Journal and Courier from Lafayette, Indiana • A5

JCONLINE.COM THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019 5A Human remains found in a pond in Crown Point are believed to belong to missing Avon mom Najah Ferrell, the Avon Police Department said. Police in Crown Point continued their search Tuesday of a pond I-65 and 109th Avenue after found human remains bearing what in- vestigators described as a distinct tat- too that includes what appears to be the name A preliminary of the remains, which were found Monday, showed that the tattoo closely matches a tattoo of Ferrell, 30, has been missing since March 15. A positive cannot be made until the results of a DNA test are known and released to the Avon Police Department, which is investigating disappearance, Crown Point Police said in a news release. Crown Point Police investigators, with assistance from the Indiana De- partment of Natural Resources and the local department, began searching the pond and surrounding areas after the discovery of the remains. Underwa- ter sonar, divers and a drone are being used in the search.

No other remains or additional evi- dence were found as of Tuesday after- noon. Crown Point is about 140 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The mother of two biological children and three foster children was last seen at her home in Avon during the early hours of March 15. Ferrell had started a new job at the Panera Bread on West 86th Street near I-465 and Zionsville Road on Indian- northwest side. Coworkers, however, indicated that she did not show up for the third day of orientation.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police started the investigation into her disap- pearance and then contacted the Avon Police Department after learning that she was last seen at her residence near County Road 100 South and Dan Jones Road in Avon. Police later found her black Nissan Altima at the intersection of Michigan Road and West 86th Street in Indian- apolis. Some personal items believed to belong to Ferrell were found in the area around I-465 and Lafayette Road. Police have considered her disap- pearance suspicious. The Crown Point Police Department said its investiga- tion of the found remains led to notify the Avon Police Department.

will continue to assist the Avon Police Department in any way we can in their investigation. Hopefully, the re- sults of their DNA testing will aid them in reaching a resolution in their ongoing the Crown Point Police Depart- ment said in the news release. Brian Nugent, deputy chief of investigations, said the human remains will immediately be sent to the State Police lab. Police think remains are Avon mom 30-year-old has been missing since March 15 Alexandria Burris Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK Najah Ferrell AVON POLICE DEPARTMENT Indiana Many Uber drivers provide addition- al customer service to passengers by of- fering them helpful items they know they needed before catching a ride. A charger to top your iPhone? Sure.

A stick of gum to make sure your breath is fresh before a night out? Why not. A bottle of water if a bit parched? Absolutely. But if an Indianapolis resident who is lucky enough to see Angela black Chevrolet Suburban pull up after you request a ride, be of- fered a microphone and an opportunity to be the star of your own backseat con- cert. know going hap- pen when someone gets into your car and you hand them a microphone been amazing this whole year that been doing Byers said. would not believe it.

I pick people up from work, and they sing all the way home. I pick people up from the airport, and they sing all the way to where going. my passengers, they love it. They love it a lot and so much better than the Last year, Byers added a karaoke ma- chine to her interior, complete with a Shure microphone and lights that turn the seven-seat SUV into a roll- ing nightclub once the sun sets. The idea to launch what she calls came from Byers giv- ing her passengers Tootsie Pops during rides.

She noticed that many passen- gers would sing into the suckers like mi- crophones when their favorite songs came on. Byers said she decided to take things to a new level by swapping out candy for a real microphone and a recharge- able karaoke machine so her passen- gers could really let loose. Once charged, the karaoke machine is good to go for up to 12 hours. best part about this (karaoke machine) is bluetooth, so the pas- sengers hook in through their phones, and they have control of all the she said. have control of the vol- ume and everything so hands free for me, and I can just keep both hands on the Byers said for the most part, her pas- sengers are well-behaved and keep their song selections family friendly.

Passengers who get into her car be- tween the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. are usually the most gung-ho, but daytime riders hesitant to belt out a few selections either. CARaoke has also led to Byers meet- ing some interesting new friends. Friends like international recording art- ist Anita Lerche who met Byers when she called for an Uber to take her after back to Central Indiana from the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in Los An- geles.

A singer-songwriter from Denmark, Lerche sings Punjabi bhangra and Hin- du devotional music. She fell in love with the music 30 years ago on her trip to India, and in 2006, she be- came the non-Asian woman from the west to release a solo album in Pun- jabi. Lerche said it was 1 a.m. when she made it to Indianapolis International Airport after attending her fourth Grammys event and called for an Uber. When she got into car, the last thing she expected was to be handed a microphone.

we started talking, one thing led to another and next thing you know, I was Lerche said. such a great idea because music creates those unique experiences. the language of the heart people get brought together like we did. not about where you come from, what race you are or what culture from. all about the music and what I love about it.

Angela gives people a unique experience that they for- Justin Mack, rear right, sings Uber with driver Angela Byers, right, and international recording artist Anita Lerche. Byers offers her Uber customers a unique experience, a chance to sing karaoke, or as she likes to call it, MICHELLE Uber driver brings an opportunity to sing while you ride Justin L. Mack Indianapolis Star USA TODAY NETWORK IN INDY Man charged in slayings of boy, mom in NW Indiana CROWN POINT An Indianapolis man has been charged with murder in the fatal shootings of a 13-year-old boy and his 35-year-old mother at their northwestern Indiana home. The Gary Police Department on Tuesday announced charges against 39-year-old Darren Taylor. Po- lice said Taylor was arrested last week in Indianapolis and is being held in the Lake County Jail.

also charged with burglary. Court records list a lawyer for Taylor. Lavell Edmond and his mother Te- mia Haywood were killed March 23 Court records say father had dated Haywood and one of daughters escaped the shooting by jumping from a second window. Police earlier released surveillance images showing two men near the Ga- ry home and urged anyone with infor- mation to contact investigators. The other man is at large.

Inmate dies after being found unresponsive in jail cell WARSAW A 42-year-old inmate has died after being found unrespon- sive in his northwestern Indiana jail cell. State police said cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on Chris- topher Hinson after he was discovered about 1 p.m. Monday at the Kosciusko County Jail in Warsaw. He later was pronounced dead at Kosciusko Com- munity Hospital. Hinson of North Webster was being held on methamphetamine posses- sion and distribution charges.

State police were investigating Hin- death. Results of an autopsy were pending. Police, pull dog from icy creek HIGHLAND Police and say they used ladders and rope to res- cue an elderly golden retriever from the icy waters of a northwestern Indi- ana creek. The dog had been missing from his home from two days when he was spotted Friday stuck in a steep- sided creek in the Lake County town of Highland. Highland Fire Chief Bill Timmer told The (Northwest Indiana) Times that the senior dog was when crews arrived and found him stuck in the cold waters.

Timmer said the dog was little as rescuers pulled him up the steep, rocky sides of the creek with the help of ladders and rope. The dog emerged from the creek water-soaked and covered in mud, but he soon was reunited with his fam- ily. Business college closing Fort Wayne campus FORT WAYNE A private business college is closing its Fort Wayne cam- pus after 130 years, citing declining en- rollment in the northeastern Indiana city. International Business College said it has stopped accepting new stu- dents, but school said current students can complete their programs in Fort Wayne and graduate by next February. The college said in a state- ment that it is down in Fort and said the decision to close the Fort Wayne campus was The campus had opened in 1889 in In- second-largest city.

School plan to invest in renovations and at its growing Indianapolis campus. Associated Press STATE BRIEFS.