Cold and Missing: Yasmin Acree

WEBVTT

00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.789
The views and opinions expressed in Cold and

00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:13.710
Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All

00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:16.129
parties mentioned are considered innocent until

00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:18.949
proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing

00:00:18.949 --> 00:00:22.410
also contains adult themes and languages. Listener

00:00:22.410 --> 00:00:26.269
discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin

00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:28.989
-Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski.

00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:31.289
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover

00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:34.869
cold cases and missing person cases. Hello, everyone,

00:00:34.869 --> 00:00:37.329
and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your

00:00:37.329 --> 00:00:39.649
host, Ali, and it will just be me coming to

00:00:39.649 --> 00:00:42.990
you this week. Eli is tied up in some other projects,

00:00:43.049 --> 00:00:46.130
but I still wanted to bring you an episode. I

00:00:46.130 --> 00:00:47.969
know we've been a little sporadic this summer

00:00:47.969 --> 00:00:50.070
because our dog was going through some health

00:00:50.070 --> 00:00:52.609
things and then he had to have some surgery,

00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:56.840
but he is doing... much better he almost has

00:00:56.840 --> 00:00:59.759
us all clear from the vet so thank you if you've

00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:01.920
been thinking about him about us sending us warm

00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:04.680
wishes we see it all we appreciate it all so

00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:08.219
thank you so much for that but in light of that

00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:13.079
I wanted to bring you another case we are on

00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:16.599
episode 134 this week and it is a missing person

00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:21.280
case and I think we should just go ahead and

00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:24.040
get into it. So just as a bit of a content warning

00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:26.659
at the top, this case does involve a young person,

00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:29.859
and there are mentions of sexual assault and

00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:34.620
child abuse. Today, we are talking about the

00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:37.959
missing person case of Yasmin Acree, and this

00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:41.900
takes place in January of 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

00:01:42.379 --> 00:01:46.040
But first, a little bit about Yasmin. Yasmin

00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:50.879
Acree is 15 years old in 2008. She lives in the

00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:53.420
North Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.

00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:56.760
She lives there with her adoptive mother, Rose

00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:00.379
Starnes. Rose was her aunt by marriage and had

00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.140
taken Yasmin in and her older brother, Demarcus,

00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:07.319
after pressure from the family. Yasmin and Demarcus

00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:10.020
had been born in Kentucky, but their birth mother

00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:12.139
had suffered from drug addiction and the two

00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.590
of them were neglected. and therefore removed

00:02:14.590 --> 00:02:17.629
from the home. They both were sent into the foster

00:02:17.629 --> 00:02:21.229
system, and they both suffered abuse there. Once

00:02:21.229 --> 00:02:23.530
Yasmin had been adopted and was living in Chicago,

00:02:23.889 --> 00:02:25.990
she seemed to find her footing for some time.

00:02:26.550 --> 00:02:29.050
She was the star at her spelling bee and the

00:02:29.050 --> 00:02:32.930
salutatorian of her 8th grade class. In January

00:02:32.930 --> 00:02:36.870
of 2008, she was a freshman at Austin Polytechnical

00:02:36.870 --> 00:02:39.770
Academy, and she was starting to struggle in

00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:43.009
school more than she had before. Yasmin loved

00:02:43.009 --> 00:02:45.610
to read. She would devour books one right after

00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:49.330
the other. She was also active at her local YMCA

00:02:49.330 --> 00:02:52.669
and was in the mentorship program there. She

00:02:52.669 --> 00:02:55.689
was excited at the Y. She was going to take part

00:02:55.689 --> 00:02:57.849
in their new job initiative, and she would be

00:02:57.849 --> 00:03:00.889
taking part in their summer trip. She was looking

00:03:00.889 --> 00:03:04.289
forward to a lot of things. In the months leading

00:03:04.289 --> 00:03:07.449
up to the timeline, we know that Demarcus, Yasmin's

00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:09.430
older brother, was kicked out of their home in

00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:13.259
Chicago. Yasmin and Demarcus both had rooms in

00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:16.259
the basement, and this left Yasmin by herself

00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:20.139
in the basement. And now, a timeline of events.

00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:26.080
Tuesday, January 15, 2008. We know that Yasmin

00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:29.360
had a pretty normal day at school. After school,

00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:33.759
she went to the YMCA and spent time there. Her

00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:36.219
mentor dropped her off at her home around 8 p

00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:40.530
.m. Her adoptive mother, Rose, was not home.

00:03:41.229 --> 00:03:43.250
She had gone to spend time with her daughter

00:03:43.250 --> 00:03:47.150
in Elgin, Illinois. Rose's live -in boyfriend,

00:03:47.530 --> 00:03:50.610
Charles Burt, who rented a room in Rose's house

00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:55.550
as well, was left home with Yasmin. When Yasmin

00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:58.490
got home from the YMCA, she did a load of laundry

00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:01.710
and got ready for bed. She was last seen around

00:04:01.710 --> 00:04:06.469
9 .30 p .m. wearing pajamas. The next day, Wednesday,

00:04:06.610 --> 00:04:10.789
January 16th, 2008, in the morning, Charles is

00:04:10.789 --> 00:04:13.569
getting ready for work. Before he leaves, he

00:04:13.569 --> 00:04:16.009
takes the trash out, and when he heads out to

00:04:16.009 --> 00:04:19.149
the bins, he notices something strange. The lock

00:04:19.149 --> 00:04:21.509
on the basement scissor gate had been cut, and

00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:24.889
the basement door was busted open. Charles goes

00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:27.410
down into the basement and looks for Yasmin in

00:04:27.410 --> 00:04:30.529
her bedroom, but she's not there. He assumes

00:04:30.529 --> 00:04:33.370
that she went to school early. Her bed appeared

00:04:33.370 --> 00:04:36.180
to have been slept in. But even this was strange.

00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:39.519
Yasmin made her bed every single morning, so

00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:42.759
it was strange that it was left unmade. Charles

00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:45.500
gives Rose a call, but she says she never got

00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:49.100
the phone call. Her phone was broken. Charles

00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:51.240
says he left a message saying that the basement

00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:53.959
door was busted wide open, and then he left for

00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:57.360
work. When Rose got back to Chicago, she heard

00:04:57.360 --> 00:04:59.079
from her niece that her home had been broken

00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:02.579
into. When Rose gets to the house, she sees the

00:05:02.579 --> 00:05:05.100
basement for herself and Yasmin's unmade bed,

00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:08.459
and she starts to worry. She tells Charles to

00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:12.160
fix the basement door. At 5 p .m., Rose says

00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.399
that she remembered that Yasmin had a half day

00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.879
of school, so she should have been home already.

00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:20.420
When Yasmin still fails to arrive, she calls

00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:24.519
the police at 5 .31 p .m. It takes the Chicago

00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:28.709
police a little over 90 minutes to respond. During

00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:33.110
that time, Rose kept calling 911 back. When police

00:05:33.110 --> 00:05:35.569
finally do arrive just a few minutes after 7

00:05:35.569 --> 00:05:38.470
p .m., they suggest that maybe Yasmin stayed

00:05:38.470 --> 00:05:40.810
late at school since there was a sporting event

00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:44.149
happening that evening. The police ride over

00:05:44.149 --> 00:05:46.550
to the school to check, but Yasmin is not there.

00:05:47.290 --> 00:05:50.670
They do talk to some classmates. The classmates

00:05:50.670 --> 00:05:53.389
try to be helpful and tell police that Yasmin

00:05:53.389 --> 00:05:56.939
ran away and that she had called them. Later

00:05:56.939 --> 00:05:59.379
in the investigation, the classmates will recant

00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:02.060
the story, and their phone records will prove

00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.759
that it was a lie. Yasmin never called them.

00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:08.300
That evening, police return to Rose's home, and

00:06:08.300 --> 00:06:11.160
according to the family, police tell them that

00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:13.379
they think that she's a runaway, based off of

00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:15.360
this information coming from the school friends.

00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:18.339
The family says that the police don't even go

00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:20.959
into the basement or take the cut lock as evidence.

00:06:21.899 --> 00:06:24.959
Rose also insists to the police that it is unlike

00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:27.920
Yasmin to run away, and the only things missing

00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:30.500
from her bedroom were her pajamas, her coat,

00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:34.360
and her boots. The next day, Thursday, January

00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:37.800
17th, police return to the house and collect

00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:41.420
the cut lock as evidence. They'll also dust for

00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.360
fingerprints, but at this point, the scene had

00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:47.220
been compromised. Charles had fixed the basement

00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:49.680
door and people had been in and out of the basement

00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:53.980
and Yasmin's room. Weeks pass, and then months.

00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:58.579
As July of 2008 rolls around, Yasmin's family

00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:00.980
still firmly believe that she didn't run away.

00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:04.000
Family and friends gather outside of the police

00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.259
department to try to get more attention on her

00:07:06.259 --> 00:07:09.420
case and put pressure on the police to investigate.

00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:13.160
Community leaders think that Yasmin's case isn't

00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:15.160
getting attention because she's a young black

00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:18.300
girl from the west side of Chicago. The police

00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:20.579
push back and say that they have logged hundreds

00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:23.439
of hours on the case, but they still don't have

00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:27.379
any leads or suspects. Police also say that they

00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:29.779
are not getting full cooperation from people

00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:33.519
who may have knowledge of her whereabouts. By

00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:37.399
October of 2009, so just shy of two years that

00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:40.079
Yasmin has been missing, her bedroom remains

00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:43.449
untouched. Stuffed animals are still gathered

00:07:43.449 --> 00:07:46.069
at the head of her bed, and her clothes are still

00:07:46.069 --> 00:07:49.050
neatly folded in the dresser, clothes that she

00:07:49.050 --> 00:07:53.129
would have likely outgrown at this point. In

00:07:53.129 --> 00:07:56.009
an extraordinary move, the Chicago Police Department

00:07:56.009 --> 00:07:58.750
acknowledges that the initial investigation was

00:07:58.750 --> 00:08:01.810
mishandled. A letter from the Internal Affairs

00:08:01.810 --> 00:08:04.990
Division confirms misconduct by department members.

00:08:05.889 --> 00:08:09.670
Despite this, Police maintain that delays in

00:08:09.670 --> 00:08:12.230
evidence collection haven't slowed down the investigation

00:08:12.230 --> 00:08:15.389
at all and hasn't hampered the integrity of it.

00:08:15.930 --> 00:08:18.990
But still, they don't have any leads or suspects

00:08:18.990 --> 00:08:24.810
in the case. In 2011, the Chicago Tribune starts

00:08:24.810 --> 00:08:29.930
digging into Yasmin's disappearance. While interviewing

00:08:29.930 --> 00:08:33.230
Rose, reporters discover a diary that Yasmin

00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:37.129
kept until a month before she vanished. In it,

00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:41.950
Yasmin mentions Jimmy Terrell Smith, a 35 -year

00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:44.730
-old ex -con who at one time lived in the upstairs

00:08:44.730 --> 00:08:47.429
apartment of the two -flat that Yasmin's family

00:08:47.429 --> 00:08:50.690
lived in. Smith lived in the upstairs apartment

00:08:50.690 --> 00:08:53.710
after serving time on an attempted murder charge.

00:08:54.350 --> 00:08:57.389
He had moved out of the upstairs apartment prior

00:08:57.389 --> 00:09:00.269
to Yasmin disappearing, but according to family

00:09:00.269 --> 00:09:03.250
friends, Smith had seen Yasmin at a barbecue

00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:05.750
in the neighborhood shortly before she disappeared.

00:09:06.549 --> 00:09:09.269
People say that Smith gave Yasmin a beer and

00:09:09.269 --> 00:09:11.269
told her that she looked like a Playboy model.

00:09:12.129 --> 00:09:15.129
Smith will later be arrested on charges of kidnapping

00:09:15.129 --> 00:09:19.009
and raping multiple women. When confronted in

00:09:19.009 --> 00:09:22.309
jail by the Chicago Tribune reporters, Smith

00:09:22.309 --> 00:09:25.190
says that he knows what happened to Yasmin, but

00:09:25.190 --> 00:09:28.629
doesn't give specifics. He says that he hid photograph

00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:32.029
negatives in an attic vent at his ex -girlfriend's

00:09:32.029 --> 00:09:35.309
house on the south side of Chicago. and that

00:09:35.309 --> 00:09:37.690
in the backyard, there was a dog tether that

00:09:37.690 --> 00:09:41.789
Smith claimed he used on humans. When the Tribune

00:09:41.789 --> 00:09:44.470
go to the house, it's abandoned, but they do

00:09:44.470 --> 00:09:47.809
see a dog tether in the backyard. Armed with

00:09:47.809 --> 00:09:50.289
this information, the Tribune goes to the police.

00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:53.889
They show police the diary, something that police

00:09:53.889 --> 00:09:57.009
had never collected before that, and reveal the

00:09:57.009 --> 00:10:00.070
Jimmy Terrell Smith connection. After getting

00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:02.750
this information from the Chicago Tribune, Police

00:10:02.750 --> 00:10:05.009
secure search warrants for the Southside home,

00:10:05.149 --> 00:10:08.250
and during their search, police do collect evidence,

00:10:08.309 --> 00:10:10.470
including that dog tether that they found in

00:10:10.470 --> 00:10:13.070
the backyard. But they're never really specific

00:10:13.070 --> 00:10:16.750
about what else they find there. Also through

00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:19.210
the Tribune's reporting, we learn more about

00:10:19.210 --> 00:10:23.889
Yasmin's life. She was often left alone, and

00:10:23.889 --> 00:10:27.370
at times unprotected. She had survived previous

00:10:27.370 --> 00:10:30.470
sexual abuse which deeply impacted her self -worth.

00:10:31.070 --> 00:10:34.129
When she acted out, Rose sometimes locked her

00:10:34.129 --> 00:10:37.230
in the basement or beat her with a belt. Rose

00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:42.850
later admitted, quote, Her brother, DeMarcus,

00:10:43.049 --> 00:10:45.669
adds that the truth about Yasmin's life is complicated,

00:10:46.070 --> 00:10:48.750
but necessary to understand what might have happened

00:10:48.750 --> 00:10:52.769
to her. Her diary is a time capsule. There are

00:10:52.769 --> 00:10:55.149
parts of it that are like any other teenager's

00:10:55.149 --> 00:10:59.750
diary. She's a smart, vibrant teenager. writing

00:10:59.750 --> 00:11:02.389
about Black History Month essays, her favorite

00:11:02.389 --> 00:11:06.149
singer, and the pressures of body image. In other

00:11:06.149 --> 00:11:08.230
parts of her diary, she talks about the abuse

00:11:08.230 --> 00:11:11.690
that she suffered. In her diary, there are two

00:11:11.690 --> 00:11:15.330
mentions of Jimmy Terrell Smith. In both of the

00:11:15.330 --> 00:11:18.009
mentions, Yasmin talks about him affectionately.

00:11:19.110 --> 00:11:23.470
In 2014, six years after Yasmin vanished, Rose

00:11:23.470 --> 00:11:25.990
passes away without ever finding out what happened

00:11:25.990 --> 00:11:29.620
to the niece that she raised. Over the years,

00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:32.139
Yasmin's case will appear in the media, but there

00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:35.539
are no new updates or suspects named in the case.

00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:40.000
Her brother Demarcus and other siblings are still

00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:43.139
championing her case and want answers as to what

00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:46.620
happened to their sister. As of today, Yasmin's

00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:49.879
case remains unsolved. Police have never officially

00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:54.200
named a suspect in Yasmin's case. So if you know

00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:57.139
anything about the disappearance of Yasmin Ackrey

00:11:57.139 --> 00:12:01.019
in January of 2008 or her whereabouts today,

00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:04.139
please call the Cook County Sheriff's Office

00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:10.399
at 773 -674 -9490 or the Chicago Police Department

00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:17.899
at 312 -744 -8266. So that is the case of Yasmin

00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:22.190
Ackrey. This is a case that locally in Chicago

00:12:22.190 --> 00:12:24.929
I think did get a lot of coverage, but nationally

00:12:24.929 --> 00:12:28.549
it never really got beyond the city limits of

00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:31.730
Chicago, even though Yasmin had grown up in Kentucky.

00:12:32.330 --> 00:12:34.509
And this is a case that I think could really

00:12:34.509 --> 00:12:37.590
benefit from national attention. In case Yasmin

00:12:37.590 --> 00:12:42.070
is anywhere else in the U .S., this could get

00:12:42.070 --> 00:12:44.570
out to her. This could get to her. Someone who

00:12:44.570 --> 00:12:47.259
knows her could hear this. So I think this is

00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:50.799
a case that could really benefit from that. I

00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:55.340
was also really just for lack of a better word

00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:58.940
disappointed whenever I learned about Yasmin's

00:12:58.940 --> 00:13:02.019
case. There were just so many adults in her life

00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:04.960
that failed her over and over again. From the

00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:09.149
time that she was a baby she was abandoned and

00:13:09.149 --> 00:13:12.970
neglected and then suffered abuse and trauma

00:13:12.970 --> 00:13:15.889
in the foster care system and then when she's

00:13:15.889 --> 00:13:19.789
finally adopted out she still is unprotected

00:13:19.789 --> 00:13:22.909
sometimes left to herself and her best interests

00:13:22.909 --> 00:13:25.789
aren't always at the forefront of the adult's

00:13:25.789 --> 00:13:28.710
minds who are charged with taking care of her

00:13:28.710 --> 00:13:33.049
and that's just really disappointing there were

00:13:33.049 --> 00:13:37.029
so many chances for this young girl to have a

00:13:37.029 --> 00:13:42.389
normal life and nobody could like step up and

00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:45.370
give her the life that she deserved and her brother

00:13:45.370 --> 00:13:48.529
you know her siblings as well nobody gave them

00:13:48.529 --> 00:13:51.309
the life that they deserved and that's just really

00:13:51.309 --> 00:13:54.190
disappointing and you know this is a case that

00:13:54.190 --> 00:13:58.289
didn't happen that long ago 2008 still feels

00:13:58.289 --> 00:14:03.669
very recent and it's very heartbreaking that

00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:08.480
Children are still being failed so greatly to

00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:13.000
this degree in this day and age. It's the 21st

00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.519
century. Like, children should have a better

00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:21.299
shot at life no matter what. And I'm so sad that

00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:23.279
that didn't happen here in Yasmin's case. It

00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:28.580
really breaks my heart for her. This case has

00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:33.250
a lot of questions. I want to give a shout out

00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:35.929
to the Chicago Tribune because they really did

00:14:35.929 --> 00:14:39.210
do a lot of the heavy lifting in Yasmin's case.

00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:43.129
Even the police work, the legwork, they were

00:14:43.129 --> 00:14:46.649
uncovering evidence and interviewing family and

00:14:46.649 --> 00:14:50.929
friends for hours to get details about Yasmin's

00:14:50.929 --> 00:14:52.549
life. And that's just something that it looks

00:14:52.549 --> 00:14:55.149
like the police didn't do here. The fact that

00:14:55.149 --> 00:14:59.029
the Chicago Tribune reporters found Yasmin's

00:14:59.029 --> 00:15:03.860
diary in her bedroom, tells me that police didn't

00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:07.139
really search that bedroom. Otherwise, that diary

00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:09.500
should have been taken as evidence if they saw

00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:15.419
it. So that brings to question, what have the

00:15:15.419 --> 00:15:19.019
police done in this case? We know that the night

00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:22.980
that Yasmin is reported missing, they show up

00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:25.340
and, you know, go to the school, talk to some

00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:28.519
kids there. And based off of what the kids say,

00:15:28.970 --> 00:15:31.429
They think Yasmin just ran away. So we know they

00:15:31.429 --> 00:15:34.690
don't take the cut lock, and we know that they

00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:38.750
don't do any fingerprinting that night. They

00:15:38.750 --> 00:15:40.870
come back the next day to get the lock and to

00:15:40.870 --> 00:15:43.470
fingerprint, but at that point, everything had

00:15:43.470 --> 00:15:45.190
been touched. Everything had been compromised.

00:15:46.070 --> 00:15:50.169
So I would be curious if the police have any

00:15:50.169 --> 00:15:53.289
physical evidence in this case from the lock,

00:15:53.389 --> 00:15:56.850
from fingerprints. Is there anything that they've

00:15:56.850 --> 00:16:00.169
been able to use? I know I already touched on

00:16:00.169 --> 00:16:03.590
this, but it's the adults in this case, the fact

00:16:03.590 --> 00:16:07.570
that, you know, the live -in boyfriend saw this

00:16:07.570 --> 00:16:11.990
basement door busted open, busted open, cut lock.

00:16:12.230 --> 00:16:14.470
Like these, this, you know, that's not like a

00:16:14.470 --> 00:16:17.350
child left to go to school early. Like they wouldn't

00:16:17.350 --> 00:16:19.110
do all of that. They would just go out the front

00:16:19.110 --> 00:16:22.909
door. Like to see these signs, to see Yasmin

00:16:22.909 --> 00:16:24.509
gone and just think, well, she must have gone

00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:26.750
to school early. And then this happened, like.

00:16:28.029 --> 00:16:34.730
That is just crazy. Like, I don't know if it's

00:16:34.730 --> 00:16:37.669
denial of saying, like, that couldn't happen.

00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:39.970
You have to put it so far out of your mind that,

00:16:40.009 --> 00:16:42.029
like, the next logical thing would be that she

00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:45.490
went to school. Or if it's just, like, carelessness.

00:16:46.690 --> 00:16:50.090
Or if it's more nefarious. Like, there's all

00:16:50.090 --> 00:16:55.210
the, like, why? You know, if I am living in my

00:16:55.210 --> 00:17:00.080
city. two flat walk up and the basement door

00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:04.460
leads to the outside and it's busted open and

00:17:04.460 --> 00:17:06.400
the child that normally sleeps in the basement

00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.539
also isn't there when she normally would have

00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:12.960
been. I'm raising the alarm. If I can't get a

00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:17.099
hold of her mother, her adoptive mother, then

00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.579
I'm calling the police. I'm going to keep calling

00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:23.160
people until I raise the alarm. I wouldn't be

00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:28.259
able to just go to work. So again, Yasmin just

00:17:28.259 --> 00:17:30.180
being failed by the adults that were supposed

00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:36.519
to be taking care of her. And then, to me, it

00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:39.339
seems like while police have officially never

00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:43.240
named a suspect in Yasmin's case, I would say

00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:47.519
that a person of interest is Jimmy Terrell Smith.

00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:53.039
We do know that years later, I think it was 2016,

00:17:54.029 --> 00:17:56.950
If I'm not mistaken, he did plead guilty to the

00:17:56.950 --> 00:18:02.150
kidnapping and rape charges against four women.

00:18:03.009 --> 00:18:08.029
And the details from that case are pretty horrific.

00:18:08.190 --> 00:18:11.549
You know, he kept these women, tortured them,

00:18:11.710 --> 00:18:18.250
raped them. He also, they said, would play Russian

00:18:18.250 --> 00:18:20.490
roulette with them. So he would, you know, put

00:18:20.490 --> 00:18:22.529
one bullet in the gun, spin it and then point

00:18:22.529 --> 00:18:29.269
it at them. and fire. So just tortured. These

00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:33.009
women were absolutely tortured. And we know he

00:18:33.009 --> 00:18:35.369
pleads guilty to this and he gets over a hundred

00:18:35.369 --> 00:18:39.309
year life sentence, you know, effectively a life

00:18:39.309 --> 00:18:41.950
sentence. It's over a hundred years he has to

00:18:41.950 --> 00:18:44.410
serve. And while he's in prison, we also know

00:18:44.410 --> 00:18:50.710
that he attempts to set up a hit on a judge and

00:18:50.710 --> 00:18:54.970
I think a prosecutor as well. So this is a violent

00:18:54.970 --> 00:19:00.609
man who has a criminal track record of attempted

00:19:00.609 --> 00:19:04.630
murders, of kidnapping, and of sexual assault

00:19:04.630 --> 00:19:08.410
and rape. So to me, this is a suspect and he

00:19:08.410 --> 00:19:13.319
was having inappropriate contact with Yasmin

00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:16.680
because giving a 15 -year -old a beer and telling

00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.619
her that she looks like a Playboy model from

00:19:19.619 --> 00:19:22.880
a 35 -year -old to a 15 -year -old is inappropriate.

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:28.200
So we know that there was inappropriate contact,

00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:30.619
inappropriate interactions, and if that's just

00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:35.839
what people saw, then I can only imagine what

00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:38.220
else might have gone on, especially when he was

00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:42.049
living at the house. We also know that Jimmy

00:19:42.049 --> 00:19:45.950
Smith tells the reporters at the Tribune that

00:19:45.950 --> 00:19:48.190
he knows what happened to Yasmin and kind of

00:19:48.190 --> 00:19:51.430
claims her disappearance as, you know, he was

00:19:51.430 --> 00:19:53.970
involved in it or he knows what happens, but

00:19:53.970 --> 00:19:58.690
doesn't give any details beyond, you know, the

00:19:58.690 --> 00:20:02.769
dog tether thing and the pictures in the attic.

00:20:02.869 --> 00:20:07.109
There's no reports of police did end up finding

00:20:07.109 --> 00:20:09.970
pictures in this house. We don't know. Maybe

00:20:09.970 --> 00:20:16.730
they did find that. But I personally would be

00:20:16.730 --> 00:20:22.049
very interested to know what came about when

00:20:22.049 --> 00:20:26.069
police did interview Smith. We know that police

00:20:26.069 --> 00:20:30.349
interviewed him at least twice. And one of the

00:20:30.349 --> 00:20:32.730
interviews was several hours long. So I would

00:20:32.730 --> 00:20:36.730
be very interested to... read that transcript

00:20:36.730 --> 00:20:40.990
to to see what he was said and to if police were

00:20:40.990 --> 00:20:43.630
able to verify anything or to rule him out because

00:20:43.630 --> 00:20:47.769
i think if he didn't have anything to do with

00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:53.210
this he's just a disgusting man and you know

00:20:53.210 --> 00:20:57.140
is serving the rest of his life in prison then

00:20:57.140 --> 00:20:59.299
police kind of need to come out and clear him

00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:01.519
because he's been so closely associated with

00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:05.160
it that it's hard to imagine anybody else involved

00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:08.940
in the crime. But, you know, there's still a

00:21:08.940 --> 00:21:11.039
lot of different avenues that could have happened

00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:15.140
here. And even though I think Smith is a really

00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:17.200
great person of interest and I wouldn't rule

00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:21.180
him out until I had very clear evidence that

00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:24.869
he had nothing to do with it. I would be interested

00:21:24.869 --> 00:21:27.670
to know what other scenarios police think could

00:21:27.670 --> 00:21:29.269
have happened here, if any other information

00:21:29.269 --> 00:21:33.789
has come in, any other tips. Yasmin has been

00:21:33.789 --> 00:21:36.789
missing for 17 years, 17 and a half years at

00:21:36.789 --> 00:21:39.710
the time of recording this. And my hopes for

00:21:39.710 --> 00:21:42.730
her case is that the Chicago Police Department

00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:48.130
puts resources and time and energy into her case

00:21:48.130 --> 00:21:55.140
and into questioning Jimmy Smith. police do think

00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:56.819
he had something to do with it or think that

00:21:56.819 --> 00:22:00.380
he's responsible that they don't just you know

00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:03.539
kind of say well he's in prison for the rest

00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:06.700
of his life so you know what's the point of that

00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:11.059
because I think the point is that her family

00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:14.160
needs answers he should have to answer for what

00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:18.019
he did to her if he's involved in it and Yasmin

00:22:18.019 --> 00:22:21.339
deserves to come home If she's still here, if

00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:23.299
she's still with us, if she's still alive, which

00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:26.220
her family does still have hope that she could

00:22:26.220 --> 00:22:30.319
be, then she deserves to come home and to reunite

00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:34.539
with them and to spend years with them. She's

00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:38.240
been gone longer than she was with her family

00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:41.220
at this point. So she deserves that time back

00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:45.140
with her family. And if she's not with us, she

00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:47.859
deserves to come home. She deserves to be...

00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:51.720
put to rest, and in a place where those who love

00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:53.819
her and care about her can come and pay respects.

00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:57.940
But again, if you know anything about the disappearance

00:22:57.940 --> 00:23:02.559
of Yasmin Ackrey in January of 2008 or her whereabouts

00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:04.940
today, please call the Cook County Sheriff's

00:23:04.940 --> 00:23:10.740
Office at 773 -674 -9490 or the Chicago Police

00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:16.859
Department at 312 -744 -8266. On our Instagram,

00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:20.680
at coldandmissing, we will have pictures of Yasmin

00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:22.259
at the time that she went missing, but we'll

00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:25.140
also have her age progression to 30 years old.

00:23:25.180 --> 00:23:28.400
So she would be in her early 30s today. So if

00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:30.720
you can go take a look at that, share them if

00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:34.259
you're able to. Let's get her picture out there,

00:23:34.339 --> 00:23:36.460
especially her age progressed pictures, so that

00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:38.759
way if someone recognizes her or thinks that

00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:41.519
they know her, they can call that tip in. Again,

00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:43.980
that's... Cold and Missing, you search us on

00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:45.839
Instagram. We should pop right up. And please

00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:48.099
follow us there if you're not already. We're

00:23:48.099 --> 00:23:51.200
really close to 2 ,000 followers on Instagram,

00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:55.759
which is mind -blowing. And then we also are

00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:58.660
always sharing active missing person cases. So

00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:00.720
as I see things, I always post them on our story.

00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:02.799
And if we're ever needing to take a week off,

00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:05.019
we will always post it there to keep you in the

00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:08.579
loop. So please follow us at coldandmissing .com.

00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:12.319
Or please follow us at Cold and Missing. Coldandmissing

00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:15.700
.com is our official website where we have our

00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:17.819
official transcripts. So if you or someone you

00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:20.059
love is hard of hearing, you can find all our

00:24:20.059 --> 00:24:23.259
transcripts for all our episodes on there. I

00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:26.579
know that podcast players are automatically transcribing

00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:29.380
these days, but these are the official transcripts.

00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:31.099
I make sure spelling and everything is accurate

00:24:31.099 --> 00:24:34.440
on our website. I have no control over the live

00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:38.000
transcripts on podcast players. So official ones,

00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:42.160
www .coldandmissing .com. And if you could take

00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:44.700
some time today in your podcast player to leave

00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:47.400
us a rate and review, five stars really goes

00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:51.640
a long way in getting our podcast into the ears

00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:53.859
of other people. So thank you if you've already

00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:56.779
taken the time to do it. It's a free way to support

00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:59.240
this podcast. It's a free way to support the

00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:02.140
people who we cover in this podcast and to get

00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:05.019
more people listening so we can get more people

00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:08.960
to know these stories. So please, five stars,

00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:11.539
sharing, telling someone you love about Cold

00:25:11.539 --> 00:25:12.819
and Missing if you think it's something they

00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:15.079
would enjoy. All of that goes a long way. So

00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:16.920
thank you if you've done it. Thank you if you're

00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:18.859
doing it. Thank you if you're going to do it.

00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:22.119
I appreciate you so much. But that is all I have

00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:24.720
for you today. Thank you so much for listening

00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:26.880
to Cold and Missing. It means so much to be a

00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:29.779
part of your week. I'm your host, Ali. Have

00:25:29.779 --> 00:25:31.240
a good week and stay safe, y 'all.