Keshaun Williams has been missing for nearly 2 years
CLEVELAND (WJW) — A Cleveland teenager is still missing, and nearly two years later, investigators are making another push to bring him home.
Keshaun Williams was just 15 years old when he disappeared in June of 2023. Today, he'd be 17.
VIDEO: Cleveland firefighters rescue workers from side of building after scaffolding collapses
Federal authorities and Cleveland police are once again urging the public to keep his case top of mind, and they're hoping a boosted reward and community attention can lead to new answers.
Vinny Piccoli, a U.S. deputy marshal and one of the lead investigators on the case, said this one hits hard.
'That's probably the single most frustrating part of this,' Piccoli said. 'There are people that absolutely know what happened.'
Williams was last seen attending a house party on Cleveland's west side. Since then, there have been no verified sightings and no major breakthroughs.
Still, Piccoli said the search is very much active.
'We work this case like it happened yesterday,' he said. 'Every tip matters.'
As the two-year mark approaches, the U.S. Marshals and Cleveland Division of Police have increased the reward for information to $27,500 — one of the largest rewards ever offered in this region for a missing child.
Piccoli said there have been a few recent credible tips — a rarity in this case. Authorities are urging anyone with even the smallest piece of information to come forward.
Cleveland police Sgt. Freddy Diaz emphasized that detectives are following up on every single lead.
'We are 100% looking at them,' Diaz said. 'Our detectives take every lead seriously and follow up on them.'
Look to see all the Goodyear blimps together over NE Ohio today
For the U.S. Marshals, the goal is simple: keep Keshaun's name in the public eye, and keep pressure on the people who may know something.
'Main thing for us is to keep his story out there,' Piccoli said. 'We are in touch with the family every step of the way. They just want answers.'
And that message, investigators said, is what this case is all about — a family still waiting for answers, a community that can still help and a team that refuses to give up.
'It's very frustrating on all sides,' Piccoli added. 'For us, Cleveland police — and especially the family. All they want is answers. We want the same thing.'
If you have any information about the disappearance of Keshaun Williams, contact Cleveland police at 216-623-5400 or the U.S. Marshals tip line at 1-866-4-WANTED (1-866-492-6833). That $27,500 reward remains available.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
$80K beauty heist: Video shows serial shoplifter in Mayfield Heights
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) — Mayfield Heights police have released footage of a suspect accused of stealing more than $80,000 worth of makeup and other beauty products. Caught on camera, a suspect with sticky fingers is accused of stealing $2,200 worth of makeup from Ulta Beauty on Som Center Road on May 15. Macedonia police arrest 6 women in Kohl's thefts But that's just a fraction of what she's accused of taking. On May 15, a woman walked into the Ulta Beauty store in Mayfield Heights. She appeared to be wearing a disguise, attempting to blend in with other shoppers. But a police report filed on May 23 told a different story. Remains found in search for missing teen last seen at airport The store's general manager said the woman managed to steal more than $2,200 worth of cosmetic products. The manager told police she discovered the theft while sorting paperwork and realized her employees had not reported the incident. The suspect was identified in the report as Paula Andrea Lopez-Correa, a Virginia woman wanted in multiple states. She is accused of stealing from Ulta Beauty locations across multiple states, racking up a total of more than $81,000 in losses, according to the police report. According to the store's loss prevention team, Lopez-Correa has used a black Kia Soul in some of the thefts. The car has a Virginia license plate number TFK5214. Nationwide recall on jerky and snack sticks Police said they searched city cameras for that plate number but found no matches. As of now, Lopez-Correa remains at large. Fox 8 reached out to Ulta Beauty's corporate office for comment but did not receive a response. Anyone with information about Paula Andrea Lopez-Correa is urged to contact Mayfield Heights police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Why wasn't an Amber Alert sent for the 3 sisters found dead in Washington?
Why wasn't an Amber Alert sent for the 3 sisters found dead in Washington? Show Caption Hide Caption New footage of Travis Decker released amid manhunt Travis Decker is wanted on first-degree murder charges in connection with deaths of his three daughters. The deaths of three girls in Washington state whose mother reported them missing after their father didn't return them from a custodial visit, has prompted cries for reform because an Amber Alert was never sent for the sisters. The bodies of Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered on June 2 – just days after they were reported missing by their mother, Whitney Decker. The three girls did not return home from a planned visitation with their father, Travis Decker, a former military member who is homeless and was living out of a pickup. Authorities found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards away from their father's unoccupied vehicle near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, about 148 miles east of Seattle. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals, and U.S. Border Patrol have joined the search for Travis Decker, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Now, Whitney Decker is calling for changes to Washington state's Amber Alert system and improvements in mental health care for veterans as the search for the man stretched into its sixth day on June 6, according to reports. Washington State Patrol was originally contacted on May 30 to request an Amber Alert, but the situation "did not meet the required criteria" at the time, Wenatchee police said. The agency instead issued a statewide Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) for the girls on May 31. As authorities intensify the search for Travis Decker, 32, a family attorney told local media outlets that Whitney Decker believes her daughters might still be alive had an Amber Alert been issued in the hours after they were reported missing. "She really feels that the system let her children down," Attorney Arianna Cozart said in an interview with KING 5. "It was the inadequacies in the services for our veterans that killed those children." Court filings revealed that Travis Decker had exhibited mental health issues prior to the girls' deaths. Cozart told The Seattle Times that Travis Decker had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving active service. "They did not see him as an immediate physical danger to his children, despite the fact that he had a well established history of mental health issues," Cozart added. "And had they had seen it that way, those children might still be alive. And that's the thing that is so brutal, and the one thing she's really hoping can be changed in this tragedy." Cozart did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on June 5. 'One too many': Death of 3 girls in Travis Decker's custody is a familiar tragedy Why wasn't an Amber Alert issued? Chris Loftis, spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol, reiterated to USA TODAY that the request for an Amber Alert did not meet the system's guidelines, which are set by the U.S. Department of Justice. He said that, similar to other states, Washington's system has "specific criteria" to ensure that features of the program are only used in instances where the standards have been met. According to Loftis, the criteria include: "The person(s) must be 17 or younger." "The incident must be investigated by a law enforcement agency, and the subject must be entered into the National Crime Information Center." "There must be enough descriptive information that activating the alert will assist in the recovery." "There must be reason to believe the person has been abducted." "The missing person(s) must be known to be in danger of imminent serious bodily injury or death." While the first three criteria were met, Loftis said Travis Decker had limited custodial rights, and there was not immediate legal presumption that the girls were abducted when the Amber Alert requests were submitted on May 30 and May 31. He added that law enforcement does not "automatically have clear indication that the children are in danger" in situations where a custodial parent is late returning children to another parent. Loftis noted that discussions with local law enforcement did not mention danger as a concern. Citing notes from the intake specialist for Washington State Patrol's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, Loftis said initial and follow-up reports from local police stated there was no threat of great bodily harm or death to the children at the time. The notes also showed that Travis Decker had previously "never diverted from the parenting plan in the past" and "no alarming mental health status" had been mentioned in the reports, other than "he may be 'going through a lot' after leaving the military and weathering housing and employment issues." 'No set of standards can protect us from all evils and horrors' Though the case did not meet the Amber Alert threshold, Loftis said there was "ample concern" and State Patrol had enough information to issue the EMPA. Unlike an Amber Alert, the EMPA does not send a push notification or text message to all cell phones in the targeted area about missing children. According to Loftis, issuing an EMPA allows law enforcement to post electronic fliers, send text messages and emails to listservs of people who have requested notification on all alerts, post vehicle information on highway reader boards, and promote coverage by state broadcasters. "The State of Washington handled this incident no differently than any other state with the information they had available. But all of that said, nothing, no process, and no set of standards can protect us from all evils and horrors," Loftis said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We learn from every tragedy, and I'm sure we will review and learn from this set of tragedies, but the depth of this sorrow is beyond a learning opportunity right now, it is a tragedy first and forever." Community mourns amid manhunt: Who were Olivia, Evelyn and Paityn Decker? What happened to the three sisters? The three girls were found dead by apparent suffocation in a remote campground, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. Whitney Decker had reported the children missing on May 30 after they left their central Washington home to visit their father. On June 2, a Chelan County deputy found an unoccupied truck at about 3:45 p.m. local time near the Rock Island Campground. Officers found the bodies of the missing girls soon after, down a small embankment, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. While Travis Decker was nowhere to be found, investigators traced his cell phone, which revealed that he visited the same campground the day before the kidnapping, the court documents show. Travis Decker is wanted on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder, and custodial interference in connection with the deaths, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. In an update on June 4, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said Travis Decker may have scoped out a hiding location before going off the grid using his extensive military and outdoor survival training. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Anthony Robledo, and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman killed by train while trying to save dog from New Hampshire tracks: Police
EXETER, N.H. (WJW) – A woman was killed while trying to save a dog from train tracks in New Hampshire earlier this week, law enforcement said. According to the Exeter Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to a wooded area near Newfields Road in the town of Exeter on Monday afternoon. Train officials told police that there was a crash involving pedestrians. Through the investigation, police learned that two people were walking by the tracks and when an Amtrak train started approaching from around a corner, the dog, which was unleashed, ran onto the tracks. Climber fell about 3,000 feet from Mount McKinley; body recovered They both tried to rescue the dog but were struck by the train, Exeter police said. The woman, identified as 42-year-old Alicia Leonardi, died from her injuries. The other pedestrian, a man, suffered minor injuries in the accident, investigators said. The accident remains under investigation at this time. 'Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Ms. Leonardi,' the police department wrote on Facebook. New video released as manhunt for dad accused of killing girls continues New Hampshire-based news station WMUR-TV spoke with the victim's mother, Cathleen Collis, who said, 'she loved that dog. That dog was everything to her.' According to People and other news outlets, the dog, named Jackson, wasn't injured in the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
