The Island Packet from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina • 5

miiiiuiil 1 Islandpacketcom beaufortgazettecom Sunday September 9 2012 5A STATE i MISSING COLUMBIA TODDLER Expert: Case draws little notice Amir Jennings who disappeared in December has not received the same amount of media attention as other missing children By MEG KINNARD The Associated Press COI UMBIA Despite detec pleas to national media the disappearance of tin 18 month old black boy with the wide smile has yet to grab the wide spread attention given to other missing cases Some ad vocates say the reason why might be as simple as the gender and his race B' 'iik 'w rW 1 'Vv The Associated Press This Nov 25 photo provided by the Columbia Police Dept shows 18 month old Amir Jennings who disappeared in December while in the custody of his mother mother Zinah Jennings was convicted riday on a charge related to his disappearance Jennings In situations such as the still unsolved slaying of 6 year pld JonBenet Ramsey more than 15 years ago and the disappear ance and killing of 2 year old Caylee Anthony the public has watched with rapt attention as many cases involving young children unfolded often over many months Yet Amir Jennings the little boy who been seen since he was captured on surveillance video with his mother in South Carolina almost a year ago has registered as scarcely a blip on the consciousness has always leaned to ward the cute little said Monica Caison of the Wilming ton NC based CUE Center for Missing Persons unfortu nately a lot of times they think cute little kids are mother Zinah Jen nings was convicted riday on a charge related to his dis appearance and to 10 years in prison The 23 year old woman has been jailed since De cember and police arrested her after she told them false stories about the whereabouts Zinah mother said she last saw her grandson early on the morning of Nov 28 He went to a bahk with his mother the next day but has not been seen since In the months since he disap peared grandmother has celebrated his second birthday His mother has given birth to a second child And the national spotlight that initially shone on the case has waned One of the reasons could be that Amir is a boy Although federal officials say the num bers of the missing are roughly split when it comes to gender Caison said pedophiles tend to seek out girls while missing boys often are taken by a parent or other relative So why are some cases elevat ed in the public sphere while others are not? Jacqueline ish a former law officer and current criminal justice professor at Charleston Southern University said law enforcement ideally takes each case seriously and each case has had police and prosecu tors who havt spoken publicly about the need for justice But inherently ish said every case still is somewhat subjective Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott who is black surmised he might have seen something of one of his own children in Amir and pushed initially to publicize the case After Zinah arrest Scott reached out to the media to ask for help finding the miss ing boy In his early days Scott appeared on several national cable news shows saying Jennings contin ued to change her story when pressed for information about her son mother also made appeals for help But as the weeks dragged on and no credible tips moved the case forward the national news outlets stopped calling Scott said his officers continued their investigation but no bomb shells came body has not been found though police have said from the beginning they feared foul play had been involved in his disappearance Bpt the uncertainty of his fate ish said that could play a role in the lack pf widespread attention OBeaufort Regional Chamber ot Commerce The Voice of Business BUSINESS EXPO 2012 TUESDAY SEPTEMBER IS Holiday Inn Suites 2225 Boundary Street Beaufort REE Open to the Public from 12:00 noon 5:00 pm Re Opening as Business After Hours 5:30 7:00 pm $10 Admission Join us for Beaufort premier networking EXPO More than 40 companies of all sizes showcase their products and services to the community Open to the public this event keeps participants on the competitive edge with networking idea sharing product introduction and service solutions The EXPO is EREE to attend Contact Betty Davis for more information at (843) 525 8524 wwwbeaufortchamberorg Il I Benefiting the Qj) association ale A Yard Sale Bake Sale Barbecue Blood Drive Car Wash tferam to Carohm Hourse Mton Head cm September 15 far a fam ffilM day of attmties krfiiig the Alzheimer AssomifaM51 Disconr rarw to yom urasiJtKS enjoy bairoeore mil affl due fixing satisfy yernr swdrl tomli cw aA rf the above POnis get ywir car sepwaky cteara for jjwst 55 It ail adds rap to a great time far a great cause so snake ptins to be Drop off yard sale derations: September 1 1 L3 10 am 4 pm IO i faMMiiiiiiWi I iM i III HTiTHE BLOOD A ALLI roielung I Wa 404A Saturday September 1 5 9 am to 2 pm RdiTrttiarc' SurJuv 6 AK pumiviik hnwfa the V' or more information please call (843) 342 5599 CAROLINA HOUSE Brockum i Senior 1 him ymr stony cvmtmtm hcrE a CAROUNAHOUS HILTON Hl AD Ptrsctaafaed Awisrcd Lhing AkhrinH rX Dementia Cure 35 Brach Qty Rd ltan ttaSC2WM 342 5599 1 JlfPfiife' Deeri OP i "QSSett f'Homfe PP ratw Wore Seabrook if IJEiffll WfAasssics If ornitHre Warehouse I i Ch com craft 'j 1 Best' 1 'r i PrirntanWyk WDG BgiSmart Lai's flooring and Rugs Tha Whi Collections Muncive of cha Lowcountry Sole tMcIbdMmaorasmdimncrdmcnic ar Ashley items Sac vnr for details Tha BedsmarWDG credit cai ig issued by Wig argo inancial Bank Special egrms apply co qualifying purchases approved credit The special APR will continue tn apply until ill qualifying purdiases are paid in full The minimum rwcmtly piyment far this purchase wdl be the mount that will pay for the purchase full in equal payments during thr promotional (special carma) perlodiThe APR far Parchaecs will apply to certain fres such as a Ian? payment foe or if you cud far other transactions or nrrwly opened accounts the APR far Purchases it 2799 7 he APR may vary with the market! based in the US Prune Race and is given as of April 202012 Ifyau are charged interest in any billing cycle the minimum intanesc charge will ba I 00 75 Robert 170 Beaufort SC 29906' wwwJwdgonlinecom 843 524 8695 Monday through Saturday 101 to 6p Sun I to 5p i I' I wffii tJ 0 i.