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Missing Boy May Have Met With Tragedy

AOL / Wire Services
posted: 2 HOURS 4 MINUTES AGO
comments: 401
filed under: National News
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BOISE, Idaho (Aug, 1) - Boise police investigators say new evidence suggests that an 8-year-old boy who has been missing for a week may have been the victim of a tragic event.
Police and FBI detectives Friday coordinated a massive search for Robert Manwill, who reportedly disappeared July 24 after leaving his mother's apartment on the southwest side of Idaho's capital city.
Early in the week, investigators said they had no evidence suggesting foul play.
But Deputy Chief Jim Kerns changed course Friday, saying new evidence recovered in a Thursday night search of the apartment of the boy's mother, Melissa Scott Jenkins, has detectives tracking new leads.
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Missing Children Cases
Robert Manwill: His mother reported that the 8-year-old Idaho boy disappeared July 24 after leaving their apartment on the southwest side of Boise. Investigators said Friday that new evidence suggests the boy may have met with a tragic event.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
"The evidence we've uncovered shows that there are suspicious circumstances surrounding Robert's disappearance," Kerns said during a press conference. "Volunteers assisting in the search today are being given the information by search team officers that Robert may indeed be injured or the victim of a tragic event."
Jenkins has been at previous press conferences, but didn't attend Friday. Police wouldn't say where she was.
The boy was visiting her the night he disappeared. His father, Charles Manwill, has had custody since 2008 and lives in New Plymouth, about 45 miles northwest of Boise.
Investigators were seen taking an SUV and other items during the search of Jenkins' apartment Thursday night.
On Friday night, police searched the Boise home of Evan Wallis, who said he knows Jenkins and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr.
Willis told the Idaho Statesman newspaper police dug in his backyard after bloodhounds picked up a scent at the rented house. He said he does not know what they were looking for.
"I'm innocent. I'm an innocent bystander," Willis declared.
The Statesman also interviewed Daniel Ehrlick Sr, who said his son -- Jenkins' boyfriend -- accused him of taking Robert. The elder Ehrlick said officers had questioned him repeatedly.
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According to court records, Jenkins pleaded guilty in March to a misdemeanor charge of injury to a child following an October 2008 incident that fractured her infant son's skull. Jenkins "did willfully inflict" the injury to her other son "by striking the child's head on a surface, causing a fracture to the child's skull," on Oct. 19, 2008. She was sentenced to 29 days of work release, fined $75.50 and put on probation for two years, according to court documents.
That child is the son of Jenkins' boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr. The baby was in the care of the state Department of Health and Welfare through at least February, according to court documents.
Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said more than 1,000 volunteers showed up early Friday morning to help search, making it the biggest missing-person search in the city's history.
In the early days of the search, police were aided by hundreds of volunteers who scanned neighborhoods surrounding the mother's apartment complex.
Read more at: The Idaho Statesman
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Eye on the News
Demonstrators protesting internal security laws run from Malaysian police firing tear gas shells in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 1.
Saeed Khan, AFP / Getty Images
2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Copyright 2009, Reuters
2009-07-31 15:35:04
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teltech542

05:37 PMAug 01 2009

Whoever pays child support is the killer.

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KwanishaNY

05:36 PMAug 01 2009

I feel for the child. How can you fracture an infants skull and only get 29 days of work release and fined $75? The system is honestly, obviously and truly out of touch.

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Fhal

05:36 PMAug 01 2009

ok scrapman i dont who killed this kid , but you can have a go at that sicko mom who killed her little baby .

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Lovly2008

05:36 PMAug 01 2009

Jethess777 05:26 PMAug 01 2009 RE: the comments as to why is she out of jail to begin with after fracturing a kid's skull-- The answer: there are plenty of lawyers like Obama running around getting them out of jail or at least plea-bargaining for them so tht the whole justice system is one big joke! Obama and his kind are to blame for this!Jethess777 05:23 PMAug 01 2009 These low-life people are likely Obama supporters. One that could use his health care plan with its rationing. that way they won't survive and the world would be a happier place without their material infecting the gene pool. THIS IS A VERY IGNORANT INDIVIDUAL, BEWARE THIS IS A VERY IGNORANT INDIVIDUAL, BEWARE

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Mthudak

05:36 PMAug 01 2009

I am simply stunned reading this! That woman should be in jail, as someone else said, for attempted murder for the assault on the infant, and it's unconscienable that this boy was allowed unsupervised, overnight visitation. Furthermore, it just says that the infant was in the state system at least through Feb -- no word on where that child is now. I hope to God they didn't give the baby back to her. This is just horrible! That judge has blood on his/her hands, and so does the DA's office. This boy and his father are in my prayers, but it sounds as though I am most likely praying for the boy's soul at this point. I am just stunned and sickened by this.

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TUTU3840

05:36 PMAug 01 2009

IMO, only when the courts and the people that make the laws wake up and understand that just because someone knocks someone up or gives birth that they are parents. This situation has nothing to do with race or economic level. Many of the beautiful rich white folks abuse their kids and manaage to cover it up well. With me, had I been in charge...the fact that she pled guilty to hurting the one child would have been enough to take all the kids away from her and not allow visitation.........just put her arse to work and make her pay 50% of her pay for the care of the kids.. I also don't find the lawyers to blame, they do know the law and how to use it...blame congress and the individual states for not making laws that will do some good.

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Chikara godan

05:34 PMAug 01 2009

HANG THE BITCH!!!

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LynnAandJ

05:33 PMAug 01 2009

these people are sick fechs... kill them all..

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LindeeBean

05:33 PMAug 01 2009

This woman served 29 days for fracturing the skull of her infant son?? And then she is given visatation rights with another son?? How sick is that??

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(5)

AuAgSMITH

05:31 PMAug 01 2009

Another day, another evil nutcase. Welcome to liberal America. This is what happens when society stops holding people responsible for their actions. "Down, down, down... down in a ring of fire."

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Boise police investigators say new evidence suggests that an 8-year-old boy who has been missing for a week may have been the victim of a tragic event.