Crime: The Trial of Reginald Potts

Nailah Franklin; inset, Reginald Potts

Reginald M. Potts, Jr., the prime suspect in the murder of Nailah O. Franklin of Chicago, was assigned a trial judge on Thursday, 17th January, according to the Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times.

Judge Terrance Gainer is the fourth judge to whom Potts' murder trial has been assigned. The previous three judges recused themselves on the basis of various conflicts of interest. A previous trial judge, Judge Nicholas Ford, had set the trial date for February 19th. However, the status hearing on January 22 resulted in a change of date, according to the paper.

Judge Gainer has scheduled a hearing for February 25 to determine status on the murder trial as well as an arraignment on charges of battery, the Chicago Defender tells us. The battery charges arise out of the arrest of Reginald Potts, during which he elbowed the arresting officer.

Potts has pled not guilty to 16 counts of first-degree murder, four counts of aggravated kidnapping, and one count each of vehicular hijacking and robbery. As we previously speculated, Potts is quite the jailhouse lawyer, and had sought to represent himself claiming that the prosecution and the county's prison staff had made it impossible for him to contact a lawyer to assist him with his defense. However, he apparently has now decided to stick with the public defender assigned to his case. The delay in the trial was requested to give his current attorney, the public defender, time to familiarize themselves with the particulars of the case.

It would not surprise us in the least if Potts were to fire the public defender's office some time in the future and again insist on representing himself or finding a different attorney, thereby allowing further delays in the trial. We hope he doesn't plan to drag this out till all the witnesses are dead and gone. It's unlikely to happen anyway, since at least two of the "witnesses" are electronic, not human. Potts' cell phone records showed that he had lied about his whereabouts at the time that Franklin was murdered. Additionally, video camera footage showed that he was not where he claimed to be (shopping with friends), and was very much where he had claimed not to be (at Franklin's condo building).

Regardless of our admitted bias against Potts, we are forced, sadly, to remember that it is the prosecution's job to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Potts is guilty as charged, and that the law presumes that he is innocent until proven otherwise. Our deepest sympathies to the families of Nailah Franklin and Reginald Potts. The trial will undoubtedly be a nightmare for everyone, but most especially for the unhappy families.

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Crime: The Trial of Reginald Potts

Nailah Franklin

The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported recently that Reginald Potts' jailhouse lawyering skills might be having the effect that he desires. So far, Mr. Potts has had four different judges assigned to him for the trial. Reginald Potts is on trial for the murder of Eli Lilly sales representative Nailah O. Franklin, with whom he had a brief relationship. We believe that Ms. Franklin discovered things about Mr. Potts that made her uncomfortable and when she communicated the information to others, and threatened to have Mr. Potts jailed for stealing from her, Potts murdered her.

The current judge, Nicholas Ford, has recused himself on the grounds that his wife previously represented Mr. Potts in a trial. Hardly surprising, I suppose, given Mr. Potts' extensive criminal record. Judge Ford was assigned and recused himself on January 15. Judge Marcus Salone, who had been assigned to the Potts case on January 11 apparently also recused himself because Potts' sister is a probation officer working in Judge Salone's courtroom.

Previously, Potts' case had been assigned to Judge James Linn for trial. However, the prosecution objected to Judge Linn, so the case was transferred to Judge Salone.

Potts was supposed to be assigned a new judge on Thursday, January 17th. However, to date, no information is available as to whether such assignment took place.

Potts has requested a gag order on the prosecution. Given how much Potts has been yawping, in all fora, we consider that pretty damn cheeky of him. Apparently, so did the prosecution:

In [a] handwritten motion [requesting the judge to impose a gag order on the prosecution], Potts said [prosecutor] Milan, a candidate for state's attorney and the No. 2 person in the office, "may attempt to boost his public image and gain momentum for his campaign by giving press conferences about this case." Potts said he's worried that publicity will make it hard for him to get a fair trial.

Assistant State's Attorney Maria McCarthy responded: "The irony is no one has spoken to the press more than Mr. Potts." Ford did not rule on the motion.

Is Reginald Potts smarter than he seems, or stupider? Is he seeking to represent himself just to ensure that the trial gets dragged out as long as possible? Is he hoping to ensure that he can get off on some trivial technicality?

To date, the county coroner's office has not issued a definitive report on how Ms. Franklin died, except to state that she was neither shot nor stabbed. We note that previous newspaper reports indicated that Mr. Potts had attempted to choke or strangle one of his girlfriends. We speculate he might have strangled Ms. Franklin.

For ongoing coverage of Ms. Franklin or Mr. Potts, please type "nailah franklin" or "reginald potts" in the white text box at the top left corner of this page. Then click "Search Blog" next to the text box.

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Reginald Potts: Errata

To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

The Political Cat knows that there are many people out there (all around the world, it seems) waiting to see what happens in the murder of Nailah Franklin. We apologize for giving the erroneous impression that Mr. Potts would be having his arraignment hearing today. The Chicago Defender announced
today that the arraignment would take place on Thursday, January 10th.

Mr. Potts is facing 16 counts of murder in the first degree, four counts of aggravated kidnapping and one count each of vehicular hijacking and robbery, for a total of 22 counts. The prosecutor plans to seek the death penalty if Mr. Potts is convicted.

Mr. Potts' trial judge will be assigned at the arraignment hearing. Nailah Franklin was reported missing around September 19th, and her body was found on September 27th 2007. Mr. Potts has been held without bond for her murder since December 10th, 2007.

For ongoing coverage of the case, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Reginald Potts: What A Tangled Tale

Latest update here. To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

From Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune comes the details of Reginald Michael Potts Jr's arrest record. And it's not a pretty sight:

• 2005 - 3 years Probation for Intimidation case in Lake County (01CF-1794). Details: In June of 2001, Defendant (Reginald Potts) was being investigated in several cases (of car theft according to some reports). Defendant spoke directly to the victim, a Highland Park Police Detective and told him,“I will blow your brains out and your family’s brains out. Your family will never be safe. You’re going to feel the end of my .45.”
  
  A warrant was issued for Defendant’s arrest. After Defendant was arrested, he escaped from federal custody. Note:He was at large for two weeks during which time he made taunting calls to the police. He was subsequently recaptured.
  
  
• 2003 - 2 years IDOC on an Aggravated Battery of a Peace Officer (02CR-1166). Details: Defendant was an inmate in Cook County Jail. Defendant punched the victim, a Deputy Sheriff, in the face. After this incident, Defendant stated in the presence of more than one Sheriff, that when he got out of jail, he was going to kill a certain Lt. and his entire family.
  
  Consecutive to:
  
  
• 5 years IDOC on a Class 1 PSMV (01CR-521). Details: Defendant was in custody on this case when he committed the aggravated battery on the Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy. In this case, Defendant was found in possession of a $100,000 Mercedes stolen from the Motorworks Dealership in Barrington earlier that day. After being put in lock-up, the defendant kneed a detention aide in the groin.
  
  
• 2002 – 30 months IDOC on Obstruction of Justice in Iroquois County
  
  
• 1997 – convicted in 4 separate aggravated PSMV cases and sentenced to 7 years IDOC concurrent on all cases. Details: In those cases, on multiple occasions during the Spring of 1996, the defendant was found to be in possession of cars totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from dealerships throughout Cook County. In one case, five days after the defendant was released on bond in Atlanta, he re-stole the Mercedes from the police pound in Atlanta. Six weeks later, using yet a different name, he took the car to an auto shop in Chicago, where it was recovered by police.
  
  3 Misdemeanor convictions:
  
  
• 11-26-07 – Defendant PG to counts of Violation of Order of Protection. Details: The victim was his former girlfriend. Defendant was sentenced to 100 days in Cook County Jail. He is currently serving that sentence.
  
  
• 2004 - 6 months CCJ on an assault
  
  
• 1997 - 180 days CCJ on a theft
  
  5 cases pending:
  
  
• Aggravated Battery of a Peace Officer, Maywood. 11-26-07. Details: While in the main lock-up at the Maywood courthouse, Defendant repeatedly kicked a lock-up cell door causing it to remain open after being ordered to stop this activity. Cook County Sheriff’s entered Defendant’s cell and ordered Defendant to turn around and put his hands on his head. Instead, defendant struck the victim Sheriff in the face. Defendant kicked a second Sheriff in the knee.
  
  
• Battery and Resisting a Peace Officer, Maywood. 10-30-07. Details: Defendant refused to comply with County Sheriff’s Deputies’ request to put his cell phone away while in a courtroom. Defendant was asked to step out of the courtroom and place his phone on the ground. Defendant refused to put the phone down. Defendant then resisted arrest by striking the victim Sheriff several times in the chest and stomach. Defendant told the victim “F--- you. Touch me so I can sue you.” NCD 12-21-07.
  
  
• Assault of gas station attendant in Chicago and Battery of a maintenance man in a condo building in Chicago. NCD: 1-9-08 in Branch 43.
  
  
• Violation of an Order of Protection in DuPage County. Victim in that case is the Defendant’s ex-wife.
  
  In addition, the defendant has used multiple aliases and social security numbers when arrested in the past.

We all know that there are police officers who deliberately provoke incidents or mistate facts especially if they don't like the defendant. However, most police officers are simply trying to do their job, and it's a very stressful job. We've found that the police, just like any other group of people, has its bad apples and its good eggs.

It's always possible that Reginald Potts has, through a run of unbelievably bad luck, encountered the worst cops on the force. However, given his demonstrated fondness for lying and manipulation, we could probably safely bet that he is a manipulative career criminal who instigated repeated violent interactions with the police, who, of course, are only too happy to oblige anyone who wants to fuck around with them.

Looking at his interactions with the women in his life, who, unlike the police, actually like or love the guy and are smaller, weaker, less able to whup his butt, he certainly seems like a violent, controlling, bad-tempered bully. So what was a lovely talented intelligent professional woman like Nailah doing with this all-time loser?

I don't think she expected him to be the psychopathic loon that he is. She was raised in a very loving and close-knit family, and from what we can tell, her siblings are all educated, successful, middle-class professionals. She had no way to assess just what kind of monster Reginald Potts really was.

Now we're well aware that Potts has not yet been convicted of the murder of Franklin. But even if he is ultimately proven to be completely innocent of that crime (and we have our doubts), he is still a bully and an arrogant, deceitful, manipulative, conscienceless jerk.

Nailah called him on this, and that made him angry enough to attempt to destroy her reputation and her life. In fact, we can't help but wonder if the emails leaked over the internet tell the real story at all. We're guessing that he never told Nailah anything about himself until she found out. When she ran the criminal check she found out about the convictions. At that point, she would probably have been very angry. He acknowledges that she found out and was furious that she had to hear it from someone other than him.

We suspect that after finding out about the criminal record, she then started to find out about the other women. She probably tried to break it off then. She sent him a furious email stating that she was angry with him over his comments to mutual friends and his flirting with her friends. She was also angry that she had trusted him enough to have unprotected sex with him, and he had lied to her, and stolen from her (videotapes depicting sexual acts).

At that point he decided to write her that nasty email. Even if it contained no truth, by circulating it to his friends and family, he was damaging her reputation and hurting her feelings. Things had started to fall apart for Mr. Potts. First one, and then the other of the two mothers of his children filed restraining orders against him. His divorce had occurred fairly recently and there were child custody issues. His ex-wife filed for child support. His condo association filed suit to collect outstanding fees. His house was in foreclosure, there were bills to be paid, and Nailah was threatening to send him back to jail.

It's doubtful that he kidnapped her at gunpoint from her house. More likely, he turned on the charm, talked about dinner or a weekend together, offered to carry her laptops, walked her past the security guard in her building, and then drove her to some distant location where he murdered her.

However he got his hands on her, what he did was unforgivable. The prosecutor is seeking the death penalty. A member of her family has stated that the death penalty was too lenient for Potts' crime. His next hearing is on the 28th of this month, so we should know by then how things in this case will go.

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Nailah Franklin: The Plot Thickens

Latest update here. To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

Well, well, well. It looks as if Chicago's finest have done their legwork well in investigating Nailah Franklin's murder. Chicago police earlier said they had examined video footage from several locations including Franklin's condo and locations near where her body was found.

Yesterday, Reginald Potts Jr., who had briefly dated Franklin, was arraigned before Judge Donald Panarese who ordered him held without bail. Judges usually grant bail unless they believe the accused is a flight risk or a danger to the community. In Potts' case, given his prior conviction for threatening to kill a detective and his family (the detective was investigating Potts), and his history of threatening women with whom he was involved, it's a safe assumption that he is a danger to the community.

Prosecutor Robert Milan, First Asst. State's Attorney, revealed to the Chicago Sun Times that residents of Franklin's condo building identified Potts as the man they had seen lurking in the parking garage and Franklin's hallway on September 16th and 17th. Surveillance videotapes taken from Franklin's condo showed Potts in the building on the 17th and 18th of September.

Building security was apparently called at some point. When questioned, Potts falsely claimed to be a resident and gave a phony name, according to the prosecutor. Subsequently, security called police, but Potts left before police arrived. Police discovered that someone had placed tape over the lock on the garage door, providing access to the building without a key.

Surveillance tapes of the building from 18th September show Potts with Franklin in a hallway. Franklin was last seen alive on September 18th. Potts told police he last saw Franklin on August 27th or 28th. He denied seeing her at all the day she was murdered.

As we suspected, sources have now told the Chicago Sun Times that Franklin was trying to end the relationship with Potts, and not the other way around, as Potts had claimed.

When Franklin emailed friends of hers about Potts' criminal past, he left her a voicemail stating that he "could have her erased." Franklin had told friends she was afraid of Potts and gave a friend her e-mail password "in case anything happened to her," according to the prosecutor. The Chicago Tribune reports that two of Franklin's friends who knew Potts heard a threatening voicemail that he left for Franklin.

On the day that Franklin was murdered, cellphone records show that Potts was within half a mile of Franklin's condo although he claimed that he was not near her building at the time. The records show Potts traveling south on the Dan Ryan expressway around 7 pm, at a time that he was supposedly shopping at Target with his alibi witnesses. Incidentally, videotape taken from the Target surveillance cameras show the alibi witnesses at Target, but no trace of Potts. Later, Potts' and Franklin's cellphones were shown to be at 159th Street in Calumet City where her jewellery and pharmaceuticals were found on a golf course near a lake. That lake was subsequently dredged by police in hope of finding her body. Clearly, her murderer planned to waste precious police time and resources by laying a false trail.

Shortly after that, cellphone records show Potts and Franklin traveling east at the same time to the place where her body was found. She may well have been dead by that time. Potts disposed of her body but kept her cellphone.

Potts then drove Franklin's car to Hammond where it would be discovered some days later. An eyewitness allegedly saw Potts looking into the windows of Franklin's car. He left the car outside an empty house in a residential area. He then called one of the friends with whom he had supposedly been shopping at Target and asked for a ride. The friend picked him up a mile away from where Franklin's car was later discovered. On the journey back to Chicago, Potts called 911 three times, each time hanging up without a word, in order to make police think Franklin was still alive.

The Assistant PD assigned to Potts has told the press that Potts suffered from grand mal seizures. Is this an attempt to establish some sort of defense? That he was in the throes of a seizure when he killed Franklin, and must, therefore, be charged with a lesser offence? Potts is currently facing a charge of first degree murder, and could receive the death penalty. His next court hearing is scheduled for December 28th.

This post was based on reportage from the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune, and CBS.

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Nailah Franklin: Who Is Reginald Potts?

Photo from Princess Dominique's site

Latest update here. To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

The story of Reginald Potts, Jr., the man charged with the first-degree murder of Nailah O. Franklin of Chicago, is getting more interesting by the minute. Various news reports give Potts' age as 30 or 31. According to a Chicago station WBBM, Potts's records show an array of aliases, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. WBBM also reports that Potts

made good use of legal libraries to defend himself, ... allegedly nearly came to blows with one of his own attorneys, and ... is not shy about making taunting phone calls to detectives who are investigating him. In fact, until his arrest for Franklin's slaying, Potts stayed in regular contact with Harrison Area detectives, offering DNA samples and to take lie detector tests.

He is described by the Chicago Tribune as a real estate investor and owner of a hedge fund investment company, Amaya Investment Group, LLC. However, State authorities apparently dissolved the Amaya Investment Group for failing to file a timely financial statement. In June 2007 Potts stated before a judge that he was unemployed and indigent and did not own a home or a car. In November Potts told a reporter for the Chicago Sun Times that he was a successful hedge fund manager and real estate investor.

Potts is believed to have owned a Bentley and a late-model Mercedes, both expensive cars. He also apparently owns a condo in a posh district of Chicago and a home in the suburbs. However, he is apparently in foreclosure proceedings on the suburban home and claims of failure to pay homeowners' association fees have apparently been filed on the condo. He is also the subject of outstanding warrants for approximately $40,000 in child support owed.

Potts has a criminal record in four Illinois counties over the past decade. He has had eight convictions, most of them for violent crimes against the person, although he apparently has also committed property crimes. He was believed to be involved in a car theft ring, and was convicted for possession of stolen cars in 1997 and given a seven-year sentence. Two short years later, in 1999, he was out of prison. Shortly afterwards, while briefly attending Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, he was arrested on unspecified minor charges.

Sometime in 2001, Potts was arrested for threatening to kill a Highland Park police detective and his family because the detective was, apparently, investigating Potts' ties to a car theft ring. Potts was taken into custody in June 2001 and handcuffed to a bench in the Dirksen Federal Building and left alone briefly. He somehow managed to escape and evaded the FBI for two weeks, calling them periodically to taunt them. In 2002, Potts was sentenced to three years at the Big Muddy Correctional Center in Ina for the crime of intimidation.

In 2003, Potts was charged with hitting a correctional officer in the eye. He pleaded guilty. In 2004, while in custody, he repeatedly called his ex-girlfriend's family and threatened them. From the Chicago Tribune article:

"I know where you live," he told the man, who didn't want to press charges, but said he wanted police to record the information "in case something more serious happened," according to the report.

The man in question is the ex-girlfriend's brother-in-law. The ex-girlfriend declined to press charges, doubtless out of fear.

It sounds as if Potts was released from prison in 2005. However, he had already been involved with the woman he married, as he has a five-year-old daughter with her. Sometime in 2006, the woman gave birth to a second child by Potts.
Photo from Princess Dominique's site

By spring of 2006, Potts had already met Nailah Franklin. As you can see from the photograph, he's a good-looking young dude, and Nailah, like many other women her age, was probably looking for love. Unfortunately, she crossed Potts' path, and started seeing him regularly in mid-2006. Some in the blogosphere have faulted her for getting mixed up with a conman and a crook. It seems that's unwarranted. The reason successful conmen are successful is, they have an inordinate quantity of that rare human quality, charm. Clearly, Potts could be charming. Charming enough to seduce many women into intimate relationships and who knows how many men into financial relationships.

And Nailah was no fool. She apparently requested that a friend of hers, Alyssia Bailey, ask her sister who was an attorney to perform a background check on Mr. Potts. This statement comes from Potts himself, and since he's established a rather estranged relationship with veracity, methinks the only reason he issued this statement is, as all liars know, you must mix your lies with a little truth for them to be believable.

Nailah's family claims never to have met Potts. Potts claims he had a relationship with Nailah that lasted for approximately 18 months, on again, off again. Nailah was very close to her family, as shown by their immediate reaction to her disappearance.

Since Potts has repeatedly lied about many things, we at this blog tend to believe that his relationship with Nailah was neither as long nor as serious as he portrayed it.

In November, 2006, Potts' ex-wife filed for an order of protection against him. In the course of their relationship, she had apparently, for fear of him, moved to an undisclosed location. Understandably she was disconcerted when he turned up at her new home, uninvited, beating on and kicking the door and demanding to see his children. She requested the order of protection, according to court documents uncovered by the Chicago Tribune, because he had previously assaulted her, requiring her to seek treatment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In court documents discovered by WBBM, his ex-wife stated

she feared Potts because "he has a bad temper,'' according to court documents. " ... He doesn't know when to stop and when it's too far,'' the woman wrote.

[...]

She also said Potts told her he could "do a lot of damage to me'' before the police get there, the records show.

Sometime in March 2007, Potts was released from parole.

In May, 2007, Potts showed up at the home of his ex-wife, apparently angry with her because she had not allowed his mother to take her children out for the day. He entered the house and when she tried to call the police on her cellphone, snatched the phone out of her hand. According to the report:

"I went to open my cell phone to call police and at that point he came in the house and started to scream at my face telling me that he wasn't going to play these games with me," the woman wrote in her complaint.

His words - "not going to play these games with you" are interesting. He used almost identical words in his email to Nailah Franklin.

During this time, Potts had also been involved with another woman, who, in mid-2007, gave birth to a child by him. By September 2007, she had twice attempted to file for a restraining order (order of protection) against him, claiming that he assaulted her, and came to her home and fired through the window into the bedroom where she lay sleeping with their child. He then called her mother and said "Next time, they won't miss," referring to the bullets. This occurred shortly before Nailah Franklin disappeared on September 18th.

In August of 2007, according to Potts, he was dating yet another young woman and happened to run into a friend of Nailah's who told her about the encounter. Nailah called Potts and quizzed him about his new girlfriend. Potts hung up on her. Around the first week of September, Nailah sent her friend an article about Potts' escape from federal custody and cc'ed it to Potts. Potts was furious. He sent her a truly nasty, vituperative email. In response, she sent him an email threatening to have him put behind bars.

This is the text of the last email that Nailah Franklin sent to Reginald Potts, Jr., courtesy of Princess Dominique's site:

Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:14:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: “Nailah Franklin”
Subject: FYI
To: “Reginald”
HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer ]

I have filed a police report, I will be getting an order of protection tomorrow. You will not threaten me with those videos, I will have you locked up for taking them from my house. If you come anywhere near me you will be back in jail, I promise. You are crazy, you disrespect women, you are a bully, you are extremely hateful, but you are not going to bully me. You are messing with the wrong chick this time. I will have you locked up where you belong for good!

Nailah
Nailah Franklin

A week before Franklin disappeared, she had called police to complain that Potts had threatened her. The police advised her to file for a restraining order. Police spokespeople have stated that she was in the process of filing when she disappeared.

During the time between the reported disappearance of Nailah Franklin, on September 19th, and the arrest of Reginald Potts Jr. on charges of first degree murder in Nailah Franklin's death, Potts was arrested five times.

• October 5, misdemeanor battery for allegedly threatening a gas station attendant;
• October 30, violation of restraining order (he apparently faxed the mother of his child notifying her of the court date);
• October 30, resisting arrest, assaulting an officer (when sherriff's deputies attempted to arrest him for the restraining order violation, he elbowed one of them);
• November 8, violating another restraining order filed by his ex-wife (apparently, Potts wrote her an email which he forwarded to his own family and friends, and his sister "inadvertantly" sent it to the ex-wife);
• Nov 9, no-show at a court-ordered hearing on the first violation of restraining order (this seems somewhat unfair, since the reason he didn't show is, he was sitting on his ass in jail).

Somehow, in the midst of this busy schedule, Potts found time to make a video protesting his innocence of the Franklin murder, and post it to YouTube. (The video has been yanked.) He also sought out Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun Times for a three-hour interview. In addition, it seems he was websurfing in search of his name, and posting about his innocence all over the blogosphere.

A week before he was charged with the murder of Nailah Franklin, Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun Times wrote an article about the differing treatment meted out to Reginald Potts and Drew Peterson. The article included an allegation that Potts has been assaulted by correctional officers:

"When he was in custody, Reginald told the judge that he had been assaulted by police. Reginald made a statement in open court that he had been assaulted, but the judge said she didn't see any bruises," said the observer, who asked for anonymity.

The medical records from Loyola University Medical Center show Potts was treated in the emergency room on that date for a "minor head and wrist injury."

"After Reginald made that statement in open court, they [sheriff deputies] beat the s--- out of him," the observer said. "It's just ridiculous. It's really sad."

The Cook County sheriff's office denied that any deputies abused Potts.

It is quite possible that overzealous deputies may have taken matters into their own hands in the treatment of Potts. Mary Mitchell, here's why we think the police are treating Potts differently from Peterson:

• Potts is a repeat offender. Peterson may be suspected of being a repeat offender but he has never (yet) been convicted of any crime;
• Potts once escaped from FBI custody. G-men don't like egg on their face, and they're involved in this case because Potts (or someone) transported Nailah across state lines. I'm not saying the Feds encouraged any maltreatment, but I'm sure they wouldn't go out of their way to protect Potts;
• Potts was convicted of threatening to kill a policeman and his family. Cops protect their own;
• Peterson is a cop. Again, cops protect their own;
• While on the lam, Potts taunted the police/FBI in phone calls. Cops really really don't like people making fun of them.

Several things stand out in Potts' rambling defenses of himself. In the interview with Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun Times, Mitchell asks him if he had anything to do with Franklin's murder. He replies that he did not, but also adds that he did not pay anyone to do anything to her either. ??? That was not the question. Why would he even raise it?

In his defense of himself on Princess Dominique's blog, Potts states:

1. Nailah never did any Real Estate transactions for me or through my company, and I did not owe her any money from a deal gone bad.
2. We were NOT boyfriend and girlfriend
3. She was not about to expose me for some illegal activity. I don’t engage in any illegal practices.
4. She did not ruin a relationship with the mother of my Daughter, by telling her we had been involved, that relationship was already over.
5. I am not a DRUG DEALER! I have never been arrested on any illicit drug charges.

No one ever raised the question of him possibly handling property transactions for Nailah or borrowing money from her or giving her poor investment advice that she followed to her loss. No one asked about her exposing his illegal activities or possible drug dealing. And I don't think anyone even knew at the time that Potts' name surfaced in the inquiries around Franklin's death that he had a daughter. Besides, it's just a blog, not a jury of his peers. One would think that a person who had spent some time in law libraries would know better than to go shooting his mouth off to total strangers without advice of counsel, or making such incriminating statements.

Another thing: If Potts had threatened Nailah, and she was afraid of him (as she had good reason to be), would she have willingly gone out to see him by herself? Yet, she supposedly left her house to have dinner with unspecified persons according to her last communication, a vague text message to friends and family. Chicago police have stated that Potts was acting alone. They have also charged him with auto theft and robbery. The legal definition of robbery is "taking by force or fear." What did Potts take from Nailah Franklin? Her work computer and her personal computer were both reported missing after her death. Does that mean that Potts (or whoever murdered her, if he is innocent) entered her home and took her computers at gunpoint, then killed her and transported her body to a forested area in Calumet City and drove her car to Hammond, Indiana, where it was discovered? At what time did the murderer dispose of the computers? Why? How did the murderer get back to his own domicile after getting rid of the body, the computers, and the car?

There are a great many unanswered questions surrounding the murder of Nailah Franklin. What a beautiful, intelligent, warm, sweet woman to come to such a horrible end. Mr. Potts, if you're responsible, confess. Nothing can be gained from holding out.

A video clip of Franklin's sisters' press conference is available courtesy of the Chicago Tribune here.

Thanks to Princess Dominique, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun Times for some excellent coverage of this sad story.

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Nailah Franklin: Update

Nailah Franklin, inset Reginald Potts

LATEST UPDATES HERE AND HERE. To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting today that Reginald Potts, Jr. (see inset photo) is being charged with the murder of Nailah Franklin.

The law holds a man innocent until he is proven guilty, because the government, which prosecutes the crime of murder, has vast resources, compared to an individual defendant who usually has limited resources. Thus, the law places the burden of proving the defendant guilty or not guilty squarely on the government. However, many people in Chicago and elsewhere who have followed the tragic story of Nailah Franklin are probably feeling a little relieved, if bitter, today. Sort of "I knew it all along" relieved. Mostly glad that there appears to be some resolution to this senseless crime.

Nailah Franklin's family and friends deserve great credit and respect for keeping the inquiry alive without degenerating into hysteria. The murder of their daughter, sister, friend, must have torn them up.

Details are emerging, and we will continue to follow up on them and hopefully will be able to keep information on Nailah available and current all the way through the trial.

According to the Trib, Potts was charged when

... FBI officials were able to place his cell phone and Franklin's cell phone in the same geographic location at a time he said he was not with Franklin.

As we pointed out in a previous post, police determined that Franklin was not shot or stabbed. However, they have not stated the cause of her death. Potts was accused by an ex-girlfriend of choking her when she apparently refused to pay a bill for him. Nailah had already talked to a detective about threats apparently made by Potts against her, shortly before her death. Wouldn't that give Mr. Potts some incentive to harm her?

Another curious behaviour of Mr. Potts: shortly after Nailah's murder, and quite a while before the police arrested him, Mr. Potts contacted reporters Annie Sweeney and Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun-Times to protest his innocence of any involvement in Franklin's death. At the time, it seemed strange, given that the Chicago police had explicitly stated that they were not naming Potts as a suspect or a person of interest. Methinks the gentleman did protest too much.

The Tribune's report characterizes the ultimate email exchange between Franklin and Potts with the terse phrase: "... he cursed at her." We read the email that he sent her (although it was so distasteful that we didn't bookmark it), and cursing was the least of it. His email to Nailah was so hateful, disrespectful, hurtful, and outright threatening, it made us feel physically ill. It was the kind of thing that you would send to someone if you really wanted to hurt them. A highly-edited version was posted to this site, if you want to read part of it for yourself. However, bear in mind that it was posted by Potts, and self-servingly omits the most cruel and nasty comments. Given the length and tone of Potts' comment, one can't help wondering whom he's trying to convince.

The Chicago Sun-Times, in its report on the issue, states that Potts' alibi witnesses did not confirm his whereabouts on the day and time of the murder. One can't help but be amazed at the gall Potts showed in giving police a false alibi. Did he think they would not check? Or that they would be as easily fooled by him as the various women with whom he was apparently involved?

Police have refused to discuss a motive for the murder of Nailah Franklin. Also, there is no confirmed report of how she died. AP reports that

... Potts' initial court appearance is set for noon on Monday at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse....

Potts is currently being held without bail in Cook County Jail on unrelated charges. He is being charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nailah Franklin. His attorney issued the following boilerplate statement:

"Reginald is presumed innocent," William P. Murphy, Potts' attorney, said Saturday. "We haven't gotten all the evidence yet. We have a long ways to go."

If he truly is innocent, then I wish him well. However, his past actions - including his repeated threats of bodily harm towards women - don't bode well for his defense.

If he is guilty of the murder of this lovely, intelligent, talented young woman, then he should definitely be punished to the fullest extent the law allows. It was a hideous, indefensible crime.

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Nailah Franklin: Update

Update: Latest updates here, here, here, and here.
This is the latest in a series of continuing updates on the fate of Nailah Franklin, the lovely young Chicago woman recently murdered by an unknown (as yet) assailant. Franklin triggered an enormous outpouring of attention - unprecedented, for a black woman - when her family reported her missing and sought the assistance of the public in finding her. To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

At present, very little has been reported about the search for her murderer. May they find him soon. Look at that lovely face. What kind of heartless monster could take the life of such a talented, intelligent, spirited, beautiful young woman with so much promise and so much to live for?

Nailah's body was found naked and partially buried in a deeply wooded area behind a vacant building on Thursday, September 27th. The discovery took place some miles from where police found her car Saturday, September 22nd in nearby Hammond, Indiana. As a result of exposure to rain and heat, the body was so badly decomposed that it could not be identified, initially. After obtaining Nailah's dental records, the body was identified on Friday, 28th September. Nailah had been reported missing on September 19th.

An autopsy performed by the Cook County medical examiner's office did not reveal a cause of death, but a law enforcement source said she was not shot or stabbed. According to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago police have not ruled the case a homicide. WHAT??? It's highly unlikely that she would have removed her clothes, walked to the area where her body was found, committed suicide, and then very considerately buried her own remains. What do they mean, not a homicide? I suppose she could have been killed in an accident, but in that case, why leave her earphones dangling in a tree close to the location of the body?

Chicago police are supposedly the lead investigators in the case because authorities don't know where Nailah died. They are currently testing forensic evidence from the scene where her body was found and from her car. They are also reviewing videotapes from a location across the street from where her body was found.

Friends apparently spoke with Franklin on Tuesday, September 18th. However, on the evening of Tuesday, September 18th, three people tried to reach her: a family member, her boyfriend, and her boss (apparently to discuss a meeting the next day). In response, she apparently sent all three a vague text message saying she was going to dinner and would call them later. They didn't hear from her again.

The following day, September 19th, Franklin didn't show up for a "ride-along" meeting with one of her sales managers. Apparently, she was a reliable and punctual person, and failing to show up for a meeting, or calling to let her manager know she would not be there, was uncharacteristic enough that the company contacted her family. Aware of the earlier threats against her life, her family reported her missing to Chicago police Sept. 19.

On September 21, after word of Franklin's disappearance spread, a man found Franklin's car parked near an abandoned building in Hammond, and reported it to police. Shortly thereafter, police apparently found some of Franklin's jewelry near a golf course 3 miles away.

Franklin's family subsequently announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to finding Franklin or catching whoever was responsible for her disappearance. Once Franklin's body was identified, the family announced that the Nailah O. Franklin Memorial Fund at The Chicago Community Trust will make grants to prevent violence and guide young people's educational and social development.


The man in the inset is Reginald Potts, also of Chicago, who briefly dated Nailah Franklin, and was accused by her of threatening her, possibly even threatening her life.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Potts has a criminal past which includes car theft and escaping from FBI custody. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Potts was taken into custody by the FBI after allegedly threatening a police officer and his family. Potts has two children with his wife, from whom he is now separated, and a child with another woman. Both his wife and the mother of his other child have taken out restraining orders against him for issues having to do with child visitation. When Maywood police arrested Potts, 30, for violating an order of protection obtained by a woman who accused Potts of choking her, pushing her and threatening her, and demanding that she pay an insurance bill for him, Potts resisted and struck a sheriff's deputy with his elbow, officials said.

Potts has not been charged with the murder of Franklin, nor have investigators named him as a person of interest or a suspect. However, his name was linked to the Franklin case when he was arrested for an unrelated matter recently. A BP security guard at a station near his home accused Potts of threatening him. Potts was charged with misdemeanor battery in that incident.

Since the death of Franklin, Potts has been arrested four times. He claims that the Chicago police are trying to rattle him. Potts claims that the alleged violation of the order of protection in DuPage County came after his sister inadvertently forwarded an e-mail Potts had written -- and sent to his family and friends -- to the woman who had the order of protection against him.


Interesting. Everything seems to happen to Mr. Potts. It is as if he is free of any agency in the troubles that occur in his life. Protection order violated? It's his sister's fault for inadvertantly forwarding an email he wrote. Someone complains about Mr. Potts' threatening attitude? The police are merely harassing Mr. Potts.

This doesn't mean he's guilty of Franklin's murder, of course. On the other hand, the same individual who claims he's not the type to lay hands on anyone is nevertheless arrested three times for threatening physical harm to someone else. And while his ex-girlfriend might be lying about him pushing and choking her, it's hard not to wonder why two of the three women he's been involved with lately have felt the need to take out restraining orders against Mr. Potts.

Another thing: when police suspect someone has committed a crime but have no evidence, or very little evidence, linking the suspect to the crime, they have a tendency to look for reasons to arrest someone, in the hope that the person will inadvertantly give themselves away. It's possible that that is what the police are doing in Mr. Potts' case. It's also possible that the police have simply decided that an innocent man is guilty and are, really, harrassing him.

Chicago Police had no comment on the arrests.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, 20,000 people are reported missing each year, in that city. Nailah O. Franklin was one of them. One of the unlucky ones. She ended up dead. Let us hope her murderer is soon found and brought to justice. He took from her family and community someone who had a great deal to give.

If you know anything at all about the murder of Nailah Franklin, please let the authorities know. She is sadly missed by many. You can visit Nailah Franklin's memorial web site here.

Update: Latest update here.

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Nailah Franklin

To find all posts about Nailah Franklin, type "Nailah Franklin" in the box at the top left corner of this page and hit RETURN. To find all posts about Reginald Potts, type "Reginald Potts" and do not include his middle initial or honorifics. Thanks.

Nailah Franklin's family has updated the Web site that they set up for her with a press release (PDF format) that requests that those of us who cared about Nailah keep her family in our thoughts as they prepare to bring closure to this tragic event.

They express their gratitude to the authorities and the community for keeping Nailah in their thoughts and prayers.

I long to know what happened. I will keep searching and posting as I find out. I thank all of you who came to this site to search for information about this lovely young woman. Thank you for caring.

Latest update here.

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Nailah Franklin Update

Well, the news is bad. I just hope it's wrong, but perhaps all hope is extinguished now. MSNBC reports that the autopsy results have confirmed, based on dental records, that the body found in Calumet City, is Nailah Franklin's. It's very sad. She was so lovely and talented, and had so much to live for.

Now those who were touched by her story must keep up the pressure to ensure that her murderer is brought to justice.

NBC's video coverage available here. Latest update here.

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Missing Person - Nailah Franklin Update

The Chicago Tribune is reporting right now that a woman's body has been found in Calumet City, and that the condition of the body is such that no one has yet been able to identify it.

A relative of Nailah Franklin claims that the body is that of Nailah, but her immediate family claims that the relative in question does not speak for them.

An autopsy is being conducted to determine the identity of the person. Let us hope it is not Nailah Franklin.

Latest update here.

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Missing Person: Nailah Franklin Update (Not)

Click here for most recent update.


I'm very touched at the huge outpouring of interest in Ms. Franklin that has been generated in the blogosphere. There have been occasional reports by the occasional major media organ, but nothing like the hysteria of the Lacey Petersen coverage. Thank you all for being concerned for the brilliant and beautiful Ms. Franklin. I fervently hope you will keep your eyes peeled, as there is a good chance she is no longer in Illinois. If you see her, please contact the FBI or the police immediately. You can call (312) 746-9259.

Latest update here.

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Missing Person - Nailah Franklin latest update

Click here for most recent update.

A body has been found in the Bridgeport neighbourhood of Chicago. It has not yet been identified. Let's hope it's not Nailah Franklin, as the police have been unable to identify it as yet.

Latest update here.

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Nailah Franklin Update - Hunt Intensifies

Click here for most recent update.

NEW UPDATE BELOW
This lovely young lady is Nailah Franklin. As of 19th September, she has been missing.

Nailah Franklin is 5′2″ and weighs about 115 lbs. She worked as a pharmaceutical rep for Eli Lilly. She was smart, geeky, apparently a feminist, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two computers were, apparently, missing from her condo, and someone (maybe herself, maybe someone else) used her telephone to text a message to her boyfriend when he called her at 8:15 the evening before she was reported missing, stating that she was in the middle of dinner and could not take his call. (???)

If you come across her, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259 without delay.

The man who threatened her apparently has a habit of threatening women, and a woman he previously dated took out a restraining order against him. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the man has a criminal record.

New Update 09/24: It is possible that Nailah has been transported across state lines. The FBI is now involved. If you see her, or know anything about this crime, please contact the authorities. You can call (312) 746-9259. As the FBI is also now involved, you might try contacting them as well.

Forensic tests are being conducted on Franklin's car, and detectives are checking security tapes from the building where she lived.

High-tech equipment from federal authorities will be brought in to assist police in the investigation into a missing Chicago businesswoman, officials said Monday.

Let's hope she is OK and soon returned to her family.

Latest update here.

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Nailah Franklin Update

Click here for most recent update.

NEW UPDATE BELOW
This lovely young lady is Nailah Franklin. As of 19th September, she has been missing. She was apparently being threatened by a man she had dated previously, who had a history of making threats to women. For details, click on CrimeBlog.

Nailah Franklin is 5′2″ and weighs about 115 lbs. She worked as a pharmaceutical rep for Eli Lilly. She was smart, geeky, apparently a feminist, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two computers were, apparently, missing from her condo, and someone (maybe herself, maybe someone else) used her telephone to text a message to her boyfriend when he called her at 8:15 the evening before she was reported missing, stating that she was in the middle of dinner and could not take his call. (???) Even with a mouthful of food I'd pick up the phone, if only to say "I'm eating, I'll call you back."

If you come across her, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259 without delay.

Update: Nailah Franklin's car has been found, and police have apparently retrieved some of her personal effects from the car. Let's hope she is still alive and unharmed and the miserable POS who abducted her has not had time to do anything to harm her.

Over on CrimeBlog, a reader posited that Nailah staged a disappearance to ensure that the man who was threatening her would be picked up by police. That would be a brilliant thing to do. I fervently hope and pray that is the case, and that she emerges from hiding once his sorry ass is in prison - he apparently has a habit of threatening women, and a woman he previously dated took out a restraining order against him.

New Update 09/24: WBBM Newsradio of Chicago reports that the FBI has been asked by Chicago police to join in the search for Nailah Franklin.

WBBM's Steve Miller reports that the Chicago police are not releasing much information to the media. However, CBS in Chicago reports that after Nailah's car was found, with some of her personal effects scattered near it, dive teams searched a nearby pond in the River Oaks Golf Course near Calumet City, but nothing was found. Perhaps the personal effects led them to believe they would find something in the pond?

CrimeBlog seems to believe Nailah has been transported across state lines. The FBI, generally speaking, only gets involved in crimes that might fall under federal jurisdiction (except when a crime involves a child of tender years), and transporting a person across state lines would fall into that category.

If you have any information about the case, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259. As the FBI is also now involved, you might try contacting them as well.

New Update 09/25: A $10,000 reward has been posted for the return of Nailah Franklin. Please, if you know anything about her, or the person who might have taken her, contact the authorities at (312) 746-9259 or call the FBI.

Latest update here.

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Missing Person Alert - Nailah Franklin Update

Click here for most recent update.

NEW UPDATE BELOW
This lovely young lady is Nailah Franklin. As of 19th September, she has been missing. She was apparently being threatened by a man she had dated previously, who had a history of making threats to women. For details, click on CrimeBlog.

Nailah Franklin is 5′2″ and weighs about 115 lbs. She worked as a pharmaceutical rep for Eli Lilly. She was smart, geeky, apparently a feminist, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two computers were, apparently, missing from her condo, and someone (maybe herself, maybe someone else) used her telephone to text a message to her boyfriend when he called her at 8:15 the evening before she was reported missing, stating that she was in the middle of dinner and could not take his call. (???) Even with a mouthful of food I'd pick up the phone, if only to say "I'm eating, I'll call you back."

If you come across her, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259 without delay.

Update: Nailah Franklin's car has been found, and police have apparently retrieved some of her personal effects from the car. Let's hope she is still alive and unharmed and the miserable POS who abducted her has not had time to do anything to harm her.

Over on CrimeBlog, a reader posited that Nailah staged a disappearance to ensure that the man who was threatening her would be picked up by police. That would be a brilliant thing to do. I fervently hope and pray that is the case, and that she emerges from hiding once his sorry ass is in prison - he apparently has a habit of threatening women, and a woman he previously dated took out a restraining order against him.

New Update 09/24: WBBM Newsradio of Chicago reports that the FBI has been asked by Chicago police to join in the search for Nailah Franklin.

WBBM's Steve Miller reports that the Chicago police are not releasing much information to the media. However, CBS in Chicago reports that after Nailah's car was found, with some of her personal effects scattered near it, dive teams searched a nearby pond in the River Oaks Golf Course near Calumet City, but nothing was found. Perhaps the personal effects led them to believe they would find something in the pond?

CrimeBlog seems to believe Nailah has been transported across state lines. The FBI, generally speaking, only gets involved in crimes that might fall under federal jurisdiction (except when a crime involves a child of tender years), and transporting a person across state lines would fall into that category.

If you have any information about the case, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259. As the FBI is also now involved, you might try contacting them as well.

Latest update here.

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Missing Person Alert - Nailah Franklin

NEW UPDATE BELOW
This lovely young lady is Nailah Franklin. As of 19th September, she has been missing. She was apparently being threatened by a man she had dated previously, who had a history of making threats to women. For details, click on CrimeBlog.

Nailah Franklin is 5′2″ and weighs about 115 lbs. She worked as a pharmaceutical rep for Eli Lilly. She was smart, geeky, apparently a feminist, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two computers were, apparently, missing from her condo, and someone (maybe herself, maybe someone else) used her telephone to text a message to her boyfriend when he called her at 8:15 the evening before she was reported missing, stating that she was in the middle of dinner and could not take his call. (???) Even with a mouthful of food I'd pick up the phone, if only to say "I'm eating, I'll call you back."

If you come across her, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259 without delay.

Update: Nailah Franklin's car has been found, and police have apparently retrieved some of her personal effects from the car. Let's hope she is still alive and unharmed and the miserable POS who abducted her has not had time to do anything to harm her.

Over on CrimeBlog, a reader posited that Nailah staged a disappearance to ensure that the man who was threatening her would be picked up by police. That would be a brilliant thing to do. I fervently hope and pray that is the case, and that she emerges from hiding once his sorry ass is in prison - he apparently has a habit of threatening women, and a woman he previously dated took out a restraining order against him.

New Update 09/24: WBBM Newsradio of Chicago reports that the FBI has been asked by Chicago police to join in the search for Nailah Franklin.

WBBM's Steve Miller reports that the Chicago police are not releasing much information to the media. However, CBS in Chicago reports that after Nailah's car was found, with some of her personal effects scattered near it, dive teams searched a nearby pond in the River Oaks Golf Course near Calumet City, but nothing was found. Perhaps the personal effects led them to believe they would find something in the pond?

CrimeBlog seems to believe Nailah has been transported across state lines. The FBI, generally speaking, only gets involved in crimes that might fall under federal jurisdiction (except when a crime involves a child of tender years), and transporting a person across state lines would fall into that category.

If you have any information about the case, police ask that you call (312) 746-9259. As the FBI is also now involved, you might try contacting them as well.

Latest update here.

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Missing Person Alert

This lovely young lady is Nailah Franklin. As of 19th September, she has been missing. I don't know why I dropped by CrimeBlog on this particular day, but I did, and I'm glad I did. She was apparently being threatened by a man she had dated previously, who had a history of making threats to women. For details, click on the CrimeBlog link, above.

Nailah Franklin is 5′2″ and weighs about 115 lbs. Her vehicle is missing as well. It is a 2005 gray or black Chevrolet Impala, license plate #1957855. She worked as a pharmaceutical rep for Eli Lilly. She was smart, geeky, apparently a feminist, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Two computers were, apparently, missing from her condo, and someone (maybe herself, maybe someone else) used her telephone to text a message to her boyfriend when he called her at 8:15 the evening before she was reported missing, stating that she was in the middle of dinner and could not take his call. (???) Even with a mouthful of food I'd pick up the phone, if only to say "I'm eating, I'll call you back."

If you come across her or her car, please contact the authorities without delay.

Latest update here.

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