Community Corner

Missing from Stone Mountain and Lithonia: Have You Seen These Children?

There are 80 missing children listed in Georgia, and some are from our communities.

With the miraculous discovery of three Ohio women missing for a decade, there is a renewed spotlight on how such cases affect communities across America.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, some 2,185 children go missing every day. That includes children missing from neighborhoods in Stone Mountain and Lithonia.

All total, there are 80 children listed as missing from Georgia, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

-- Have you seen a missing child? See below for children missing from the Stone Mountain and Lithonia areas --

In the case of the Ohio women, they were each abducted between 2002-2004 and feared dead, according to news reports. On Monday, they were freed thanks, in part, to a local man who stepped in when he heard one woman's screams for help.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The found women are: Amanda Berry, 27, who birthed a child during her captivity; Georgina "Gina" DeJesus, 23; and Michelle Knight, 32.

Patch has compiled a list of children missing from the area. If you believe you have seen them, contact local law enforcement or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

Stone Mountain (near Gwinnett County):

  • Brianna Thompson, missing since Jan. 5, 2013. She would be 15 now. She is believed to be an endangered runaway, who may have traveled to Decatur.

Lithonia

  • Reginald Watts, missing since April 21, 2013. He is 16. His ears are pierced and may still be in the local area.
  • Vanessa Velasquez, missing since Nov. 1, 2012. She is 16, and may travel to Chicago, Illinois or Brownsville, Texas.

Patch field editor Leslie Johnson contributed to this report.

See also:
No Kid Has to Sleep in the Street in Metro Atlanta

Lithonia Youth Homeless Shelter Moves to Tucker

 

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