IA XAVIOR HARRELSON: Missing from Poweshiek County, IA - 27 May 2021 - Age 10 *Found Deceased*

Authorities search for 10-year-old boy who disappeared in Poweshiek County

Authorities are searching for a 10-year-old boy who went missing from a mobile home park in Poweshiek County Thursday morning. Xavior Harrelson was last seen around 11 a.m. Thursday in Montezuma.

www.thegazette.com

Authorities searching for 10-year-old boy who disappeared in Poweshiek County​

Authorities are searching for a 10-year-old boy who went missing from a mobile home park in Poweshiek County on Thursday morning.

Xavior Harrelson was last seen around 11 a.m. Thursday in Montezuma, according to the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office.

He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt, blue pajama pants and black high-top shoes. He has brown hair and blue eyes and is about 4 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation joined the investigation Friday.

Xavior left his home in the Spruce Village Mobile Home Park and has not been seen since, Assistant DCI Director Mitch Mortvedt said. The boy’s mother believed Xavior had gone out to play with friends, he said.

“Obviously, we’re very concerned,” Mortvedt said. “This is a young boy — he’s only 10 years old — and he’s been missing for more than 24 hours.”

The mobile home park is in northwest Montezuma, less than half a mile from Diamond Lake County Park, which Mortvedt described as a “vast wooded area.”

Mortvedt said it’s unknown if there is any criminal aspect to the boy’s disappearance, “but we are treating it like there is and deploying as many resources as we can to find him.”

“Right now, we are double- and triple-checking his friends’ houses and the places he is known to hang out. We are canvassing the immediate areas and knocking on doors and talking to people, and we’ll expand the search from there if we need to,” he said.


MEDIA - XAVIOR HARRELSON: Missing from Poweshiek County, IA since 27 May 2021 - Age 10

 

[kdg411]

Friends describe relationship between Xavior Harrelson and his mother as search for missing boy continues

From reading this article about the relationship between mother and son, I wonder if he could have run away but where would he go for this long is my question. Did he take off on his bike or do we know? I know one article said he was last seen riding his bike but was the bike found? I think it was but I might be getting confused, so many kids going missing it's hard to keep them all straight. Just wondering what the world is going on with so many kids disappearing without a trace.

It is unfortunate that these cases are coming too fast and I'm guilty of getting the details confused so you're not alone.


Per the missing child's Aunt, he didn't leave on his bike. Post is by M.H.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Authorities still looking for Xavior Harrelson, 6 weeks after disappearance

Thursday marks six weeks since 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson disappeared from his hometown of Montezuma.

www.kcrg.com

Authorities still looking for Xavior Harrelson, 6 weeks after disappearance​

Thursday marks six weeks since 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson disappeared from his hometown of Montezuma.

Xavior’s face still covers thousands of missing posters around his hometown.


Authorities have not provided updates on his case in several weeks.

However, assistant director of the Iowa DCI, Mitch Mortvedt, said this doesn’t mean they’ve stopped looking.

“We are working on it every day and the public may not see that, the community may not see that, and since it is an ongoing investigation, there’s a lot that we can’t say at this point,” Mortvedt said.

He says they’ve searched through hours of video and interviewed hundreds of people.

Investigators say nailing down exactly where Xavior vanished is a challenge.

He says Xavior’s bicycle was left at the mobile home trailer where he lives with his mother.

Neighbors call this *suspicious since Xavior is known to love is bike and ride it every day.

“We feel confident that there is somebody out there that knows something, if not, more than one person,” Mortvedt said. “We wanna bring Xavior home.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

DCI say they are doing a lot 'behind the scenes' in Xavior Harrelson's disappearance case

Xavior Harrelson was reported missing May 27 after vanishing in his hometown of Montezuma

www.kcci.com

DCI say they are doing a lot 'behind the scenes' in Xavior Harrelson's disappearance case​

Mitch Mortvedt, the assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, says agents are still working full time to find the missing boy.

"We are working on it every day and the public may not see that, the community may not see that, and since it is an ongoing investigation, there's a lot that we can't say at this point," Mortvedt said.

Mortvedt says they have combed through hours of video and interviewed hundreds of people.

"We've interviewed, literally, probably almost everybody in town, let alone, you know, friends of the family, extended family," Mortvedt said.

"We would hope that that reward would have some influence on somebody that knows something, because obviously, we feel confident that there is somebody out there that knows something," Mortvedt said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Bahena Rivera sentencing delayed after twist in case, new motion connects to Xavior Harrelson

Cristhian Bahena Rivera’s sentencing for the 2018 killing of Mollie Tibbetts will be delayed after the defense has requested a new hearing and the court will review more evidence.

kwwl.com

Bahena Rivera sentencing delayed after twist in case, new motion connects to Xavior Harrelson​

Defense lawyers recently filed the motion, bringing forward evidence to support claims that Bahena Rivera was framed, saying an inmate admitted to killing Tibbetts. The documents identify a new witness, an inmate who testified that another incarcerated individual ("Inmate 2") was part of a duo that killed Tibbetts under the orders of a "50-year-old male involved in the sex trafficking trade."

New documents identify that 50-year-old as James Manuel Lowe and claim that he was operating a sex trafficking ring out of a residence in New Sharon in the summer of 2018. "Inmate 2" said he went to a “trap house” owned by Lowe, saw Tibbetts bound and gagged, and admitted to killing her.

In a Supplemental Motion for New Trial, the defense is arguing that Lowe is connected to at least 10 other missing children from Poweshiek County or nearby counties, most recently the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson. Bahena Rivera's attorneys claim that Lowe had a relationship with Xavior's mother, Sarah Harrelson, and they lived together for a period of time. They say that through an investigation, Lowe may have been one of the last people to see Xavior.

The defense is claiming that the prosecution's failure to turn over reports involving trap houses and kidnappings is a due process violation.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Xavior Harrelson’s aunt speaks out while advocating for new AMBER Alert criteria

Xavior Harrelson's aunt speaks out for the first time since disappearance while advocating for change.

www.kyoutv.com

Xavior Harrelson’s aunt speaks out while advocating for new AMBER Alert criteria​

Michelle Harrelson, Xavior’s aunt is speaking out for the first time, and has a mission behind her voice. An online petition with nearly 2,000 signatures on Change.org calling for changing the AMBER Alert criteria for a more efficient nationwide coverage for missing children.

Harrelson says an AMBER Alert could have already brought her nephew home saying: “Especially after learning what kind of child Xavior was. That he was afraid of the dark and that he would never run away from home. That there was still no amber alert issued because the criteria wasn’t met. If that’s the only thing that prevented them from it then that needs to change.”

Currently that criteria consists of three main things. First, the child must be under the age of 18 years old. Second, law officials must believe the abducted child is in danger. And third, there is enough information about the child, abductor, or suspect’s vehicle for an immediate broadcast the alert.

Mitch Mortvedt with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says Xavior did not qualify for the AMBER Alert criteria and there are no exceptions to those rules.

Michelle says she plans to take her plans to state legislators when the session convenes in January.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Fact check: Looking into Rivera's attorney's claims about missing children in Poweshiek County

Cristian Bahena Rivera's defense team claims Xavior Harrelson's disappearance is connected to Mollie Tibbett's murder.

www.kcci.com

Fact check: Looking into Rivera's attorney's claims about missing children in Poweshiek County​

"There's something rotten in this community," Chad Frese, Rivera's attorney said. "We want to know why there's 10 missing kids in this area of the state that's getting glossed over that we think may have something to do with the disappearance of Mollie Tibbetts."

It's a claim that took many Poweshiek County residents by surprise.

KCCI combed through pages and pages of the DCI's online database -- The Missing Person Information Clearinghouse -- and only found one currently active missing person case out of Poweshiek County, which is Xavior Harrelson's case.

So what about the other nine cases Rivera's attorney is referring to?

We reached out to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation -- they said they don't know where that number came from.

"I am certainly not aware of 10 missing individuals from this community or even surroundings," she said. "If there were more than one missing person from Montezuma, we would all have more than one missing person sign hanging in our windows."https://www.kcci.com/article/judge-...r-evidence-into-sex-trafficking-ring/37052373

 

[Kimster]

Here’s a short explanation of the information coming around about how Xavier’s case may be intertwined with Molly Tibbetts case.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Investigators: no connection between Mollie Tibbetts murder, Xavior Harrelson’s disappearance

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said there is no evidence connecting the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson to the death of Mollie Tibbetts.

www.kcrg.com

Investigators: no connection between Mollie Tibbetts murder, Xavior Harrelson’s disappearance​

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said there is no evidence connecting the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson to the death of Mollie Tibbetts.

Defense attorneys for Bahena Rivera claimed the timing of Harrelson’s disappearance was not a coincidence.

Assistant Director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Mitch Mortvedt said investigators are open to any possibility regarding Harrelson’s disappearance. However, investigators believe the idea that Harrelson was sex trafficked may be a stretch.

Mortvedt said the only thing in common between the two cases is that both victims lived in Poweshiek County.


Mortvedt said the DCI does not want to jump to conclusions on whether Harrelson is alive. But he says the investigation remains very active.

A prayer vigil in Montezuma for Xavior Harrelson is planned for Sunday.

 

[Kimster]

Investigators: no connection between Mollie Tibbetts murder, Xavior Harrelson’s disappearance

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said there is no evidence connecting the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson to the death of Mollie Tibbetts.

www.kcrg.com

Investigators: no connection between Mollie Tibbetts murder, Xavior Harrelson’s disappearance​

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said there is no evidence connecting the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson to the death of Mollie Tibbetts.

Defense attorneys for Bahena Rivera claimed the timing of Harrelson’s disappearance was not a coincidence.

Assistant Director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Mitch Mortvedt said investigators are open to any possibility regarding Harrelson’s disappearance. However, investigators believe the idea that Harrelson was sex trafficked may be a stretch.

Mortvedt said the only thing in common between the two cases is that both victims lived in Poweshiek County.


Mortvedt said the DCI does not want to jump to conclusions on whether Harrelson is alive. But he says the investigation remains very active.

A prayer vigil in Montezuma for Xavior Harrelson is planned for Sunday.

Good to know it’s been investigated.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Is this the first time his mom has made a public statement?

Xavior’s mother puts out plea ahead of vigil

Xavior Harrelson's mother urges public to continue looking for her son.

www.kyoutv.com

Xavior’s mother puts out plea ahead of vigil​

Sarah Harrelson, Xavior’s mother, is putting out a plea to help bring her son home. She said in a statement to KYOU, “I just want everyone to keep looking for Xavior. Thank you to everyone who has been involved this far. Please attend the prayer vigil to help bring him home.”

A group known as “Xavior’s Warrior’s” in Montezuma is planning a “Light his way home” prayer vigil for Sunday to support Xavior Harrelson’s friends and family and members of the community.

Sunday’s vigil will take place at 3 p.m. at the Montezuma football field. Organizers are asking people to come wearing orange, Xavior’s favorite color.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Xavior Harrelson has been missing for two months. His family wants to know why an Amber Alert hasn't been issued

The missing Iowa boy's his aunt is drafting a bill in hopes of changing Amber Alert criteria to include children like Xavior.

www.desmoinesregister.com

Xavior Harrelson has been missing for two months. His family wants to know why an Amber Alert hasn't been issued​

Tuesday marked two months since Xavior Harrelson disappeared from his Montezuma home on May 27, and still, there's no trace of him.

His family, along with advocates for the 11-year-old boy, want to know why an Amber Alert hasn't been issued related to his disappearance. They believe it could give his case a wider reach and help bring the boy home — but, they worry, two months after the fact, it might be too late to make a difference.

"We don't want people to forget or give up on him — all it takes is one person to see his face and call (in a tip) and, hopefully, bring him home," Xavior's aunt, Michelle Harrelson, said Tuesday.


Xavior "fell through the cracks, and we lost even more time searching for him," said Hoffman, who is a certified paralegal from Indianola.

"Hours and days were lost — crucial hours and days," Hoffman, 60, said.

"Every hour, every day that goes by ... the chances are slimmer ..."

Hoffman couldn't finish her sentence through tears.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'We’re going to bring him home,' supporters pledge at vigil for missing Iowa boy Xavior Harrelson

Organized by Xavior’s aunt Michelle Harrelson and volunteer Diane Hoffman, the vigil took place at the Montezuma High School football field.

www.desmoinesregister.com

'We’re going to bring him home,' supporters pledge at vigil for missing Iowa boy Xavior Harrelson​

We’re going to bring him home.

Those words were repeated throughout the Sunday afternoon vigil held for Xavior Harrelson, the boy who went missing from Montezuma, Iowa, nearly two months ago.

Organized by Xavior’s aunt Michelle Harrelson and Diane Hoffman, a volunteer who is involved in the missing person advocacy group Mollie’s Movement, the vigil took place at the Montezuma High School football field.

Orange, Xavior’s favorite color, was ubiquitously sported on shirts, headbands, and ribbons by almost all attendees.

“It’s kind of bittersweet," Michelle, Xavior’s aunt on his father’s side, said, "because it’s amazing to find out how many people you don’t even know can care about a kid they’ve never met before. But I honestly wish I had met a lot of these people under different circumstances.

“Nobody ever thinks it will happen to their family until it does.”

Xavior’s mother declined to comment at the vigil.

Fundraiser for Xavior Harrelson's reward fund held in Grinnell

Pizza Ranch employees got the idea to hold the event Wednesday night in hopes of bringing in more tips for the missing child's case.

www.kcci.com

Fundraiser for Xavior Harrelson's reward fund held in Grinnell​

Pizza Ranch employees got the idea to hold the event Wednesday night in hopes of bringing in more tips for the missing child's case.

Many of Xavior's family members made it out to show their support.

Patrons could offer donations or participate in raffles with all the proceeds going towards his reward fund, which is now at $35,000.

Shelly Milner, who is a manager at Pizza Ranch, said this isn't the first time her community has been brought together through tragedy, but she is willing to do anything she can to help.

"I grew up in Brooklyn, and many people know about Mollie and I saw what it did to our community with Mollie. And I'm a mother and a grandmother, and I just can't even imagine what it would be like to not know where my child is," Milner said.

The fundraiser brought in $590.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Xavior Harrelson’s mother: ‘I just want him found’

The mother of a missing 11-year-old boy from Montezuma is speaking out for the first time nearly three months after he disappeared.

www.kcrg.com

Xavior Harrelson’s mother: ‘I just want him found'​

The mother of a missing 11-year-old boy from Montezuma is speaking out for the first time nearly three months after he disappeared.

His mother, Sarah Harrelson, has never discussed the issue publicly until now.

“We love you,” she said. “We are not going to stop looking for you.”

Sarah Harrelson and several volunteers passed out missing person flyers at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday.

She says she remained quiet until now because of her heartbreak and anxiety.


His mom says she has no idea where Xavior could be, but says she’s holding out hope to find her son alive.

“Oh yeah, he is coming home. He is going to meet all these officers and people who have been looking for him and putting up his flyers,” Harrelson said.

Volunteers say they handed out around 10,000 flyers to people at the state fair.

A reward fund for information related to Xavior’s disappearance is now at more than $35,000.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mother of missing 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson says 'he deserves to be found'

The mother of Xavior Harreslon, who has been missing from Montezuma for nearly three months now, wants to know: Why him?

www.desmoinesregister.com

Mother of missing 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson says 'he deserves to be found'​

Not knowing where her 11-year-old son is has been excruciating for Sarah Harrelson —it's been nearly three months since he went missing from their Montezuma home.

"The whole time you're still looking for his face, still watching," she said.

Then there's the "why."

"The word 'why' will drive you crazy. Why him?" Harrelson, 41, asks herself.


That Sunday, Xavior turned 11. Instead of celebrating with his mother and father in Marshalltown, like they had planned, hundreds of volunteers went deep into Montezuma's wooded areas and fields searching for the missing boy.

"All he wanted was the four of us to be together, and, of course, Nintendo Switch games," Harrelson told the Des Moines Register in the parking lot of a friend's apartment complex in Des Moines. Away from home, she could be herself, away from the noise that has been a constant the past three months.

Harrelson let out a brief laugh, but her eyes were red with exhaustion, and tears.

She hasn't gotten much sleep, she said.


But there has been no tipping point in the investigation, no evidence to indicate any foul play in his disappearance. Detectives say they aren't ruling anything out.

"No answers," Harrelson said, looking down at the gray pavement.

"In the end, the truth is going to come out. I just want my son."

'Why him?': Xavior Harrelson has been missing almost 3 months, his mom just wants him home

Xavior Harrelson disappeared in May. His mother said she has no idea what happened to him. "The whole time you're still looking for his face, still watching."

www.desmoinesregister.com

'Why him?': Xavior Harrelson has been missing almost 3 months, his mom just wants him home​

Xavior Harrelson disappeared in May. His mother said she has no idea what happened to him. "The whole time you're still looking for his face, still watching."

VIDEO AT LINK

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mollie Tibbetts Memorial Run to benefit Xavior Harrelson search efforts, UI Hospital

Donations at a Mollie Tibbetts memorial run will benefit efforts to search for Xavior Harrelson, who has been missing from his Montezuma home since May.

www.desmoinesregister.com

Mollie Tibbetts Memorial Run to benefit Xavior Harrelson search efforts, UI Hospital​

Donations from a run memorializing Mollie Tibbetts will benefit the Find Xavior Harrelson Memorial Fund and the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

The Fourth Annual Mollie Tibbetts Memorial Run will be held Sun. Sept. 26 at 8:30 a.m. It will start in the parking lot of the BGM High School at 1090 Jackson St. in Brooklyn and will be a five-mile run.

Half of the donations will be given to the UI Children's Hospital and half will go to the Find Xavior Harrelson Fund, according to a Facebook post from the group organizing the run.

Registration is free, but donations will be collected.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'Day of action' planned to raise awareness for Montezuma boy who's been missing since May

Community members are asked to spread the word about Xavior in three different ways.

www.weareiowa.com

'Day of action' planned to raise awareness for Montezuma boy who's been missing since May​

Friday marks three months since anyone has seen 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson, who disappeared from his home in Montezuma.

In Montezuma, community members are keeping hope, and the search itself, alive.

It's hard to go a block in Montezuma without seeing a missing person poster showing the smiling face of Xavior. They're on lawns and windows across town.

But three months after the 11-year-old's disappearance, there's still no sign of him.

"People are still hopeful. It does get tiresome, but you can't give up. They all just every day hope they get good news," said Joy VanLandschoot, an organizer with Mollie's Movement.



Community members are doing just that; they're planning a "day of action" for the three-month anniversary of Xavior's disappearance. They're asking people across the country to do any three things they can to help spread the word, like emailing friends, sharing social media posts or handing out flyers.

"They could hand out flyers to people, they could email their friends and family flyers. They could drop them off at a local hotel. There's just so many things that they could do to share Xavior's missing," VanLandschoot said.

The reward fund for information leading to Xavior currently sits at $35,997. Laura Calderwood, the mother of Mollie Tibbets, recently announced that half of the proceeds from the 4th annual Mollie's Memorial Run will go to the reward fund, as well.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Law enforcement searched area near Montezuma in connection to missing Xavior Harrelson

Law enforcement are out searching a wooded area near Montezuma, where 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson was reported missing over three months ago.

kwwl.com

Law enforcement searched area near Montezuma in connection to missing Xavior Harrelson​

Law enforcement are out searching a wooded area near Montezuma, where 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson was reported missing over three months ago.

KWWL has sent a crew to the Fox Forest County Recreation Area, which is just west of Montezuma in Poweshiek County.

Assistant Director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Mitch Mortvedt confirmed the search is related to Xavior Harrelson and says that DCI, the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office, and Iowa State Patrol are all assisting.

It is currently unclear what information has led law enforcement to search that area.

UPDATE: The search in the Fox Forest County Recreation Area wrapped up Thursday afternoon.

Crews search wooded area in rural Poweshiek county, looking for missing Xavior Harrelson

Law enforcement searched a wooded area in rural Poweshiek county on Thursday in search of 11-year old Xavior Harrelson. Crews searched an area on the edge of Fox Forest, just south of Diamond Lake and Lake Ponderosa. This isn't far from where Xavior went missing back on May 27th, it's a county...

cbs2iowa.com

Crews search wooded area in rural Poweshiek county, looking for missing Xavior Harrelson
Law enforcement searched a wooded area in rural Poweshiek county on Thursday in search of 11-year old Xavior Harrelson.

Crews searched an area on the edge of Fox Forest, just south of Diamond Lake and Lake Ponderosa.

This isn't far from where Xavior went missing back on May 27th, it's a county park just to the west of Montezuma.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Iowa DCI provides update on search for Xavior Harrelson

DCI agents and Poweshiek County deputies continue to follow up on leads nearly 4 months after Xavior Harrelson disappeared.

www.kcci.com

Iowa DCI provides update on search for Xavior Harrelson​

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says agents continue to follow up on leads nearly 4 months after 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson went missing.


Investigators say a tip led them to Fox Forest County Recreation Area on Sept. 9. KCCI cameras captured approximately 25 law enforcement officials searching the rural area outside Montezuma.

"There was information that came up through the course of the investigation that led us to that. Unfortunately, I can't discuss at this time what that information is," said Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa DCI.

Mortvedt says agents also used K9s who are trained to track and recover a scent.

"We feel confident that we had covered everything that we needed to, and unfortunately there wasn't anything discovered at that time," Mortvedt said.

Investigators say they keep in regular contact with Xavior's mother, Sarah Harrelson, and have interviewed hundreds of people over the course of the investigation.
"We still are getting information in, of course, not as rapidly or not to the volume of information than we were in the beginning. We still have agents assigned to it who are working on it on pretty much a daily basis," Mortvedt said.

A reward fund for information in this case is approximately $34,000.

"We're hoping that if we just keep chipping away at it — we're going to have the piece of information come in that we need that's going to help resolve this," Mortvedt said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Iowa’s Division of Criminial Investigation gives four-month update on search for Xavior Harrelson

The search for the missing 11-year-old from Montezuma continues.

www.kyoutv.com

Iowa’s Division of Criminial Investigation gives four-month update on search for Xavior Harrelson​

It’s been nearly four months since 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson went missing in Montezuma, Iowa.

Just a few days ago search crews were led out to Fox Forest out near his home.

Iowa’s Division of Criminal Investigation says they can’t divulge the tip that lead them to the area but, did say they had reason for the search. ”At this time we can’t disclose what lead us there other than information in the investigation,” Mitch Mortvedt with Iowa DCI shared with KYOU.

He also adds the tips have started to come in slower as more time has passed. However, he believes that someone out there knows something. “At least someone out there if not more than one person that has information as to what happened to Xavior and the circumstances around his disappearance.”