Indiana Girl Found Dead, Family Friend Charged With Murder
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A 9-year-old girl who was reported missing from an Indiana trailer park on on Friday was found dead tonight, and a man described as a neighbor and family friend was charged with murder, police said.
Allen County Sheriff Ken Fries said Aliahna Lemmon’s body was found after 9 p.m. today, and investigators believe she was killed on Friday, the same day she was reported missing.
The girl and her two sisters had been staying in the Northway mobile home park in Fort Wayne with Mike Plumadore, 39, a family friend, while their mother was sick.
Plumadore reported the girl missing Friday night. Police said he told them that he last saw her early Friday morning, and when he first realized that she was no longer in his mobile home, he assumed that she had gone home to her mother.
Plumadore has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in court Tuesday morning, sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Jeremy Tinkel told The Associated Press.
Fries did not say specifically where the girl’s remains were found, but sources told ABC affiliate WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne that there was crime-scene tape around a dumpster and around Plumadore’s home.
Plumadore was arrested after his third interview with police, when he gave “indication as to his involvement in this,” and where the body could be found, Fries told WPTA.
Fries said Plumadore has a criminal record in North Carolina and Florida.
The tragic discovery came the same day that police announced that the FBI had joined the investigation and candlelight vigil was being held for Aliahna in Fort Wayne.
A page had been set up on Facebook for the missing girl called “Find Aliahna Marie Maroney Lemmon Missing from Fort Wayne, Indiana.” On Sunday, the group posted, “Merry Christmas Aliahna where ever you are! We won’t give up on you!”
“No kid should be missing Christmas!” the post read.
ABC News affiliate INC Now contributed to this report.
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Oh, that’s great: let’s let our little girl live in a trailer park “known for sex offenders.” Smart, really smart.
Posted by: Aaron | December 26, 2011, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
Big time mom fail. If you are too sick to take care of your kids, don’t send them to sleep in a neighbor’s chair in a trailer park known for sex offenders. Do the right thing mom & send them to relatives, to dad or find someone to adopt them. Bad mom, bad.
Posted by: mojo | December 26, 2011, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
Oh for Pete’s sake, lay off the mother already. Do we know if she has computer access and knows how to look up sex offenders? Are there signs posted on each trailer saying “Child molester lives here”? Perhaps she lived there before than any of the pedophiles moved in. Possibly it’s the only place she can afford. As for staying with a neighbor, we grew up doing the same thing, with no harm, no foul. There have always been predators and always will be, whether you live in a trailer park or urban high rise or a neighborhood of manicured lawns and pricey vehicles.
Posted by: Floretta | December 26, 2011, 7:00 pm 7:00 pm
Stop blaming the mother people. You don’t have a clue what she contends with. Why are people so hateful anymore?
Posted by: Lexingtonlady | December 26, 2011, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm
Sounds like the mobile home park needs some higher standards. Pray for the little girl (and her Mother!).
Posted by: ROBBYTHEROBOT | December 26, 2011, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm
I can’t help suspecting the mother. The two younger sisters said the missing girl left with her mother. The mother was obviously experiencing extraordinary hardships. Nobody lives in a trailer park full of sex offenders with three young daughters unless they are so badly off they can’t do something better. The fact that the mother’s father recently died probably put additional strain on her, and loss of a feeling of somebody to turn to. And here she has this daughter with all these functional disabilities and extraordinary needs that are not going to go away. Maybe the mother created an alibi for herself by doing it when the girls were staying away from her. and maybe the fact she didn’t directly ask how her eldest daughter was, in the morning, was for a reason. I don’t think that this has to be the explanation, but I can’t help wondering.
Posted by: nika | December 26, 2011, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
I agree with NIKA. I live in Indiana so all of our news stations are covering this case and they’re reporting that the two other daughts said that Ali left with the mother. I know I’ll be following this case to see how exactly it pans out.
Posted by: Lindsey | December 26, 2011, 7:50 pm 7:50 pm
Super super super sad
Posted by: JWC | December 26, 2011, 7:56 pm 7:56 pm
Why on Earth ?? The mother knows something. Creating this kind of sensationalism is just to make financial reward. Has the girl been sold to one of the pedos ? Dig deep my boys in blue. Left sitting in a chair ? The answer is too simple, because then, those in the know, do not have to tell too many supporting lies. Have they checked for her DNA on those cushions ? Trail the mothers steps BEFORE they left together that day. Recent new aquaintances, Trips anywhere ? Unusual places ?
Posted by: Analytical Designs Group | December 26, 2011, 8:32 pm 8:32 pm
This is truly a sad case and I wish the child gets home alive & safe. Having said that statistics show registered sex offenders are involved in less than 1% of abductions. In the vast majority of cases it’s a close friend or a family member. Even in a trailer park full of sex offenders the statistics still hold up. That is why sex offender laws don’t work, they simply concentrate them in an area and still children continue to disappear. Even sex offenders know not to crap in your own back yard.
Posted by: LuisM | December 26, 2011, 9:08 pm 9:08 pm
Just because they are labelled “sex offenders” doesn’t mean they’re child molesters. I’m not sure of the laws of Indiana, but in some states you get labelled a sex offender for urinating in public. These lists are a joke. They’re security theater; they don’t protect anyone….
Posted by: WorkingClass | December 26, 2011, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
I live maybe two miles from these people. The siblings are both six years old. Just because these two said she left with mom doesn’t mean they’re right. Six is awfully young.
Posted by: Lexingtonlady | December 26, 2011, 10:20 pm 10:20 pm
The most dangerous sex offender is the one who has not yet been caught and whom no one suspects. The Sex Offender registry, while helpful, does tend to provide a sense of false security. Just because someone isn’t on the list, doesn’t mean he/she shouldn’t be…
Posted by: Einar Haugen | December 27, 2011, 12:57 am 12:57 am
When will these women wise up and take care of their children? Everyday there is a missing child or a dead child. Why can’t woman realiize that you don’t leave your child with a boyfriend, neighbor, babysitter or anyone what does not have interest in the welfare of that child? What has happened to society that women have become so dumb or maybe they just don’t care about their child? Give the child up or stop having children if you can’t care for them properly or don’t have the intelligence to make decisions for their care and protection. People should have to apply to have a child based on IQ and reason.
Posted by: N. green | December 27, 2011, 1:32 am 1:32 am
N. Green SHE HAD THE FLU. Try blaming the killer here and back off dogging on people that have lost a child. They knew the guy and had no reason to think he might murder their child.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | December 27, 2011, 3:56 am 3:56 am
Mom had the flu, stepdad worked nights and didn’t want to be disturbed… what is wrong with these people? No one took care of my kids when I was sick – I DID. That’s part of being a PARENT. Children are not an “inconvenience” – they are a responsibility. JHC… parents such as these – and I use that term loosely – make me sick.
Posted by: Angela Givens | December 27, 2011, 7:06 am 7:06 am
Six year old’s are in school, going to the lunchroom, getting on the bus, going to the sitter, whatever. They know what “leave with Mom” means. I’d check phone records to see if the friend called Mom to say “he was going to get a cigar” before he left, so she’d know when to come over.
Posted by: Sheila | December 27, 2011, 8:51 am 8:51 am
OMG – the flu? Are you kidding me? I thought she had cancer or something. Why would you send your kids to sleep in a neighbor’s chair just because you have the flu? Disgusting. I take better care of my dog than this woman takes care of her kids.
Posted by: yoohoo | December 27, 2011, 8:56 am 8:56 am
I wouldn’t leave my daughters with a single man who was not a close relative, ever. My dad was 80 years old when his neighbor was having lots of company, and asked if his two teenage daughters could sleep in Dad’s guest room for the night. Dad declined – said it was not proper to host young girls at night, even though he had known these two since they were babies and he was old and grey. He offered his guest bed to any of the married guests, or adult males.
Posted by: Sheila | December 27, 2011, 8:56 am 8:56 am
Our children need to be protected from these monsters. Why are these demons allowed to be free? It’s despicable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Delena | December 27, 2011, 9:36 am 9:36 am
Evidently several of you are unaware of how sick a person can get with the flu. When did it become trendy to always blame a mother? Blame the killer. The man was NOT a registered sex offender. He was a family friend.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | December 27, 2011, 10:22 am 10:22 am
….evil people have won this battle… where else would you want to live, if not with a bunch of other sex offenders. Do you really think this man lives in “a simple case of coincidence”! I really pray for this girl’s girls’ soul. How cruel..! This kind of spiritual weakness is breeding evil, and mother’s should seek shelter from them!
Posted by: Robert | December 27, 2011, 12:30 pm 12:30 pm
Anyone saying not to blame the mother is wrong. other news sources state that there were about 24 trailers in the park. There were 15.. FIFTEEN… registered sex offenders. That means only NINE didn’t have a sex offender living in it. GOOD GRIEF, Mom! You have THREE little girls, this is where you let them live and play? Sweet little girl, I hope she is resting in heaven. Sad to say…. you just can’t fix stupid.
Posted by: Marie | December 27, 2011, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm
This is when i truly believe in the death penalty!!! honestly why the f— does government believe their is a cure for these monster??????
Posted by: Hirley | December 27, 2011, 1:20 pm 1:20 pm
Don’t know how sick you get with the flu? The flu is not some rare disorder that is hard to contract. Most adults have had the flu at some point in their lives, so YES they do know how sick you get with the flu. I thought initially the mom must have end stage cancer or something and be near death…. because THAT is the only way what she did was ok…& even then it’s not ok to do it so carelessly. In fact, I know a mom right now suffering from breast cancer and she’s very sick & hasn’t shipped her kids off to sleep on some guy’s couch. So, nope, flu does not give you a pass on parenting. sorry. It’s not so much “trendy” as it is the “truth”.
Posted by: yoohoo | December 27, 2011, 4:24 pm 4:24 pm
Please arrest the mother. How dare she leave her precious girls with this ‘male’ to sit them. Didn’t she have any female friends…sounds suspicious to me. Even with the flu, she could have kept her kids at thome…many mothers take care of their kids with the flu…lock up this mom.
Posted by: Elizabeth | December 27, 2011, 8:08 pm 8:08 pm
Lock up the mother…this is stupid!
Posted by: Ebbie | December 27, 2011, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
DEATH TO PLUMADORE!
Posted by: Lago | December 27, 2011, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
Stop blaming the mother? OMG she has her children living in a haven for sex offenders!
Posted by: marru | December 28, 2011, 8:40 am 8:40 am
This is a very tragic thing that happened.
Posted by: Barb | December 30, 2011, 1:48 pm 1:48 pm