Jerri Blank
November 4th, 2011, 03:15 AM
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Ricardo James
Relatives fear for missing St. Louis man
ST. LOUIS • Thursday said they fear for the safety of Ricardo James, 40, whose two children were found abandoned in Granite City on Monday.
"He would never have left his kids," said James' sister, Donna Chaney of St. Louis.
Madison County prosecutors filed felony child abandonment charges on Wednesday against 27-year-old Shanunikia N. Pierce of the 4700 block of Ashland Court in St. Louis. Pierce is accused of leaving James' 6-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter at a vacant house in Granite City.
Chaney said James was granted custody of his children when they were 3 and 4 years old and said he was very protective of them.
"He doesn't even let his kids stay at other people's houses," Chaney said. She said her brother works at a nursing home, attends church and doesn't drink or use illegal drugs. She said could not imagine him not contacting family members if he were able to do so.
"We have no idea who (Pierce) is," Chaney said.
The children told police they were with their father when he met Pierce and that they were at Pierce's apartment when James left with someone in a car and never returned. The children helped police find Pierce's apartment.
St. Louis police were conducting a missing-person investigation. They described James as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds, with dark complexion, brown eyes and bald. He lives in the 5900 block of Cote Brilliante.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/relatives-fear-for-missing-st-louis-man/article_7da0bd04-066e-11e1-ab19-001a4bcf6878.html
Ricardo James
Relatives fear for missing St. Louis man
ST. LOUIS • Thursday said they fear for the safety of Ricardo James, 40, whose two children were found abandoned in Granite City on Monday.
"He would never have left his kids," said James' sister, Donna Chaney of St. Louis.
Madison County prosecutors filed felony child abandonment charges on Wednesday against 27-year-old Shanunikia N. Pierce of the 4700 block of Ashland Court in St. Louis. Pierce is accused of leaving James' 6-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter at a vacant house in Granite City.
Chaney said James was granted custody of his children when they were 3 and 4 years old and said he was very protective of them.
"He doesn't even let his kids stay at other people's houses," Chaney said. She said her brother works at a nursing home, attends church and doesn't drink or use illegal drugs. She said could not imagine him not contacting family members if he were able to do so.
"We have no idea who (Pierce) is," Chaney said.
The children told police they were with their father when he met Pierce and that they were at Pierce's apartment when James left with someone in a car and never returned. The children helped police find Pierce's apartment.
St. Louis police were conducting a missing-person investigation. They described James as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds, with dark complexion, brown eyes and bald. He lives in the 5900 block of Cote Brilliante.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/relatives-fear-for-missing-st-louis-man/article_7da0bd04-066e-11e1-ab19-001a4bcf6878.html