Girl Still Missing On 4Th Birthday -- 911 Tape Of Great-Aunt Released

TACOMA - The great-aunt of a young girl missing since July sounded unconcerned when she called 911 to report the child's disappearance, Tacoma Police say.

Investigators yesterday released a recording of the call made by Berlean Williams from a Target store about her great-niece, Lenoria Jones, who had been in her custody for a year. The girl's fourth birthday was yesterday.

Williams' statements and tone of voice tie in with the seeming lack of concern she showed in a surveillance videotape made as she shopped at the store, police said.

"You're listening to a mother who's lost her 3-year-old, but there's no urgency in her voice, and she sounds somewhat lethargic," said Sgt. Jim Young, head of the Tacoma Police Special Assaults Unit.

No charges have been brought in the case. But police have said from the start that Williams' story has been full of inconsistencies, and that they think Williams and her family know more than they've told police.

Williams' attorney, Jack Hill, has said Williams gave inconsistent accounts because she was frightened and intimidated during hours of police interviews.

According to police, Williams called 911 at 9:42 a.m., shortly after she entered the Target store on July 20. She told the 911 operator she was looking for her daughter.

When the operator asked how long Lenoria had been gone, Williams said, "I think just a few minutes," the tape transcript shows. When pressed for details, Williams said, "about 15 . . . 10 or 15 minutes."

But, police said, Williams had called her home from a nearby supermarket at 8:47 a.m. and told someone there that Lenoria was missing.

Police also said Williams spoke without urgency on the 911 tape. "She gave very brief, short answers," Young said. "The operator almost had to pry the information out of her. It reinforces our feeling that she has more information than she's willing to share."

Police say Williams has given varied accounts of Lenoria's disappearance - that the child disappeared in the Target store parking lot; that she had been kidnapped from the alley behind her home; and that she knew where Lenoria was and she was safe.