Never Recovered: Chyna Crawford

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In October 2023, 25-year-old Chyna Crawford vanished from Washington, D.C.—her gray Mercedes gone with her. Known for being independent, reliable, and close to her family, her disappearance shocked the community. Months of searches, family-led efforts, and police investigations led to an arrest—but Chyna has never been found. Anyone with information about this case should contact D.C.'s Metropolitan Police at 202-727-9099 OR TEXT 50411. 

This is the story of Chyna Crawford. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that happened in October twenty twenty three.
A twenty five year old woman vanished from Washington, d c.

(00:22):
She was reliable in daily contact with her family and
known for being independent, but one day, she and her
gray Mercedes disappeared without a trace. For months, her family
searched while police shifted her case to homicide detectives. Then

(00:43):
five months later, an arrest rocked the community, but to
this day, she has never been recovered. This is the
story of China Crawford and Danielle Crawford was twenty five
years old in the fall of twenty twenty three. Known

(01:05):
to her family as Shasha, she stood five feet seven
inches tall and weighed about one hundred and twenty pounds.
Her black hair was styled in long locks, and she
had distinctive tattoos the name Anthony on her hip and
a heart with double horns on the right side of
her chest. According to her sister Kia, China was independent, blunt,

(01:30):
and a go getter who would speak up when something
wasn't right. Most importantly, she spoke with her mother often.
According to her family, she had no involvement with drugs,
and her sudden disappearance was completely out of character. Monday,
October twenty third, two thousand and three, it started like

(01:51):
any other day. China spoke with her mother and made
plans to meet her later that week. She also had
arrangements to go shopping with a friend that evening. Around
the sixteen hundred block of Good Hope Road, Southeast, China's
sister Kia saw her. According to Kia, they talked briefly

(02:13):
before she had to return to other tasks. I was
supposed to see her during the weekend. Kia later recalled,
but that reunion never happened. When China's shopping plans fell
through and her friend couldn't reach her, concern began to grow.
For several days, family members called and texted her with

(02:36):
no response. Her mother tried tracking her phone through to
find my iPhone app, but the device had been turned off.
By Thursday, October twenty sixth the family knew that something
was wrong. Kia got a frantic call from her mother.
Everyone checked China's location on their phones, but nothing showed up.

(03:00):
That same day, China's mother filed a missing person report.
Police conducted a welfare check at her apartment. Inside, nothing
looked out of place, but one critical detail did stand out.
China's car was missing two a gray twenty twelve Mercedes

(03:22):
Benz CLS five point fifty with Virginia temporary tags. On
November three, twenty twenty three, DC Police issued a press
release asking the public for help. They classified her as
critical missing. Behind the scenes, detectives were already taking the
case seriously. According to The Washington Post, police escalated the

(03:47):
investigation to a major crimes unit, the same team that
handles homicides after finding suspicious circumstances. While there wasn't publicly
disclosed evidence of foul play, detectives saw suspicious circumstances surrounding
her disappearance. It was a signal they feared the worst.

(04:10):
Her family refused to wait passively. Kia became the driving
force behind the search, organizing multiple community efforts. The first
search took place October thirtieth. Volunteers split into groups to
comb through Anacostia park, behind railroad tracks, and through wooded

(04:31):
areas they found nothing. He had printed hundreds of flyers
and posted them all over the city. On November fourth,
she led another search. Both times we had a good
amount of people, Kia said, Even people from other states
showed up to help. As days turned into weeks, he

(04:55):
is fear deepened. I can't eat because I'm thinking about
has she eaten? She told Dateline. I can't sleep because
I'm thinking about has she had a chance to sleep.
The family started to GoFundMe to raise money for a
five thousand dollars reward. They launched the hashtag find China

(05:16):
to spread awareness, but despite their efforts, there was still
no trace of China or her car. On March twenty six,
twenty twenty four, five months after she vanished, everything shifted,
the US Marshall Service arrested thirty two year old Lashawn

(05:38):
Tweety Washington. Prosecutors charged her with first degree murder, kidnapping,
and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors alleged Washington and others conspired
to rob China and that she was killed in the process.

(05:59):
The arrest provide some answers, but many details remain unclear.
What we know China disappeared October twenty third, twenty twenty three,
her car was never found, and five months later, Leshawn
Washington was arrested and charged what we don't know what

(06:20):
specific evidence led to the arrest, who may else, who
else may be involved, and where China is today? Without
her remains, Prosecutors face the challenge of building their case
on circumstantial evidence. Her family is left with more questions
than answers as well, Why was she targeted? Was this

(06:43):
random or something else entirely? Investigators cleared her boyfriend, who
was incarcerated at the time she vanished, but no clear
motive has been made public. As of October twenty twenty five,
on the those two years after her disappearance, China Crawford

(07:04):
has not been found. Washington remains in custody awaiting trial,
but court dates have been delayed due to pending cases
in Virginia. The investigation continues. Black women make up nearly
thirty seven percent of missing persons cases, yet far too

(07:24):
often their disappearances don't receive the attention they deserve. China's
family took action, organizing community searches, raising reward money, and
sharing her story online to keep it visible. Even with
police escalation and an arrest. Nothing can erase the void

(07:45):
left by China's absence. Her body has not been found,
and many questions about what happened, who else may have
been involved, and the circumstances of her disappearance remain unanswered. Today,
China would be twenty seven years old. My thoughts and
prayers are with her family as they continue to grieve

(08:08):
and see justice for China. Anyone with information about China
Crawford's disappearance should contact DC's Metropolitan Police. You can find
their contact information in the description below. As we close
out this episode, remember sharing China's story helps spread awareness

(08:28):
anne could help lead to answers that her family and
investigators are looking for. Don't forget to click the follow
button to stay updated on China's case and others like it.
Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube
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crime content and case updates. Also, if you're watching us

(08:50):
on YouTube, share your thoughts on this case and the
comments below. Thank you so much for joining us on
another episode Until next time. Hunting for Answers is a

(09:14):
production of the Black Effect podcast network. For more podcasts
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