Police seek help in finding 6-year-old boy By Macollvie Jean-Francois | South Florida Sun-Sentinel 12:45 PM EST, January 25, 2009 Two weeks after a 6-year-old boy disappeared from a community of Haitian migrant farm workers, authorities said today they need the public's help to find him because "he could be anywhere," a sheriff's office said. Adji Desir, of Immokalee, has the mental capacity of child under 2 and a very limited vocabulary, Collier County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Karie Partington said. He went outside his home to play on Jan. 10 and has not been seen since, she said. The boy's family notified officials that day. Detectives in the missing persons section could not use the Amber Alert system for Adji because the facts of his disappearance did not meet the criteria for the statewide child abduction-notification system. "There has to be clear evidence of an abduction having taken place," Partington said. "Nobody saw anything." She called the disappearance "highly unusual," saying it is the longest in recent memory that a child has been missing in the county. That's why the agency reached out to others this weekend, including the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Florida's east coast. "They just wanted help down here, since there's a large Haitian population down here," FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said this morning. So far, Partington said, about 1,000 people from 30 different agencies and the local community have searched 216-square-miles for the boy. Now, Partington said, the public can make the difference if they print out fliers of the boy and post them in neighborhoods around the state. The flier is in English, Creole and Spanish, and is available for download at www.colliersheriff.org. "He could be anywhere," Partington said. "So if people on the east coast could print out a flier and post it, it would help. You never know who's going to see it, or where they'll see it." Adji is black and Haitian, with short black hair and dark eyes, 3 feet tall, 45 pounds. When last seen, he wore a blue shirt with thin yellow stripes, blue shorts with flamingos on the side, and black-and-grey sneakers. A $23,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his recovery. Anyone with information is asked to contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 1-800-780-8477, or the Miami FBI office at 305-944-9101. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/slf-bn-0125-missingboy,0,5699711.story

New push to find missing 6-year-old By WINK News Story Created: Jan 28, 2009 at 6:20 PM EST Story Updated: Jan 28, 2009 at 7:42 PM EST COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - Collier County Sheriff's investigators say they've received 240 tips in the case a missing Immokalee boy. They are still waiting for that one phone call that will help bring 6-year-old Adji Desir home. They're encouraging anyone with information, no matter how minuscule, to call in. "Please don't dismiss anything that you may think you know because we would rather go on a hunch than not be able to follow up on it at all," said Trish Routte with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers. Adji was last seen on the night of January 10th, playing outside with other kids in the Immokalee Farmworker Village. Even after a massive week long ground search and a task force effort that continues today, there is still no sign of the little boy. Routte said, "We're begging people for information at this point. We want the safe return of this little guy." A new push to find the little boy is coming in the form of fliers. Crime Stoppers will start releasing new fliers within the next few days with Adji's picture and the updated reward for his safe return, which is now $33,500. Collier County Sheriff's investigators tell WINK News the fliers will be posted across Southwest Florida and in Haitian communities in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. It's still not known whether Adji simply walked off or was abducted. A task force of investigators from the Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, even the FBI is working every day on Adji's case, but they need help. "We need to know where he is at," said Routte, "We're at a point of desperation." Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS. http://www.winknews.com/news/local/38564277.html

Search for Adji continues Originally posted by on: Friday, February 06, 2009 Last updated on: 2/6/2009 11:29:36 PM IMMOKALEE: For the first time, we spoke to one of the last people who saw six-year old Adji Desir before he disappeared from Immokalee a month ago. Life in the quiet farming village seems normal. But people who live there will tell you it is anything but. Immokalee resident Jasmine Bell is 18-years-old and old enough to understand how much things have changed on just the last four weeks. "People just more protective of their children," said Bell. "People who used to be out with the little kids, you don't see them out anymore." A month ago on Saturday, little Adji vanished from Immokalee's Farm Worker's Village and Nagwa McKenzie is the last person he played with that afternoon. "He said he was going home. After that, we didn't see him anymore," said McKenzie. "He walked off with his friends. He said he was going home because nobody would let him ride a bike." Deputies and volunteers searched for days, but came up empty handed. "The Collier Sheriff's Office has received 250 tips leading us in a variety of directions - some to people, some to vehicles, some to locations," said Lieutenant Tom Smith with the Collier County Sheriff's Office. But a month later, he says none of those were very solid. But 30 leads are still under investigation. "We have a full-time task force at the Immokalee sub-station. We have six investigators," said Smith. The team continues to work two possibilities on what may have happened - a mysterious disappearance, or a mysterious abduction. "At this point, we don't now if someone took him. He could have been like they say, statistically dead within the first three hours. But the likelihood is that he's with someone," said Smith. The reward in this case stands at $33,000. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Adji Desir, you are asked to call the Collier County Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS. http://www.abc-7.com/Articles/readnews.asp?articleid=25759&z=2

Search for Adji: Six weeks later By WINK News Story Created: Feb 19, 2009 at 5:32 PM EST Story Updated: Feb 19, 2009 at 7:19 PM EST SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, Fla.- The Collier County Sheriff's Office says a film crew from "America's Most Wanted " will be in Immokalee Friday morning to focus on the search for missing six-year-old Adji Desir. He vanished from the Immokalee Farmworkers Village about six weeks ago while playing outside with other children. Investigators working his case have not given up hope. Every day there are at least four Collier County investigators focusing only on the search, but they've almost exhausted every lead. Once again, they are asking tipsters to come forward. "For a little kid playing out front, that's not an unusual thing, but for a little kid to all the sudden disappear and no body sees anything...I don't buy that for a minute," said Trish Routte, with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers. Lt. Tom Smith with the Collier County Sheriff's Office tells WINK News they are currently interviewing every sex offender and predator in Collier, Lee, Hendry and Glades counties. That alone is about 1,000 interviews. The investigation is still focusing on two theories: whether Adji simply walked off or was abducted. Ground search efforts have resulted in no clues, however investigators have not been able to exhaust the abduction theory. Crime Stoppers of Southwest Florida is reminding people, there is still a $33,500 reward for information leading to Adji. "I think there's a very high likelihood that the people who did see something or did see something suspicious, maybe they're afraid to come forward because they're not here legally. Honestly in this case, we don't care if the tipster is here legally or not. We don't care who they are, we just care about what they know," explained Routte. Tips are anonymous and no matter who it is, the tipster with the information leading investigators to Adji will get the money. All they have to do is call Crime Stopper at 1-800-780-TIPS. The "America's Most Wanted" episode featuring Adji is expected to air next Saturday night. Adji was last seen on Saturday, January 10th at 5:30pm. He is three feet tall, weighing 45 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt with thin yellow stripes, blue shorts with flamingos going down the sides, and black and grey sneakers. He is developmentally delayed. http://www.winknews.com/news/local/39871642.html

America's Most Wanted to profile missing Immokalee boy Originally published 5:45 p.m., Friday, February 20, 2009 Updated 1:30 p.m., Saturday, February 21, 2009 IMMOKALEE — The case of Adji Desir, the Immokalee boy who vanished from his grandmother’s Farm Worker Village home on Jan. 10, is slated to get some much-needed national attention. On Friday, a crew from America’s Most Wanted made the rounds in Immokalee, talking with the family of the developmentally disabled six-year-old and Collier County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Tom Smith of the Special Crimes Bureau for a segment scheduled to air on Feb. 28. Adji’s disappearance was initially profiled on the show on Jan. 17. “We take a local story and make it national,” said America’s Most Wanted producer Cindy Anderson. “We’re just hopeful that this little boy can be found. My heart goes out to that mother and grandmother.” But the follow-up visit by America’s Most Wanted also sparked rumors that the multi-agency task force searching for Adji would be disbanded in two weeks. According to Collier County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kristy Lester, that story was not true. “The task force is not being disbanded at this time,” Lester said. Headed by the Collier County Sheriff’s office, the multi-agency task force includes agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF). “We are going to continue to follow whatever leads come our way,” said Lester. According to Sheriff’s officials, although the ground search for Adji was called off a few weeks ago, the investigation into his disappearance continued and spread through both of South Florida’s coasts soon after he went missing. However, as is the case with most missing children’s cases, the search has to expand. “Getting the information out on a wide scale, be it state, nationally or globally is critical,” said Special agent Dave Couvertier, spokesman for the FBI’s Tampa field office, which covers Collier County. “We’ve had situations like that, where we’ve recovered children in other parts of the United States and even other countries.” Couvertier said the involvement of nonprofit groups and shows like America’s Most Wanted helps immensely. “All we want is the information,” said Couvertier. “All we want to do, is bring Adji home.” Anderson said she hopes that someone will see the segment and call in the tip that breaks the case wide open. “You never know who is watching,” said Anderson adding that depending on the case, the show gets thousands of tips following a broadcast. “All we need is one good tip to find this boy.” A $23,000 Crime Stoppers reward, a $10,000 FBI reward and $5,500 community collected reward are being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of Adji. Anyone with information about Adji’s whereabouts can call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-793-9300, or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). For more information about the search for Adji Desir visit the Collier County Sheriff’s Web site at www.colliersheriff.org or visit the America’s Most Wanted’s Web site at www.amw.com. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/20/americas-most-wanted-profile-missing-immokalee-boy/?partner=yahoo_headlines

National exposure of missing boy brings in several new leads By Naples Daily News staff report Originally published 6:07 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Updated 7:58 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009 The Collier County Sheriff’s Office received seven new leads into the disappearance of 6-year-old Adji Desir after his case was featured last Saturday on the "America’s Most Wanted" television program. "You never ever know when you go on any show whether you're going to get a lot or a little," agency spokeswoman Karie Partington said. "Its a matter of getting the right one." The Sheriff’s Office also released a new photo of Adji on Wednesday, in which he is wearing the two-tone, blue sneakers he wore the day he disappeared. Investigators hope the sneakers will generate fresh leads. Sheriff’s Office Lt. Thomas Smith is slated to appear on CNN’s Nancy Grace show again tonight to discuss the case. He has appeared on the program several times since Adji disappeared from outside his grandmother’s Farm Worker Village home in Immokalee on Jan. 10. Authorities describe Adji as developmentally disabled. Anyone with information about Adji’s whereabouts can call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-793-9300, or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/mar/04/national-exposure-missing-boy-brings-several-new-l/?partner=yahoo_headlines

New search for Adji By WINK News Story Created: Mar 29, 2009 at 11:58 AM EDT Story Updated: Mar 29, 2009 at 11:58 AM EDT IMMOKALEE, Fla. - WINK News has learned the Collier County Sheriff's Office conducted a new search for missing six year old Adji Desir. On Saturday Sheriff's Deputies did a low-key search in areas of Immokalee for the missing child. Adji was last seen on January 10th leaving his home to go outside and play. The boy has not been seen since. http://www.winknews.com/news/local/42080142.html

Psychic believes clues in Adji disappearance still available; joins search for Haleigh Cummings By WINK News Story Created: Apr 19, 2009 at 11:48 AM EDT Story Updated: Apr 19, 2009 at 2:55 PM EDT IMMOKALEE, Fla. - Renowned psychic Gail St. John tells WINK News she believes there are still clues on disappearance of six-year-old Adji Desir near his home. St. John has been in the Immokalee area for four days searching for Adji. She believes there are some clues in the area behind the farm workers village. She also feels that Adji is still in the general Immokalee, she does not get the feeling that he left. She said her search is slow because her team only consists of three people and she has been looking in some alligator infested areas. St. John tells WINK News the area that she is looking in is a similar area the area Collier County Sheriff's Office bloodhounds were searching. Desir was last seen January 10th. St. John is leaving the Immokalee area Sunday afternoon, but is working on bring more crews to the area to aid in the search. She in the process of getting groups from Kentucky and Georgia for make the trip to Immokalee. Both of those groups have cadaver dogs. After wrapping-up her search for Adji, St. John will be heading to Putnam county looking for missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings. http://www.winknews.com/news/local/43247382.html

The search for Adji entering a new venue -- the Internet Collier County Sheriff’s Office posts video about the case on its Web sites, asks its online friends to spread the word * By MATT CLARK * Posted July 14, 2009 at 9:01 p.m. , updated July 14, 2009 at 9:19 p.m. Facebook may be the new milk carton. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has taken a new approach in the search for Adji Desir, the missing Immokalee 6-year-old, possibly initiating a new trend other area law enforcement agencies will pursue in the future. On July 10, the six-month anniversary of Adji’s disappearance, Sheriff’s Office officials posted a video about the case to the agency’s many Internet presences and asked members of the public to share it on the Web, including their profiles on the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. Two missing child experts said this is the first time they have heard of law enforcement taking such actions. “This is not standard for law enforcement to reach out to the community like this,” said Dave Thelen, who has been helping parents find missing children worldwide for 20 years. “It is a good thing, because overall they are doing something that I have rarely heard of law enforcement doing, which is thinking outside the box.” Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jamie Mosbach said the decision to pursue the new avenue came from a brainstorming discussion on new avenues for expanding the search for Adji. “We started thinking, ‘What’s the best way to get the word out there,’” Mosbach said. “If there’s a particular message we want to get out about safety to the community or we want to get help from the community, this was the best way to get the word out to the community as quickly as we can.” Thomas Lauth has been investigating missing persons cases for 15 years and currently operates a for-hire investigation service for families. Like Thelen, Lauth also said it was the first time he had heard of law enforcement taking such actions, noting that it is usually families or nonprofits that go online for their searches. Lauth said the interactivity allowed by the new method — users must choose to pick up the campaign for Adji and share it with their friends online — can be more effective than other, unsolicited forms of photo distribution, such as a milk carton. “Absolutely these days, because people tend to look at their Facebook more than anything,” Lauth said, adding that it is usually public outreach programs which lead to the closure of missing person cases. The National and International Centers for Missing & Exploited Children have been using social networking sites in many ways, said its president and chief executive officer, Ernie Allen. Aside from posting videos on YouTube, Allen said the center uses Facebook and MySpace to track down children that have run away from home. “They use those sites to stay in touch with friends from their earlier lives,” Allen said. In recent months, Sheriff’s Office officials have been using Facebook and other social networking sites like Twitter and YouTube more extensively, in addition to the agency’s blog, the Collier Star, which Mosbach said has more than 3,000 subscribers. Currently, she said the Adji video has been picked up on Facebook by many of the agency’s friends on the site and has had five other Web sites pick up the video from YouTube. The video on Adji’s case produced by the Sheriff’s Office shows photos and video footage of the ground search for Adji, has interviews with various officials and is set to slow-tempo piano music. “I remember the Adji case like it was yesterday,” Lt. Mike Dolan says in the video’s first interview. “I remember getting the phone call and my heart just dropping and sinking, ‘Oh my Lord, what are we going to do? We’ve lost a child.’” Mosbach said she expects the Sheriff’s Office will continue to request citizens to share videos and other information about crimes on their Facebook and MySpace profiles in the future. Adji went missing Jan. 10 while playing near his home in Immokalee’s Farm Worker Village. Hundreds of Sheriff’s Office personnel, volunteers and local and national media have taken up the search since he went missing. Though the case is active and hundreds of leads have been followed, investigators have said they need new tips to continue the search. Thelen is chief executive officer of the Committee for Missing Children, an organization that helps parents launch outreach campaigns of their own and has an in-depth Web site, findthekids.org. He said it is important for the community to accept the Sheriff’s Office offer and share the video, which can be found at colliersheriff.org. “If somebody in the community doesn’t look at it, or put it on their Web site,” Thelen said, “it fails.” http://btop.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jul/14/search-adji-entering-new-venue----internet/?partner=RSS

Adji Desir search goes nationwide Posted: Oct 15, 2009 10:21 AM EDT Updated: Oct 15, 2009 10:22 AM EDT COLLIER COUNTY: Thursday is the seventh birthday of Adji Desir, the young boy who has been missing since January. Adji was playing outside his grandmother's house in Farmworker's Village in Immokalee when he disappeared. Law enforcement and volunteers searched the area for several days but never found any sign of Adji. The Collier County Sheriff's Office is again reaching out to the public for help locating the boy. The search for Adji will go national when his picture will be featured in a national direct-marketing advertisement sent to 75 million homes. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says the fliers will be in mailboxes between November 8th and December 13th. In Florida, residents will receive the mailing with Adji's picture the week of November 15 http://www.abc-7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11319497

Candlelight vigil held for Adji Desir Posted: Oct 17, 2009 6:19 PM EDT Updated: Oct 17, 2009 7:10 PM EDT COLLIER COUNTY: A candlelight vigil was held Saturday night for Adji Desir who has been missing since January 10th 2009. The vigil was held by a group of women from 'Families United To Bring Our Children Home'. The Florida group is known for traveling the state to hold vigils for missing children, and each woman in the group has their own missing child. They arrived in Collier County just days after Adji Desir's seventh birthday. Adji has been described as developmentally disabled with the mind of a 2-year-old. He disappeared from outside his grandmother's Farm Worker Village home at 814 Grace St. Investigators called off the ground search for Adji on January 18th. Earlier this week the Collier County Sheriff's Office announced that 75 million fliers would be going out nationwide in the mail with Adjis picture on it. The family made it clear on Saturday that after ten months they are not giving up hope. The Collier County Sheriff's Office is still taking tips and information in this case, if you have any information contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS. http://www.nbc-2.com/global/story.asp?s=11332218