14-year old Missing Girl Found Dead

The Cleveland community is shocked and saddened this week at the discovery of 14-year old Alianna DeFreeze body Sunday Jan. 29 in a vacant home.

On Jan. 30, the medical examiner still had not released the identity of the murder victim. However, multiple sources say police believe the female found in the vacant home is the missing girl.

DeFreeze, a child with special needs, was reported missing after she took an RTA bus to 93rd and Kinsman, but never made it to school.

Police searching homes found the dead body two blocks from where Alianna got off the bus heading to school.

A video confirmed her getting off the bus and then crossing the street.

Meantime, a police report reveals a delay in Alianna’s mother finding out she was missing. The report shows the school sent a message since Alianna didn’t show up, but the message was not delivered “due to a software malfunction.” The police report also describes Alianna as “easily persuaded” and “trusting”.

All of this is chilling for Yvonne Pointer. Her daughter was kidnapped on the way to school, and raped and murdered. And in that case, the killer was not caught until decades later. So Pointer thinks of the family of this young victim. Pointer said, "There's a whole lot of people out here praying for you. When my daughter was raped and murdered, it was just like a nightmare. I can only imagine that you're having a nightmare.” She added, "29 years I looked for the person that murdered my daughter."

Loretta Ferguson with the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance wondered what kind of monster kills a child? She said, "He's an animal. He's a demon animal. I'm frustrated. I'm mad. So is he? He could be somebody that you'd never think."

Ferguson has been active with many others searching in the streets for Alianna.

The southeast side of Cleveland has become known for violence against women. In recent years, a handful of murders of women there have made headlines, and some of the cases remain unsolved. And just weeks ago, Cleveland Police arrested a serial rapist who’d been attacking women in the same part of town.