Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos

Nicole Sherese Cearo



Cearo, date, approximate 2009; Cearo's tattoo
Date Missing 03/30/2009
Missing From
Seattle, Washington
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 01/05/1989 (33)
Age 20 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 170 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Gold rings.
Medical Conditions Cearo was pregnant when she disappeared. She has a history of drug use, including PCP.
Associated Vehicle(s) Brand new white Ford F-250 pickup truck (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Cearo's ears are pierced. She has a scar on one of her left fingers, tattoos on both legs and a tattoo on her upper left arm. A photo of the arm tattoo is posted with this summary. She may use the alias names Cera Nicole Cearo and/or Keishan D. Rouse, and her nickname is Capricorn.
Details of Disappearance Cearo was last seen in Seattle, Washington on March 30, 2009. On March 28, she was arrested for violating a no-contact order involving her boyfriend, Roosevelt Montgomery Jr.
Cearo had recently been evicted from her apartment and had moved in with Montgomery, even though he had a restraining order against her. He picked her up from the King County Jail on March 30. After getting out of jail, Cearo went to go visit her mother. She left her mother's house with Montgomery.
Cearo visited various friends after she left her mother's house, visibly bruised on her face, acting scared and asking for money. She was seen at a club in the Skyway area that night, without Montgomery. He called her on her cellular phone, demanding to know where she was, and Cearo was last seen getting into his vehicle with him next to the club. There were multiple statements that she was shot to death later that night, but police were unable to confirm this.
Cearo's pastor, a friend of her family, reported her missing a few days later. Her mother had wanted to notify the police of Cearo's disappearance, but didn't want to meet with them because she had outstanding warrants, so she asked the pastor to do it.
Cearo received monthly public assistance checks which were held by her pastor, and he became concerned after she failed to pick up her check for April. Authorities believe she was the victim of a homicide.
On April 9, Montgomery was arrested driving a stolen brand new white Ford F-250 pickup truck. He had stolen the truck on the morning of March 30 and drove Cearo around in it the day she disappeared. When the police asked him about Cearo, he said he didn't know her whereabouts and had himself been looking for her.
When the stolen truck was returned to its owner, it had $20,000 worth of damage to it and was full of trash and items that didn't belong to the owner, including Cearo's birth certificate, Social Security card and homework. The exterior was covered in mud and it appeared the truck had been driven offroad.
Montgomery subsequently pleaded guilty to auto theft. Police believe the truck may have been involved in Cearo's murder, and they processed it for evidence and took photographs, but by the time they got to it, the owner had taken it to the body shop and it had been repaired and extensively cleaned.
Montgomery suggested Timothy White Sr. was involved in Cearo's . White had dated her occasionally, something that had lead to violence between him and Montgomery because the two men were in rival gangs.
However, police determined White was in jail on drug charges when Cearo disappeared. White stated Cearo had been to visit him in jail prior to her disappearance, and she was visibly bruised and stated Montgomery had beaten her.
Montgomery is described as a career criminal with at least 33 prior arrests for offenses such as theft, domestic violence, child abuse and possession of a stolen vehicle; police considered him armed and dangerous.
He allegedly bragged about killing Cearo and dumping her body in the Seward Park area of Seattle, but he hasn't been charged in her disappearance due to lack of evidence. He still lives in the Seattle area, but his gang stated they no longer associated with him and didn't consider him to be a member anymore.
Cearo's public assistance was discontinued in June 2009 and she has made no attempt to reinstate it. She hasn't used her Social Security number since her disappearance, and all calls to her cellular phone go straight to voice mail. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved to the Seattle area as a child, after her father was imprisoned. She grew up in the foster care system.
Cearo has a minor criminal record for possession of alcohol by a minor and driving without a license or insurance. After her disappearance, she missed a court hearing in a domestic violence and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Investigators have searched for her body, without result. Cearo's disappearance remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Investigating Agency
Seattle Police Department
206-684-5455
Other
Washington State Missing Persons Search
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Unsolved in the News
Black and Missing But Not Forgotten
Under the Redline

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos