Posted on 08/20/2005 8:55:37 AM PDT by Smogger
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia police announced Saturday that they have charged the 25-year-old former boyfriend of LaToyia Figueroa with her death.
Stephen Poaches, of West Philadelphia, the missing pregnant woman's former boyfriend and the father of her unborn baby, was charged with the murder of the 24-year-old woman.
Figueroa has been missing for a month.
Philadelphia police recovered her remains early Saturday in nearby Chester, located about 13 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
When Poaches was arrested in Chester, police said he was wearing a bullet proof vest and was carrying a pistol.
LaToyia Figueroa's father, Melvin Figueroa, said he was relieved that an arrest had been made.
"Now she can rest in peace," he said. "All I want is justice with that peace."
Figueroa, who was five months' pregnant when she disappeared and already the mother of a young girl, was last seen on the afternoon of July 18 in West Philadelphia. Police received a missing persons report July 21, McClane said.
The remains were recovered in a grassy, partially wooded lot near homes and a road in Chester. The area was cordoned off by yellow police tape Saturday morning.
A few dozen members of the Figueroa family and supporters arrived at the scene shortly after daybreak, clustering close to the police tape and embracing each other.
They declined to comment to reporters.
Relatives and friends, who have papered the city with flyers and held large-scale searches for any sign of Figueroa, had just marked the one-month anniversary of her disappearance. A reward fund for information had reached $100,000.
Also, Poaches was carrying a gun
and wearing a bullet proof vest.
Well at least he's caught red handed and there won't be any "beyond reasonable doubt" b.s.
Very clever, according to the way his name is spelled. But I have heard it pronounced "Po-shay", as if it were French, on Nancy Grace and Greta.
This is tragic.
Unlike Aruba, LE in the U.S. is sincerely interested in solving crimes, otherwise Natalee would have been found long ago.
Look at poor Laci Peterson. She did it 'the right way' and for her reward, she was murdered and thrown away like unwanted trash.
OK. Fry him.
I wonder what the abortion rights bunch would do if his defense was that he was exercising his right to an abortion?
Exactly!
Thank you kindly for the ping fortunecookie. Prayers for Latoyia, her unborn daughter, her 7 year-old daughter and her entire family. They worked tirelessly to try to find her this past month. Just a heartbreaking outcome.
That is funny. I didn't even read his name.
There was a quick blurb or the news today that the body wasn't very badly decomposed. They were easily able to identify her by two tatoos, one on her wrist and one on her arm. This makes me wonder if she has been deceased for the entire time...or if so where could a body be kept for a month that is hadn't decomposed more. The area where this occured has been in the mid to upper 90's for this past month...so I would think that decomposition would occur more quickly in these temps.
Good point!
I hadn't heard about decomposition.
But if it's not all that bad, and
a month in the heat.....chances are
she's not been dead all that long.
This info. was on the local PA/NJ/DE area news this morning at around 6:00 a.m. I just checked the news web sites and there is no mention. But the reporter on the scene this morning, was mentioning the ability to easily identify Latoyia by her two tatoos. I can't even imagine what her family and friends are going through. Sadly, at least they do have some closure.
Latoya's dad identified her body at the coroner's office.
i just KNEW someone would take CyberAnt's comment that way... that's not what she said at all... it really isn't...
yes--this is true... but we women really do have a lot more power to take care of ourselves... unfortunately many of us are not making better choices... she's dead--he's not...
is it her fault that he killed her? no... but a different choice would "likely" mean that she'd still be alive...
a certain lifestyle doesn't guarantee that one live a long, happy, healthy life, but it can better one's chances...
I agree with you. And I also don't think CyberAnt was blaming the victim.
"Taking it personal?" No, just wondering how so many on this forum take reporting on topics like this as gospel, yet excoriate those same reporters on other subjects. If you can't trust them in one arena, why trust them in another?
yes--this is true... but we women really do have a lot more power to take care of ourselves... unfortunately many of us are not making better choices... she's dead--he's not...
Yeah, Lacy Peterson should have seen that one coming...
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