In the death of Robert Manwill: Daniel Ehrlick sentenced to life without parole/ Melissa Jenkins, mother, was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole

BOISE -- We're now more than 48 hours into the search for Robert Manwill.

Police say they've received some information, but nothing that has led to Manwill.

After two days of searching the biggest question is still out there - what happened to Robert?

So far the answer from everyone is ‘we have no idea.

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ohhh man, i lost count of how many times ive seen kids out playing on their own without adults checking up on them - the sad thing is, I USED TO DO IT WHEN I WAS A KID!

i guess we gotta not blame the parents but what can we do? ARG so frustrating!! heart breaking!

Juanita wrote:ohhh man, i lost count of how many times ive seen kids out playing on their own without adults checking up on them - the sad thing is, I USED TO DO IT WHEN I WAS A KID!

i guess we gotta not blame the parents but what can we do? ARG so frustrating!! heart breaking!

those where the days! so sad that our kids can no longer be free!

Robert Manwill is 8 years old, roughly 4'11”, weighing approximately 50 lbs. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, black shoes and a either a blue shirt with the Superman symbol on it, or a brown shirt that had the words "Andy don't need no mic" on it.

Juanita, I used to be one of those kids playing without supervision too. My sister & I could not go out of our yard so all the kids came over to play.

The FBI can bring in tons of resources that are impossible for local LE to pay for or have access too.

I will keep praying. Thanks lindamarie for link.

Those were the good old days. I remember playing hide and seek after dark during the summer months. I absolutely did not allow my children that same privilege. By the time my kids hit elementary school we started to get the Megan's Law sheets sent home anytime a sex offender moved in the area. I was shocked when I went to the web site the first time at how many lived way to close to me. The world seems to be so much more unsafe and parents these days really have their work cut out for them.

this is bad.....very bad. reminds me of shawn hornbeck and the little Ownby boy...the ones that were found together in a sex offenders home.( don't know why, it just does!) i sure hope and pray that Robert is found alive.

This poor kids family history is so messed up - mother on probation for fracturing his little brothers skull - fathers first wife stabbed their first child, mothers boyfriend also has a record
and cannot be alone with another child, a little girl. Now little Robert is missing.
Why am I not surprised?

This story brought tears to my eyes. Where are social services, family, neighbors, someone, anyone that could have intervened. With a mother on probation for fracturing his brother's skull people had to be aware this woman had serious anger issues. look at he poor choices she has made as a mother. Like Art, why am I not surprised?

i hope he just ran away

Boise continues searching for the 8 year old missing boy as Media outlets look closer at his family.
Robert's father Charles Manwill lives in New Plymouth and has had custody of him since January 2008. In Louisiana 15 years ago his former wife was sent to prison for the voluntary manslaughter of the couple's 4 year old son. Federal Court papers say "upon sudden quarrel and in the heat of passion Silke Manwill stabbed the child in the chest" She served 10 years in prison and was released.

Sadly many of the adults currently in Robert's life have criminal histories. LE isn't addressing the backgrounds of these individuals because they don't want to take the focus off of locating the missing boy.
NEWSChannel 7 reported that Robert's mother Melissa Scott Jenkins was charged with felony injury to a child in October 2008. Court Documents state that she hit her 9 month old son's head on a surface causing him to suffer a fractured skull.
Daniel Edward Ehrlick, the mother's current boyfriend is the father of this child. He too has a criminal record which includes burglary and time in prison.

me too, but he has been gone awhile. Wouldn't he need someone to feed and shelter him? A friend's parent would feel obligated to report he is well. Hopefully he will make it home.

:silent: poor little boy. I hope someone is just hiding him to keep him safe!

artgal16 wrote:This poor kids family history is so messed up - mother on probation for fracturing his little brothers skull - fathers first wife stabbed their first child, mothers boyfriend also has a record
and cannot be alone with another child, a little girl. Now little Robert is missing.
Why am I not surprised?

This is so awful! I hope this poor child is still alive and safe somewhere.

I have been reading about this child's family & their criminal history & listening to JVM about his family, I am VERY CONCERNED about the stability of the family.

If the family wasn't open & honest about their HISTORY when reporting him missing, they just wasted valuable time. I am very worried about this child, I pray he is alive.

UPDATE: Friday Evening

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Investigators searching for little Robert Manwill, an 8-year-old boy with an impish grin, said today they fear he may have been the [b]"victim of a tragic event."

"Investigators from the Boise Police Department, with assistance from the FBI have located evidence that may bring us closer to finding what happened to Robert," said Boise's Deputy Chief Jim Kerns.

Sadly, from the news report on HLN & the above article, they are saying he may be hurt! What does that mean?

They were also looking in trash dumps. This is disturbing, I am afraid Robert was hurt so much he might have died.

I pray that is not the case.

artnut12345 wrote:Sadly, from the news report on HLN & the above article, they are saying he may be hurt! What does that mean?

They were also looking in trash dumps. This is disturbing, I am afraid Robert was hurt so much he might have died.

I pray that is not the case.

Here is yet another case of a child gone missing where either LE has a pretty good idea what happened to him, or (like Haleigh) has no idea at all and just has to come up with something to say to the press. Very sad!! The parents must be going out of their minds!

What the heck did LE find that would lead them to believe that Robert was hurt when he left?
And how is it that his Mother and her boyfriend are not being looked at regarding his disappearance?
I want to know where the Father's X-wife is now that she's been released from prison.

So Robert's mother has one child, Robert, (not in her custody) missing, beat another child in the head (he’s in foster care) and has a third child (the father has custody, she has visitation) and her current boyfriend (father of the child she beat on the head) is not allowed to be alone with the third child.

Robert's mother should NEVER be allowed to have another child or be allowed anywhere near the three she already has.
Same for Robert's father. Why is he still married to the woman that spent time in prison for stabbing their child to death. BTW, while he was waiting for his wife to get out of the big house, he hooked up with a girlfriend and had Robert.

by NiteSpinR Today at 2:05 am I want to know where the Father's X-wife is now that she's been released from prison.

His father’s current wife, Silke Fatma Manwill, served time in federal prison for stabbing their 4-year-old son to death in 1993.

BJ,

OMG!! Can this family be any sorrier?

Updated articles: 8/1/09

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by artnut12345 Today at 4:35 pm BJ, OMG!! Can this family be any sorrier?

I hope LE does something to make them all very sorry! :evil: I read something about an aunt and uncle being concerned about Robert. Weren't they worried about the living conditions of all of these children before Robert went missing and why didn't they do something about it? Any dimwit could look at his family and know that none of them should have a child in their care. It makes me sick!

BJ in OR wrote:

by artnut12345 Today at 4:35 pm BJ, OMG!! Can this family be any sorrier?

I hope LE does something to make them all very sorry! :evil: I read something about an aunt and uncle being concerned about Robert. Weren't they worried about the living conditions of all of these children before Robert went missing and why didn't they do something about it? Any dimwit could look at his family and know that none of them should have a child in their care. It makes me sick!

Another prime example where a person sees things are just not right with the parents and DOES NOTHING! This should be a crime. :hang:

UPDATE: 8/2/09

Burrill and Kerns thanked the more than 2,300 volunteers who helped police search within a 2-mile radius of the Vista neighborhood Friday.

Police Say Focus Narrows in Search! 8/2/09
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Details of Mother's Past Emerge! 8/2/09
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Robert Manwell's FAMILY TREE!
He didn't stand a CHANCE, jmo!

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artnut thanks for the link! What a horrible family!!!

Artnut that was a great link with a picture presentation of Robert family tree. Your right he never stood a chance.

5:30 p.m. Monday

On Mike Galanso, they are reporting a scheduled news conference has been cancelled.

A reporter is reporting to Mike G. that a body has been found by a drainage ditch with a blue shirt on. There are NO OTHER details at this time. (It was reported Robert had a blue shirt on when he disappeared.)

Reporter says it will be several hours before an identification if made.

I am worried sick about this development.

OMG, I missed that!!! This is NOT good!

The odds of finding an alive child when they turn up "missing" are very low. Poor little boy. You always hope for the best but I also want closure and to know what happened rather than him just be missing forever. Thanks for the breaking new art.

oh no, poor little man.

There is some kind of command post being set up and they should be issuing something soon - I believe that they will be able to identify the body very fast and its believed to be Robert but that is still unconfirmed.
Terrible terrible news if it is him.

I have a JVM discussion open. Go to "Members Only". I will also post NG today.

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Boy is same size, same age, BUT, not confirmed to be Robert Manwell YET!

They are not expecting an identification until sometime tomorrow.

Police: Body resembles Manwill, but no identification yet
Robert Manwill

More Photo Galleries Jon Meyer
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Updated 1 hour 20 minutes ago

ADA COUNTY - Law enforcement officials in Ada County found Monday a body in a canal that they say matches in size and age the description of missing New Plymouth boy Robert Manwill

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Boise, Idaho - The body of a boy was found in rural Ada County early this afternoon.

Police have not ID'd the body as of yet. What we do know is that this boy was found in the New York Canal which also runs next to Robert's apartment complex near Vista. As a crow flies it's about 8 miles, or 14 miles miles of water way. The people I spoke to said it is entirely possible that a body could have made it all the way out here. There are grates but they are large.

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According to this article, the autopsy will be tomorrow. Will they wait to ID the body until then??

5:00 pm Tuesday Evening

HLN REPORTS TENATIVE IDENTIFICATION is Robert MANWELL!

What a horribly sad day for his family & AMERICA when an innocent child can be murdered for reasons sane & normal people will never understand.

Well said, Artnut!!!! I hate to say this..but IMO, we all knew (including LE) that this is poor Robert. His body must have been extremely decomposed to hold of on formal ID. We should get clarification soon!!

This is so, so sad. This poor child never had a chance. Have they said what evidence was taken from the mother's home besides the vehicles? It is sounding like she or the bf did him in. These people should never have been able to have another child.....EVER.

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(give this link a minute to connect)

treaves,
look at this child's family tree, makes you want to scream!

UPDATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON!

The CORONER HAS IDENTIFIED THE BODY AS THAT OF 8 YEAR OLD ROBERT
MANWELL!

[b]BOISE — Officials identified a boy's body found floating in a Southwest Ada County canal as that of 8-year-old Robert Manwill, who had been missing since July 24.

Although Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg made the tentative identification, he said a positive finding will be released as soon as his office receives dental records and a forensic odontologist compares the findings.

No cause of death has been released.
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JVM just said the dental records matched. Cause of death, pending investigation. Significant update coming at 6PM MST.

Poor Poor Robert. i hope that he did not suffer. If he died at the hands of a family member or someone he trusted I hope they suffer daily for the rest of their lives. So hard to watch this sad story.

Critter,
There are so many likely suspects in this story. Everyone surrounding this little guy was bad news. This is one is particularly sad.

BOISE, Idaho — The mother of an 8-year-old boy found dead in an Idaho canal and her live-in boyfriend have been indicted by an Ada County grand jury on first-degree murder charges.

Thirty-year-old Melissa Jenkins and her boyfriend, 36-year-old Daniel Ehrlick Jr., were arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of Jenkins' son, Robert Manwill.

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Melissa Scott Jenkins, 30 and Daniel Edward Ehrlick, 36 were taken into custody Tuesday afternoon – both are charged with first-degree murder. Ehrlick is also charged with failure to report a death to law enforcement, while Jenkins is charged as an accessory for failing to report Manwill’s death to law enforcement.

The boy was reported missing to police on July 24th.
The boy’s date of death may now be in question. Kerns asked for the public’s help offering any details of the activities of Jenkins or Ehrlick in the week leading up to July 24th. Kerns did not take questions at the news briefing, which did not give the media a chance to ask follow up questions.

The case started to rapidly change on Thursday 30th. That night, police began searching the Jenkins' Boise Bench apartment, removing materials from the home, including cabinets, computers and more. Police also towed a vehicle from the complex.

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Melissa Jenkins is being held on 2 million dollar bond & Daniel Ehrlick Jr is being held WITHOUT BOND!

Good!!!! I knew it was them. The mom had killed her other child, correct???? Doesn't say cause of death, unless I missed it!!

Thank you for posting this, Art!!