A heartbroken mother of a young girl who has been missing for almost two weeks believes her daughter is still alive but being ‘held against her will.
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10-year-old Breasia ‘Bree’ Terrell’ from Davenport, Iowa disappeared on July 10 after spending the night at the flat of her half-brother’s biological father, 47-year-old Henry Dinkins, and his girlfriend.
Although Dinkins hasn’t been charged in the case, authorities have called him a person of interest in the girl’s disappearance.
According to reports, Dinkins is registered as a sex offender for a third-degree sexual abuse conviction in 1990. He is currently in jail for violating the terms of his parole by having contact with minors and not giving his latest address to authorities.
Bree’s mother, Aisha Lankford, said to NBC’s Dateline that she believes her daughter is ‘out there somewhere.’ She is also convinced that Dinkins has the answers to locating her child.
Lankford said that Dinkins broke down in tears when she visited him in jail. “I’ve known him for 11 years and I’ve never seen him show that kind of emotion. I know he knows something. I told him, ‘You’re never going to have a good night’s sleep in that cell until she’s home,” she told NBC’s Dateline.
The mother said her 10-year-old daughter joined her brother, 8, at a sleepover at his father’s house. “She’s close with her brother and wanted to hang out with him,” she expressed. “We had no reason to worry that anything bad would happen.”
She added: “Bree texted me and said, “Good night, Mama, I love you,” and that’s the last time I heard from her.”
The following day, Lankford received a call from Dinkins, saying the girl was gone.
Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski said that officers are hoping to find the girl as they continue to find leads.
“We all want to find her alive,” Sikorski said. “That is what our intent is as we continue with the investigation.”
For any information, please call (563) 326-6125.
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