Episode 2 - "Find Our Missing" TV One Special

I would like to apologize to my readers. I know I promised a blog about this episode yesterday. But due to my own user error, I wrote the blog and instead of saving it, I clicked close. But there's no time like the present..so here we go!

A child classified as a runaway and a devoted mother that vanished into thin air. These are stories of Yasmine Acree and Althedia Vaught.

Yasmine Acree - 15 year old girl - Chicago, IL - reported missing January 16, 2008

Yasmine Acree was a young lady who was very involved with school and who enjoyed the company of her friends despite her difficult childhood. Yasmine and her older brother lived with their drug addicted mother who was at times neglectful. Yasmine suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a family member at an early age. She was troubled by these issues as a young child. Later on in life, Yasmine's mother passed away. Yasmine's Aunt, Rose Mae Starnes took her in and raised her as her own. On January 15, 2008, Yasmine left for school and attended a track meet after school. Her YMCA mentor dropped her home around 8pm that night. Rose' boyfriend, Charles Burt, who rented a room from Rose was home that night. Rose was still at work. Charles was know to assist Rose with looking after Yasmine in the evening. Yasmine sat and talked with Charles for awhile and then went down to the basement where she slept to do laundry and get ready for the next day of school.

Rose returned home the next morning and Yasmine wasn't home. Rose thought that she might have left early for school. But when Yasmine didn't return home that evening, Rose went down to the basement to look to see if Yasmine was there. Yamine's bed wasn't made (which was odd behavior for her) and her eye glasses where still on the night stand. Rose also noticed that the door in the basement that faced the outside of the house was kicked in. And the pad lock that always on that door had been cut. Rose called the police to report Yasmine missing. The police dismissed the idea that a 15 year old was missing and classifed this as a runaway child. Rose was bothered by the botched investigation that the Chicago Police Department did. Not only did the not take Yasmine's eye glasses in as evidence, but they never bothered to removed the cut lock! It appeared that Yasmine's disapperance was not important.

Rose Starns and Rev. Ira Acree (Yasmine's cousin) keep the investigation alive. They spread the word about the missing 15 year old as far as Indiana. The police called Charles Burt in for questioning and administered a polygraph test. Charles failed the test and blamed it on his heart condition. The police found no leads in the case and time went by Yasmine's case went cold.

One year later, Rose Starns found Yasmine diary. The diary entries discussed an ongoing relationship with a man named Jimmie Terrell Smith. Jimmie Smith was a former tenant at the Starns home. Jimmie was also 20 years Yasmine's senior! Jimmie and Yasmine met each other often and appeared to be dating. Rose took this information to the police department. These facts gave the police a new lead in the case. At the time when the diary was found, Jimmie Smith was in jail for five cases of kidnap and raping teenage girls. Jimmie wrote letters to the police department. In one letter, he noted that he had information and photograghs that could lead the police to all the missing girls. He told police that he hid the information at his ex girlfriend home. He claimed that they could find the items in air ducts and also the "tether" that could be used for a person, was in the backyard. The police thought that Jimmie was lying and dismissed the information, but later went to the house in question. They left with bags of information but have not disclosed what they found.

Rose didn't know that Jimmie had a pass of criminal activity. But if she had know, perhaps Yasmine Acree would still be alive.

If you have any information in the disappearence of Yasmine Acree, please contact the Chicago Police Department at (312) 746-8365


Althedia Vaught - 41 year old woman, Tulsa, OK - reported missing on January 19, 2009

Althedia Vaught was a hard worker and devoted mother of 3. On the night Althedia went missing, she was talking with the daughter who was 9 months pregnant and due to give birth any day. Althedia was very excited because this was her first grandchild. They said their good nights and Althedia went to her room. Her son recalls hearing Althedia's phone ring. She answered it and then grabbed her purse and jacket and left. Mind you, Althedia was in her pajamas and bed slippers. The next morning, Teanna (Althedia's daughter) was awake and looking for her mom. Althedia's bed was still made and the TV and heater were on. Teanna called the nursing home where her mom worked for over ten years. Her supervisor said that she had not reported for work that day. Teanna called the Tulsa Police Department to report her mother missing. The police investigation did a search and questioned Althedia's boyfriend, co-workers and family. Alithedia's boyfriend said that he had spoken with her in days and he was at work the night before until 5am. Her 1995 green Infinity J30 was later found in the parking lot of the Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa. The police asked for the surveillance tape of the night of January 18, 2009. On the video, around 11pm, Althedia's car was seen driving into the parking garage and not a minute later, a white Chevy pick up truck was seen following behind her. This was odd for this kind of traffic at the hospital after visiting hours. There was a logo on the side of the truck that police later found out was a company truck that belonged to Althedia's next door neighbor of ten years.


 Althedia's cell phone records were traced. The last call was made to her next door neighbor. He was known to be a friend to Althedia who often spent time with her. To everyone around her, he just seemed to care abut her. The next door neighbor's son was talking to Althedia's son and he mentioned that she and his father had been having an affair. Side Note: I have not been able to find the names of the next door neighbor or his son. I believe this man was of African descent. Please refer back to the TV One episode for this information. His son is 28 years old and said that in 1996, his mother disappeared and his father said that she just left and abandoned the family. His mother never wrote letters or called him and his siblings. Now this all made sense to him. He felt that his father had something to do with the disappearance of Althedia Vaught and his mother. The Tulsa Police Department questioned the young man and his father. The police said that he (the father) was unwilling to cooperate and was very evasive. The young man described his father as possessive and manipulative person. It would not have surprised him if he had something to do with Athedia's disappearance.

This case has since then gone cold and this man who I'm knows what happened to Althedia, is still free. Althedia also has a sister named Trina Vaught that has been misisng since 1989. Althedia's family needs answers to what happened to her and her sister.

If you have any information on Althedia Vaught or her sister Trina Vaught, please contact the Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS