Somebody's Special Somebody...R.I.P

"On December 3, 2002, 8-year-old Marcianna Ringo was supposedly dropped off at school by Jamal Abeokuto, her mother's boyfriend.

When her mother, Milagro White, returned home from work late that afternoon, she discovered Marcianna was missing. She also found a message on her cell phone from the school saying the girl had never arrived that day. White immediately called police and told them her daughter was missing. Ringo's parents pleaded for her safe return. The entire community tried to help find out what had happened to Marcianna. Police found a pair of blood soaked pants near her home but no sign of her.

According to the FBI agent investigating the case, the morning Marcianna disappeared started normally. White left for work just after 7 a.m., leaving Marcianna and her 3-year-old brother, Marc Ringo Jr., in the care of Abeokuto. Marc Ringo Sr. arrived at the apartment around 7:30 to pick up his son and take him to day care. Abeokuto told Ringo Sr. that Marcianna had already left for school. However, a neighbor later told police that she saw Marcianna getting into Abeokuto's car just after 8 a.m.

A few days later Marcianna's mother received a ransom note asking for $5000 in
exchange for her little girl. Police went to the drop off location but no one showed up. Police found Jamal Abeokuto's finger prints on the other side of the note. Police then started to look for Jamal Abeokuto to arrest him for writing the note but were unable to locate him. Police put out a nationwide alert on him, including showing his picture on the America's Most Wanted Fox TV show on Dec. 14.

Then, Marcianna's parents worst nightmare came to reality. Two children found Marcianna's frozen, partially snow-covered body in the woods nine days after she disappeared. Her throat had been slit and she had massive blows to the head. I am completely offended over the fact that there are people evil enough to slash a child's throat. How wicked and cold hearted do they get? Who could slash the throat of a beautiful little girl and WHY?

A street was named after Marcianna. The name of the 5200 block of Loch Raven Boulevard is now Marcianna Ringo Way. Marcianna is remember a bright child who was a mentor at her school.

Abeokuto was found guilty. He claims that voices told him to murder the child, believing it would bring Ringo’s mother and him closer together if he killed her daughter. He was sentenced to die."

Source: Black Kids Heaven.