Hasanni Campbell: missing Fremont boy

A timeline of the case:

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Hasanni Campbell goes missing

Hasanni Campbell, a five-year-old Fremont boy with cerebral palsy, goes missing around 4 p.m. on August 10, 2009, according to his foster father, Louis Ross. Ross says he briefly left Hasanni in a car parked near Shuz of Rockridge, 6012 College Avenue, where his fiancee, Jennifer Campbell, works. Campbell is also Hasanni’s biological aunt. Police close down a two-block area near College and Claremont, and a helicopter and six search-and-rescue dogs are used. No trace of the boy is found.
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Day Two

Police continue to comb the area and hand out fliers with pictures of Hasanni to local shopkeepers. The F.B.I. joins the search. Police say Hasanni is three feet tall, weighs 40 pounds, and is African American. He has short black hair and brown eyes, and wore a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants. He also wore braces on his legs.
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Police Search Fremont

Fremont police searched a park in North Fremont Wednesday morning near Campbell’s home, but there have been no new developments in the case, says Sgt. Chris Mazzone, a spokesperson with the Fremont Police dept.
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Police offer reward, foster father says boy can walk without braces

Oakland police offer a $10,000 reward in their search for Hasanni Campbell. Earlier that week, Louis Ross sought to dispel what he considered false facts in the case, including the report of Hasanni’s leg braces. He wears “ankle braces,” or orthopedics designed to help shape his feet. He can walk without them, Ross said. When asked if he believed that someone he knew might be behind the disappearance, Ross said, “As a father, those are thoughts you don’t entertain. This has been a nightmare.”
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Foster parents arrested

Campbell’s foster parents, Louis Ross and his pregnant fiancee Jennifer Campbell, are arrested on suspicion of murder. The boy’s body has not been recovered. High profile Oakland attorney John Burris, who has been working with the couple as an advisor, says they underwent questioning today and that the arrests were unexpected.
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Video: Burris on Campbell case
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Foster parents released, no charges filed

The Alameda County District Attorney’s office cancels an arraignment hearing for Louis Ross (left), citing insufficient evidence. The OPD releases photographs and videos of Campbell taken at a Fremont Wal-Mart before he went missing. Investigators now believe Hasanni never went to Shuz of Rockridge, the College Avenue business where Ross says the boy disappeared. Police officials will continue to investigate the whereabouts of the boy, and may re-arrest the couple, said Oakland Police chief Howard Jordan.
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Volunteer divers search Lake Elizabeth for clues

Nearly 100 volunteers search the shores of the 88-acre lake, and a few dive into the lake itself. San Jose Search and Rescue, a nonprofit rescue response team, handles the logistics of the search, which was organized by frequent Campbell rally organizer Sherri-Lyn Miller. Campbell’s 16-year-old aunt, Trinity Campbell, attends the search, but the boy’s foster parents are not present.
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Three months later, a tiny crowd holds vigil

Only five people attend an evening vigil at College Avenue Presbyterian Church. Speaking to television crews, they call for renewed attention to the search for the boy, who would have celebrated his sixth birthday on September 26. Richmond resident Celina Carleton, who says she attended high school with Jennifer Campbell, says she is not discouraged. “Unfortunately there’s only a few of us that have stuck around, but I’m not giving up.”
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Foster parents leave Fremont home

The Oakland Tribune reports the foster parents have moved out of the Fremont home they rented (left). From the Trib: “[Louis] Ross reportedly has moved to Arizona. Pamela Clarke, Jennifer Campbell’s mother, said she does not know where her daughter is living or if the couple is together … Sherri-Lyn Miller, who has organized searches for the now-6-year-old boy for six months, said the couple split up after the birth of their baby girl in late November. Miller has not had contact with them in many months.”
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Aug. 10 ‘09 Aug. 11 Aug. 12 Aug. 17 Aug. 28 Sept. 1 Sept. 5 Nov. 10 Feb. 2 ‘10

The latest stories:

Citizens for the Lost volunteers gathered in front of Wiley Manuel Courthouse on Tuesday.

Supporters rally on the anniversary of Hasanni Campbell’s disappearance

Wearing royal blue shirts that said, “A little boy not forgotten, Hasanni Campbell,” a smattering of people representing the non-profit organization Citizens for the Lost gathered in front of the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland to remember the missing Fremont boy on Tuesday.

No new information on Hasanni Campbell one year after disappearance

It’s been one year since Hasanni Campbell went missing. The little boy, who had cerebral palsy and used braces to walk, would be six years old now. The Oakland Police Department still considers the boy’s foster father, Louis Ross, a primary suspect in his disappearance.

Supporters remain hopeful six months after boy’s disappearance

It’s been six months since Hasanni Campbell disappeared from outside a Rockridge shoe store, but the supporters who gathered outside the downtown Oakland police station Wednesday night continue to hope for his safe return.

Rally planned for Hasanni Campbell; foster parents reported to have moved

The homicide investigation into the disappearance of Fremont boy Hasanni Campbell continues amid reports that his foster parents have left the area

Three-month anniversary of Hassani Campbell disappearance marked by thin vigil crowd

Three months ago on Tuesday, a search began for Fremont boy Hassani Campbell. Community activists marked the occasion at an evening vigil at College Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Wine party planned to fund search for missing boy

Frustrated by the lack of clues into Hassani Campbell’s disappearance, organizers are holding a fundraiser to help pay for a private investigation.

No signs of boy found in Lake Elizabeth: Search galvanizes community but reveals no clues

By S. Howard Bransford/Oakland North

Volunteers from throughout the East Bay formed a prayer circle near a reedy lagoon called Lake Elizabeth in Fremont on Saturday morning as they gathered to undertake a grim task.

The official goal of the search party—some 100 people strong—was to find the missing five-year-old Hassani Campbell, a Fremont resident who vanished [...]

Keeper of memories: Campbell search organizer known for memorializing missing youth

Those who die on Oakland’s toughest avenues may get little more than a brief mention in local papers or on the nightly news, but their memories live on at Sherri-Lyn Miller’s print shop.

Attorney Burris: ‘This case is stunning to me’

by Mario Furloni/Oakland North

In an exclusive interview, Oakland attorney John Burris speaks about the recent events surrounding the Hassani Campbell case.

Earlier this week the missing child’s foster parents, Jennifer Campbell and Louis Ross, were released after three days in police custody.

Foster father of missing boy leaves home with police

By AYAKO MIE & ALEXIA UNDERWOOD; ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHILANDA WOOLRIDGE AND STEVE SALDIVAR

The foster father of missing five-year-old Hasanni Campbell was questioned by police today and left his home in Fremont with officers, said a prominent Oakland attorney who has been consulting with the foster parents.

Attorney John Burris could not confirm where the police [...]

Police Investigation of Missing Fremont Boy Continues

The search for missing five-year-old Hasanni Campbell continued Thursday as Oakland homicide investigators joined the on-going investigation.

Missing Boy’s Foster Father Says Child Can Walk Without Braces

The foster father of missing five-year-old Hasanni Campbell sought to clarify aspects of the case Wednesday night when he spoke with reporters in his home in Fremont.

Police Search Park Near Missing Child’s Home in Fremont

Fremont police searched a park in North Fremont near the home of missing five-year-old Hasanni Campbell Wednesday morning.

F.B.I Join Search for Missing Child

The F.B.I joined the search for a missing five-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, last seen in North Oakland Monday afternoon.