Latoyia Figueroa

I've had countless discussions with friends on how the media feels the need to make a story out of a missing white person over a non-white person. Case in point, Natallee Holloway v. Latoyia Figueroa. I missed it yesterday on All Spin Zone, but not today. From Richard in his letter to CNN's Nancy Grace:

* * * * * *

Latoyia Figueroa is still missing after 8 days. And as tragic as the Natalee Holloway case might be, Natalee doesn't have a seven year old child wondering where she is, nor was Natalee (to the best of our knowledge) 5 months pregnant.

Here's an overview of the important details in this "missing woman" case:

1) Latoyia (we should only use her first name) is not white.
2) She does not have blonde hair.
3) She was not scheduled to get married last weekend.
4) She's from West Philadelphia.
5) There may actually be a lead or two in her case.
6) HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY.
7) To the best of our knowledge, no one from Texas has yet offered to bring in cadaver dogs to search for Latoyia, nor have forensic dive teams volunteered to scour the Schuylkill or Delaware rivers.
8 ) Also to the best of our knowledge, the FBI hasn't been requested to participate in the investigation (even though Philly actually is in the US of A), nor have any DNA samples been rushed to Washington, DC.
9) HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY, HER UNBORN BABY.

I hope this enough for you to run with - certainly, the crackerjack CNN research team available to you can fill in any speculative details or obscure leads of prurient interest. While it's doubtful that Latoyia's family can offer $100 reward, much less $1 million (as has Natalee's), I'm sure they'd still have an undying gratitude for any of your viewers who could turn up a lead on Latoyia.

* * * * * *

The story has been picked up by AlterNet. When will it be picked up by the national MSM?

The All Spin Zone and the Philadelphia Citizen's Crime Commission have established a reward fund for information on Latoyia. More info here.

***UPDATE*** 12.22p
CNN.com front paged an article on Latoyia. I guess the answer is nine days. Hopefully she is found and hopefully it is not too late.

A roundup from the blogs over on Philly Future

Photo: WPVI

Comments

[Richard Cranium]

Albert, thanks!! I just spoke with the CCC, and right now they've got the reward fund at $7,000 - a press release is going out in the next half hour or so.

More later...

[Charles]

This is a profile of Latoyia Figueroa birth date 10-12-75. This tells where most likely who did the crime and where she can be found.

Sun in Lib - violence and injustice, victim.
Moon in Cap- set-up, Hit in face, struggle.
Mercury in Lib- injustice, indecisive.
Venus in Vir- dirt, mud, dead.
Mars in Gem- pinned down, wires, the person(s) was strung out.
Jupiter in Ari- ill-prepared, careless, bad treatment, dead-end, dead-wood.
Saturn in Leo- strained, snatched, isolation.
Uranus in Sco- Taurus, Scorpio, greenhouse, abused.
Neptune in Sag- Spiritual, vegetable garden, animal.
Pluto in Lib- stranger, death.

The person(s) that did it was a Taurus with Scorpio or reverse or two people, one a Taurus, the other, A Scorpio. She was set-up, ill-prepared, the person(s) was on drugs, It might have been a Stranger, She is buried in a garden, vegetable garden, or a Green house. If you have any questions I can be reached at 570-645-6691 or [email protected]. My name is Charles

[Charles]

The first profile I did for Latoyia I had the WRONG birth date! I did get the right one. D.O.B. 1-26-81, And I did it again, and turned it over to THE CITIZEN'S CRIME COMMISSION & Power 99. This is what it said. Latoyia and her boyfriend had a fight! A very emotional one at that, and he kill her and dumped her body in the schuylkill river, but first weighing it down, and it should by the bridge.

[Jai]

Boycott the news stations for 72 hours!!! Let's see what happens!!! The only time we are the focus of news reports is when we are being chased, commited a crime and when were being killed!!! I bet our persence will be felt in the rating!!!In case you are wondering...I AM DEAD SERIOUS!!!!!

[Charles]

Sorry, I only had it half right. Charles

[Clora Conn-to Nancy Grace]

Nancy, whatever happened to the 16 yr old boy that took a schoolbus and saved 80 or so people going from New Orleans to Astrodome, he took a but, found the key, picked up what I thought they said were 80 people and delivered them to the Astrodome, before the busses were flooded, what a kid, had more sense than the mayor and governor put together,Have never heard a word about him since the day he did it and he delivered them safely there, a lady interviewed him, I never caught his name, he deserves a medal for being so smart and doing what a hundred others should of been doing under orders of the Mayor, if you get this, I would sure like to hear about the 16 year old boy and what became of him as he would be an asset to any company or corporation that needed someone with good common sense and integrity, he should be recognized by the president of the US, George Bush. come back if you get this please, as I have been looking fo weeks on somethin on him in the news and never nothing more than that horrible night when he saved the lives of 80 plus or minus men, women and children, clora conn

[LINDA]

This was not a racial thing, so stop making it out to be that. It is VERY VERY sad what happened to LaToya, but with her case, everyone knew what had happened. Everyone suspected the right person. Natalee, on the other hand has still not be found, she went missing in a different country then the one that she grew up in. There is no telling what happened to her. But everyone made this out to be a "natalee is a pretty blonde, "white girl" and that is why she is getting all the attention. That is a big time racial remark, and is untrue, she is getting so much attention b/c she went missing in another country, where by the way has messed this case up, and she still has not been found 5 months later.Also her parents are pushing for the media to stay on this, its not b/c of the way that she looks,or comes from. So why don't you let LaToya and her baby rest in peace. God bless her and her family.

[albert]

Who is the one not letting this rest? Who is the one google-ing for this case and then mouthing off on it? You. This post is now three months old. I'll continue to post on this case as the trial proceeds. You continue to believe what you wish to believe as you watch the news and the stories they wish to highlight.

[Jerome Gaskins]

Linda, I feel sorry that you are so intent on believing that race does not count in these matters. even in the face of incontrovertible evidence, you insist on pretending naiveté. that's sad. how much of life's beauty you must miss because of the blinders you wear...

anyone who examines Natalee's case will conclude that she is either dead or does not want to be found. nothing is gained by foisting her story on the country day after day while nothing has changed, and even if people forget who she is/was when something DOES change, it is very easy to remind us when the changes are presented.

this in fact is how LaToyia's case was handled. we didn't hear daily updates. we didn't have LaToyia situation rooms, and no reporters were dispatched to Philly to be embedded in the ranks of the police for an up-to-the-minute account of the investigation.

we contend that racism is the cause for this disparity in coverage. I'd like to think that we'd be satisfied if Natalee's coverage was like LaToyia's, but we'd be thrilled if the reverse were true.

Natalee's case is not more important because it takes place in another country, and the wishes of her parents are no more important than the wishes of LaToyia's parents were. Their wishes, however, were ignored. And you say let Ms. Figueroa and her baby rest in peace.

how about you let Natalee rest in peace, so we could call it even? and the next time a non-white woman goes missing, you get your emotions just as involved as they are now with Natalee's case?

[JayJay]

I feel Latoyia's case should of deffinelty got a lot more recognition than it did. we didnt hear day to day updates and noone really knew about the case and most importantly she was a single mother and was 5 months pregnant. Just like when laci peterson was murdered her story was all over the news but Latoyias was not. It is most deffinelty a race issue.