After reading the piece in The Village Voice, I was awake all night. I felt nauseated. The details of her death were so tragic, and the idea that the police were so reluctant to look for her was so horrifying. I woke up this morning thinking about it.

One of my regulars has sent me an email asking why I didn't link to the VV article - I usually do link to the source. Yet, with this story I found I couldn't - I almost felt like the end of the article too graphically described Romona's death. I realize that the intent is to show how horrible the crime was, but I worried that there was some potential for voyeurism.

I think you've covered the story well here, Jessica. Thanks for having the courage and the clarity of thought to speak about such a disturbing case.

I can't say about NYPD but it is the same way in Ohio where I used to live. I reported a missing woman friend of mine (she was 30 with no history of going missing or even staying out late so her family was very concerned). The cops simply said if its an adult and there is no obvious foul play they will not even take a report. They didn't even ask for a name before they told me this so its unlikely it had anything to do with race.

Good for her! It is about time this problem was brought into light. I have often thought the same thing when hearing about cases where people went missing. Those in the biggest media stories are always white. Elizabeth Smart anyone?

Hopefully this will work to end what has been going on for far too long.

And I really hope that her daughter is found safe.

Ugh, really horrifying. I've seen enough studies demonstrating racial bias among the police force to know that it exists (for example, several studies have found that as the share of the police force that is white increases, so does the share of arrestees who are black; the reverse is also true).

However, a quick question: isn't it the case that the police usually won't take a missing person's report until 48 hours have passed?

It seems like waiting 48 hours would be the stupidest thing the police could do. That would mean basically letting the trail go cold and then trying to pick it up again. So I certainly hope that's not the case, cg.

And I hope she wins her lawsuit, and that it actually improves the treatment of black women's disappearances. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of faith in the latter happening.

This truly makes me sick to my stomach. I will definitely be following this lawsuit as it goes forward.

cg, I think it depends on the state, but in this case it sounded like it was up to the discretion of the officers to determine if a disappearance is suspicious or not, regardless of the time period.

I have no words. Just disgust and anger that they treated this case like...nothing. Gah!

I hope beyond hope that she wins.

"And I really hope that her daughter is found safe."

You might want to read the article again...

Racial bias is so incredibly obvious with missing persons investigations.
After reading the entire article I just feel so despondent about there being any justice for WOC - ever. And for that man to have gone on about his life like nothing was wrong is just...Horrible doesn't even begin to cover it, not for him, and not for the others who went to view them both. It doesn't say it, but I hope they all got arrested. It is stupid for me to even hope for that much?

As for the 48 hours - I really thought that was the window of opportunity for finding missing persons. I thought is was that after 48 hours the likelyhood of finding someone diminishes, but I could be wrong.

cg, sorry, I just reread my post and I didn't mean to make it sound like I thought you were stupid for suggesting that! I should have phrased that a little better but reading about this made me angry and I didn't think about how I was saying it.

As for the 48 hours - I really thought that was the window of opportunity for finding missing persons. I thought is was that after 48 hours the likelyhood of finding someone diminishes, but I could be wrong.

Generally, there's the belief in police forces that the chances of solving crime are much better if you gather the evidence and interview everyone within the first 48 hours. (I learned this from the A&E show, "The First 48.")

The problem with missing person reports is that police don't even know if a crime has been committed yet. They usually specify some time in order for the "missing" person to call or come home. They don't want to jump up right away with a full scale investigation that takes time and energy to find someone who's just taking a powder.

That being said, the waiting 24 to 48 hours should not be the case in all instances. If someone is known to be dependable and the family and friends are convinced that something is wrong, the police should 86 the waiting period and start right away, in my opinion. I have no doubt that racism, classism, and homophobia all play parts, as well, when police are faced with the amount of work that goes in to finding missing people. If they don't perceive the missing person as "worth it," they'll probably do what they can to stall.

I hope the suit goes through and some measure of justice is done.

You know, I learned a little bit about the black media alternatives that existed for the end of the 1800s and beginning of the 1900s for one of my classes, and then I read the mention of black media on What About Our Daughters? and wonder, what happened? I know how the white media can ignore this (not saying that I approve at all, just that I'm aware of the excuses that contribute), but how can black media outlets ignore it also?

For folks commenting on this being a standard practice in missing persons cases, look at the VV article, and in the opening they vividly describe the massive effort that happened for a Rich White Lady who was only missing for a few hours. (Press Conference, Dozens of Detectives, Helicopter, etc)

I read the VV article, and I agree it was very upsetting. When the Holloway teen went missing in Aruba I told my friends, they (the media, our countrys govt and the aruban govt) are making way bigger deal of it than they normally would. Natalee Holloway was a good ole American girl, blond with light eyes – she was everyone’s daughter and people empathized with her mother. Unfortunately, this is not the way we look at it when a teen of color goes missing. How can we teach people that all children are our children? How can we get them to care about someone that does not look like them? I do not know the answer, but I know what I will teach my children.

I hope this case reams the NYPD a new one and I hope it results in an even more in depth investigation into how the police respond to missing persons reports. The significance of the Aronov woman going missing around the same time and the response that received is disheartening – somewhere in the VV article it said that the police made a bigger effort and spent more time looking for Aronov’s dog than for Romona Moore. I hope Moore’s mother gets the results she is looking for.

(I believe her name is spelled Romona, not Ramona)

This makes my heart hurt.

I don't understand the way missing persons cases are treated at all. Why do shows like "Without a Trace" make it seem as if they are on it immediately, no matter how old the person is?

This makes me so angry I could cry.

I made the mistake of reading that entire article just before beginning work. So yeah, not much getting done today. I feel sick.

I will be thinking of Elle Carmichael on Sunday and what she must be going through. And the next time I need to give someone an example of "white privilege" I'm going to mention this tragedy. The contrast between the way the police handled the disappearances of Aronov and Romona is an abomination.

The fact that the detective handling Romona's case got PROMOTED afterwards...I feel sick to my stomach and just ANGRY.

Absolutely barbaric.

After reading other people's comments, I will not read the full article. I only hope that the young woman's mother wins this case. Her daughter is gone, but JUSTICE would be better than her continuing to live with the pain and the anger at the police.

What an awful crime. Comparing it to the Aronov case only, however, does not necessarily lead me to believe it is a racial issue. Carmichael lived in Brooklyn and Aronov lived in the Upper East Side. These are different precincts with different budgets and procedures. Upon reading about these two cases side by side I see the disparity as a function of geography (and therefore class), not race. Hopefully they can shed more light on this through their large sample investigation.

Saying this is an example of classism rather than racism DOES NOT make me feel any better about this story. The two are so closely related throughout the US, that I also feel like there might not be much of a distinction to be made. So, rich and well-connected white people get helped before anyone else... that's still not a reality I'm comfortable accepting.

@ Noname, class is a race issue. You can't parse it out.

This broke my heart.

I remember this case. It got local coverage--too late, of course. The finding of her body was covered on the local evening news. ABC had a show (for one season) called "NYPD 24/7) that touched on the controversy surrounding the handling of this case. I did not know she was killed so close to home, but I do know she died a drawn-out, horrible death.

As Imette St. Guillen's killer was being indicted the fucking idiot-animals who killed Romona--after trying to get a mistrial by assaulting their OWN lawyers--were sentenced. When the judge asked them who/what kind of person could kill the woman that had been linked to them, they said something like, "A man of cunning and creativity."

I wonder how people get this way, and what happened that shaped them into the sadistic sexual predators they are. Whatever they get in jail--they've got it coming.

That's awful.

The thing is, I think it (the part about the case being ignored) happens a lot more than one might think. If not with the police, than with the media. Does the term "missing white woman syndrome" ring a bell with anyone?

I'm convinced it's why less cases of murders of people of color/queer or trans people/poor people/sex workers/whatever else has been deemed unattractive by the media have been solved than, say, the typical Holly Jones or Laci Peterson type cases. I have no statistics to back that up; it's just an inkling I have.

irishgirl1983 – Sure I can. This would be racism against her as a black person if a white person living in her precinct would have received better service based on their skin color. Looking at cases from different precincts offers little insight into the racism question. Maybe they will find such evidence in their extensive investigation, but it has not been demonstrated thus far using only these two cases.

This is horrifying. I am concerned though that in pointing out her youthful promise (a college student at Hunter) we're trying to say, "see, she was a black woman who DESERVED to be found!"

Protection from sexual assault, torture, and murder shouldn't have to be earned. They should be extended to everyone. Advocacy efforts that focus on the victim's individual merits may be more effective, but walk a slippery slope.

I would say the bias is even deeper for men and boys. I can't tell you the last time I've seen a missing boy story go national.
And adult (or young adult) men? Forget about it.
The last ten missing person stories to go national have almost all been 14-26y/o white blond beautiful females. Quite frankly a black woman has a better chance of "making it to the little screen" as a missing persons report then boys (of any race) and certainly much MUCH better than men.

Jabes - while that is true, I also think that even girls are more likely to be kidnapped than boys, and as people get older, women are MUCH more likely to be the targets of this sort of crime.

I call bullshit on Jabes. There have been several cases of "little white boy lost in the woods" in recent years. There might be a discrepancy in the reports of young adult males disappearing, but the disappearance of middle-class white children is officially national news.

noname, the difference is individual racism vs. institutional racism. Surely you don't think it's just coincidence that police forces in areas where lots of people of color live are underpaid and understaffed and generally unable to properly handle cases (assuming that that is the actual problem)?

This is horrifying. I am concerned though that in pointing out her youthful promise (a college student at Hunter) we're trying to say, "see, she was a black woman who DESERVED to be found!"

Protection from sexual assault, torture, and murder shouldn't have to be earned. They should be extended to everyone. Advocacy efforts that focus on the victim's individual merits may be more effective, but walk a slippery slope.

To be fair, those details were also important to the story -- she was generally responsible and, for lack of a better word, a homebody -- so of course her mother was upset when she didn't come home when she did. I.E., she was unlikely to just take off from home and never come back, which is perfectly legal when one is over the age of 18. It's also relevant in that the detective assigned to the case may not have fully believed that a young black woman would be that responsible, or that her (also black) mother would be telling the truth in describing her as such.

I fail at html this morning -- in my previous comment, the first two para are quoted, the last para is mine.

more coffee!

Waxghost – Of course it is not a coincidence. In this case we are comparing a precinct with low crime rates and a high budget (made possible by huge property taxes), to a precinct with a (presumably) higher crime rate and smaller budget. Is racism one reason why more people of color live in the poorer area? Very likely. It does not follow, however, that that underfunded, overworked precinct is acting on racist motives when it offers poorer service than its well funded Upper East Side counterpart.