Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - TWO TEEN GIRLS DISAPPEAR, COPS STUMPED

Episode Date: September 2, 2022

Cops are asking for the public's help in finding two missing teens. Kaylee Jones has been missing from her Georgia home for more than two months.  Daniel and Brenda Jones fear their daughter has been sex trafficked. The 16-year-old, who is autistic, disappeared after the parents took away her phone. It had been discovered the girl has been chatting with several men online.  In a separate case out of Alabama, 17-year-old Tarasha Benjamin disappeared after going to a flea market. Benjamin left that Saturday morning with a friend. Then Benjamin borrowed the friend's car. It was found a mile from the flea market with the driver's side windows smashed. Benjamin has been missing since 2010. Joining Nancy Grace today:  Daniel Jones - Victim's Father, Facebook: "Where is Kaylee Jones"  Dale Carson - High Profile Attorney (Jacksonville), Former FBI Agent, Former Police Officer, Author: "Arrest-Proof Yourself, DaleCarsonLaw.com   Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy), www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology"   Sheryl McCollum - Forensic Expert, Founder: Cold Case Investigative Research Institute in Atlanta, GA, ColdCaseCrimes.org, @ColdCaseTips    Nicole Partin - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Twitter: @nicolepartin John W. Dill, Esquire - Personal Injury Lawyer, Winter Park, Florida, Author: "The Method: Proven Techniques for Winning Jury Trials", www.JohnWDill.com, Twitter/IG @JohnWDillESQ, Represents Michelle Parker's family  Caryn Stark - NYC Psychologist, CarynStark.com, Twitter: @carynpsych, Facebook: "Caryn Stark"  Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan" Dave Mack - Crime Online Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. It's horrible enough for your teen child to go missing, compounded by the fear that she has been sex trafficked. Add on to that, trolls, harassment from the public, harassing the girl's parents. This is so bass-ackwards, I don't even know what to make of it. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. I'm talking about a beautiful young girl, her family pleading for help, her family convinced against all hopes, anything they had ever imagined, that their child has been sex trafficked.

Take a listen to Hour Cut 5 from our friends at CBS. Without her phone on her, it's making it more difficult to track her down. You never think it's going to happen to you. I tried to run this and reinforce this and reinforce this in her mind that she cannot trust whoever she sees. It's a message for parents out there. Keep an eye on your children's use of social media so that they don't become the next target. They prey upon these these kids and it's sickening. The Carroll County Sheriff's Office says they are reviewing Jones's social media records and followed up with the last person she had contact with. They are still actively searching for Jones and hasn't ruled out

possibilities on what may have happened leading up to her disappearance. As you just heard the family is so desperate for your help. If you know anything, contact the Carroll County Sheriff's Office as soon as possible. Not only is this teen girl missing, we think lured out of her home. She is autistic. She probably has no idea what is, how this has happened to her. Take a listen to our cut for our friends at Channel 46 CBS. My daughter is Kaylee Jones.

She's 16 years old. Kaylee Jones. So I was here at work and my wife called me about 7.15 and she said Kaylee was gone. Her parents haven't seen her for about a week. And it's hard for Daniel and Brenda Jones to go to sleep at night wondering where their daughter might be. It's just gut-wrenching knowing she's out there somewhere and we don't know where she's at. All the worst thoughts come to our minds. She's our daughter, and we desperately want her back.

She is a big, huge part of us. Kaylee is autistic, and because of that, her parents are afraid their daughter was more vulnerable to any online predators. My wife found that she was talking to like four or five different guys via Snapchat. They took her phone away on Monday. And by Wednesday morning, Jones was gone. Also autistic missing. And now the parents are enduring even more, more upheaval, more drama, more trauma. Take a listen to our friends at CrimeOnline.com. Kaylee Jones has been missing more than a month. And while tips have been coming into the police, that's not all.

Brenda and Daniel Jones say they are facing online harassment. They say Internet sleuths initially trying to pin down details to help find the girl are now directing anger and accusations at the parents over how they're handling the investigation. Some are even threatening to come on the Jones property to search without permission. Joining me right now, an all-star panel to make sense of what is happening to Kelly's family right now. But I want to go to special Jess joining me. This is Kelly's father, Daniel Jones, speaking to us. And you can find him on Facebook. Where is Kelly Jones?

Daniel, it's kind of hard for me to take in. You're the one that contacted us. We found you by your desperate pleas on Twitter, on Facebook, on Insta. That's how we found you. Isn't that how we found them, Jackie? Yes. You're doing everything possible to find your daughter. Tell me what these so-called trolls are doing. I mean, it begins off with just they try to come out and say like they're going to, you know, try to give, offer up help.

But they started wanting information and this and that and answers to this and asking kind of questions that, you know, number one, we don't know you guys. We don't know who you are. We've never met you before. And you're trying to get these messages and get this information so it's like wait a minute you know the parent number one and then dealing with situation look i don't need my daughter's information out there other than what the you know sheriff's office already did what kind of information are they asking for daniel well one of the one of the people that contacted me wanted her date of birth which might not be that that bad but why do you need her date of birth you know um i i guess

if we have no idea who these people are and then they're wanting to know um specifics and then one lady was trying to get uh trying to help but she's forcibly and then and you know they want to put up you know billboards and do this and do that which like i said it sounds kind of ignorant you know saying it's aggressive but it's not the actual what they were trying to help with is the 100% of the way they went about it and then um the one group um they're called the nerd bird mafia who is the nerd bird mafia what is that daniel j Jones? I honestly don't know other than they're a group of sleuths, I guess, and they're online, you know, investigators, I guess, they're calling themselves and they do this and they do that and they try to help people is what they're trying to

say. But the more we've got into this, when we right at the time and before the time they first started contacting us we were warned you know be careful of these certain people you know they're going to pose as help but they're not going to help and then there's been i don't know how many people directly after the fact that i've got in contact with my wife with brenda the mom and told her that these people did the same thing to her but we weren't giving them information. We just stopped talking to them. So then they got more aggressive with us. But these people actually were giving them information

and they were supposedly helping them. And they just ran them through the ringers the same way. Okay. What, if anything, are they threatening? Well, I mean, they they just the main thing is now that they they make accusations and try to turn it you know turn everything you know that maybe i've done something with her they made accusations that i deleted her you know some so some of her social media off her computer before the police came and took the computer

then now they want to come search the property, whether I like it or not. Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait. That's a lot. That's a lot right there. I want to go through each thing that you're saying. But Cheryl McCollum joining me, founder and director of the Cold Case Research Institute, forensic expert. Cheryl, thank you for being with us. What do you make of what Daniel Jones is telling us right now, Cheryl?

That's not helping anything. Not at all. And you want to maintain the integrity of an investigation, Nancy, and you certainly do not want to ever compromise or interfere with an investigation. Number one, you can be charged with a crime if you do that. And you've got the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshal and the FBI and the GBI and Carroll County SO, there's a lot of people out there trying to find her and, you know, bring her home safely. And I don't know why this group, number one, doesn't direct their efforts to these folks. Say, hey, Carroll County, we can help volunteer for a search if Carroll County puts one together.

But you don't just maverick and boondog and go on your own and do it. Dale Carson is joining me, high-profile lawyer and former Fed with the FBI. He's joining us out of Jacksonville. Dale Carson, I mean, it's not just offering to help. According to Daniel Jones, this is Kelly's dad. They are, people are going online

and they are trolling and trashing Kelly's dad, they are people are going online and they are trolling and trashing Kelly's parents, accusing them of wrongdoing, threatening to tramp onto their property and search. This is this is some bearded guy in a basement somewhere who's a wannabe. And as Cheryl tells you, there are plenty of wannabes out there. They want to get involved. They want to have a presence. And social media has largely allowed that. And it's caused more problems, really, than it's solved. Well, the thing is, I encourage volunteers to help.

Dr. Sherry Schwartz joining us, forensic psychologist. You can find her at panthermitigation.com and author of Criminal Behavior. When does it cross the line from helping to intimidating and trolling? And what do you make of these people that go online and they're kind of anonymous? You don't really know who they are, basically threatening Kelly's parents. I mean, haven't they already lived through enough? Exactly. And this is the first clue because a group that is well-meaning and really wants to get out there and help raise awareness isn't going to obscure their identity. They certainly aren't going to lend themselves to creating chaos. And really, this is sadistic behavior. This is, it appears to be from everything I've seen online

from this group that they don't just troll Kaylee's family. They do this with other missing individuals as well. And that it really is all about creating chaos and harming the people, the families, tearing these families apart. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Here you've got Brenda and Daniel begging, crying, publicizing, going on the Internet, begging for help. That's how I found them, Cheryl. They're begging for help online. That does not sound like a parent that is involved in the disappearance of their child. They usually shrink away from the spotlight and don't answer questions. That's right. And they've been open and honest about telling the good and the bad about what was happening. But there's two other things I want to point out. When this group posts online things like, here's the number for the PIO at the Sheriff's Department, y'all know what to do, nerds. Or they say they're coming onto private property to search. Let's just say

devil's advocate. They find a body during an illegal search. They don't forensically know how to handle it. And it's already done. You've already screwed this whole case up by doing what you did illegally. So again, they need to stand down and let the professionals do their job. Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Cheryl, how many times have you and I said publicly, what is wrong with the police? And that's when we want, we welcome volunteers. I mean, think about Gabby Petito. If that citizen, it was, wasn't it red, blue and methane, something like that, that saw her van, alerted authorities, and within hours, they found Gabby's remains.

If it had not been for citizen involvement, we would never have known what happened. We wouldn't even know if Gabby was dead or alive. Nancy, as you well know, the Cold Case Institute, we are based on volunteers. I am all about volunteers, but one, you got to be legitimate. You got to be doing things legally and you don't go somewhere where you're not wanted and you don't harass somebody and say, hey, we're coming anyway. I don't know about not going where you're not wanted because I don't think I've ever busted up in a crime scene where I was wanted. Okay, that has never stopped me. But Cheryl McCollum, accusing and harassing the parents?

But if a victim's family is saying, please don't do this, you shouldn't do it. But Daniel Jones, what are they accusing you and Brenda of? I mean, she's the one that wakes up first thing in the morning and calls you and says, she's gone. You leave work. You don't even, then you call your boss, I got to go. You go home immediately. You'll call police. You do everything.

It's textbook. Yes. Everything you did. So what are they accusing you of specifically? There's a lot. And honestly, my mind is flooded and I'm just in the middle of this and distraught, number one. So it's like, I don't have a total focus of everything and I can't remember every little thing. I'll take anything.

Mainly, like I said, it's where they're coming to ask for help or offering help. But then we kind of don't give them the help. Then they say, well, Danny asked for a search, you know, and we want to come search, but he doesn't want to search. Well, wait a second. That was something that I said I wish the police had done the first day. They didn't. We have since had the property searched. They didn't find anything.

They didn't find any recent trails, scent trails of my daughter on the property. So we're good with there. So are they accusing you and your wife of any wrongdoing? Somewhere in there, I deleted the computer or my daughter's, I deleted evidence or something. So are they accusing you and your wife of any wrongdoing? So are you saying you did not delete anything? I'm embarrassed to even ask you that, but I had to. Nicole Parton joining me, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. How has this whole thing gotten so out of hand? Instead of trying to find Kelly, they're going after the parents. Right, Nancy. And we're seeing this more and more due to social media. We have these wannabes, as was said earlier, who want to get to the bottom,

and maybe some of them are very innocent and wanting to help, but then they cross the line of starting these accusations and taking the focus off of what really matters, and that's finding Kaylee, and begin focusing on and putting all the efforts and energies into the parents. And all of this, crazy things I read online, like, oh, the parents must be guilty of something. They don't have a lot of signs in their yard. Oh, the parents must be guilty of something. I saw them smile. To you, Daniel Jones joining me.

This is Kelly's father here again, begging for help, trying to find his daughter. And, you know, Daniel, I've told you the three-minute episode when John David snuck away from me when he was a little boy at Baby Superstore. I mean, those three minutes were just three of the worst minutes of my life. I mean, I was screaming, locked the doors. I had Lucy under my arm like a football running through the store. And I just can't only imagine what has been going through your mind, hoping your daughter is still alive for Pete's sake. And then to have somebody attack you because they saw your wife smile somewhere. I mean, how does that make you feel? Because I feel like dirt even thinking about it.

Well, I mean, she already just said that right there. I mean, that's part of the accusations and stuff that they're making is that we laughed during one of the interviews. You know, laughing on an interview? Well, she just said it. I was kind of nervous. You don't really know how to act. And it's like something was said and it kind of resonates true. So you do that. But, you know, they're putting out like it's not a big deal. And it's like something was said and it kind of resonates true. So you do that.

But, you know, they're putting out like it's not a big deal. And it is. We didn't go out passing out flyers and no sign on the front yard. But we did pass out flyers. And we had multiple people pass out flyers the very first Saturday after she disappeared. Daniel, you've been working like a dog to try to find your daughter. You do not have to defend yourself to me. And believe me, I've gone after plenty of parents that I thought were involved in the disappearance and death of their children, and I have paid dearly for it. But from what I can tell, there is no need for you to have to defend yourself to me.

Back to you, Nicole Parton, joining me, CrimeOnline.com. So there are internet trolls flooding online, accusing and harassing Kelly's parents while they're still trying to find their daughter. By the way, the reward is up to $5,000. The sheriff's office number, 770-830-5942. Repeat, 770-830-5942. Nicole, explain to me, I cut you off when you were talking about someone attacking the family because they saw them smile, because it triggered a really bad memory.

What else is happening? I understand there are Internet trolls. There are people threatening to stampede their property. What else is going on? Right, absolutely. There are even people who found this family online, and they're going to the parents' place of employment. What did you say about a drone? who found this family online and they're going to the parents place of employment what what did you say about a drone um it's been reported that some of these online trolls have even

flown drones over the family properties flying drones over the house daniel jones is this true yes ma'am the guy pat drove whoever it was drove by our house and made a nice video of it and then had aerial shots from his drone that he flew directly over our house and made a nice video of it and then had aerial shots from his drone that he flew directly over our house and everything he went to the horse farm where i worked and taking you know flew his drone around there and was videoed himself whistling at horses on on the property and everything um but it's like these guys don't even care. This same group actually made their own tip line right before the sheriff's office put their tip line up or whatever. And it's like, why would you do something like that? Because they want to get the tips and they want to have control over it.

And that's the same thing with the search they said earlier. I don't want you out here planting evidence, you know, for whatever reason. How do I know you're not against me? So sending a drone over your property, going to your place of work. What did they do when they got there? Well, they pulled up on the on the side of the road, which actually it's all private property down in there. And they just took a short little video and posted it on Twitter that, you know, whistling at the horses, look, not pertinent to the case, but just had to share.

And he's whistling at the horses that they were responding to him. And he flew a drone around the one house that's right there and, you know, over those horses and several other horses and kind of like aggravating the horses. It's a lot. And the last thing you need right now is to lose your job. Daniel, do you believe Kelly is still alive? In my heart of hearts? Yes. I've prayed more than once. My wife and I have prayed and I've prayed with people and there's people praying like crazy. The Lord is going to protect her no matter what, but I still have a feeling that she is alive. That hasn't kind of hit me as nothing yet.

I just think that she's out there somewhere, whether she's been trafficked or moved on. Maybe somebody thought they were helping her. My daughter's out there somewhere alive, and somebody's either helping her um and you know keeping her alive whatever which which i thank you but you guys you need to let her go we need to get her home if you have any information please call 770-830-5942 crime stories with nancy grace and now we take you all the way from georgia to alabama and the disappearance of a gorgeous teen girl what happened to to Tarasha? Take a listen. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is asking for the public's help in the continuing effort to find the missing teen. On June 26, Tarasha Benjamin left home,

headed to the Selma flea market to do a little shopping, just like she did most Saturday mornings. But this time, she never came home. Every day to wake up and miss a loved one and not know where they're at, what they're going through, what happened. We need to know what happened to Saransha. We need to know. You are hearing our friends at CBS 8 and the anguished family of this, well, she's a little girl. She's just 17 years old, and she went missing.

That's just three years older than my twins, John, David, and Lucy. And I just cannot even imagine going to pick them up, say, at school, and them not being there, or them going outside to play, and I never see them again. That is what this family is suffering. I hate to even put myself in their shoes, but in order to find this girl, that's what we're doing. Now take a listen to Regina Benjamin speaking on Dre Birch YouTube. Well, she left my house with friends early that morning. But the girl that she left with, Talisha, your man, she came back. She said, look what Tarasha had.

Taking her vehicle, well, she gave Tarasha the vehicle to go to the flea market. And she had got no door friends there. So she said she didn't know anything about Tarasha. She had no two friends in miles that didn't really know where she was. Joining me, an all-star panel to make sense of what we know. But first, I want to go to our friend at CrimeOnline.com, Dave Mack. You know, I'm looking at Tarasha Benjamin. And a lot of the pictures that are posted of her include her

going to some event and she's all dressed up in this beautiful royal blue halter long dress and she's got the big drop earrings and she's actually got her hair piled up and she's actually got her hair piled up, and she's wearing a tiara. And every time I think about Tarasha, I see that picture in my mind. There's another picture that I like a lot, and it's of her looking full on, and she's got some little hoop earrings on, little silver earrings, and she's looking sideways at the camera with this million dollar smile and then it hits me this girl is gone tell me about the day that she goes missing dave mac nancy was a typical saturday morning for tarasha she liked to go to the flea market it was a regular part of her her life was saturday morning running down to the selma flea market and doing a

little shopping as a matter of fact she had already been earlier in the morning and she had come back home and was talking to her mother and her friend talisha came over and they decided they were going to go on back down to the flea market and that's what they did so on the way to the flea market they actually stopped at a yard sale that a friend was having and had some discussions with some folks but then headed on down now that's where they parted company talisha stayed there wait a minute wait a minute so let me understand this tarasha and friend go to the flea market right correct but then the friend and tarasha separate at the flea market right you know who that's reminding me of it's reminding me of Natalie Holloway. And I'll tell you why.

Because Natalie, also there in Alabama, in the Mountain Brook area, goes on her senior trip. They're in Aruba. And she goes to a casino and then on to a bar called, I think, Carlos and Charlie's. And, I mean, I've been there now. How can I get that out of my mind? And then she gets separated from her friends. And she drives away with people she doesn't know.

And she's never seen alive again. And for those of you that don't know what a flea market is, okay, Joe Scott Morgan is joining me from Alabama. Joe Scott Morgan, Professor of Forensics, Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet, and host of a hit series on I Heart Body Bags with Joe Scott Morgan. Joe Scott, a flea market is more than you're going to buy something. Think of a, it's like a street market kind of. A lot of people would be familiar with that.

I know in New York where I lived for so long, there were street markets practically every weekend that closed off huge swaths of an avenue. And it would be a mingling. People would go to eat, then be sampling all sorts of food, then be buying stuff. And at this flea market in Selma, that's what it was. The whole community's in and out. You know people there. People are eating. There are vendors with foods and drinks and people are selling their stuff they want to get rid of. And, you know, there's new vendors there with new things they've just made. It's more like a happening. Yeah, it is. And people show up from

all over. It's not just the local folks there. Selma, in that area of the state, is a major location for people to go to. You know, it's surrounded by a huge rural swath of countryside that's called the Black Belt, which is just this rich, fertile soil in there. A lot of farmers, that sort of thing. And this is the interesting thing. I think, if I'm not mistaken, this particular flea market not only has the stalls that you can rent where you sell your goods and that sort of thing, but I think, if I'm not mistaken, there is actually an RV park that's associated with this particular flea market. I don't like it. I don't like it.

I don't like it. And you're bringing to mind another case that I investigated and covered, the case of Danielle Van Dam. She was a little girl out of California who went missing in the dead of night from her own home, much like Elizabeth Smart. by a neighbor, David Westerfield, and had been in his RV being abused and molested God knows how long before she was ultimately murdered. When you bring in a flea market where there are local people, I was just at a flea market with my family and there was a guy there, Joe Scott, that had all sorts of homemade honeys. He was, what do you call a beekeeper? I'm sure there's a specific name, but he was a beekeeper and made his own honey. And we were tasting it and having a good time and walking around. But when you throw in vendors from far away, not just in Selma, and then you throw in an RV park, which is exigent, you can leave in an RV with somebody

in the RV. That really opens up your pool of suspects. Yeah, it does. And you're kind of in a bubble at that point in time. If you can spirit somebody, first off, if you can convince them, and this is a young girl, if you can convince them to come to the RV and get them in there, and Lord only knows what's going to happen when they get you in there. And then they can just drive off and no one's the wiser at that point in time. Then you got this, and there's not an interstate, but there's a major state highway that runs right through the middle of Selma, east-west. And you can hop on any number of interstates from that point.

You know, 65, you're headed down toward Mobile at that point and on I-10. Any number of ways that you can go north. And so that's what's troubling about this for me personally. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. We've talked about this before, Joe Scott Morgan. You know, everything you say is bad, Joe Scott. Pipe back up when you have something good to tell me,

because I often use this example regarding rural areas that you would think would be safe and a low crime rate. I very often bring up the case of Shaston and Dylan Graney, the little boy and girl that were kidnapped and molested horribly. Dylan was murdered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. And I will never forget the first time I flew over it to look down, and there was nothing but green. Dense, dense wooded area. And because of the interstate like the one you just mentioned, Joe Scott, I-10, a trucker was driving by and at a distance saw Shasta Groney at an above-ground pool. He whipped off the interstate, laid in wait, and he murdered her whole family in order to get her and her little brother, Dylan, groaning. That's right. So the fact that you're in a rural

area does not make you safe by any means, as we are learning in the case that we're talking about right now, Tarasha Benjamin, just 17 years old. As Dave Mack from Crime Online just told us, she goes to the flea market. Didn't you say, was it a Saturday or Sunday morning, Dave? It was a Saturday morning, Nancy. And I know that when I was researching this, I saw a couple of different missing persons websites that had it as a Sunday morning. It was Saturday morning. And this was a normal thing, June 26, 2010. A little sidebar to this, Nancy, Tarasha's father, Clyde Chandler, went missing 10 months before this happened in the same area. He was found, his body was found a couple of days later in September of 2009 behind a stake

pit in Selma, but 10 months after that, Tarasha goes missing. And again, we know that she was on her way to the flea market with her friend Talisha Givhan. They stopped at a yard sale that a friend was having. A relative was there who used Tarasha's phone, okay? But at some point in time, Talisha and Tarasha split up. They were using Talisha's car. It was the gray Mazda Tribute truck, and Talisha let Tarasha drive the truck to the flea market. Talisha did not go

with her. Was the truck ever recovered? It was. Actually, that was the whole kick on this entire case. The car was actually found on the bypass. It's actually called the Cecil Jackson Bypass in Selma. It was about a mile away from the flea market, but pointed going away from the flea market, pointed in the opposite direction. Dave Mack, you are absolutely correct. Take a listen to our friends at CBS 8. Car Tarasha was driving the day she went missing was found abandoned on the Selma bypass but Tarasha was nowhere to be found. Her disappearance has taken a serious toll on her entire family especially her mother. Her mother has literally worried herself sick. She's been in

the hospital and it's just because she doesn't know where her child is. And more in our Cut 3 from our friends at Crime Online. Witnesses come forward to say Tarasha Benjamin had been seen at the Selma flea market. When the SUV was found abandoned on Cecil Jackson Bypass just a mile from the flea market, it was parked heading in the opposite direction. The driver's side windows were missing and the door handle on the driver's side was broken. Several strands of long black hair were found caught in one of the door handles. Jessica Morgan, professor of forensics, there was a struggle.

Wherever Tarasha went, she did not go willingly. No, apparently not. And when you begin to think about these torn items, just the hair alone, I think, is significant because that gives you an idea that it was actually plucked from the head, perhaps. And the question is, would it be able to be tied back specifically to her at that moment in time? But to a bigger point, did anybody witness this happen? From what you're saying, Nancy, this sounds like an incredibly, incredibly violent act. You're talking about door handles being busted off, glass broken, hair. Did anybody see or hear anything?

Because I can only imagine a child this age would have been screaming out because, like you said, this is evidence of a violent struggle. To John W. Deal, high profile lawyer joining us out of Winter Park, Florida, the author of The Method, Proven Techniques for Winning Jury Trials. You can find him at JohnWDeal.com. John, so often as a case goes on, memories fade. I've had cases that I took to trial where witnesses had actually died, and I didn't have that witness anymore. But as the months pass following Tarasha's disappearance, we're going to have less and less likelihood of a witness ever coming forward. Yeah, that's true. It's, you know, unfortunately, this reminds me of my client, Yvonne Stewart and her daughter, Michelle Parker. Right. Also, it's been several years now. The mom is still

trying to keep the case in everybody's forefront of everybody's mind. But your point is exactly true. I mean, the critical time period is in the days, weeks after an incident, but memories fade, people disappear, die, people don't want to get involved. It's very challenging the longer it goes on without a witness who comes forward. Karen Stark, the trial reality that John Deal is talking about is so true. Karen Stark is joining me, New York psychologist, joining us from Manhattan at KarenStark.com. That's Karen with a C. Karen, at this point with Tarasha missing so long, people that may have seen something at the time would probably not piece it together with the story

they see on the news now. Well, I think, Nancy, when you think about, you know, people's testimony to what they've seen, the longer the time passes, the more you're going to have misinformation. It's just taking such a long time. I'm also thinking about the family and how they're coping with this, because it's awful. It's just, I can't think of anything worse, right, that your child is missing. You know, I want to go straight back out to Dave Mack, joining us, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter.

Dave, take a listen to our cut for our friends at CrimeOnline. After Tarasha Benjamin was reported missing, dive teams searched local bodies of water and went door-to-door looking for witnesses, but no clues as to Tarasha's whereabouts were found. There have been unconfirmed sightings of Tarasha in Florida, prompting her family to travel several times there to search for her. Selma police say they are still looking for Tarasha Benjamin, but they need information from the public to help them move the investigation forward.

You know, Karen Stark, I know people mean well when they think they've seen her to call it in, but also there are people that maliciously give false tips and it puts the family through so much anguish. Why would anyone do something like that? Well, there are people who really enjoy being mean that way, Nancy. I know nobody wants to think of us as having that inside, but there are people that are malicious, that really want to mislead the police, get negative attention, and enjoy being part of whatever this investigation is in whatever way they can.

Unfortunately, that's a part of human nature. I want you to take a listen to Regina Benjamin. This is Tarasha's mother speaking about how she realized her teen girl was missing. Take a listen to our cut eight. I had to do a girl house, which they did come back, and her and the girl's sister-in-law came back. My house, that's how I found out Tarasha was missing. Take a listen to our cut eight. So Dave Mack, around two o'clock in the afternoon, the mom says, wait, wait. The flea market's over. She's not home?

Is that what happened? That's exactly what happened. On top of the fact that the flea market was closed, Talisha came back, Talisha Givon, who Tarasha left with earlier in the day. Talisha Givon comes back to the house looking for Tarasha and that's when Mrs. Benjamin, Regina says, wait a minute, she was with you. You're here and you don't know where she is. And that's when she goes, the flea market's closed and she starts calling everybody she knows. And that's where she started. She knew immediately that Tarasha was missing. Staying together is one of the biggest tips in keeping safe. My twins are forever locked together.

We went to a football game the other night and I made them both promise that they would not leave each other's side. Can you imagine a boy and a girl, 14, having to stay together the whole football game? But they did. Under threat of punishment. Where does the case stand now? Take a listen to Our Cut 11. This is CBS George McDonald. Police investigators say every lead in the case so far has led to a dead end, but the

case remains open and the investigation ongoing. There's always hope. You know, if you don't have a body, I'm consumed that a person's still alive. And we're hoping and praying that we can bring her back safely. Even though the two years is here and we haven't seen or heard anything, there's still hope. We know somebody out there knows something. I cannot imagine what this mother has lived through during the years her daughter has just vanished and still remains missing. If you know or think you know anything about the disappearance of this young girl,

Tarasha Benjamin, please dial 1-866-44-CRIME. 1-866-442-7463. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.