“We Miss Her So Much” Hope for Kathy After 5 Years

MISSING - Kathy Pereira

By Brenna O'Donnell

08-13-2020

In August of 2015, Kathy Pereira was enjoying a busy summer. The 15-year-old girl had just returned home to Gaithersburg, Maryland after spending the season visiting her grandparents in Lisbon, Portugal. Shortly after her return stateside, Kathy and her family took a trip down to Virginia Beach to spend time together on the shore.

“We came back from the beach and she was talking about all these goals, about going to college and what she wanted to study,” said Lillian Pereira, Kathy’s mother. “She wanted to study Business, and get her Masters in Portugal.”

After returning home from the beach on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 16, the family was watching movies and eating snacks before heading off to bed. By the next day, their whole world would be different; they had no way of knowing that it would be the last night they’d spend with their daughter and sister before she disappeared.

Kathy’s family describes her as a shy but friendly teenage girl, who loved spending time with her siblings. In fact, it was her younger brother Chistopher who first noticed that Kathy wasn’t anywhere to be found on the morning of Aug. 17, 2020.

By that evening, the family had mobilized a search and reported Kathy missing to the police.

“I was driving around. Her older siblings were driving around, looking everywhere for her,” said Lillian.

“The detectives came by, took samples of her hair, talked to my brothers and her friends from school,” said Emily Ramos, Kathy’s older sister.

“We put it all throughout social media, asking people if they’d seen her,” says Jonathan Ramos, Kathy’s older brother. “No one really knew anything about what happened to her.”

The search for Kathy Pereira began five years ago and still continues to this day. Her family hopes that someone will come forward with information that brings their beloved daughter and sister home.

“Every day I would go to work, I would look for her at the bus stop, and all up and down the Metro. I would answer the house phone every single time it rang, thinking [Kathy] might be calling home.”

In the time that’s passed since that catalytic August day, Kathy’s family has always held on to the hope that one day they could be reunited with her.

“We still do what we can, asking around and posting on social media,” said Jonathan. “We miss her. We still talk about it. It’s not like it ever goes away.”

“We just hope she’s okay,” said Emily. “If she ever wants to come home, she can. It doesn’t even matter why she could’ve left, just as long as we know she’s okay.”

“To be honest, this is always a hard month for me,” said Lillian about the August missing date. “I can never sleep on her birthday or on Christmas. Someone knows something, in my gut as a mom, I know it. But they haven’t said anything yet.”

When Kathy was last seen, she was 5’3 and 120 lbs. Her ears, nose, tongue, and naval were all pierced. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

This age progression image, designed by forensic artists at NCMEC, shows what Kathy might look like today, at age 20. 

View Kathy Pereira’s missing child poster

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1253629/1/screen

If you have any information on Kathy Pereira, you are urged to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST, that’s 1-800-843-5678. 

Search underway for missing 2-year-old Virginia boy:

by: Gregory Raucoules

Updated: Jun 26, 2019 / 08:31 AM EDT


HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Officials with Hampton Police say there is no end in sight yet in the search for 2-year-old Noah Tomlin.

Hampton Police have now searched for two days, but there’s been no sign of the toddler. They say they’ve exhausted all reasonable efforts at their original area near Buckroe Beach and will be moving to other areas of the city in the coming days.

Sgt. Reginald Williams said the organized search parties have completed multiple searches in multiple areas. He said they are continuing the search and that “locating this juvenile is an extremely high priority.” They are working at full capacity with help from outside resources.

The search efforts began Monday morning, continued overnight and resumed Tuesday. On the ground and in the air, police are racing against the clock to find the toddler. Williams confirmed police were also at a nearby landfill for “surveillance purposes only … in case the investigation turns that way.”

“We’re looking for some areas we might have missed so we can go through those areas with a fine tooth comb and make sure we haven’t overlooked anything,” said Williams.

Sgt. Williams said the child’s parents are cooperating. As far as the investigation goes, he said they are considering every option – from a potential abduction to a missing child. The parents were released from police questioning, and Williams says the department cannot disclose any persons of interest at this time.

The search for 2-year-old Noah Tomlin resume Tuesday morning in Hampton.
“We’re pouring everything we have into the search and we’re just asking anybody that knows any information or has any information that could lead to us finding this child, please contact us,” said Sgt. Williams.

Police said every resource available is being used to find the toddler and they’ve contacted the FBI for assistance.

View image on Twitter
Police said the toddler was last seen around 1 a.m. Monday morning when his mother put him down to sleep. We’re told Noah’s mother reported him missing around 11:30 a.m.

“We were looking around for him,” said Terry Dieringer, a nearby resident. “We were looking everywhere ourselves for about two or three hours and nothing.”

“There’s so much going through my head,” said Katie Allen. “I feel crazy just thinking about it because my little boy, he’s almost 2 years old.”

Police taped off part of S. First Street, where neighbors said the child lives.

There are investigators and officers on site that are pursuing every aspect of the investigation from the origin of where the child went missing,” Sgt. Williams said, in reference to S. First Street.

One woman we spoke to didn’t want to go on camera but she tells 10 On Your Side she had just come home for lunch when she realized something was wrong.

“I see the kids down the street, my neighbors, yelling ‘Noah Noah,’” the woman said.

The woman even saw a forensics unit. She also said officers were also going door to door looking for surveillance video.

Police said they are looking into every possible scenario ranging from the child wandering off to foul play.

“All of that is still under investigation,” Williams said. “We’re not ruling it out. We are considering it as a possibility and we are exploring every possible avenue.”

The community is trying to remain optimistic during this difficult time.
“It’s sad. It’s a sad situation. I hope they find him,” Dieringer said.

Noah was last seen wearing a white and green pajama shirt with a diaper.

If you have any information that could help in finding Noah, call Hampton police at 757-727-6111.

Virginia Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Traveling to Haiti and Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct

A Virginia man was sentenced today to 276 months in prison, to be followed by a life term of supervised release, for traveling from the United States to Haiti and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen of the Western District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., announced.

James Daniel Arbaugh, 40, of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, to one count of traveling in foreign commerce from the United States to Haiti in or about 2016 to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a person under the age of 18 before U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth K. Dillion of the Western District of Virginia, who sentenced him earlier today and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

“James Arbaugh was a wolf in sheep’s clothing: he posed as a selfless missionary when in reality he was exploiting his position to prey on and sexually abuse vulnerable children in one of the most impoverished areas of the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “Today’s sentencing is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners to hold sexual predators like Arbaugh accountable for their deplorable crimes.” 

“The defendant abused his position of trust to prey on vulnerable victims, and their lives will never be the same,” said U.S. Attorney Cullen.  “As this case indicates, our office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and vigorously prosecute those who exploit children.”  

“This kind of heinous and evil activity has no place here, abroad or in-transit,” said Special Agent in Charge Lechleitner. “Those seeking to commit such abhorrent crimes and evade detection cannot hide from our highly skilled and dedicated investigators.”

According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Arbaugh has lived in Haiti for approximately 15 years and has traveled regularly back to the United States during that time.  According to statements made by the Court during Armbaugh’s sentencing hearing, during his time in Haiti, Arbaugh traveled as a Mennonite missionary regularly visiting remote towns and villages, where he would befriend and groom children in these communities.  Arbaugh admitted that in 2016, while in Haiti, he engaged in illicit sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12 by touching the minor’s genitals under the minor’s clothing.

The investigation of the case was conducted by HSI and the Harrisonburg Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn Shoop of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeb Terrien of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Virginia.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc..

Topic(s): 

Project Safe Childhood

Component(s): 

Criminal Division

Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

USAO - Virginia, Western

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Virginia Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking a Minor and Producing Child Pornography

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, July 20, 2018

A Virginia man was sentenced today to 186 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for multiple crimes related to the prostitution and exploitation of a 15-year-old minor.  Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after the sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Abdul Karim Bangura Jr. aka “AJ”, 22, of Triangle, Virginia pleaded guilty in August 2017 to all counts of an indictment charging him with sex trafficking of a minor, conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor, interstate transportation of a minor for the purposes of prostitution, and production of child pornography.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Bangura and his co-defendant Christian Hood conspired to recruit a 15-year-old girl to work as a prostitute and to advertise her prostitution services on Backpage.com.  Bangura also transported the minor to hotels in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. for prostitution dates, and he took a portion of the money she made from commercial sex customers.  Bangura also used a phone to record a video of himself having sex with the minor.  In August 2017, Hood was convicted at trial of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of this same minor. 

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with assistance from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the Prince William County Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen C. Cain of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Topic(s): 

Project Safe Childhood

Component(s): 

Criminal Division

Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

USAO - Virginia, Eastern

Press Release Number: 

18-559

Updated July 20, 2018

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Report and Identify Missing Persons

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Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Producing and Distributing Child Pornography

Department of Justice -
Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Producing and Distributing Child Pornography

A Manassas Park, Virginia man pleaded guilty today to producing and distributing child pornography.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Michael Gerald Moody, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography.  According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Moody admitted that, between 2017 and February 2018, he used a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct and he captured numerous images of that conduct with his cellular phone.  In addition, Moody engaged in text chats with other individuals through the online messaging application Kik Messenger.  These chats principally focused on the exchange of child pornography and discussions of the sexual abuse of children.  In the course of these chats, Moody distributed child pornography—including images that he himself produced, as well as other images—to at least eight other individuals.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 14.

The case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Manassas Park Police Department.  Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay V. Prabhu of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: www.justice.gov/psc.

Trinity Mount Ministries

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Depicting Victims in the Philippines

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 9, 2018

A Manassas, Virginia man pleaded guilty today to using the Internet to pay women to sexually abuse children as young as six years old in the Philippines while he produced numerous images of the abuse.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Doherty-McCormick for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement.

According to court documents, from at least October 2011 until February 2012, Dwayne Stinson, 53, used an electronic payment service to pay women in the Philippines he was chatting with to sexually abuse children while he directed the abuse. He admitted that some of the children were as young as six or seven years old. The defendant contemporaneously produced numerous screenshot images of the abuse and stored them on his computer.

Stinson pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 24, 2018.

The Prince William County Police Department and Northern Virginia/District of Columbia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (NOVA/DC ICAC) assisted in the investigation. CEOS Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Trinity Mount Ministries