What Happened to Risha Aleena Lewis?
Risha Aleena Lewis
Risha Aleena Lewis
(Pronounced Ree-sha)
Missing Since:
1/21/2006
Missing From:
Elkton, MD
Date of Birth:
8/9/1979
Height & Weight:
5'3 & 130 lbs
Hair & Eyes:
Black & Brown
Tattoos:
Red Flames w/name
"Kev" on one Upper Arm
Large Unspecified Tattoo on
other Upper Arm,"Risha" on Wrist,
Name "Jamie" on Calf, Butterfly
between Breasts & Vines or
Barbed Wire on Small of Back.
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Other:
Lewis's Ears & Right Eyebrow
are Pierced, & she has a
C-Section Scar on Abdomen.
Parents:
(Deceased at age 49 of Heart Failure
on October 23rd 1995)
(Born: April 17th 1951
Died: At the Age of 51
on December 25th 2002)
Siblings:
Colleen Lewis
(Born: February 20th 1981)
Children:
Son: Born November 8th 1995
Daughter: Born February 18th of 2004
(Keeping names private)
Address:
467 Morehouse Dr. New Castle, DE
Links
Early Life
Risha Aleena Lewis was born on August 9th 1979 to Richard Allen Lewis and Barbara Wilson-Lewis. A little under 2 years later the couple had a second daughter Colleen, Born on February 20th 1981. At the young age of sixteen, Risha and her younger sister were dealt a horrible tragedy. Their father Richard Allen Lewis passed away on October 23rd 1995 of heart failure. Risha attended William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware in the mid 90's. And in November of 1995, Risha gave birth to her first child. A baby boy. In April of 2002 Risha was blessed again. Risha gave birth to another baby. This time to a girl. Unfortunately, Family tragedy tended to follow the family. A little over 7 years after losing their dad. The Lewis' sisters lost their mother Barbara on Christmas Day of 2002. Tragedy is something this family will continue to endure as you'll soon read.
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Details Of Disappearance
On the evening of January 20th 2006, Risha left her residence at 467 Morehouse Road in New Castle, Delaware to meet a friend on the 200 Block of W. Pulaski Highway in Elkton Maryland. She frequently made trips every weekend to Elkton. Risha called home at around 1:30 am and stated she was on her way home but she had to make a stop in Newark before she did. She never returned home. Nor has she been heard from or seen since. RISHA' was reported missing on January 23rd 2006. On October 17th 2006, Risha's car a White Four Door 1997 Crown Victoria with Delaware License Plates 304653 was found abandoned in Newark.
Most likely routes to get from Elkton to Newark. There are questions as to whether or not Risha actually made it to Newark despite her car being found there.
The News Journal: May 12th 2007
New Leads?
In an effort to do what most people don't or can't do. I attempted to search through newspapers and other media for articles and stories that cover drug trafficking in Elkton MD in 2006. In the hopes of finding some new leads in Risha's case. I used key words like "Drugs" "Drug Trafficking" "Elkton". I even searched for similar Missing Persons cases in the area. I came across some interesting articles regarding drug trafficking.
The News Journal: 7/27/2006
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The Star Democrat: 7/27/2006
The Baltimore Sun: 4/28/2007
is an interesting factor in this case. If he's involved, He is from Delaware. Specifically Newark. Newark is where Risha needed to stop by on her way back home according to her sister Colleen. Newark is a small town. The population is just over 30,000 as of 2024. According to the Census Bureau it was 29,511 in 2006. (That's smaller than the shit hole town I live in right now. Which is hard to fathom.) Now Law Enforcement received a tip that a woman was murdered in Elkton just two days prior to Risha being reported missing. And her car was found in Newark DE. Coincidences are known to happen. Everyday. Especially in True Crime. Anyone who says they don't believe in coincidences doesn't know a damn thing. They happen. Having said that. I don't like coincidences. Nor do I trust them. Especially here. In a town as small as Newark is it possible that Ricks and his little posse didn't know anything about Risha? Of course. Do I believe that? Hardly. What about Elkton? Elkton is even smaller. According to the Census Bureau. In 2006 Elkton's population was 14,460 people. So what are the odds the Elkton connections didn't know about Risha? In my opinion there are two possibilities in that matter. Slim and None.
Dequan Sibhe CopelandDequan Sibhe Copeland was sentenced to 14 Years in Prison back in 2007 for distribution of cocaine in the Winding Brook Community of Elkton. Elkton is where Risha was last known to be in the early morning hours of January 21st 2006. Now this is where it gets rather interesting, According to this article here
"Most of the cocaine sold in hand-to-hand deals on the streets of Winding Brook near Elkton between January 2004 and April 2006 trickled down from Nigel Humphrey John Baptiste.Now Baptiste, 45, of New Castle, Del., is paying the price for functioning as a major drug source.
A federal judge sentenced Baptiste to 25 years in prison last week during a hearing in Baltimore, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office."
Now Baptiste, 45, of New Castle, Del., is paying the price for functioning as a major drug source.
A federal judge sentenced Baptiste to 25 years in prison last week during a hearing in Baltimore, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office."
The Baltimore Sun: 7/7/2007
Just an idea of how close Winding Brook Village is to Elkton.
"According to his guilty plea, between January 2004 and April 27, 2006, Brown, Nigel Baptiste, Larry Brown, and Tylon Estep conspired to distribute crack cocaine and powder cocaine in the Winding Brook community in Elkton and in other areas of Cecil County. Recorded conversations between Brown and his co-conspirators show Brown ordered or arranged for the purchase, delivery or payment for fifteen to fifty kilograms of cocaine during the course of the conspiracy."
Pay close attention to those dates. January and April of 2006. Who went missing in January of 2006? I have reached out to one of the people on the list of people involved in the drug trade back in 2006 via social media. I'm awaiting a response. I won't hold my breath. Needless to say I believe there is a good chance that some of the people (If not all of them) that were indicted know what happened to Risha. I was going to go through each person on that list and profile them. But I found it a waste of time. I have already shown the connection most have to the Elkton and Delaware areas.
Analysis
When you factor in the tip Law Enforcement received regarding a murder occurring just 2 days prior to Risha being reported missing in Elkton. It's easy to see the connection that would have to Risha's case. In fact, When you correlate violent crime data starting in Elkton in 2005. You'll see that violent crime was continuing to rise each year up until 2010. When you factor in just Murder and Homicides, You'll see a clear spike in 2006 alone. The Cecil County Sheriff's Office considers Cecil County a "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area". I'm not into victim blaming. Some people have to do what they have to do. There are likely reasons why Risha made trips to Elkton on the weekends. That doesn't make her a bad person. Nor does it make whatever happened to her less tragic. She was a mom, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a co-worker and much much more.
Bodies of water in and around Elkton for reference purposes
If we go back to the tip that came in 2 days prior to Risha being reported missing on the 23rd. And you take into account that she went missing in the early morning hours of the 21st. The timing is there. One thing that's not often pointed out is that according to her sister Colleen, Risha stated she was going to make a stop by Newark before coming back home to New Castle. And 8 months later her car was found in Newark. Was the car in Newark the entire time? If so, That tells me someone knew what she told her family on that phone call. And they were trying to direct attention away from Elkton by making authorities think she went missing in Newark. It would be odd to think her car sat there for all those months and no one saw it. But we do not know where the car was at. We just know it was in Newark. We don't know whether it was hidden or out in the open. Nothing. Just that it was found in Newark. One thing that's blown out of proportion is the fact that reports over the years state her phone is still active. The number may possibly still be active. But whatever device that was connected to that line was likely an old analog device. And it isn't compatible with the system upgrades that companies have done to cell towers over the years. My old Samsung flip phone from 2006 wouldn't work on any network if I tried activating it today. And I loved that phone. So that means very little and is something people tend to overthink.
Official Missing Poster
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A Facebook Page for Risha. Click on the Banner.
