocent child.

Article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-3284-Detr...y2009m6d24-Tips-still-wantedwho-killed-Nevaeh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inviting Sex Offenders Home: When Mom's Relationship Puts Children at Risk
Two Midwest Children Disappeared, Third Killed After Moms Associated With Sex Offenders
June 24, 2009
<snipped>
Losing a child to a sex offender is a mother's nightmare. But what if that mother is the one who brought the sex offender into her home?

In the cases of at least three Midwestern children reported missing this year, police have discovered that their mothers had relationships with known sex offenders.

One little boy was found safe in a motel. One little girl was found buried in a riverside grave. And the third -- 3-year-old Haylee Donathan --was found Tuesday thousands of miles away from her home.

Ken Lanning, a consultant and former FBI agent who spent two decades studying the sexual victimization of children, said that, in general, the first hurdle for pedophiles on the prowl is access to children. One of the most common ways to get that, outside of abusing a family member, is to latch on to a woman with children, often in a romantic relationship.

"Adult human beings tend to believe what they want or need to believe," he said. "Someone to tell her she's pretty, someone to support her.

"The more desperate she is and the greater the need, the more vulnerable she becomes to this," Lanning said.

Some locals have begun turning against Nevaeh's mother, Jennifer Buchanan, for giving sex offenders access to her only child.

"I didn't think it was a crime to have my child around someone," she told the Detroit Free Press, later adding that "If George wanted to do that, he would have done it a little sooner. That's the way I feel. But I could be wrong."

She told the newspaper that she had known Kennedy for a couple of years and met Smith through him a couple months before her daughter disappeared. And while she was aware of Kennedy's sex offender status, she only guessed the same of Smith because of the men's association.

Article:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7907111&page=1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing new in the murder investigation
June 20. 2009 1:01AM
<snipped>
Police involved in the Nevaeh Buchanan murder investigation have been unusually tight-lipped and have released scant information since the 5-year-old girl's body was recovered nearly two weeks ago.

Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield has made it a point to be the sole provider of all official information released to the media. Even members of his department, including some who are ranked, have said they are not privy to any details of the case.

Jennifer Buchanan and her mother, Sherry Buchanan, said they do not know any details regarding who could have been involved or how Nevaeh died. They said police have released very little information about how the case is progressing. While they understand, not knowing is still frustrating.

"They're just not leaking anything out," Jennifer Buchanan said.

"But I don't want to feel like I'm standing in their way. I don't want them to make no mistakes."

"The medical examiner's office has not issued a cause of death yet," the sheriff said through e-mail. "As stated earlier, there was no apparent trauma to the body. Toxicology results are still pending."

He added that lab analysis has not been completed on evidence submitted to the State Police Crime Lab and no results have been reported to investigators other than the positive DNA identification on Nevaeh.

Article:
http://www.monroenews.com/article/20090620/NEWS01/706209970/-1/NEVAEH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mom: Nevaeh's funeral 'touched my heart'
June 20. 2009 1:00AM
<snipped>
When hundreds of balloons were released at Munson Park during Nevaeh Buchanan's funeral procession, the little girl's mother felt a sense of peace.

"It was beautiful," Jennifer Buchanan said Friday afternoon. "When they let go of those balloons, I felt a piece of my daughter go with them."

A week after burying her daughter, Ms. Buchanan continues to grieve while searching for a tombstone and trying to understand who could have abducted and killed her 5-year-old daughter and why.

She also is struggling with the pain of rumors that continue to swirl around her. She and her mother, Sherry Buchanan, do not understand why they have to defend themselves and continue to proclaim their innocence.

She said that throughout the ordeal, most people have been supportive. However, there has been an incident or two where strangers have either been rude or threatening.

Recently, the apartment complex told the family to remove the memorial that was created under a tree in front of the Buchanan home. People were showing up at all hours of the night and it was becoming unmanageable. So the family brought all the stuffed animals and other items inside and they filled a bedroom. They said they plan to donate the items.

Jennifer Buchanan holds a framed portrait of her daughter Nevaeh, while surrounded by items that were moved into her Charlotte Arms apartment from an outside memorial. “I had her whole life planned for her,” Ms. Buchanan said of her daughter.
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Article:
http://www.monroenews.com/article/20090619/NEWS01/306199993/-1/NEVAEH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nevaeh Buchanan’s mom says, ‘…I feel like everyone is attacking me’ and calls Nancy Grace ‘rude’
June 20, 4:27 PM
<snipped>
But, after revelations that Jennifer Buchanan was engaged in relationships with two convicted sex offenders and her inconsistent statements during radio and television interviews, public sentiment quickly turned.

“It’s just very frustrating. I’ve got all these emotions running through me,” she said. “They could still be out there, whoever did this. I could have shook their hand—they could have showed up at the vigil. That keeps me up at night, not knowing who did this.”

Buchanan, 24, was interviewed by Nancy Grace on June 8 and walked off the show during a commercial break. Buchanan called her appearance traumatic and said of Grace, “She was rude, inconsiderate, all of the above. She made me confused and frustrated. I was getting to the point where I felt that she was accusing me of having something to do with [the murder].”

To hear Buchanan's radio interview with Deminski & Doyle:
Jennifer Buchanan Interview, Part 1
YouTube - Jennifer Buchanan Interview, Part 1

Jennifer Buchanan Interview, Part 2
YouTube - Jennifer Buchanan Interview, Part 2

Article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crim...ne-is-attacking-me-and-calls-Nancy-Grace-rude
 
Search Continues for Nevaeh's Killer
Updated: Friday, 03 Jul 2009, 7:52 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 03 Jul 2009, 7:52 PM EDT
<snipped>
The Monroe County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are looking at 400 sex offenders in Monroe County. It's been nearly six weeks since Neveah Buchanan was first reported missing. Family members are still waiting for closure.

Neveah Buchanan's cousin is talking about the trauma left behind since her death. He and other family members are waiting on official autopsy results and the killer to be found.

The first autopsy is set to be completed. Now, a second one is set to be used to confirm the exact cause of death. The FBI tells FOX 2 the results may not be released to the public immediately, fearing it could change someone's story.

With little, new information, the FBI has the following tip. "Don't engage in rumors. Don't spread rumors," said Robert Beckman. "If there's somebody that tells you something that you think... may be related to a fact, call the FBI and we'll follow up on it."

Beckman says the 400 registered sex offenders in Monroe County are being interviewed and their stories checked multiple times. The sex offenders are said to be cooperative.

Whatever DNA is found from Nevaeh's body will be compared to samples taken from those sex offenders. Investigators are even taking fiber from people's carpets in the Charlotte Arms Apartments. They're calling for more tips and patience, saying it could be weeks longer for autopsy results to become available.

VIDEO INCLUDED IN ARTICLE!

Article:
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/090703_nevaeh_search
 
Nevaeh Buchanan memorial fundraiser
Wednesday, July 08, 2009 | 9:04 AM
<snipped>
Olga's Kitchen offers benefit for slain child
Today, at area Olga's Kitchens, you can benefit a memorial fund for Nevaeh Buchanan, who was killed last month near Monroe, MI.

Four stores are offering to donate 15% of your bill to the fund if you present a flyer found on a Facebook page.

Three restaurants are located in Michigan and one at Toledo's Westfield Franklin Park. All are open until 9 p.m.

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=6904446
 
The search for Nevaeh's killer continues
Friday, June 26, 2009
<snipped>
More than one month after she went missing and three weeks since the discovery of her body many questions remain about the death of Nevaeh Buchannan. We are still waiting for autopsy results, still waiting to hear the cause of death and waiting for investigators to name a suspect. The same goes for Nevaeh's family.
More than one month has gone by since relatives last saw Nevaeh Buchannan alive.

VIDEO: Police Still Search For Neveah's Killer
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/video?id=6885514

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=6885492
 
Nevaeh's Death Investigation Still On
Monroe Community Continues To Hold Fundraisers In Slain Girl's Honor
POSTED: Wednesday, July 8, 2009
UPDATED: 7:21 pm EDT July 8, 2009
<snipped>
It's been weeks since the Monroe County Sheriff's Department has released any new information regarding the killing of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan.

Investigators working the case have been quiet, and told Local 4 Wednesday that there are still no arrests in the case and the girl's cause of death is yet to be determined. But investigators said the case is still very active, with new leads being followed up on and new interviews being conducted.

Family, friends and community members gathered Wednesday for a fundraiser in Buchanan's honor at various Olga's Kitchen restaurant locations.

VIDEO: Investigation Into Monroe Girl's Death Ongoing
http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/19995923/index.html

Article:
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19995232/detail.html
 
Two fires in one neighborhood, same time
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
<snipped>
Two fires broke out in one Monroe neighborhood, just 90 minutes apart. Both happened last night near East Dunbar Road and South Dixie Highway.

While battling the first fire, fire crews noticed a man trying to get into a fire truck. Then a short time later, they realize that man's home was burning just feet up the road.

Fire crews say while they were putting out the flames, a man was spotted getting into a fire truck. He told firefighters he wanted to help direct traffic. A short time later, crews noticed flames pouring out of room 19 at the Motel 7, just a few hundred feet away. "When we arrived on the fire here he was wandering in the parking lot," says Calvin Schmitt, fire inspector of the Monroe Charter Twp. fire department.

Fire crews say the man was staying in room 19. He was sentenced for illegal burning in the past, but fire investigators are still looking into this one. "We are concentrating in and around the bed area. We did find paraphernalia used for recreational use of substance, says Schmitt.

Crews say these two fires, although close in distance and time, don't appear to be related. The man was treated for second degree burns on his face, arms and shoulders. Something else of note - the man was staying two doors from where George Kennedy once stayed. Kennedy was the registered sex offender and an early person of interest in the Nevaeh Buchanan disappearance.

VIDEO: Two fires in one neighborhood, same time
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/video?id=6894405

Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=6894194
 
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