Jerice Hunter Arrested for the murder of Jhessye Shockley

							FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                            Date: Sept 6, 2012
CONTACT: Sergeant Brent Coombs 623 930-3076
         Officer Tracey Breeden 623 930- 3276


              Jerice Hunter Arrested for Murder of Jhessye Shockley

 Glendale, Ariz. – Jerice Hunter was taken into custody at about 1:30pm today by Glendale Detectives for

 the murder of her 5 yr old daughter Jhessye Shockley. This comes after 11 months of investigative effort

 into the disappearance of Jhessye, which began with a 911 call to police from Jerice on October 11, 2011,

 announcing that she had returned home from an errand to find her youngest daughter missing.

      The Glendale Police Department, working in conjunction with the Maricopa County Attorney’s

 Office and other law enforcement partners over the past year, moved forward today after a warrant was

 issued for the arrest of Jerice Hunter, based upon a Grand Jury Indictment handed down late this morning

 for 1st Degree Murder and Child Abuse. Hunter was taken into custody in Mesa without incident.

      “For the past 11 months, the men and women of the Glendale Police Department and our partners

 from local, state and federal law enforcement worked tirelessly to accomplish two goals: to find Jhessye

 and to hold the person responsible for her disappearance accountable. We are confident with the

 indictment and arrest today, we will achieve our second goal of securing justice for Jhessye,” said Glendale

 Chief of Police Debora Black. “I commend our law enforcement partners for their refusal to give up on

 this case. Thanks to their diligence and hard work, we now have an opportunity to seek justice for Jhessye

 and uncover the truth behind her disappearance,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.

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                                    Glendale Police Department
                    a proud recipient of CALEA National Accreditation since 2000