Untold Stories: Black and Missing BAMFI

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 responsibilities. With each passing day, the urgency to find Jesse grows stronger. 

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 his family to push the state of Maryland to create a law enacting purple alerts which protect people with cognitive impairments that often are not covered by other alerts. Our experts weigh-in on why there should be a national purple alert law.

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 parents have taken to ensure this never happens to another family. 

“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 domestic violence, cognitive impairment, human trafficking and mental illness. We will also speak with experts about how we can best protect our families, and what we can all do to #HelpUsFindUs.

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 made national headlines in July when she disappeared after calling 911 to report seeing a toddler walking alone on an Alabama highway. When officers arrived they found her vehicle still running, but there was no trace of her or the child. Two days later, she returned home claiming that she had been kidnapped. However, an investigation revealed her story had holes in it, and on July 24th, her lawyer acknowledged she had made the whole abduction story up and that she acted alone.

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.  That was the last anyone has seen of her. Where was she going in such a hurry?  Who was she meeting? Do you know where Joniah Walker is?