Jackson State University officials and family of Latasha Norman plea for help in locating missing student

Latasha’s parents, Danny and Patricia Bolden, extend a passionate plea seeking information about their daughter’s whereabouts.

Nov. 20, 2007 One week after Jackson State University honor student Latasha Norman was reported missing, investigators stood with her family on the steps of the Administration Tower on campus and pleaded for help in locating her.

The junior accounting major from Greenville was last seen about 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13 leaving her 1 p.m. marketing class in the College of Business building. The 20-year-old with a -described as very focused and easy-going with a humble spirit - has not been seen or heard from since.

“Tasha, if you can hear us, we want to let you know that we love you and that we’re not going to stop until we know something. We’re going to be relentless; we’ll never give up,” her father, Danny Bolden, said during a press conference on campus Tuesday, Nov. 20.

“I ask that God will touch whoever’s heart that may have done this that they may come forward and bring Tasha back to us,” Bolden continued. “We love her very much. And I will ask for everyone’s prayers that we move upon this person’s heart to return her to her people.”

Bolden thanked Jackson State and the Jackson Police Department for their efforts in investigating Latasha’s disappearance.

The Jackson State Department of Public Safety has joined with the Jackson Police Department and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department to locate Latasha. The FBI also has offered its assistance.

During the press conference, Luther Thomas Samuel, an investigator with the Jackson State Department of Public Safety, said that because this is an ongoing investigation, the department is limited in what it can discuss.

“However, we can share that we have received several phone calls offering information that we are investigating, and that we have searched several areas, including the campus,” said Samuel, speaking on behalf of Chief Rebecca Coleman, who had minor surgery Tuesday.

“We have a very dedicated and trained police force working on this case & our department is exploring every possible lead to bring Latasha home safely.”

Samuel added that there are no suspects and there have been no sightings of Latasha since her disappearance.

Hinds County Sheriff-Jackson Police Chief Malcolm McMillin said that the two law enforcement agencies have made available all the personnel and manpower that JSU investigators have requested.

“We’re ready to assist in any way,” McMillin said during the press conference. “We’re at their beck and call.”

McMillin added that Latasha’s disappearance is national news, and the country should show the same kind of concern that it has shown for the missing wife of an Illinois police officer.

“We’re looking for the media to give this case as much exposure as it can so that we can develop some leads,” McMillin said.

Latasha was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. She is of medium-brown complexion, stands approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs between 115 and 120 pounds.

“It’s been seven days now, and we’d like to bring this to a closure & we don’t have any leads yet,” Bolden said. “We’re crying out for help for anyone who knows anything.”

To report information regarding Latasha Norman’s whereabouts, call the Jackson State University Department of Public Safety at 601-979-1659 or the Jackson Police Department’s Missing Person Bureau at 601-960-1210.

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