Aliayah Lunsford, 3, Missing in West Virginia; Disappeared From Her Home

• That little girl did not look happy. And a 3 year old isn't supposed to be missing teeth unless from oral neglect.

• i wish the poilce could find this little bright young girl there are some sickos in this world

• hope you fnd her):

• WHO'S THE DAD ???

• well when my kids were that little and throwing up if i were going back to bed i took them with me or i took them to the couch i was always afraid of them throwing up and choking to death on it call me crazy but this so called mom is just out for herself

• i was always told you couldn't rape the willing

• This whole thing is messed up I understand she looks sad in her photo but without physical proff how can anyone say she being abused and with no proff that the mother had nothing to do with it yet how are they gonna up and take her other kids I mean how would you feel if one of your kids went missing and it wasn't yourfault and they took all your kids away my son has autism and has tried to run off you wouldn't believe how scared I was luckily he was playing in the yard it happens so fast I was using the bathroom and went to check on him and he was gone and my kids sleep intil 10 on the weekends when there's no school not all kids are the same and if she did have anything to with it I hope she gets punished by the judge but innacent intil provin otherwise so don't be so quick to judge its not your place

• I think the mother could have something to do with it, since she is the only who saw the child before she went missing. and they said she dosent leave the house  without her mother, and we dont know what her mother was charged with it could have been murder. you never know i just hope that little girl is alive and safe :)

• Well just cause she's missing four front teeth don't necessarily mean abuse my daughter had an accident with the dog when she was 15mths both set of grandparents and my husband was there. The dentist pulled em out... but the sadness in her eyes haunt me, cause a three tear old is normally happy. eyes can say a thousands words !

• My 3yo daughter sleeps til 8.30am, but when she was younger we used to stay in bed til 10am!

• It takes 2 to have a baby, so why not tell the father to keep his thing in his pants? of course its never the guys that go after women for sex now is it!

• Surprisingly, little Aliyah was mentioned on Nancy Grace last night, but nothing new.  No leads, no new information.  "It's like she disappeared."  Nancy and a couple other attorneys mentioned the bruise and how sad she looks and it was generally concluded (except by the defense attorneys who admonished those who did) that Aliayah was probably abused.  No CPS calls to the home, but she's in jail for Welfare fraud and has a "rap sheet longer than my house" according to the sister-in-law.  Andhe father has used "bath salts", apparently a meth type drug but "not illegal in WV"???? What???? Anyway, because of the home, the history, and even though CPS has not been called to this home, (big deal-there are a lot of abused children who CPS never hears of) it looks very grim for Aliaya.  The sister-in-law, saidshe tried to get Lena to let her take Aliayah when she was 2.  A psychologist said it looks like a home where she had children to get welfare to get money for drugs.  I don't know if this child will ever be found or mentioned again, but I will not forget that face.  She could be a poster child for abused children/neglected children in unfit homes.  Her mother is waiting for "Physician's release" to take a lie detector test.  We'll see if there are any unanswered questions that are answered then.

• Right they dont lose teeth that soon what a sad life this child appeared to live in if only  someone with money or at least a better life could have taken her, but with 5 kids & twins on the way and a drug habit. DRUG test for food stamps but then only kids would suffer without the food we hope they get!! poor baby

• has anyone seen the new picture posted by the police?  It is within a couple days of when she was missing.  She is abused.  she has a horrible bruise, but if you discount that bruise as a fall (even thought it's doubtful), there are other marks and bruises on her face.  Abused.  Where was CPS?  Why do they ignore these abused children.  People need to open their eyes and pay attention to children and their environment and call if they have doubts about the childs welfare.  Stop thinking or letting people believe it's none of your business.  It is.  The welfare of children are everyone's buisness.  This child should have been saved a long time ago.  Her mother is in jail for using "bath salts." I don't know what else, but she's a drug addict.  The children in these homes are doomed to a miserable life.  I can't get Alayah's face out of my mind.  the saddest face I've seen.

• oh how sad, we shouldnt judge a person before they are found guilty but hell she look's guilty, why would the state take her twins off of her unless they knew something that's not known to the public. i hope to god im wrong but i think the little one's dead, for the sniffer dog's to trace her little scent to the water's edge, why would she go near water if she was that scared of  it? did her mum dip her head in the water holding her feet to punish her and the little one choked and drown? two hours looking for her? did she put her daughter in the car then drive around trying to find somewhere to dump her? this world is cruel, no sorry not the world the people in it dont care no more, i was shocked to see a woman in london smack her daughter around the head calling her a div all cause the kid dropped a shopping bag, i know it's not right to address violence with violence but i stopped my car and screamed at this woman saying how cruel she was and if i see her hit her kid again i would do the same to her and see how she like's it!{ in so many word's} i didnt even feel bad. i know it is not my place to say anything but i see that child {who was about 7yrs old} with fear in her face and hand raised over her head trying to fend off this big woman who should have known better, that night i lay in bed and thought Oh no i hope that woman didnt beat that child when she got home  because of what i said? i can only hope god has made that woman for a reason that i cant see. god bless the children.

• that's EXACTLY what I want to know

• I believe her sad little eyes tell it all.  She is the saddest little girl I've seen.  Unlike Lisa Irwin, Jhessye, and several other pictures we see, who look happy and normal, this one's little face tells a story of abuse and neglect.  I know that it's not uncommon for kids to fall into the creeks and rivers but being the circumstances, I don't believe for a moment that that is the case.  I really wish there was more coverage, don't understand why there isn't.  Just like Jhessye, I think the police know and are just trying to get the evidence they need but I, not to mention someone in her family, surely is impatient waiting. 

• this is a sad case, because it's so obscure.  It's hard to get any information.  I keep looking, just as I look for new information on Lisa Irwin, but rarely can I find anything about Alaiyah.  There's a new picture, taken just a couple days before she was reported missing by her mother that drove around the neighborhood until she run out of gas before calling the police.  A sad picture.  Aliayah has a terrible bruise that completely covers her cheek on one side of her face.  Not even considering the bruise, its still sad.  Whenever I see a picture of this little girl I think of a child, locally, that was in the early 1900's, but a big story in our area still) that was killed by her step mother after being tortured in the most horrible ways through her life.  Her tortured and beaten body was finally given relief when she died from the trauma.  There's pictures of that little girl in books and remembered in memorials.  A century before Alaiyah, but their faces are very much alike.  Alaiyah is mentioned once in a while in our local news, but if you are not in the area, it's not mentioned at all I'm sure.  Her mother just gave birth to twins that were removed from her custody as soon as they were born.  So sad.

• Any update on this missing little girl  it is now  1 month?

• May god lead you into safe hands sweety x

• hi, i dont know if anyone can tell me if this deeply unhappy toddler was found yet? im from london and dont know the facts but when i found this sad true story it struck me she looked so pleading with her little eyes an her face says dread is happening in her little life, what this is i dont know. its a cruel world at time's like this, i can only hope im wrong and that she is found safe alive and untouched in any way at all.

• Any update on this missing little girl  it is now  1 month?

• Poor Aliayah Where Is She :'(((((((((((((((((((((((((

• No updates on this missing little girl  it will soon be 1 month.

• Mom did it.

• I hope she is still alive. I feel deeply for all her family but the poor child must've been terrified. The bastard who took her better be prepared for the worst D:<

• Still no sign of missing child  it has been over 3 wks now.  Something tells me she is no long alive. I pray she is found safe but each passing day after all she is only 3yrs old.  To the family I praying for the safe return of your daughter.

• I see your point.

• doesn t any one see a connection here with baby lisa in kansas city mo.      AND HALEIG CUMMINGS    and    yes    caylee anthony    yes and  kyron in washington   I  wish I were working on these cases  they have sooooo many things in common its ridiculous ya all cant see it    THERE IS OBVIOISLY A KIDNAPPING RING IS OUT THERE AND CASEY  LENNARD AND GEORGE WAS SOMEHOW INVOVED IN UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS   AND THINGS WENT VERY AWRY  WHY WOULD CASEYS BROTHER SAY THAT OF COURSE THE STATE DEPARTMENT WAS AWARE  IN A CONVERSATION WITH CASEY IN JAIL  GET WITH IT PUBLIC WHO FOLLOW THESE CASES AND LOOK AND LISTEN TO THE MANIPULATINO   OF HLN  IN ALL OF THESE CASES   AND WHAT THEY DO AND DONT COVER

• Yes i'm aware of that. This was the first comment on a thread where the illness wasn't mentioned until the UPDATED version of the story was ADDED LATER. As in AFTER i posted this comment. FFS as if there haven't been enough nitwits that felt it necessary to keep repeating that she was ill.

• She was sick duh!  It says so in the article lol.  That's how the f she did it.

• It said she was sick, and the mother was going to check her temperature.  That's how the f she got her to sleep until 9 or 9:30 in the morning.

• It is VERY common here in West Virginia for a child to wander to a river and drown, when they are not be watched closely.  Unfortunately, many young parents are strung out on drugs in this area. I really hope this little angel is okay, but it doesn't look good. Sometimes, the body can get lodged against a bridge, rock, debis, etc. and be overlooked several times.  My dad helped look for a person & they searched several days until they found the body, & had overlooked it.

• Was it Dog Bite beer?  According to another story, kids don't like that b/c it's a malt liquor and tastes bitter.

• I have seen worse: when I was 4 years old, my Dad's friend & his wife would put beer in their daughter's bottle.  I moved away & came back a few years later: the girl acted like her brain was burned out.

• Well it seems Ralph Lunsford has been involved in two missing Women back in 1999. Which by the way have never been found.  So Lena the Hyena sleeps with anything that has a Pulse it seems. Did she think he was good Father material?  Or, she thought she was Upgrading from her own Father. Maybe it was her Favorite Uncle?

• The Death Penalty within 5 years of sentence.  I don't want to Support their Asses for 15 or more years.  It could be on Pay Per View and the Money would go to the Victims Family.  Life in Prison is still breathing, while the Victims didn't get that Choice.

• Did you get a look at the rest of the Family?  I would think DNA tests wouldn't be a bad idea to start with.

• Whatever is going on here is being kept on the QT.  We wouldn't want anyones Rights violated ,would we?   The Cops need to make sure they can get a Conviction,so lets just Tip Toe for now.  Treat Mommie with Care,the Litter is coming soon.  I don't know about the rest of the family, didn't they make a movie about them years ago?  I do remember alot of Banjo playing was going on. So Sweet of that Lawyer to offer Free Service to anyone who will come forth with some Info.  The one who has taken on Lena the Hyena  as a client.  I wonder where the Justice was being served for one Innocent Little Girl.  How much she went through and never knew why.  Did anyone notice or just turned a Blind eye?  We didn't know of her or how her Life was,and its going to come out and it won't be what we want to hear. I do hope that the other Children will never ever go back to any of that Family.  Apples don't fall far from the Tree and this tree is Rotten with them.

• That's what I wonder.  How many fathers, men, are associated with this woman and those children.  Have they been accounted for and where's this girls father?

• what? surely not.  say it isn't so.  I am a true believer that the lives you live show on your face.  He looked like he didn't live the life of a saint, but this is more than I want to believe.  How could he do that with a daughter at all, but to know his child died at the hands of a child molestor?  It's such a sick perverted world.

• I've seen cola's in bottle.  A horrendously abusive thing to do to your children, but I know people do it, and I would guess that there are several reasons this baby has her teeth out.  If there was an accident and they were knocked out, they probably would have said, but my first assumption - rotten from a lackadaisacal mother that gives kids what they want.  No concern for nutrition.  Neglected is what I tend to believe is the cause of the teeth missing and the sad look.  I hope I'm wrong.  I hope everything that we think could be isn't.  This is an extremely sad case, and very confusing.  I don't understand a baby with flu symptoms getting up first thing on a cold WV morning and wandering outside.  She would be whining and clinging to mommy.

• I was thinking of looking it up, but about to power on down this computer...That is really sad they haven't found this child....I think that less the 6% of Wva is flat....so there are so many mountains,   cliffs, and things there...I hope they find her and someone answers for her disappearance....still would like to be surprised and find out she s still alive...But just saw her cute lil face on DD and it reminded me.

• I looked it up yesterday...she's still missing...

• I have not heard any updates on this so I assume the child is still missing :(

• Another missing baby, I hope they find her and the fucker who kidnapped her is punished to the fullest! (Death penalty)

• I think the same, wish could all be wrong , I´m praying for her

• Very sad  it is almost 1 week. that the little girl went missing.  I pray she is found safe and sound. but the longer she goes missing the slim chance she is still alive.

• Poor kid mommy sounds great! I hope they find that poor kid..

• those were my exact thoughts!

• When my husband was a child he developed a high fever and ran through their screen door, across the road, and jumped into a neighbor's swimming pool.  His mother was chasing him the whole way.  He remembers nothing but waking up in the swimming pool.  

• Eeeww when I think of Mark Lunsford I think of how that dirty sob had all kinds of child porn on his computer, but since his daughter had been murdered the police decided to let him continue to grow his own personal collection of hard core child porn. Its true go,look it up. Then after that greasy pervert teamed up with john walsh to create Jessicas law which made so any one over the age of 18 who has sex with anyone under 18 is branded a sex offender for life. Do you know how many teenagers lives were ruined forever by that greasy man? But wait , then his own 18 year old son addmitted to having sex with a 14 year old! And guess who wont have to worry about be a sex offender cause his greasy daddy got him off the hook??????

• You are so Right on it.  Its  what I was thinking myself.  Had not read your post,but we were Dead on.  I had a dog that had 10 puppies and I was up every couple of hours to check on them during the night.  This Woman has 5 kids and she just lets them fend for themselves?  If she wasn't about to push two more out would she be in Jail? Knocked up must be a full time Job for her, of course after she has them the Job is done.

• 5 kids ages 11 to 9 months and she's pregnant with twins?  I'm willing to bet multiple baby daddies.  I'm looking harder at the mom than step dad.  And am I missing something?  did she load up the other four kids in the car to look for the baby or did she go off and leave them all home alone while she wasted time driving around looking for over two hours?  Nothing about this is logical. 

•  The FBI is now Regrouping and going where they need to Go?  OOPS!  The house is now roped off and the Family has been moved to a different location.  Talk about Backasswards!  She should have been Charged with leaving those other Kids as a start.  Why not? She is about to drop the Mother Load thats the reason.  She has one Lawsuit on going aganist the Jail she was in, she is a Hot Rock!

• i agree

• True, my daughter wont go to sleep without a bottle but I make sure its washed out and completely empty (she just uses it as a comforter, never took a dummy)

• but, to hand out THAT photo for the media?  Sure, I have pictures of my boys having tantrums or not looking so happy but, if one of them were missing, (God forbid) I wouldn't share those with the news media or people looking for my son!

• this says that she lost the ability to enjoy life...with all those kids, it looks like she was enjoying way too much life!

• busy house...4 other kids and twins on the way?  Hey, how much in food stamps do you get for all those kids?  I wonder if they ever heard of getting those ol' tubes tied?  Or better yet, keeping your legs together?   sorry...

• Babies lose teeth to decay when they are left constantly with bottles that have pop or kool-aid in them, or some kind of juice and they never brush their teeth.  The result of a lazy parent that doesn't teach the child to brush teeth or is too lazy to put the child to bed properly.  Just hand her a baby bottle full of diet rite, she'll go to sleep....

• Fair enough, I was just really going from my own experience and i dont have any pics of my daughter in a bad mood or crying, dont think my parents have any of me like that either.

• If the little girl never went out alone,how come the dogs tracked her scent to the river?  Kids at 3 fall down alot,if she did wander outside I doubt she would even leave the yard.  She would sit in the yard and cry.  Was she looking for her Mother?  I think the answer is with the older children,but how much can you get out of them?  Kids don't see things much in real time,they have parents tell them its time for School,time to go to Bed. Now this Stepdad what is his deal?  He isn't the father of some of the kids.  So where is the other father of some of the kids?  Maybe there are alot of fathers of  all of the kids?

• Document the route she took. Where the hell did she go? Around in circles???

• ...unless she didn't care or she was buying time. i'm sorry but a 5 hour window period just reeks of suspicion. Impound the car immediatly!

• Forgery huh? Very interesting.  And no disclosure to bio dad??  This is not looking good for mommy dearest.

• Knowing what time stepdad left would be helpful, as well as why this woman has a 5 HOUR window period. I'd like to know the route she drove, check her car for underbrush so that if later the child's body is found they can compare plant fibers to the ones on mommy's car.

• Hi. Sorry i just saw this as-some of my comments don't seem to be showing on my disquus. Anywhoo like i stated above, the investigation needs to do background checks on the stepdad and the person who picked him up as well as character references from friends, coworkers, exes. I am becoming more and more convinced someone in the family knows what happened. Lie detectors too-no time to waste!

• I read info. which said it was said he left around 6 and was picked up by someone. We need background checks on him and whoever picked him up and character statements by friends, coworkers and exes.

• Yup...and supposedly this little girl was sick...why in the fuck would a sick little kid go wander off...it just doesn't add up...

• This whole 3 hour time span of when she "could have gone missing" smells of LIE. I'm so sure this one day the child disappears from home and no one knows until much later?? Oh how convenient for the abductor. Smh

• I haven't even seen one...What child never smiles? That's just so sad...

• But she apparently drove so much she ran out of gas...yeah, that's suspicious...as soon as she  realized that baby was not in the house and not answering her calls (if she even really looked), she should have been on the phone calling the cops...

• A five minute drive 'round the hood is all it takes, after a foot search. Then you call the police. Period.

• Yeah, why the hell would you go driving around to look? That seems odd to me...maybe I'm a pessimist...but maybe all that driving was to dispose of the little girl's body...just seem so off to drive when you have a better change if you go by foot...you can't see from a car what you can see when you're walking on a sidewalk and have a better view of the environment...the woman sounds like she shouldn't be having kids, let alone more...since she's like a few years out of prison and can't keep track of them...

• Could be. Sigh.

• She looks scared in all her pics. The mother gives me pause too. I called the cops faster for a missing DOG than she did for her daughter. I went out on foot first, walked around the neighborhood, then went and looked in the car for a very few minutes before calling police.  This woman's actions are off.

• Mine were too!!! I always dreaded when I would hear people say that kids get up early and thought I would deal with that but mine both slept well. If we didn't have to get up, like on a weekend they mostly slept til about 8 am give or take. It was nice.

• Well then maybe no one should have them for awhile. There are too many latch key, neglected and abused kids who grow up to become a drain on society with criminal and antisocial behaviors.

• She was awake at 6 am but she was sick with a cold and a fever. If that is true, she most definitely could sleep in that late. Also, neither of my 2 children were early risers even as toddlers so not ALL children are up at 6. But I do agree she looks sad.

• calling them "parents" is generous.

• not exactly...it was about the time STEPdad went to work.  Oh, and Mom is pregnant with twins, presumably by STEPdad.  4 other kids in the house.  He probably dumped her figuring no one would notice she's missing.

• I don't think the mom's husband is Aliayah's father, but rather a stepdad.  I'm betting he got tired of feeding so many kids that weren't his own.

• The nurses at the hospital called all my kids peanuts when they were born. With the first baby I was quite charmed by that. By the time I had my third baby, I realized it was a term they used for small babies.

• IDK, I have more than a couple pictures of my kids where they're all red faced and screaming, full on tantrum mode...  my mom has some of me like that too. And while it might seem like she looks sad, to me she mostly looks tired. Not trying to exonerate the mom or anyone, I'm just saying.

• I have read alot of comments on here. I only hope that the child is found alive and unharmed. Then they can deal with the parents on the other issues. Because we all know if the child is dead she died a tragic death

• Casey Anthony has changed everything that could go Wrong.  The Hate for Her is only second to her Mother Cindy.  Its the Zanny the Nanny Syndrome.  The Oh well, I can always get a Replacement.   In fact how the other Children made it this far really SHOCKS Me. West Virginia runs  close second to the Osark Mountains Ya'all.

• They so are. People tend to think that because a munchkin is only 2yo, that he/she cannot think beyond the toys set in front of him/her and underestimate the child's intelligence. We mothers of very active and curious children know differently.

• I was staying with my brother's family. I had a 3 yr old and a 2 yr old, he had a 2 yr yr old and his wife often babysat another 2 yr old. I don't know how many times our neighbors knocked on our door because one or more of the two year olds had sneaked out of the back door while we were in another area of the house (Never for more than a few mins. though). we put a lock on the door, but they resulted to getting their potty stool to stand on and unlocking it. We finally had to solve the prob. by putting a lock at the top corner of the door (almost out of our reach). Sometimes when a two year old wants to go outside, they're damned determined to find a way.

• Loosely based on Casey Anthony's story...

• Reading this I dont have a good feeling at all.  Casey Anthony immediately comes to mind.  Your talking about an woman, pregnant with twins, exhausted from pregnancy dealing with five children and one is sick.  You've got a dad that has to go to work.  My gut is telling me this child was overdosed on medication to knock her out so everyone could sleep.  They panicked when they found the little girl and hid her body.  We see this too much anymore.  I pray I'm wrong, but it fits better than some random stranger wandering in the house and making off with a child.  It fits better than a child wanding away in the early morning hours. 

•  Look at the precious face on Aliayah, why would anyone  called normal want to harm her?  Why is it when the innocent do nothing  to cause harm to others are they  the ones who suffer for others wrongs?

• I'm really starting to worry, kid is more and more likely to be dead

• I was thinking  why  would a  3 year old be missing her , 4  front  top teeth , that is  way to young.    This  story  has way to many holes  in it  and its  leaking quick ....     Sunstar201

• Been there! We had moved from Kentucky to Pennsylvania and my son - 2 1/2yo at the time - missed the toyroom he had in our old house. During a rare temper tantrum he decided he was going back to "Tucky." I called his bluff giving reverse psychology one last chance to work on him (it never did by the way) and turned back to cleaning the living room when I heard the screen door slam closed. I caught him halfway down the sidewalk. Finally realized that the standard parenting methods were not going to work with him.

• Pam   ,  U are from   West Virgina   area  , did  u see this story ??    Always   Kay  aka  Sunstar201

• My 2 year old wanted to go to grandma's house and I told her no because I was raking my yard. I turned to put leaves in a can and when I looked up she was halfway to the end of the block. Scary shit. She's also previously burst out the back door and started running down the driveway in nothing but her panties.

• This little girl looks so sad. Something is just not right in that household.

• My 2 year old gets up usually at 8AM. She slept until 9:40AM recently which prompted me to go make sure she was still breathing. I know I'm lucky but I wish she'd sleep later. In a desperate attempt to get "alone time" I often stay up way too late doing stuff that doesn't need to be done (internet, movies, facebook). 

• Oh, this one is really sad.  The only way the mother's reaction to her 3 year old being missing from the home, driving around town for 2 hours looking for her frantically to the point that she ran out of gas, makes sense is if she had some idea that someone in the town took her somewhere she could be located, as if she had someone or a few people in mind as possibly having taken the child for whatever reason. If she had no clue who could have taken the child, what good would searching the town in a seemingly aimless manner possibly do?  Did the woman associate with any nefarious individuals, possibly drug "associates" who might have had some reason to take her child in her mind?  Was she simply out of her mind with panic and trying to take matters into her own hands in a misguided fashion? Or was she stalling on calling 911 in order to delay the response of investigators?  It's really important to know *where* she went during her apparent search effort during those 2 hours.  It seems to be a relatively small town, but I doubt any mother of a 3 year old would believe her child walked out of the house and was wandering around the town streets...I could be wrong, but considering the child was known to be afraid to go outside by herself I can't see why her mother would think she'd suddenly up and wander off alone.  So that means it's more likely that the mother was trying to find some place the child was being held, either for her own safety or against her will? It doesn't make sense. I'd like to see a record of where she went during those 2 hours and what her rationale behind that was. Until then it seems very fishy to me.  Also, if the girl was whisked out of the home by a perp that morning after the others in the house were up and about, did they not see or hear anything? What is the layout of the house, is that a possibility? Doesn't seem likely. Seems like the mother is either trying to protect someone or protect herself.  Stats on the town:  Population: 12,916   Under 18: 3,599   Over 65: 2,896   Employed: 8,028   Land in Square Miles: 382.14   Acres of Farms: 78,712   Births: 216   Deaths: 234   Infant Deaths: 0   Murder:0  Forcible Rape:0  Robbery:1  Assault:4  Total Violent Crime:5  Burglary:7  Larceny \ Theft:22  Motor Vehicle Theft:4  Total Property Crime:33

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