Mount Moriah - A "dumping ground"

Written by John Ellingsworth

Wednesday, 07 July 2004

The tragic case of Latoyia Figueroa, the 24 year old pregnant mother from Southwest Philadelphia spread into Mount Moriah this week as searchers scoured the cemetery looking for clues regarding her disappearance. The Inquirer reported, in the following article, that the cemetery was searched at the request of relatives who had heard that the cemetery was a "dumping ground." I have included the text of the original article, below. I also found a second article in the Daily News, discussing the case and Mount Moriah's condition. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/12274024.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp No clues in cemetery search A missing mother's loved ones were relieved after dogs probed a site known as a "dumping ground." By Tina Moore Inquirer Staff Writer Relief spread among a missing pregnant woman's family and friends yesterday after two cadaver dogs turned up nothing - except a dead cat - in an overgrown Southwest Philadelphia cemetery. "It's a big relief to me," said Melvin Figueroa, the woman's father, while standing outside Mount Moriah Cemetery. "I was praying and praying that they wouldn't find anything." Latoyia Figueroa, 24, of West Philadelphia, has been missing since July 18. She is five months pregnant and the mother of a 7-year-old girl. She was last seen about 5 p.m. near 59th Street and Walton Avenue, which is near the home of Stephen Poaches, 25, the father of the child Figueroa is carrying. The cemetery is at 61st Street and Kingsessing Avenue, about two miles away. Daniel Fuller of the Urban Rescue Team of Wilmington said he had reached out to Melvin Figueroa after seeing news reports of his daughter. Melvin Figueroa said he requested that the team search the graveyard after neighborhood residents suggested that it was a "dumping ground." "I can guarantee you she's not in there," Fuller told reporters at the site. He said German shepherd Dixie and rottweiler Xena had searched thoroughly and found only the cat. Homicide detectives took control of the case Thursday. They have searched Poaches' house and a home he frequents. Last week, police questioned Poaches and impounded his car. No charges have been filed against him. He was not at the cemetery yesterday. Stephanie Stephenson, Latoyia Figueroa's aunt, said she let out a squeal when she heard that the dogs had not found anything. "I appreciate the tips people are giving us," she said. "It's a big city, and we can't do it alone." The Citizens Crime Commission of Delaware Valley has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Latoyia Figueroa. The telephone number is 215-546-8477. Contact staff writer Tina Moore at 215-854-2759 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Inquirer staff writer Mitch Lipka contributed to this article. From the Daily News: http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/12273529.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp Latoyia search scours 2 areas By G.W. MILLER III This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The search-and-rescue dogs found the scent of a human body yesterday and, for a moment, it looked as if the mystery behind a missing 24-year-old pregnant single mother might be solved. But after several more hours of searching the grounds at Mount Moriah Cemetery in the Kingsessing section of Southwest Philadelphia, the whereabouts of Latoyia Figueroa remained unknown. "It was a big relief for me," said Melvin Figueroa, Latoyia's father. Latoyia Figueroa has been missing for two weeks. She was last reported seen on July 18 by her boyfriend shortly after the couple visited an obstetrician to check on the progress of their child. Figueroa is five months pregnant. One day later, Anthony Williams, the father of Figueroa's 7-year-old daughter, reported Figueroa missing. By the end of that week, family and friends began combing the city, searching for clues and handing out missing-person fliers. Melvin Figueroa was told to search the cemetery by several friends during a vigil for his daughter on Saturday. They told him that the vast, overgrown area with rolling hills and dilapidated buildings was a place where bad things happened. "This area, including this park, is a dumping ground for bodies," said Stephanie Stephenson, Latoyia's aunt, who raised her after Figueroa's mother was murdered in 1985. Within an hour of searching yesterday, volunteer handlers from Urban Search and Rescue in Delaware soberly reported their dogs had multiple hits on the grounds. About 4:30 p.m., police were called and relatives gathered at the cemetery. Figueroa's family - some from Miami, New York and New Jersey and the counties surrounding Philadelphia - had been handing out fliers in Hunting Park and searching the woods near Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. Finally, about 7:30, Melvin Figueroa was told that the dogs - searching specifically for Latoyia's scent - had come up with nothing. "We're 99.9 percent sure that she's nowhere on this property," said police Lt. George Holcombe Jr. The original hits were not definite because the dogs were searching for humans in general, Holcombe said. Once the dogs sniffed an article of Latoyia's clothing, they searched again. "She's not here," Holcombe said. "It leaves us hopeful," said Stepehenson. "I have not given up." The night before she disappeared, Figueroa, who lives with her uncle and her daughter on Ithan Street near Spruce, spent the night with the father of her unborn child, Stephen Poaches, 25. Police have said that Poaches has cooperated and is not a suspect in the disappearance. But relatives of Figueroa, a West Philadelphia High School graduate who was waitressing at the T.G.I. Friday's on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, are upset that Poaches has not taken part in the search. "There's only one reason not to be out here," Melvin Figueroa said of Poaches: "You're either hiding something or you're frightened." Poaches and Figueroa had been dating for about two years, family members said. But Poaches was also dating another woman who recently gave birth to a child by him. Poaches was the last person to see Figueroa, according to police. He told police that she left his house on Walton Avenue near 59th Street about 3:30 p.m. on July 18. Stephenson, Latoyia's aunt, said that Figueroa called a friend on her cell phone while having lunch with Poaches that day. "He's being real nice to me today," Figueroa said, according to Stephenson. "All I want is my child back," Stephenson said.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 November 2005 )

 

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