Untold Stories: Black and Missing

Ruth Jenkins is a retired teacher, a woman of faith, and a mother who always put her family first. At 76, she was also experiencing the early stags of dementia. One day, she walked away from her home and never returned. When seniors go missing dementia is often a factor. Six in 10 people with dementia will wander from their caregivers at least once, putting their lives in danger. Dementia may have been a facto...

In this episode, we delve into the often overlooked signs of domestic abuse and explore why domestic violence is a factor in numerous missing person cases, often leading to tragic outcomes. Sadly, a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine revealed that Black and Latina women who experienced intimate partner or sexual violence were two to three times more likely to encounter dismissive responses or mistreatment from law ...

The families of Tamika Houston and Pamela Butler have survived the unthinkable.  Tamika and Pamela went missing and would later be found murdered. Tamika’s family had to fight for media coverage while Pamela’s brother battled to bring his sister’s killer to justice. This special episode of Untold Stories: Black and Missing was recorded at Crime Con in Nashville.  Rebecca Howard and Derek Butler share how they t...

Jesse Len Foulks had four strikes against him. He’s black. He’s a man. He has a mental health disorder, and he is missing. His story, like many others, highlights a troubling intersection between mental illness and missing person cases. The Black and Missing Foundation has increasingly observed that mental health issues are a significant factor in why people go missing, and why these cases often fall through th...

Jesse Len Foulks was a dedicated son who never missed his daily phone call with his mother, Lori Nelson. Jesse was making significant strides in his life and diligently managing his bipolar disorder after struggling for years. His future seemed hopeful. However, on September 14, 2021, everything changed. Lori spoke to Jesse for the last time. His mother firmly believes he would never just walk away from his life and responsibilitie...

When Rashawn Williams went missing it took four days for his case to be investigated even though he was reported missing an hour after he wandered away from his caregivers.  The 31-year-old has down syndrome and is nonverbal.  Still no alert was ever issued.  Rashawn was lucky he survived six days without food and water and was reunited with his family. (Listen to Rashawn’s story here)  That miracle inspired hi...

On October 20, 2023, Rashawn Williams wandered away from his caregivers in Silver Spring, Maryland, and disappeared. For six days his family was in anguish.  Police were notified, but no alerts were ever released because Rashawn is a 31-year-old man with Down Syndrome and did not meet the criteria for any alert.  In this episode of “Untold Stories: Black and Missing,” we’ll hear Rashawn’s heartbreaking story and the actions his par...

“Untold Stories: Black and Missing" is a podcast that tells the stories of missing people of color—how our cases fell through the cracks, and how we can raise awareness to bring them back home or provide answers for families desperately searching for their missing loved ones.

In Season 2, we delve into the issues that cause so many of our loved ones to go missing, including domest...

Recorded live at CrimeCon 2023, the season finale of Untold Stories: Black and Missing, delves into Carlee Russell's fake disappearance; why the  initial news of her disappearance went viral and if it will have an impact on true missing person cases involving people of color. The panel discussion  includes Josh Mankiewicz of NBC Dateline. Russell ma...

Tanesha Howard last spoke to her daughter, Joniah Walker, right before 11 am on June 23, 2022.  The 15-year-old was walking their dog while the two talked. The apartment complex cameras captured the moment on video.  A while later those same cameras caught Joniah rushing from the building. 

Wayne and Stacy Flagg were doing everything they could think of to keep their 14-year-old daughter safe from online predators. Their daughter did not have a cell phone.  They monitored her online activity and limited her time on the computer.  S...

Where is Nakyla Williams? Doorbell camera footage captured her getting into a light-colored pickup truck on November 8, 2021.  That image is the last her family and friends have seen of her. Investigators believe she may have gone to Flint, Michigan, with the man driving the truck. Since she disappeared, there has been no activity on her social media accounts or her bank acco...

The murder of Nicole Fitts left a lot of unanswered questions.  The most important one for her family is, where is Nicole’s daughter, Arianna? Arianna was 2 and a half when her mother was killed, and she went missing without a trace. While tips continue to come in, none have led to bringing Arianna home or solving her mother’s murder. 

Right before Nicole’s murd...

Who abandons their truck at a stoplight, with the engine running and their wallet still inside the cab? Why would an openly gay black man do that in a small, conservative Texas town? Friends and family of Eodis Tre Harris say there is no way he would do that, but the Stonewall County Sheriff’s Department says a witness saw a black man leap from the truck and run with two dogs in tow to a field across the road. Investi...

Relisha Rudd loved arts and crafts. The 8-year-old was a great big sister to her brothers before everyone in her world lost track of her. In 2014, she was living in the DC General homeless shelter with her mother, stepdad, and brothers. The former hospital in Washington, DC, has been described as a terrible place, infested with rodents and bugs, while housing up to 800 h...

Untold Stories: Black and Missing is a captivating and emotionally charged true-crime podcast series created by the Black and Missing Enterprises. We introduce you to the stories of missing people of color that need our help to bring them home. These cases are often overlooked due to the lack of media coverage and law enforcement support. Join our true-crime community as we search for answers in hopes of generating ne...