Lexis Roberts -- Found Deceased 10/8/10, Suellen Roberts -- Found Deceased 11/15/10

Girl, mother vanish on Arizona road trip; family suspects foul play

Posted: 09/15/2010
By: MaryEllen Resendez



WILLIAMS, AZ - A Nevada family desperately searches for a mother and daughter after they went missing on a road trip to Bearizona Wildlife Park in Arizona.

According to KTNV , 31-year-old Suellen Roberts and her 12-year-old daughter, Lexis, left on Labor Day weekend to visit Bearizona Wildlife Park in Williams, Arizona.

Their family became concerned when they never returned after the three day weekend.

"It's not like my daughter just to turn cold and leave and not call me in so many days," said Mary Woodburn, Suellen's mother.

Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/mother-and-daughter-missing:-family-suspects-foul-play

This is so scary. Having always visited national and state parks (and our local ones just the same) like everyone else, you have to realize anymore just how vulnerable you can be. You leave your car in this beautiful setting to take a hike, enjoy the peaceful scenery and lord only knows who is watching or following you into the woods, or waiting for you to come out. Many times the parks can be so desolate. I hope and pray Suellen and Lexis did not meet foul play....

Source: Body found in La. could be missing Vegas girl

Page Last Updated: Wednesday October 27, 2010 11:23am PDT

The search for a Las Vegas girl who went missing since Labor Day weekend could be over.

Sources tell News 3 a body found in Louisiana earlier this month could be that of 12-year-old Lexi Roberts. This information is still pending confirmation from Metro’s Missing Persons Department.

Lexi and her mother, Suellen, were last seen last month in Flagstaff, Ariz. the Saturday before Labor Day with Thomas Steven Sanders.

Read more: http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=30522

Missing Las Vegas girl confirmed to be body found in La.

Page Last Updated: Wednesday October 27, 2010 11:48am PDT

Authorities in Louisiana have positively identified remains found in a wooded area there as that of a 12-year-old Las Vegas girl who had been missing since last month.

According to WVLA-TV in Baton Rouge, La., several law enforcement agencies said Lexis Roberts was identified Tuesday based on dental records. Her remains were found Oct. 8 by hunters in an area near Harrisonburg, La.

Read more: http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=30557

They left NV to go to AZ, and her body was found in LA????

How could that have happened? That sure was a long road trip.

A tragic end to two months of involvement. We made posters, put them up, talked to people, got leads that were ignored by local law enforcement. Now she is found, "left to die" in the woods... No Amber alert, no search of registered pedophiles homes, no national news and hardly any local news coverage. But they'll all cover it now.

Look up the numbers I found... Interpol says 80,000 girls are brought into the US through the Mexican Border EVERY YEAR, CIA's website estimates 50,000.

Interpol's web site says over 2,500,000 children are bought and sold as slaves across the globe, most of them for sex. Other agencies claim over 10,000,000 children live in slavery today. This is the 3rd largest money making international crime... People need to know...

There are according to the child predator registration web sites over 500,000 registered pedophiles here in the USA and how often are their homes searched? Even when children go missing in the area?

Good morning, Silence Does No Good and welcome to RC.
This is beyond tragic. I am so sorry. Are you related to little Lexis and Suellen?

I think there needs to be a search between NV and LA through AZ to find the mother's body. Sure, it will take some time but it must be done.

Prayers for the mom/grandmom during this time of grief. Let justice be done swiftly.

Today is Lexis' birthday


She was born 10/28/97

http://www.helpfindmychild.net/lexis-roberts

Thomas Steven Sanders
DOB: Jul 12, 1957
Race: White
Hair: Grey
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs (73 kg)

They were with Thomas Steven Sanders, Suellen's new boyfriend of just two months. Sanders has a criminal record, though it's unclear what the charges were.
You can see Lexis in the backseat of the car when they were entering the park in the surveillance video. So where is this man?????

Originally Posted by Knox
Thomas S Sanders
(Age 53)
Birth Date: 07/12/1957

ADDRESS 1:
Po Box 2364,
CLARKSVILLE, TN 37042
ADDRESS 2:
106 S Bay St,
AMITE, LA 70422

Copied from WS:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5737335

The above is from a background check.....if that's him, he knew the area where Lexis was found in Harrisonburg, LA. His face should have been all over the news when they first went missing. He was CLUE NUMBER ONE. Of course, he could also be a victim, but it doesn't look that way to me. It's a crying shame there was zero coverage, no searches, leads not followed up on and no amber alert.......it's a miracle she was even found. God bless her, so very sad.

Video from local station:

http://wdef.com/video/la_missing_girl_remains_identified/10/2010

Remains of missing Las Vegas girl, 12, found in Louisiana

Updated Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010 | 2:49 p.m.

~Snipped~
Metro Police said they opened a missing persons case for Lexis and Suellen Roberts Sept. 6, but closed the case 10 days later after they were found safe in Arizona.

Family members also opened a case in Arizona where the two were last seen, and Metro has been helping Arizona authorities since that time, police said.

Authorities still are searching for Suellen Roberts and Sanders, said Robert E. King, supervisory senior resident agent with the FBI in Alexandria, La. King said investigators are not releasing how long ago they believe Lexis Roberts died.

Read more:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/oct/27/remains-missing-las-vegas-girl-12-found-louisiana/

Metro Police closed the case after 10 days because they were seen in Arizona on September 4th in the video? The case was opened September 6th....what kind of sense does that make?

I have a heavy heart tonight for Lexis, she should be celebrating her 13th birthday today. My sincerest sympathy goes out to Lexis' loved ones...........

FBI, U.S. Marshals now investigating 12 year old girl's death

Page Last Updated: Thursday October 28, 2010 5:51pm PDT

The FBI and U.S. Marshals are now investigating the mysterious death of a 12 year old Las Vegas girl whose remains were found in Louisiana.

While authorities are staying quiet about suspects, the girl’s mother’s boyfriend, who was with Alexis, has a long criminal record.

Lexis Kaye Roberts would have turned 13 Thursday. Her family is instead mourning her death.

Read more: http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=30688

~Snipped~

While Sanders hasn’t been named as a suspect, he has a long rap sheet. Between 2003 and 2006, Metro arrested Sanders for possession of stolen property, battery, and indecent behavior.

Authorities tell us his record also includes crimes against juveniles, but wouldn’t specify.

For now, investigators are working to find the couple and the missing pieces to this crime.

Suellen's mother also said he used numerous aliases and social security numbers.......

Still shots from the video of them entering the park:






These pictures should have been all over the national news along with Sanders' mugshot. When I read "Kia Spectra", I had no idea what one looked like.

No not a member of family. Just got involved since very few others were.. For the record I found 8 people who had seen them out near where Lexis phone last pinged a tower. The owners of the local hardware store said they had seen HIM in their store a month before talking about owning property in Howard Mesa ( 18 miles north of William's ) exactly where the phone went off line. I spoke to a resident who had seen flyers on at least two registered offenders in Howard Mesa.

I thought, when I called the **** Sheriffs that we ( my wife and I ) had saved her. My conversation with the sheriff who called me back went as follows.

Tell him about the sitings and registered offenders.

Him "Well what do you want me to do."

Me "Go out and check the registered offenders homes "

Him "Well i would if I knew what home to go to"

Me "Surely you have access to the data base"

Him "Well ya, I do but you don't "

Me "so are you going to go check their homes"

Him "But I don't know their names "

Me angry at this point " Surely it cant be by name it's got to be by region"

Him "We'll Ill go out and talk to someone"

Continues " But I wont go into any homes alone, there's a lot that has to be done before that happens "

This is almost word for word, his slow drawl and lack of interest imprinted it on me for life.. I hope his guilt is hitting him now.. As for Las Vegas Metro it's called CYA.

No one wanted to cover the story, no one wanted to investigate. FBI and US Attorney Generals Office both told Patti to talk to the local agency heading up the non investigation. Now they will all posture and cover their asses against law suites and media exposure.

Sounds as if he didn't even take notes on what you told him, let alone go check up on it! And apparently, he didn't. That is just totally unacceptable, a child's life was at stake. Unreal!

Lexis Roberts

I can't find any new information pertaining to searches for her mother and Sanders.

Suellen Roberts and Thomas Sanders with shorter hair and beard

Suellen Roberts

~Snipped~

Edwards said an evidence recovery team from the Federal Bureau of Investigations will be visiting the sight where the remains were found.

“They are going to be doing a scan over the area where the body was recovered to find more evidence,” he said. “This could help link her to somebody who may know more.”


http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2010/oct/28/bones-those-nev-girl/

I've also read that the area is very remote, the land is owned by International Paper Corp. No one would be familiar with it unless you were local and hunted there, or worked for International Paper. This was a comment made by a local.

An older article:

Family missing on trip to northern Arizona
Mother, daughter overdue on return, traced to Bearizona and Grand Canyon


Suellen Roberts


Lexis Roberts

9/17/2010 11:18:00 Am

WILLIAMS, Ariz. - A family has been reported missing in the Williams area after visiting Bearizona on their way to visit the Grand Canyon National Park. According to reports from Bearizona, the missing persons, Suellen Roberts, 31, and Lexis Roberts, 12, were last seen in the gift shop of Bearizona on Sept. 4, where they signed the guest register. According to Jocelyn Fischer, operations assistant for Bearizona, staff at the Williams attraction later learned that the two had gone missing.

"As soon as we received the disheartening phone call from Pati Cloutier regarding Suellen and Lexis Roberts, we immediately began reviewing surveillance tapes and investigating if the missing persons did, in fact, visit the park during Labor Day weekend," Fischer said in a statement Sept. 16.

"We looked through our gift shop log and found that Suellen did indeed sign the comment sheet on Saturday, Sept. 4. We then alerted local authorities to the matter and provided them with all of the info we had compiled; including still shots of vehicles that matched the description of the alleged vehicle, as well as the gift shop log page," Fischer said, adding that staff at Bearizona have stayed in contact with Cloutier.

"We have recently received a personal e-mail asking for our help with posting the missing person flyers throughout the town of Williams. Several Bearizona employees took it upon themselves to distribute the flyers and alert local businesses," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Roberts family as well as everyone working hard to find them."

Read more:
http://williamsnews.com/Main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=10631

What a terrible way for things to be handled! I hope that LE is at least NOW looking for the mother & boyfriend. It's so sad because it really is too last (even if mom is still alive, which I doubt).

Candlelight vigil for Lexis Roberts
Area locals to hold service tomorrow for missing girl

11/2/2010 2:52:00 PM

WILLIAMS - Residents in the Williams area are planning a candlelight village tomorrow to honor the memory of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts, whose remains were found in Louisiana in early October.

Roberts, along with her mother Suellen Roberts and a traveling companion, all from Las Vegas, Nev., were last seen at Bearizona in Williams while on a summer vacation in northern Arizona. Bearizona spokesperson Jocelyn Fischer said a number of employees were involved in the search for the missing family.

"This is such a sad tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Suellen and Lexis Roberts," Fischer said in a statement Oct. 29.

The candlelight vigil for Lexis Roberts will be held tomorrow on the corner of Route 66 and Second Street beginning at 6 p.m. Organizer Jacqueline Clayton said candles will be provided to those who wish to attend. Clayton was one of those involved in the search for the missing family in the Williams area.

Read more:
http://www.williamsnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=763&ArticleID=10809

A candle for Lexis




I hope they find some answers soon.

Police to discuss death investigation of 12-year-old girl

Updated: Nov 03, 2010 6:53 PM EDT

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) – The Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office, FBI, and United States Attorney's Office will hold a press conference Thursday to discuss developments in the death investigation of Lexis Kaye Roberts.

Read more: http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13441178

BREAKING NEWS: Suspect Named in Las Vegas Girl's Murder

Posted: Nov 04, 2010 1:30 PM EDT
Updated: Nov 04, 2010 1:30 PM EDT

LAS VEGAS -- A suspect has been named in the death of a 12-year-old Las Vegas girl whose remains were found by hunters in Louisiana.

The FBI has identified 53-year-old Thomas Steven Sanders as a suspect in the murder of Lexis Kaye Roberts. They have issued a federal warrant for his arrest. The girl and her mother, Suellen Roberts, were reported missing in September after a trip to Arizona with Sanders. Roberts remains were found October 8 in a wooded area near Harrisonburg, Louisiana.

The FBI says Sanders was filmed September 3 purchasing ammunition at a Las Vegas Wal-Mart. The ammunition Sanders bought was consistent with the caliber of the weapon used in the girl's death.

Federal agents say in 1994 Sanders was legally declared dead in the state of Mississippi by family members.

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/13445876/breaking-news-suspect-named-in-girls-murder

Feds: Kidnapping Suspect Died In 1994
Vegas Girl's Body Found In Louisiana

POSTED: 10:33 am PDT November 4, 2010
UPDATED: 10:44 am PDT November 4, 2010

After being declared legally dead in Mississippi by family members, the FBI said Sanders appeared in several other states, working various jobs including as a welder, scrap metal collector, night watchman and handyman.

Sanders met Suellen Roberts at a moving facility where the two worked.

He is described as having no upper teeth and two lower teeth, with a tattoo on his chest and a scar on his abdomen.




Authorities believe Sanders is driving a 2001 Kia Spectra with damage on its passenger side doors.

The vehicle originally had a Nevada license plate, No. 153UCR, but agents said it’s possible it was replaced with a stolen plate.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25634664/detail.html

He bought the ammo before they left. Lexis was shot several times. What a sad choice Suellen made to introduce this toothless man into her daughter's life.

How on earth was his family able to declare him legally dead in 1994? I can't find the actual news conference yet, maybe there will be more information. No mention of Suellen's possible fate at this time.

Suspect Named, Kidnapping Charges Filed

November 4, 2010





Catahoula Parish Sheriff James Kelly, United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley, Western District of Louisiana, and David W. Welker, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Division of the FBI, announce the following:

On the evening of Oct. 8, 2010, human skeletal remains were found in a wooded area north of Harrisonburg, La. The remains were found by hunters who reported it to the Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office. Since then, numerous investigative agencies, including the Louisiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the Office of Louisiana Attorney General, the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) and law enforcement throughout the country have been involved in the case.

On Oct. 26, 2010, the remains were positively identified, based primarily on dental records, as being Lexis Kaye Roberts, age 12, of Las Vegas, Nev. Lexis was last seen with her mother, Suellen Roberts, and Thomas Sanders, traveling in a silver 2001 Kia Spectra sedan with Nevada license plate 153UCR.

Today the FBI announces that a federal kidnapping warrant was obtained in the Western District of Louisiana charging Thomas Steven Sanders with the abduction of Lexis Roberts. On Sept. 3, 2010, Sanders was captured on film purchasing ammunition at a local Wal-Mart in Las Vegas. The forensic anthropologist reported that Lexis suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The ammunition Sanders purchased was consistent with the caliber weapon used during the homicide.

In 1994, Thomas Steven Sanders was legally declared dead in the state of Mississippi by family members. However, we now know that he is still alive and has ties to several states across the country. We have been able to obtain photographs of Sanders that illustrate how his appearance has varied over the last several years. Known associates have provided information that Sanders is missing his upper teeth and has only two lower teeth. He also is reported to have a tattoo on his chest of an unknown design and a scar on his abdomen. The most reliable recent physical description for Sanders is as follows: white male, age 53, 5'8", 200 or more pounds with brown eyes. Sanders has worked as a welder, a scrap metal collector, a night watchman, a pallet fabricator and a handyman.

Sanders was last seen driving a silver 2001 Kia Spectra with notable damage on the passenger side doors. It is likely that the Nevada license plate may have been replaced, possibly with stolen plates, to avoid detection. Sanders also has a history of exchanging vehicles through auto salvage yards.

If you have information or have seen any one of these individuals since Sept. 3, 2010, you are urged to call the tipline: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

http://neworleans.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel10/no110410.htm

Miss. man declared dead 16 years ago charged with kidnapping Nevada girl found dead in La.

MARY FOSTER Associated Press
5:50 p.m. CDT, November 4, 2010

~Snipped~

In 1994, family members legally declared Sanders dead in Mississippi.

"He just walked away one day and never came back," King said. "So after seven years the family had him declared dead."

~Snipped~

Sanders is described as 5-foot-8 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds or more. He has a criminal record, including crimes involving children, King said.

Investigators are still trying to piece his history together because he was only discovered to be alive since the girl disappeared.

Read more: http://www.the33tv.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-declared-dead-charges,0,4157934.story

FBI searches for 'dead man'

J.J. Alcantara • jalcantara@theadvertiser.com • November 5, 2010

~Snipped~
King said the FBI doesn't have a specific location for Sanders because he has known associates and families through the U.S.

King said Sanders grew up in the Catahoula Parish area and has a lot of family in the state.

"We've been interviewing numerous family members in Louisiana and Mississippi, and they've all been cooperating," King said. "But we've been getting a lot of leads from the public. We're just waiting on that one great tip."

Sanders was legally declared dead in 1994 in Mississippi, but King said because there is no national registry of death certificates, it would not have been difficult for Sanders to move to another state in continue living.
King said Sanders left home in 1987 and didn't return. His family was able to obtain his death certificate in 1994.

Agencies involved in the search include the FBI, state police, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Postal Service, the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General, LSU Faces Lab and local law enforcement agencies.

Read more: http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20101105/NEWS01/11050318

I was born and raised in Catahoula Parish Harrisonburg, LA. This has been such a horrible time for our community. We have embraced this little girl and our law enforcement has worked long and hard hours to find LExis killer. This monster has brought such sorrow to our little town. Where he dumped her body and apparently killed her is such a beautiful place. The hills are so pretty and now there is such a cloud over them. My family has lived in Harrisonburg for generations. My husband and sons hunt in the hills in the same area. This man had help taking Lexis there. Someone helped him! If he hasn't been here in years and does not know those hills he couldn't have gotten where he got with out someone to guide him in and out. I have been in those hill many many many times and wouldn't even dare go by myself because I would never find my way out. HE HAD HELP>
The other question(s) I have is How in the hell does a "Dead" man buy ammo with a driver's linc. of a dead man. If he has records then were these before or after he was declared "Dead" I know these are some questions that the Law enforcement is looking into and sure have answers too. Just wondering. I you know darn good and well his family knew he was alive. Come ON!!!! I am just so mad that this has happened to this precious little girl and her mom. The more i read the more I don't think he was her mom's boyfriend only a co worker, I think he has kidnapped them both and how many more has he killed? Please be careful who you befriend and moms who you bring around your children. This is so scary. I pray this comes to a quick end and he is stopped before he hurts anyone again. Where Lexis's body was found is now roped off and a crime scene. But with time I pray that the community will place a memorial at the spot as a place where a little angle got it's wings. RIP precious.

Welcome to RC Catahoula. Your post was very thought provoking & moving.
I hope your community is able to heal over time and I like your idea for a memorial in the place where they found Lexis.

I second that welcome, Catahoula. I agree with you about the creep being declared dead, I believe his family knew he was alive. Maybe it was a scam for insurance money or something, or him running from the law. It sounds like Suellen's mom had him pretty well pegged from the get go, she didn't like him.

You know the area well, do you feel it would have had to have been someone local that still lives there to help him?

I'm sure it's torn at the heart of everyone in the community. It is so sad, and why? Just why?

I think a memorial is a beautiful idea. Bless you and the good folks there. Also, the kind people of the Williams, AZ area who searched for Lexis and gave leads. They held a candlelight vigil for Lexis Wednesday night, some have become very close with her grandmother and other family members. Another poster, Silence Does No Good, was one of those people to take the time to stop what they were doing and help search. Did you read his post?

I don't have a good feeling about Suellen. It was a true miracle that the men from your community found Lexis. I can't imagine what they've been through.

Vigil in William's went well. A young Bag Piper played. Even tourists stopped and lit candles and said prayers. While the turn out was small, it had just the right feel..

Put up wanted posters today out where her phone went off line.. Had two people say they know they saw him there, both place him in the area for months if not longer before the incident. One repeatedly in the Howard Mesa development I tried to send Sheriffs too.

Called Pheonix FBI office..They did not even know either name. referred me to Flagstaff office, neither did they.. This is a NATION Wide Manhunt.. Now I must call the Parish office who issued the warrant before I can even tell some one who knows the case this round of tips.

Family was told agents were in the area looking for clues. No one but me has been into the businesses that are in this stretch of HWY 64 asking question and showing pics... two months...

Finding leads and having law enforcement appear to be apathetic is crushing...

Anger Frustration Disappointment these are not what I should be feeling tonight.

Will call tomorrow and try again, maybe I can be that one tip they claim to be waiting for..

FYI so far this year 15 kids are missing in Arizona.. 75 still open missing cases for the last few years...Heard about a girl in Parks yesterday from two people ( just up the road ) nothing in papers or news yet...

Silence Does NO Good

Hi Silence, thank you for the update on the vigil. I had searched for a video thinking the local news may have reported on it.

I can only imagine your complete frustration being stonewalled with your leads. With a nationwide manhunt for this monster going on, you would think someone would take and follow up on your information that you have so diligently pursued. Makes you wonder how often this happens in so many other cases and the perps get away. Please keep us posted.

http://www.katc.com/news/new-details-in-lexis-roberts-case-f-b-i-looking-for-mom-s-boyfriend/

Louisiana lab works for victim
Experts' diligence uncovered identity of missing Las Vegas girl

Nov. 08, 2010



Mary Manhein, right, stands with other team members of the FACES Lab at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge: from left, Nicole Harris, Dr. Ginesse Listi and Helen Bouzon. Two other team members were not available for pictures: Eileen Barrow and Maria Allaire. The FACES Lab team helped identify the remains of a Las Vegas girl, Lexis Kaye Roberts, found near Harrisonburg, La.



Louisiana State University FACES Lab team member Helen Bouzon looks at a picture of a missing Nevada girl, Lexis Kaye Roberts. The FACES Lab, under the direction of Mary Manhein, identified the remains of the 12-year-old Las Vegas girl.

This is a great article about this team's diligence in identifying Lexis.

~Snipped~
Sanders, a drifter from Mississippi who has lived so far "off the grid" that he was declared legally dead in 1994, has eluded authorities. But it's likely there would not yet be a suspect or a manhunt had it not been for the self-described "tenacious, persnickety" response from the FACES staff: five of whom are forensic anthropologists, all of whom are women.

"We're mothers, we're aunts, we're great-aunts, we're grandmothers," Manhein said. "We thought, 'Uh-uh, this isn't going to happen.' We weren't going to let this rest until we did all we could to try and find out who this girl was."

Read more:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/lab-works-for-victim-106873913.html?ref=913

Things have gotten quite here for the past few days. FBI I guess is still here and working. Family member who works with sheriff dept here is so impressed with how our LE and the FBI are working to find this man. We have heard that America's Most Wanted has gotten the story and that Nancy Grace is planning a show. This will have to go National for this creep to be caught. Just haven't heard anything lately. Sure they are working to solve this I just want the phone call that I have been promised the second they catch him. Will let you know. Everybody have a great day and be careful.

Thanks for the update, Catahoula~

I hope you get that phone call real soon!

Manchester father of slain girl, 12, was left out in cold

By MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
November 10, 2010

MANCHESTER – Eight years ago, Damon Garrow put his 4-year-old daughter in a moving van and kissed her and his girlfriend goodbye. The mother and daughter were moving to Nevada. They sought a better life than a teenaged Garrow could provide.

He hoped they'd eventually return to New Hampshire. They kept up for a while, but time and distance pulled the unmarried couple apart.

On Tuesday, Garrow read in the New Hampshire Union Leader that his daughter was brutally slain. Shot multiple times, Lexis Kaye Roberts, 12, was discovered by hunters outside of Harrisonburg, La., in early October.

The girl's mother -- Manchester native Suellen Roberts, 31 -- has been missing since early September. The FBI is seeking her boyfriend, Thomas Steven Sanders, 53, on a charge of kidnapping Lexis.

It was the first Garrow heard of the case.

Read more: http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Manchester+father+of+slain+girl%2C+12%2C+was+left+out+in+cold&articleId=05240aca-f225-416b-96de-fd4c4a5aa274

~Snipped~

Juszkiewicz' family gathered in the living room of her townhouse Tuesday to comfort Garrow and question how they could have been overlooked.

"I raised her. I was there," Garrow said. "I brought her home from the hospital. I watched her being born." She was premature and weighed less than 3 pounds at birth, he said.

Garrow disputes a statement by Lexis' maternal great-aunt, who told the Union Leader on Monday that he was never a part of her life.

He showed photographs of Lexis' first birthday. Garrow said he paid child support. At times it was late, and he was even jailed for being behind on payments.

He said state social workers demanded payments but never told him where his daughter lived. Juszkiewicz said they wouldn't even deliver a message on her behalf.

Telephone messages left with top officials at New Hampshire Health and Human Services on Monday were not returned.

Garrow's sister-in-law, Lisa Juszkiewicz, said Garrow talked to Roberts on the telephone several years ago. She told Garrow he'd have to come out to Nevada if he wanted to see Lexis, but he did not have the money to do so, Juszkiewicz said.

It's sad that her father wasn't in her life as she was growing up. I am surprised that LE or FBI didn't try to reach him when Lexis went missing, even just to question him. If he was paying child support they knew exactly who he was and where he lived.

Another image of Sanders. Why aren't we seeing his mugshots all over the news?



Manchester native missing, daughter slain; nationwide manhunt for suspect

By MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

~Snipped~

Suellen and Lexis moved to Las Vegas during the boom times, and she dedicated herself to raising her daughter, Cloutier said. But when the economy went bust, she lost her job with a medical supply company and had to move in with her mother.

She was discouraged, stressed out and struggling. Then Sanders came along. He plied her with jewelry and clothes, and bought clothes and toys for Lexis, Cloutier said. Suellen told Cloutier about her new friend, and Lexis assured her New Hampshire relatives he treated them well.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Manchester+native+missing%2C+daughter+slain%3B+nationwide+manhunt+for+suspect&articleId=40c318b7-622c-4652-bc6f-df2b055b3b68

Assumed dead for 16 years, former Buford resident now target of nationwide manhunt

Gwinnett County News 8:41 p.m. Wednesday, November 10, 2010
By Christian Boone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Twenty-three years ago, Thomas Sanders left behind his young family in tiny Hammond, La., vowing to find a job that would enable him to buy his bride a new washer and dryer. He stuffed his pockets with the family's remaining food stamps and hit the road.

Roughly two weeks ago, federal marshals showed up on Candace Tarver's doorstep asking questions about the former north Georgia resident, last seen by his family during the Ronald Reagan administration. Sanders' parents, brother and ex-wife successfully petitioned a Mississippi court to declare him dead in July 1994.

They didn't know that, one month before the judge ruled him deceased, Sanders was pleading guilty to two counts of child battery in Barrow County. He was sentenced to one year probation for repeatedly hitting a boy on the legs and buttocks and then rubbing a soiled pair of underwear in the juvenile's face.

He's accused of something much worse now. Federal marshals informed Tarver and her sons that not only was Sanders alive but he's wanted in the kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl whose skeletal remains were found last month by hunters in Harrisonburg, La. -- 150 miles away from where his ex-wife lives.

"I almost passed out," Tarver said. "He's destroyed my life and he's doing it again. I'm worried he's going to come back here."

Read more:
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/assumed-dead-for-16-736804.html

~Snipped~
Tarver didn't think her ex was capable of murder. But he had always demonstrated a disquieting affection for young girls.

She remembered an incident when Sanders, a handyman and scrap metal collector, was working on a new roof at a local public school. Tarver said he was discovered in a compromising position with a 6-year-old girl -- by the girl's father.

"That girl's dad beat the hell out of him," Tarver told the AJC. Sanders told his wife that the bruises and gashes were caused by a hammer that fell on his head.

"I didn't believe him," she said, recalling how her husband seemed disappointed that they had three boys together: "He wanted girls."

Disgusting pig