Another case of a missing (found dead) woman that I recently covered was the Nailah Franklin case. Sad, sad case which was not really covered by national media. Black blogs and the Chicago papers (since she’s from Chicago) covered the story. But Nailah did not have blond hair and blue eyes, so even though she was a beautiful, educated, missing sister, the national media was not interested in her case.
Well I am happy to report that her ex-boyfriend has been charged with her murder. As I reported in my first article on this case, he has a criminal record and history of threatening women. I hope they put him under the jail and that he never sees the light of day again.
A “deeply flawed” alibi has led to the arrest of a Chicago man in the September slaying of Nailah Franklin, authorities said during a news conference today.
Police said Reginald Potts Jr., who briefly dated Franklin, is charged with murder after FBI officials placed his cell phone and Franklin’s cell phone in the same location at a time he said he was not with Franklin.
Franklin’s sisters reported her missing Sept. 19 and her nude body was discovered in dense woods in Calumet City eight days later. Police say Franklin was killed Sept. 18. A law-enforcement source has said she was not shot or stabbed. An autopsy in September failed to determine the cause of the death and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Saturday results are still pending.
Police sources said Potts, 30, had been a suspect since Franklin was reported missing. The two had a heated e-mail exchange the week before she disappeared.
Source
Another blog covering this case: Why Black Women are Angry
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It is very disturbing that Black people generate so little interest in the mass media. Up until this day, they still report on Jon Benet Ramsey, Natalee Holloway, and (in my neck of the woods)Sabrina Aisinberg. Most of the time, our missing kids don’t even garner a flicker of interest. This is 2007 but yet and still, Ellen Degeneres’ crying on t.v. over a dog got the national coverage and attention that this talented, young Black woman did not. Animals are still given more importance and priority than Black lives in America. If Ms. Franklin would have been White, you would not have been able to turn your television channel without seeing her plastered all over it. That is the way it should be. The media should be utilized for useful purposes such as highlighting missing persons. But not just White missing persons. A few years ago here in Florida, there was a young White girl that went missing for a while. During that same time, a young Black girl was also missing. There was an all points bulletin put out on the White child, but no mention was made of the Black one. Both turned up dead. The white child got front page news coverage. The Black child got a paragraph buried inside the paper. I remember the Black child’s mother lashing out at the media over the lack of coverage for her daughter. She wondered if more media coverage could have possible made a difference in her daughter’s abduction. I constantly wonder whether or not I am living in 2007 or 1907.
Could not have said it better myself DeeLove.
It is very disturbing that Black people generate so little interest in the mass media
True, and to think this is 2007, almost 2008. It’s anyone of color, though. I’m sure there are some missing Latino women and children and other races. But the media is only interested if you are white, preferably blond.
And that’s why blogs in the black community are important. We can get the word out!
Lynn
“It is very disturbing that Black people generate so little interest in the mass media.”
I believe that this is the case overall when it comes to white cases vs. black cases. But I have to disagree with you guys on this particular case. I saw this covered on Nancy Grace (CNN) and on Greta Van Susteren (FoxNews). Her sisters I believe were interviewed. As a matter of fact Greta has kept up with the case. Here’s the link:http://gretawire.foxnews.com/tag/nailah-franklin/
Praiser4Life,
Don’t fall for the “Okey-doke”.
This is what some national stations have been doing in reference to complaints about the differences in media to cover blacks vs. whites.
They will cover a case of a black person sporatically, as they did in this case.
BUT, they won’t stay on top of it daily like they will do with a Natalee Holloway or Stacey Peterson.
They’ll do just enough so they can say, “Oh look. We covered it here…”