Ayellah, circa 2005; Age-progression to age 22 (circa 2009)
- Missing Since 02/01/2005
- Missing From Hawthorne, California
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race Black
- Date of Birth 04/20/1987 (36)
- Age 17 years old
- Height and Weight 5'6, 95 - 120 pounds
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Ayellah may use the alias Mia Hawkins. She has a birthmark near her left eye and her ears are pierced. She has the following tattoos: the name "Sahri" on her upper right shoulder, a rose on her upper left thigh, a heart with the name "Jeffrey" on her right thigh, and a black panther on her the left side of her upper back.
Details of Disappearance
Ayellah was last seen at a medical facility in Hawthorne, California on February 1, 2005. She has never been heard from again. She left her baby daughter in her parents' care.
For several years after her disappearance, both authorities and Ayellah's parents believed she'd run away. She had gotten involved in drugs while she was a student at Hawthorne High School, and she had a history of running away.
In the summer of 2010, police found Ayellah's high school identification in the Los Angeles home of Lonnie David Franklin Jr., the serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper." A photo of Franklin is posted with this case summary. Several of the Grim Sleeper murders took place during the mid-1980s, then the crimes apparently ceased until 2002, when they began anew.
Franklin was charged with ten of the Grim Sleeper murders in 2010, as well as one attempted murder. He was convicted of all counts in 2016 and sentenced to death. Authorities don't believe these were his only victims, however; they think Franklin may have killed up to 25 women. He died of natural causes on California's death row in 2020.
Authorities found over 1,000 photos and several hundred hours of video in Franklin's home; the images depicted African-American females, both conscious and unconscious, many of them nude, aged between their teens and middle age. Investigators released 180 photos to the public in an attempt to identify them. Several of the women in the pictures turned out to be alive and well, and identified themselves to the police. Several sexually explicit pictures turned out to be of
Rolenia Morris, whose identification was also found in Franklin's home.
The families of
Cathern Davis,
Rosalind Giles,
Lisa Knox and
Anita Parker believe Franklin may have been involved in their disappearances. Those four women were involved with drugs and prostitution and they all frequented the location near Franklin's home where his presumed victims' bodies were found.
Ayellah hasn't been declared a Grim Sleeper victim, but authorities continue to investigate her case and possible connection to Franklin. Her disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Hawthorne Police Department 310-675-4443
Source Information
Updated 7 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 30, 2020; details of disappearance updated.
