Jun 19, 2009 5:55 pm US/Central
$6,000 Reward Offered For Missing 2-Year-Old Girl
Jada Justice Hasn't Been Seen Since Monday
GARY, Ind. (CBS) ―
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Jada Justice, 2, has been missing since Monday.
FBI Indianapolis
Authorities are offering a $6,000 reward for information to help find a missing toddler in Gary, Ind.
Investigators say they have very few clues in the disappearance of Jada Justice, 2,
who was last seen in a car at a Gary gas station on Monday.
Jada vanished while in the care of Angelica Castillo, 18, of Hobart, a cousin to the missing girl's mother. Castillo was questioned by police but was released today.
Castillo says she left the child in her car seat with the doors unlocked at the Glen Park Gas Station, at 1401 E. Ridge Rd. in Gary, while she ran in to buy some milk and cigarettes. She says when she came out, the car was still there, but Jada was gone.
But police doubt Castillo's story. Other customers told police they saw no one around Castillo's 1991 maroon Cadillac Fleetwood while it was parked in the lot.
And police dogs brought into the search found no scent in the immediate area.
Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek, of Portage, Ind., refused to give up hope that her daughter would be found alive and well. "The more people that come to look, the more who are involved, is encouragement to me," she said.
Shortly after their search began, the family learned someone had found suspicious items in the backyard of Castillo's home at 3925 Missouri St. in Hobart.
Federal agents joined Hobart police, who used shovels in their search.
Investigators dug a small area in the easement behind Castillo's home but determined most of the dirt had not been disturbed recently and halted the search there after about an hour. They took some evidence but declined to provide details.
The disappearance of Justice is garnering national attention. Her case is now on the
America's Most Wanted website.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports that Jada's grandmother says the child's mother and father have spent most of Friday morning and afternoon talking with the FBI about their missing daughter. The grandmother also says she's starting to have doubts about the story surrounding Jada's disappearance.
"We have questions," said grandmother Lisa Huerta.
Huerta is also the aunt of the cousin who was caring for Jada when the toddler vanished.
"I hate to make speculations on my niece, 'cause I love her to death and like I said, she's a great babysitter," Huerta said. "We've never had problems."
Jada's father, Clarence Justice, his wife and other members of his family spent Friday at the gas station on Ridge Road passing out fliers and talking to customers.
They've even gone to a nearby carnival to pass out fliers hoping someone has seen Jada.
Elizabeth Justice, Jada's stepmother, said the girl spent "every other weekend" at the couple's Hammond home.
"She loves McDonald's. We usually take her to the playground inside. She loves cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets," Justice said. "And she's tough. She sticks up for her little brother."
Police arrested Castillo after she related her story of the toddler's disappearance and hoped to obtain a felony charge of neglect of a dependent. The cousin was in the custody of Gary police until 2:15 p.m. Friday. But she was never charged.
Her 23-year-old boyfriend had been questioned and released early in the investigation.
"The story doesn't make sense because they say it was raining that night and why wouldn't she have pulled by the door? And nobody saw a positive ID that the baby was in the car," Huerta said.
On Thursday, the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team also joined the investigation.
Jada is described as an African-American female, 2 feet 2 inches tall and 35 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a light brown complexion. At the time she vanished, she was wearing orange skirt, a white tank top with orange and green stripes, white sandals and purple underwear, the FBI said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or Gary police Cmdr. Anthony Titus at (219) 881-1237, (219) 881-1229, (219) 881-1209 or (219) 881-1210.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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