Finding Le-Zhan Epilogue: A child is found

by Janetta Roach

January 2003


  
Left: Vallejo police captain JoAnn West delivers press conference to media on December 7,2002.
Right: Arutha Boyden, Henrietta Williams, Jessica Knox, Russell Boyden and
Riva Lee Boyden; Interviewed by media outside of Vallejo PD.
Photos by Janetta Roach

This past Christmas is one that will forever be remembered for the family of Le-Zhan Williams. In our August 2001 issue, Deb Killarney reported on the tragic 1996 murder in Vallejo of 17-year-old Daphne Boyden and abduction of her 3-week-old son, Le-Zhan Williams, the godson of Coastsider Jessica Knox. 
Miraculously, last month on December 6, the family was notified that Le-Zhan, now 6 years old, had been found alive and well, and the two women responsible for the kidnapping and murder arrested.

The horror began on May 17, 1996, when two women visited 17-year-old Daphne Brown and newborn Le-Zhan who were living with Daphne's grandmother Riva Lee Boyden. Riva Lee left the three women and young baby as she went to a bingo game. When she returned hours later, the house was ablaze. Granddaughter Daphne was dead inside and baby Le-Zhan was gone, along with his birth certificate. Two women had been seen leaving the house carrying a small bundle.



Six long years passed with numerous newscasts, tips, FBI and police investigations yet nothing panned out. "We've been investigating it ever since. There have been several leads that we followed up on but have never been able to come up with anything conclusive in the case," said Vallejo police captain JoAnn West at last month's press conference on December 7. "Until earlier in this week when we received information that was very specific indicating the child was living under a different name in Vallejo, with a woman." 

The anonymous tip received earlier in the week led the Vallejo police to 22-year-old Latasha Brown and her 44-year-old mother Delores Ann Brown. Latasha was arrested on December 5 on a Greyhound Bus, returning from Sacramento where she'd left Le-Zhan with a friend. Her mother was arrested in Vallejo the following day. 
"We have additional investigation that we're doing at this point. Certainly we know that there are many people that were aware of this child being concealed by this woman. More arrests are possible," said Captain West.
And she was right. Two days later police arrested Ocianetta Williams (no relation to Le-Zhan) as the second girl that accompanied Brown to Daphne's house and provided the gun that shot her, and then assisted in Le-Zhan's abduction. 

The motive was speculative at the time, but the rumor was that Brown had been involved with the boy's father, rapper Lathan "Young Lay" Williams and was jealous of Daphne's child with him. Lathan Williams, who is currently in jail in Susanville, has since confirmed that he was romantically involved with Brown. 
It was an ironic blow to the family when they learned that these two women had been raising Le-Zhan only two miles away from where the crime took place and that he was attending first grade at a Vallejo public school. A friend of the family was horrified to find out that a friend of hers had Le-Zhan over to her house many times, never realizing his true identity.

The day after police announced that Le-Zhan had been found, I accompanied Knox on her return to Vallejo to celebrate with her family and attend the press conference at the Vallejo Police Department. Our drive was filled with questions, wonderment, disbelief and gratitude. Knox said, "I wanted Le-Zhan found so bad. But it felt so good to get the killers too. It was important to catch the killers as they would have the advantage of watching us, as they have been. It's amazing. It's the best thing. It's a miracle."

When we arrived at Riva Lee Boyden's house, she was being interviewed by Kelly St. John, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. A short time later, Le-Zhan's paternal grandparents, Henrietta and Beneathes Williams arrived, followed by Brenda Burnette, reporter for ABC channel 7. I looked on as they interviewed the family. "We thank you all and know that prayer changes things. God bless you," said Henrietta Williams. "I'm overwhelmed, I'm overjoyed. We kept hope alive. It is unbelievable. I don't have the words to express that justice is being done and that the baby is alive. We thank everyone who was involved in bringing the baby back to us.

 
Photo on right: Left to right— Henrietta Williams, Riva-Lee Boyden and Jessica Knox.

"It's not going to be easy. Le-Zhan doesn't know us. But he belongs with his family," said Williams. "I still have him on my key chain. I keep my baby with me. I keep hope alive. Knowing that he will be found and he will be reunited with the family."

Knox continued, "I want to give credit to CoastViews Magazine who did a great job putting the article on the Internet for other missing children centers to link to and share information. It gave hope that strangers care. The way CoastViews wrote the article inspired people to put it on their website," said Knox.

This was the case with the organization REACT of Oregon Search and Rescue. Marina Sage, missing children case research assistant emailed CoastViews in October 2002 after reading Deb Killarney's article on CoastViews' website. She wrote to us that a psychic from Florida had been consulted on the case and came up with the following reading: "The first image that came to my mind was a nurse holding the baby and thinking she wished it were hers… I also believe that he is alive, well and very loved. His abductor feels no remorse because of all she went through to get him… She would be using the child's stolen birth certificate that has been altered or her own deceased child's birth certificate."

The authorities revealed that a 'doctored' birth certificate was indeed obtained by Brown that listed Le-Zhan Williams as Shea Brown, and stated he was born at home on May 15, 1996, the day before Daphne Boyden was killed. And the psychic's vision proved pertinent on one other point: the woman responsible for altering the certificate was a nurse— Brown's aunt, Evelyn Smith, who lives in Texas, with whom Brown went to stay for several months after the crime.

After hearing the news of Le-Zhan's recovery, Sage wrote to me, "We research so many missing children cases, but this one I was particularly close to. Maybe it was because the possibility that he was still alive and healthy somewhere was so great, or maybe it was for some other reason unknown to me. Nevertheless, it renews my conviction that what I am doing isn't in vain when I learn of outcomes like this one. What a long time this poor family has had to wait to see their baby boy."

The days following the news of Le-Zhan's recovery were a whirlwind for Knox and her family with interviews for numerous TV shows including Dateline, Inside Edition, the Today Show, and Good Morning America. "They send satellite trucks to your house at 1 a.m. because it takes 2 hours to set up," said Knox. "We're on at 3:45 a.m. here and you're live in New York at Times Square. You're sitting there like a zombie, half-asleep with a monitor in your ear withthe trucks outside sending the signal." Knox booked both ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today Show back to back to minimize the early morning disruption on the family. "They had two separate crews," said Knox. "And they said to me that I couldn't do both. I had to pick one or the other. And I said to them, this is a story that is giving people hope. I understand that you guys are competing for ratings, but don't play this game on me. This is a miracle and it needs to be shared."


Le-Zhan's great-uncle, Russell Boyden, reads article in newspaper.

At the time we went to press, Knox was flying to New York to appear on the John Walsh Show for a 1-hour special to be aired on January 7, devoted to this incredible story, where she is to be presented with the Hero Award. Long the crusader for missing children, host John Walsh has his own tragic story as his six-year-old son, Adam, was abducted and murdered in 1981.

The arraignment of the three women was held on December 10. "It was so emotional," said Knox. "A woman comes up to me and says, ''We are the relatives of Latasha. Thank you so much for not hating our family.' She was bawling. I told them that I forgive all of them. They have a problem. They need to rise up to a higher level. If I'm a person that believes in love, then I know that they can rise up no matter what they do. But it still doesn't stop me from processing my pain. I'm in a lot of pain. And they're in a lot of pain."
At press time, Knox's family had still not seen Le-Zhan, who is being kept in protective custody. But Brown's brother produced 12 photos that were delivered to Knox that covered Le-Zhan's entire life. "He was raised like a regular boy," said Knox. "In every picture they're smiling. And this is after they killed my cousin. They were 15 years old when they murdered her! That's amazing.

"Inside Edition asked me what was the hardest part in this case, and it was the only time I cried on camera," said Knox. "It was that people didn't believe me. They shot me down for looking for Le-Zhan. That's what hurt the most. That's why it's important for me to get this story out. For other cold cases. There are probably all kinds of children out there alive like Le-Zhan," said Knox. "I put my music and art career on hold so I could focus on finding Le-Zhan. I felt like I chose the right fight and now I hope other people will realize that they can do it too."

As for what's to come, Knox said, "I feel like I'm in a whole new world. I have totally transformed from this. I am not the same person." 

Obviously this story is not over. We only wish the family the best in reintegrating Le-Zhan into the fold and hope that he can find the light that will enable him to grow beyond this darkest beginning.