Yashawnee Vaughn, a Facebook-loving teen who disappeared March 19 in Northeast Portland, was allegedly killed that day in the bed of a teenage boy she called a friend, her family and police said Thursday. The 14-year-old's body has not been found.
Portland Police Bureau detectives called Vaughn's mother and father into their East Precinct headquarters Thursday afternoon and said they had evidence that Vaughn died at the home of 16-year-old Parrish Bennette, whom her family described as a "friend slash boyfriend." Bennette, who was on juvenile supervision at the time, was picked up on a supervision violation earlier this week, juvenile authorities said. He was charged with Vaughn's murder Thursday.
Ed Brumfield, the Detectives Division commander, said the ongoing investigation prevented him from explaining what evidence led police to conclude Vaughn was dead. He confirmed that investigators believe she was killed March 19.
Vaughn, whose big smile beams out under long bangs in dozens of photos uploaded to Facebook, was first reported missing by her mother, Shaquita Louis, March 21. Louis told police that a friend saw Vaughn eating dinner at a Taco Bell on Northeast 82nd Avenue about 7 p.m. March 19, and she also was spotted waiting for a northbound No. 72 bus at a stop across the street. According to a Police Bureau timeline released Thursday, Officer George Holloway took Louis' report and entered it into two missing persons databases. A message was sent for officers to be on the lookout for Vaughn, and Holloway's report was forwarded to officers assigned to runaway cases.
The family's concern for Vaughn grew as days went by without any activity on her cellphone or Facebook account. Detectives from the missing persons unit were not assigned to the case until after Louis called 9-1-1 March 23 to again report her daughter missing. That day, Detective Arjay Dran called Louis and asked for the names of Vaughn's friends and associates. According to the timeline, investigators interviewed Bennette on March 25. However, it wasn't until late Sunday, March 27, that police got their first hint that Vaughn might be the victim of foul play.
Investigators obtained search warrants and collected evidence from two possible crime scenes. According to Vaughn's family, one was Bennette's home. Evidence was forwarded to the Oregon State Police crime lab, and when a DNA link was found to Vaughn, Bennette was charged. "I'm sorry to say this story does not have a positive ending," Portland Police Chief Mike Reese said at a news conference Thursday. "As a parent with children, my heart goes out to the family."
Vaughn's alternative high school, Helensview School, planned to stay open until 10 p.m. Thursday so students and friends could gather and grieve, said Mark Skolnick, a Multnomah Education Service District spokesman. Classes will follow a normal schedule today.
Earlier this week, Vaughn's family criticized police handling of Louis' first report, saying the teen's race and juvenile record deterred detectives from jumping on the case. Reese said missing persons detectives were not immediately assigned to search for Vaughn because the case was several days old, and gang enforcement officers were already looking for her in connection with an assault last month in the Lloyd Center area.
"The officer takes the report, and there was no sign that there was anything more to this than possibly a missing, a runaway; there was nothing to indicate foul play," Reese said. "The report was days after she was last seen, so it's not like this was an emerging incident where she'd gone missing in the last 15 minutes, in the last hour. "She was unfortunately killed before we even knew she was missing."
Louis was unavailable to comment on her daughter's death Thursday evening but did express gratitude to those who have helped her through the past 10 days. Police ask anyone with information to call Detective Mark Slater at 503-823-9319 or Detective Erik Kammerer at 503-823-0762.
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