NEVAEH BUCHANAN: 5-year-old abducted and murdered in Michigan - 2009

Nevaeh Buchanan's body was found 11 years ago; her murder is still unsolved

The 5-year-old went missing from outside her Monroe apartment complex in 2009. Her body was later found along the River Raisin.

www.wtol.com

Nevaeh Buchanan's body was found 11 years ago; her murder is still unsolved

It has been 11 years since the body of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan was found along the River Raisin on June 4, more than two weeks after she was reported missing from the Charlotte Arms apartment complex in Monroe.

Her murder is still unsolved, but her family has not lost their resolve to find out what happened to Nevaeh.


Nevaeh, who would have turned 16 in February, was last seen alive the day before Memorial Day when she vanished from the parking lot where she lived.

About ten days and ten miles from where Nevaeh was last seen, her little body was found buried and covered in cement along the River Raisin.

Smith says the place where Nevaeh's body was not easy to get to, and finds it hard to believe that no one saw anything regarding her disappearance.

An autopsy report indicates that Nevaeh may have been buried alive. The Detroit Free Press reported in 2009 the report said testing on Nevaeh's body, including her lungs, shows she died after inhaling dirt.

But the report did not mention whether or not she was sexually assaulted.

Nevaeh's grandmother, who has since passed away, said on the seven-year anniversary of Nevaeh's death that she believes the person who abducted and killed Nevaeh knew her granddaughter.

In 2009, two men, George Kennedy, 39, and Roy Lee Smith, 48, both friends of Nevaeh's mother, were arrested as possible suspects. Both men are registered sex offenders, yet neither was ever formally charged.

Her family still has no answers of who could've taken Nevaeh in broad daylight, and are still pleading for witnesses to come forward with any little detail they may remember about that day.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

 

[Mel70]

Previously convicted. OF COURSE!!!. I think whoever killed her knew her too. Covering her with cement!!!! Who takes time to do that?. Buried alive?!!! EVIL!!!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I always thought that those early arrests were probably the right people. But police don't seem to think so. Connection to Nevaeh (one was dating her mom). Previous convictions for sexual assaults against children. But, at the same time, a guy who leaves a bloody towel and "sharp tool" laying around...is he really smart enough to get away with this?

But also, they never did release if she was sexually assaulted. And they have a newer suspect...just no evidence to prove it.

Very, very little info released over the past 10 years. So sad.

 

[Mel70]

I always thought that those early arrests were probably the right people. But police don't seem to think so. Connection to Nevaeh (one was dating her mom). Previous convictions for sexual assaults against children. But, at the same time, a guy who leaves a bloody towel and "sharp tool" laying around...is he really smart enough to get away with this?

But also, they never did release if she was sexually assaulted. And they have a newer suspect...just no evidence to prove it.

Very, very little info released over the past 10 years. So sad.

Sorry. But the Mother knowingly dating someone like that. Uh uh. The description of finding her is horrific. Poor baby.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Nevaeh Buchanan should be 17. Instead, she's forever 5 years old and her killer has never been brought to justice in her haunting death

The Monroe County Sheriff says this case has never been 'cold' and there are still leads being pursued in the case of the girl found encased in concrete in 2009.

www.wtol.com

Nevaeh Buchanan should be 17. Instead, she's forever 5 years old and her killer has never been brought to justice in her haunting death​

An angelic-looking girl beams out from a series of pictures hanging on a wall inside the law enforcement complex in Monroe.

She looks slightly different in all three pictures, a testament to the rapid changes of early childhood. But the big smile is the same.

A placard above the photos reads: "In memory of Nevaeh Buchanan." Below is another: "Never forgotten."

If you study the name for a moment, you might notice that her first name is heaven spelled backward.

For those who know the story of the 5-year-old girl, the photo on the left is haunting. Nevaeh is riding a tricycle and holding a sign that reads "May."

It is the tricycle she was riding in May 2009, when she disappeared, uniting neighbors and strangers in the common goal of finding that little girl with a big smile.

MUCH MUCH MORE AT LINK

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

13 years later, murder of Monroe girl Nevaeh Buchanan remains unsolved

Sherry remembers May 24, 2009 vividly. She was just about to leave work when her daughter Jennifer called.

www.clickondetroit.com

13 years later, murder of Monroe girl Nevaeh Buchanan remains unsolved​

“I looked up and saw two of the ducks flying, and I said ‘Don’t even start with me right now.’”

Sherry Buchanan is talking to her granddaughter Nevaeh. She does that from time to time when she comes around. She knows she’s there when she sees Canadian Geese and ducks. Those were Nevaeh’s favorite.

Sherry sees the signs of Nevaeh when they’re there and she can’t help but think about what Nevaeh would be doing right now if she were here.

“She would have been 18 this year,” Sherry says with a little smile. “So, it would either have been either graduation or going on to further education. Who knows? And that’s what I miss is that I didn’t get to see all that.”



Two persons of interest were identified during the investigation -- both men who were convicted sex offenders -- but neither was charged.

Monroe County Sheriff’s detectives remain tight-lipped on the investigation but say it is in no way a cold case.

Nevaeh’s file is always on somebody’s desk and to date more than two thousand leads have been followed.

“After taking office on January 1, 2021, Sheriff Goodnough commissioned a separate team of investigators from the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau who partnered with special agents from the FBI’s Ann Arbor office to assist with investigative efforts,” reads part of a statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

“Together, the team has reviewed all investigative material, re-interviewed select witnesses, and are continuing to use cutting edge forensic technology to develop leads.”

That statement, combined with the department’s reluctance to go on camera to discuss the case, leads you to believe police have information they don’t want to the killer to know or even get a sense of.

But any hope or even momentum on the law enforcement side does not exist with Nevaeh’s family.

“Do you think police will ever solve Nevaeh’s murder?” I asked Sherry.

“In my opinion? No. No.”



Thirteen years later, Nevaeh’s presence can be felt all over Monroe, including at her pre-school where she’d graduated just days before she disappeared. Her picture still hangs in the hallway and her name and likeness is on a bench on the edge of the playground.

Jennifer Buchanan is married now and has two boys who are almost Nevaeh’s age when she was taken.

“That’s why I don’t let these kids out of my sight-- especially when they’re with me,” Sherry says. “I just don’t want to trust nobody right now. I talk to people but I stay at a distance.”

Outside of the moments when geese fly above, Sherry likes to go and see Nevaeh at St. Joseph Cemetery when she talks to her.

Her grave still looks new, with her picture in full color, with an inscription that reads: “MONROE’S LITTLE ANGEL.”

A toy motorcycle sits on the ledge.

“I just tell her every time I see her , ‘Baby, I wish to God you were here with me. I would have loved to have seen how you would have turned out.

And I regret the day that person took you away from me.’”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'I just hope at some point in time, all these puzzle pieces can be put together' | Murder of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan still unsolved

May 24, 2022 marked 13 years since 5-year-old Nevaeh Amyah Buchanan was kidnapped and murdered in Monroe. Her killer has still not been found.

www.wtol.com

'I just hope at some point in time, all these puzzle pieces can be put together' | Murder of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan still unsolved​

Tuesday marked 13 years since 5-year-old Nevaeh Amyah Buchanan was kidnapped and murdered in Monroe.

Her body was discovered 11 days later and her killer has never been found.

But, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said this case is neither cold nor closed.

Her heart-shaped tombstone reads, "Nevaeh Amyah Buchanan," her full name, and that's what Risa Smith, a distant cousin and the family's spokesperson, said everyone should refer to her as.

"You know, I don't want them to say, 'the girl by the river.' It's like they discard who she was in reference to 'the girl by the river,'" Smith said. "She deserves better than that."

It has been exactly 13 years since the little girl with the unique name, Nevaeh, which is heaven spelled backwards, went missing from the playground next to her apartment complex.


WTOL 11 reached out to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office to learn of any updates in the case, they released a statement that read, in part:

"The investigation has never been closed nor has it ever been reduced to a cold case. Rather, this investigation is very much active..."

Smith said she still carries hope that justice will be served and they'll find the killer that has been walking around free. But, she tries not to get too excited, for fear of being let down again.

"I just hope at some point in time, all these puzzle pieces can be put together and the one piece that's missing is found," Smith said.

Nevaeh would have turned 18 years old this year. But instead, she will be forever 5 years old.

 

[Mel70]

It's probably someone with a record for at least molestation. Like so many times before.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Case Files: The search for the person who killed 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan

Nevaeh Buchanan disappeared from the apartment complex where she lived in Monroe in 2009. 11 days after her disappearance, her body was found along the River Raisin. Her death was ruled a homicide and the case remains unsolved.

www.13abc.com

Case Files: The search for the person who killed 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan​

It was Memorial Day weekend, May 24, 2009. Nevaeh Buchanan was playing at the former Charlotte Arms apartments on N. Maccomb Street in Monroe, Michigan. She lived in the complex with her grandmother and her mother, Jennifer. According to police reports, Nevaeh was outside playing. When her mother went out to the parking lot, she was gone.

It was the last time the child was reportedly seen alive. The 5-year-old’s disappearance immediately sparked a police response and shortly after, an Amber Alert was issued. Monroe became part of the national spotlight. Every day hundreds of volunteers would show up looking for any sign of the little girl.



13abc reached out to the Monroe County Sheriff’s department for an update on the case. Sheriff Troy Goodnough did not grant our request for an on-camera interview citing a very active case but did send a full statement outlining what is happening in the search for Nevaeh Buchanan’s killer.

The investigation is sometimes referred to as a “cold case.” This investigation has never been “closed”, nor has it ever been reduced to a “cold case.” Rather, this investigation is very much active and as long as Sheriff Goodnough is leading this organization, solving this heinous crime will always be among the highest of priorities. In an effort to protect the integrity of the investigation, we cannot discuss leads, direction or the focus of it.”
Jeff Pauli, Monroe County Undersheriff

If you have any information about the murder of Nevaeh Buchanan, you can contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (734) 240-7400 or Crimestoppers of Michigan 1-800-SPEAKUp or email a tip.

You could be eligible for a $2,500 reward. If you have a case that needs attention email casefiles@13abc.com.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Still no justice for girl encased in cement over a decade after murder horror

Nevaeh Buchanan vanished while playing outside her home in 2009, 11 days later the five-year-old girl's body was found encased in cement and it was later revealed she'd been buried alive

www.mirror.co.uk

Still no justice for five-year-old girl encased in cement more than decade after horrifying murder​

It's been more than a decade since the search for a missing five-year-old girl ended in tragedy after it was discovered she'd been buried alive - but her killer still hasn't been found.


To this day, no one has been found guilty of Nevaeh’s death. Her body was discovered 12 miles from her home where she was last seen.

Two convicted sex offenders who knew Neveah’s mother were once considered persons of interest. The men were arrested on probation violations early in the investigation and questioned about the girl’s disappearance but were later dismissed.

Risa Smith, of the group Justice for Neevaeh said: “When you think about it it had to be a grown person. Where she was down that embankment, there’s no way a younger kid did that, it had to be a grown person that put her there. I have a hard time believing one person did it.


Risa is a relative of Nevaeh, who led efforts at the beginning and has worked all these years to keep the case in the public consciousness. Talking of the Memorial Day weekend in 2009 Risa said: “This is with me for the rest of my life. Even after 13 years, I get choked up.

“I’ll ask myself all the time, did they wake up and have a bad day? What was going through their minds- how could they have done this? What were they thinking? I mean did she cry, did they beg them to stop? That person has to live with that and it just blows my mind to think someone could live with that.”

After ABC13 reached out to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department for an update on the case in 2022, Sheriff Troy Goodnough issued a statement confirming it is still a priority for the police force.

Goodnough said: “The investigation is sometimes referred to as a 'cold case.' This investigation has never been 'closed', nor has it ever been reduced to a 'cold case.'

Rather, this investigation is very much active and as long as Sheriff Goodnough is leading this organization, solving this heinous crime will always be among the highest of priorities. In an effort to protect the integrity of the investigation, we cannot discuss leads, direction or the focus of it.” Crime Stoppers is offering $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest.

 

[GrandmaBear]

WHO would do something like this? And NO LEADS or ARRESTS?!