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Although African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, we account for 33 percent of the missing in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s database. Cases involving African Americans also tend to receive less media coverage than missing Whites, with missing men of color getting even less attention.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing.

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Jaquarious Kendall

Source: Famiy Photo / Stanly County Sheriff’s Office

Jaquarious Quamonte Kendall

Police found the body of Kendall, a high school senior, in a lake near where his car was found abandoned.

Kendall went missing on on Jan. 25. after leaving the home he shared with his brother to visit his girlfriend.

Kendall’s 1994 Lexus was found abandoned near the James B. Garrison Bridge on N.C. Highway 24-27 days after he went missing.

The vehicle was parked and secured approximately 300 yards from the Pee Dee River.

SEE ALSO: North Carolina Police Find Abandoned Car Of Missing Teen Jaquarious Kendall 

Despite 18 agencies using SCUBA equipment and cadaver dogs to conduct extensive searches of the area and the lake, police found no clues as to the whereabouts of Kendall.

“The searched spanned from the time he went missing to just a couple of weeks ago when the Charlotte Fire Department was involved,” Capt. Brian Hatley of the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office told NewsOne in an interview.

That changed Tuesday when a resident spotted Kendall’s body floating in the water near Swift Island Road in Lake Tillery about 450 yards south from the bridge.

“The investigation is still open,” said Hatley. “At this point there is no evidence of any foul play involved whatsoever but I will be able to conclusively make that statement once I get the written autopsy report back.”

Kendall’s grandmother told police that he was autistic, according to news reports. But Hatley has no records of any such diagnosis.

Hatley said law enforcement agencies are proud of the effort they put into searching for Kendall but wish the results were different.

“The family is obviously taking it hard. Like everyone else they were hoping for a better outcome,” said Hatley. “At this point, they are doing as good as can be expected.”

 

 

Body of Missing N.C. Teen Jaquarious Kendall Found in Lake  was originally published on newsone.com