Mona Nelson charged with capital murder after murdering 12 yr missing Jonathan Foster in Houston w/a blow torch. She will now spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole!

A woman described as a family friend was arrested Wednesday in connection with the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonathan Foster who was last seen on Christmas Eve at the apartment complex where he lives with his mother and stepfather, according to newspaper and television reports.

The Houston Chronicle reported the woman was arrested Wednesday morning after investigators reviewed a surveillance video from an office building near the culvert where a child’s badly burned body was found Tuesday.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

How weird is that..so the video linked her..but they searched the step dads car? was the step dad cheating?? Do the parents know what happened hence the conflicting stories but this other woman being taken in?

UPDATE: A close family friend has been arrested and is expected to be charged with the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Jonathan Foster, a police source close to the investigation said today.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was arrested this morning at her home, the source said.

A break in the case came when a vehicle that "was very identifiable as her vehicle" was spotted on surveillance video taken from an office building near the ditch where a body believed to be Jonathan’s was found in the 9900 block of East Hardy on Tuesday.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has yet to formally identify the badly burned body as Jonathan’s, but the police source said investigators "are pretty convinced it’s him."



-----------------------------------------------------------
Minutes after Mary Gifford learned that a child's body had been found in a northeast Houston ditch Tuesday, she clutched a stuffed animal that belonged to her missing 12-year-old grandson and swore she'd give it to him when he came home, safe and sound.

"I believe he's out there, I believe he'll be found," Gifford said, hugging the little gray-and-black toy raccoon.

But hopes faded Tuesday that Jonathan Foster — a red-headed fifth-grader at Durham Elementary who loves baseball and tree-climbing - will be found alive.

Pending the official notification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Jonathan's family has been prepared for the possibility that the body in the ditch is his, and all indications are that it is, a police source said.

The badly burned body was found half-stuffed inside a culvert outside Rolled Alloys offices at East Hardy and Schilder Drive.

No signs of a fire were near the culvert, indicating that the child had been burned elsewhere and his body taken to the culvert.

"The finding of the body kind of confirmed our worst fears," said Sgt. Brian Harris of Houston Police Department's homicide division.

Police questioned Jonathan's mother and stepfather, Angela and David Davis, overnight Monday and spent hours sorting through conflicting statements from family members, neighbors and friends to establish a timeline for Jonathan's disappearance on Christmas Eve, Harris said.

Was not with babysitter
Initial reports that Jonathan had disappeared after running home from a babysitter's house to retrieve a video game turned out to be false, Harris said. The boy's mother eventually admitted that Jonathan was not in the care of a babysitter when he disappeared, he said.

"There was some shame and embarrassment about leaving a kid home alone, but it's not unusual for a 12-year-old to be home alone," Harris said.

Jonathan, who used to live with his grandmother, had moved in with his mother and stepfather at the Villa Nueva apartment complex in the 800 block of Oak in November, the sergeant said.

In mid-December, Jonathan and his mother moved to a nearby apartment after "mom had some troubles with the stepdad," Harris said.

The stepfather reportedly is the last known person to see Jonathan, he said.

David Davis told investigators Jonathan was at home playing video games when he went to check on the boy at 1:45 p.m. Friday.

That afternoon, someone called Angela Davis' workplace, Harris said.

"We believe Jonathan's actually on the phone and asks to speak to his mom," Harris said. A colleague who answered the phone said Angela Davis was working and would call him back.

"And then a female gets on the phone and says, 'This is an emergency,'" Harris said.

By the time Jonathan's mother picked up, no one was there, he said.

Angela Davis called the land line where she and Jonathan live, and a woman with a gruff voice answered, Harris said.

"Angela says, 'Well, this is Angela, I'm Jonathan's mother. Who are you?'" Harris said. "And the woman is heard saying, 'Is Angela your mother?' And the boy replies, 'Yes ma'am, Angela's my mother.' And then the phone went dead."

Amber Alert intentionally delayed
A few minutes later, the mother arrived home, Harris said. Jonathan was gone, and the cordless phone was missing, he said.

Within an hour, relatives called police, Harris said.

"Patrol responds by like 3:30 p.m. and they're there from 3:30 to 4:15 or so," Harris said.

The family was told to go to HPD's station on Mykawa Road to file an official missing child report with the juvenile division. Officers there entered details about Jonathan into the national crime information center database about 9:30 p.m., Harris said

He explained that the decision to hold off issuing an Amber Alert for Jonathan until Tuesday evening was a deliberate strategy by investigators.

Police knew that without a vehicle type or suspect description, a vague alert would generate a flood of information, some of it potentially useful, but much of it simply overwhelming, he said.

Faith in a higher power
Investigators were focused on local leads and the likelihood that someone close to Jonathan knew what had happened to him, Harris said.

"Unfortunately in life, often it's not the strangers who we have to fear, it's the people we know that probably pose the most danger to us, and that can be friends, neighbors, whatever," he said.

Despite the discovery of the body Tuesday, the search for Jonathan continued until nightfall, when some 200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil at Garden Oaks Baptist Church on North Shepherd.

An exhausted Mary Gifford told the group that she put her faith in God's hands.

"I've had my faith tested in many, many ways, but this is really testing it," she said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Whoever she is, they are charging her with the murder of Jonathan - my god what in the world could have been this woman's motive to kill him?

HOUSTON (LALATE) – Jonathan Foster still remains missing but a woman is expected to be charged with his disappearance today. Jonathan Foster has been missing since Christmas Eve but sources Wednesday indicate police have one, if not two, suspects they will charge in the 12 year old’s disappearance.
Police say they have in custody a female who is not related to Foster but is an acquaintance of Foster’s stepfather. Another male is being sought Wednesday. The female has yet to be identified. But police say she is not been cooperative. Sources claim the female will be charged. Police would not explain why they have not asked the public’s assistance in located the male for questioning.


Foster’s stepfather last saw Jonathan Foster alive shortly before 2 pm Christmas Eve. Foster’s mother reported him missing roughly seven hours later. An Amber Alert was issued Monday.


Police have spoken to Foster’s mother, stepfather and his babysitter. None have been arrested. But the couple’s older Mercedes was towed away by police investigators earlier this week. If you have any information, contact HPD at 713-731-5223.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I just listened to the video up thread, Mom does sound/look like she's on drugs, it could be that she's been medicated via Dr or even herself, lord knows if that were me, I'd have to be medicated.
But....... JMOHO, step daddy has the words of someone hiding the truth, like Wrap said, shades of Ron Cummings.
Another step dad, another child with a different name, when will this insanity stop?
I feel for the Grandma.
If Mom is covering up for step dad, let her rot too.
Poor little boy who just wanted to be with his Mom again.

Police say they have in custody a female who is not related to Foster but is an acquaintance of Foster’s stepfather.
Another male is being sought Wednesday. The female has yet to be identified. But police say she is not been cooperative. Sources claim the female will be charged. Police would not explain why they have not asked the public’s assistance in located the male for questioning.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Could this be a girlfriend of the stepfather or maybe his drug dealer? Maybe Jonathan saw/heard/knew too much and they (unidentified female above & stepfather) "had" to kill him? Maybe that is why LE has not asked for help in finding the male as they already know who the male is.

Be that as it may WHY oh WHY Burn this poor child to death? OMG!! And how does one transport a burnt body to the point they are unidentifiable from one place to another without leaving evidence? And, the smell of burnt flesh. I think I may be sick.

But a spokesman from the Houston Police Department told FoxNews.com that no arrests have been made, disputing some local reports that a woman was in custody in connection to Jonathan Foster’s disappearance.

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

True. Especially FAUX.

I stand by what I said upthread. This woman is or will be arrested soon.

BJOR wrote:But a spokesman from the Houston Police Department told FoxNews.com that no arrests have been made, disputing some local reports that a woman was in custody in connection to Jonathan Foster’s disappearance.

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I bet there was a leak to the media and it took on a life of it's own to make the buck. I do think there will be an arrest soon. A lot of murderers do try burn the bodies to destroy evidence. Sick people that kill a human/kid and then burn them.

Well, I'm not changing the title of the thread......An arrest has been made is my story and I'm sticking to it.

I just heard a LE lieutenant say the burned body was of a small child and was about 3 feet tall. At 12 he would be closer to 5 feet wouldn't he? How sure are they that this is his body? It seems like a lot of mis-information???????

If the body was burned, it probably shrank.

"He was here by himself and he was gone between 1:30 and 2:30 [p.m.], that's all I know," said babysitter Sharon Ennamorato, whose house Jonathan was last seen at. "We know a lady answered my phone, we don't know and there was supposed to be nobody in this house."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Seems that Jonathan did not disappear from an apartment as has been reported. He disappeared from the house of a friend of his mother's. This must be where the mother and Jonathan moved to when they left the stepfather.

Angela Davis also knew that police had a suspect in custody, who she'd met only once before, on the night of Jonathan's disappearance, she said.

The woman was friends with her roommate and Jonathan's frequent babysitter, Sharon Ennamorato.

Angela Davis said she couldn't figure out any reason why anyone would want to hurt her fair-haired boy.

She said Jonathan's stepfather had passed a polygraph about the disappearance. "I do not believe he had anything to do with my son's abduction," she said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Angela Davis said she couldn't figure out any reason why anyone would want to hurt her fair-haired boy.

She said Jonathan's stepfather had passed a polygraph about the disappearance. "I do not believe he had anything to do with my son's abduction," she said.

Now this really sounds like the HaLeigh case. Everyone passed their poly's according to the families or the peeps themselves. I don't buy it.

By LINDSAY WISE and SUSAN CARROLL

Dec. 29, 2010, 5:51PM

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

The Houston Police Department gives a statement about a burnt body found. Video by Dale Lezon. Dec. 28, 2010. (cannot embed - click link at bottom of post)

A close family friend has been arrested and is expected to be charged with the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Jonathan Foster, a police source close to the investigation said today.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was arrested this morning at her home, the source said.

A break in the case came when a vehicle that "was very identifiable as her vehicle" was spotted on surveillance video taken from an office building near the ditch where a body believed to be Jonathan’s was found in the 9900 block of East Hardy on Tuesday.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has yet to formally identify the badly burned body as Jonathan’s, but the police source said investigators "are pretty convinced it’s him."

Police questioned Jonathan's mother and stepfather, Angela and David Davis, overnight Monday and spent hours sorting through conflicting statements from family members, neighbors and friends to establish a timeline for Jonathan's disappearance on Christmas Eve, investigators said

Angela Davis crumpled into a couch this afternoon in the small cottage in northwest Houston where her son was last seen alive, pulling her pajama-clad knees to her chest.

"I feel responsible because I left him here," she said, crying and staring blankly at the front door. "I’m his Mama. I’m supposed to protect him. Who else is going to protect him if I can’t?"

Late today, Davis knew little officially about the fate of her son, who disappeared before 2 p.m. Christmas Eve. Police had found the body of a child in a culvert a few miles to the east of the little cottage, but the medical examiner had not officially identified the badly burned body as Jonathan’s.

Angela Davis also knew that police had a suspect in custody, who she’d met only once before, on the night of Jonathan’s disappearance, she said.

The woman was friends with her roommate and Jonathan’s frequent babysitter, Sharon Ennamorato.

Angela Davis said she couldn’t figure out any reason why anyone would want to hurt her fair-haired boy.

She said Jonathan's stepfather had passed a polygraph about the disappearance. "I do not believe he had anything to do with my son’s abduction," she said.

But she lashed out at HPD. "They didn’t respond fast enough," she said. "To me, they acted like they didn’t care."

Angela Davis said the family was told it was possible that Jonathan had run away, and that was why authorities hadn’t issued an Amber Alert sooner.

Ennamorato shook her head, asking why a kid would run away on Christmas Eve?

Hopes faded Tuesday that Jonathan — a red-headed fifth-grader at Durham Elementary who loves baseball and tree-climbing - will be found alive.

Pending the official notification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Jonathan's family has been prepared for the possibility that the body in the ditch is his, and all indications are that it is, a police source said.

The badly burned body was found half-stuffed inside a culvert outside Rolled Alloys offices at East Hardy and Schilder Drive.

No signs of a fire were near the culvert, indicating that the child had been burned elsewhere and his body taken to the culvert.

"The finding of the body kind of confirmed our worst fears," said Sgt. Brian Harris of Houston Police Department's homicide division.
Was not with babysitter

Initial reports that Jonathan had disappeared after running home from a babysitter's house to retrieve a video game turned out to be false, Harris said. The boy's mother eventually admitted that Jonathan was not in the care of a babysitter when he disappeared, he said.

"There was some shame and embarrassment about leaving a kid home alone, but it's not unusual for a 12-year-old to be home alone," Harris said.

Jonathan, who used to live with his grandmother, had moved in with his mother and stepfather at the Villa Nueva apartment complex in the 800 block of Oak in November, the sergeant said.

In mid-December, Jonathan and his mother moved to a nearby apartment after "mom had some troubles with the stepdad," Harris said.

The stepfather reportedly is the last known person to see Jonathan, he said.

Amber Alert intentionally delayed

A few minutes later, the mother arrived home, Harris said. Jonathan was gone, and the cordless phone was missing, he said.

Within an hour, relatives called police, Harris said.

"Patrol responds by like 3:30 p.m. and they're there from 3:30 to 4:15 or so," Harris said.

The family was told to go to HPD's station on Mykawa Road to file an official missing child report with the juvenile division. Officers there entered details about Jonathan into the national crime information center database about 9:30 p.m., Harris said

He explained that the decision to hold off issuing an Amber Alert for Jonathan until Tuesday evening was a deliberate strategy by investigators.

Police knew that without a vehicle type or suspect description, a vague alert would generate a flood of information, some of it potentially useful, but much of it simply overwhelming, he said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Wrapitup wrote:...On Monday, Jonathan's stepfather told us his theory about what happened.
"I think a pedophile took him. That's what I think and I want him back. I want revenge. Something, something like that, you know," said stepfather David Davis.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this stepfather is the pedophile that took him!

The picture of the african american woman is not the woman that was taken into custody I read somewhere else I cant remember where right now - the picture we have was misidentified as the woman taken into custody in the Foster case, but this is not her.

I wrote that post above before I had finished reading the second page. This woman that has been arrested may have been in "cahoots" with the stepfather... it does seem very "hinky" to me!!

BTW, thanks for clarifying, artgal! I was just going to mention that person in the picture did not look like a woman!! :lol!:

Houston police struggle to piece together the puzzle of a 12-year-old boy's disappearance from his parents' north Houston apartment on Christmas Eve, as reports surface of breaks in the case -- and even an arrest.

But a spokesman from the Houston Police Department told FoxNews.com that no arrests have been made, disputing some local reports that a woman was in custody in connection to Jonathan Foster’s disappearance.

Authorities also were investigating a charred body of a child discovered in a ditch Tuesday afternoon in Harris County, a suburb of Houston. Police say evidence suggests that the body was burned at another location and dumped.

The police, however, could not confirm the body’s identity, and the Houston Medical Examiner’s office did not immediately return calls from FoxNews.com.

"We can not say the two cases are connected," Kese Smith, spokesman Houston Police Department told MyFoxHouston.com.
Foster’s mother and stepfather were questioned on Tuesday.

Foster is 4-feet-8-inches with a shock of red hair and an overbite, was last seen Friday afternoon at the Houston apartment complex wearing a tan colored shirt with a picture of a guitar, blue jeans and white sneakers.

His mother says when she last called the house an unknown woman with a raspy voice picked up the phone then hung up.

In light of this news, the missing 12-year-old’s family hopes that he will be found alive.

"I believe he is out there," Mary Gifford, Jonathan’s maternal grandmother, said. “Let him come home, please.”

Sgt. Stuart Harris said that the boy's father and other relatives live within walking distance of the complex and he would often visit them. Harris said relatives have been cooperative with investigators.

"I don't know if it's an abduction. I don't know if he just walked off," Harris said. "I don't know if there's foul play involved. We have no reason to think he's a runaway. He's missing under suspicious circumstances, which is always a major concern for us."

When asked why it took three days for an Amber Alert to be issued in the case, police said it was because they didn't feel they were getting the full story behind the child's disappearance.

Meanwhile, volunteers from Texas Equusearch, a mounted search and recovery organization, appear to be in standby mode until they hear word from detectives on the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call Houston Police Homicide at 713-308-3600.

source
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

So apparently this is a rumor about the arrest. The whole story never made sense to me. I still believe the stepfather did something.

Jonathan Foster: Missing child case, Houston Police clears conflicting reports

There have been some conflicting reports and confusion in the case of the 12-year-old Houston boy, Jonathan Foster, who vanished Christmas Eve.

In a phone conversation with Houston Police Public Information Officer Kese Smith Wednesday afternoon, Examiner.com learned police were given conflicting information from Jonathan’s parents early on in the case, leading to conflicting reports.

Houston Police PIO Smith provided information to Examiner.com Wednesday to clear up some misconceptions and to provide an update in the case (all updates and responses provided below are from PIO Smith):

Initial reports:

Jonathan was at a babysitter’s house on Christmas Eve, walked home at around 1:45 p.m. to pick up a video game from his apartment which is located in the same neighborhood, and vanished.

Update:

Jonathan was not at a babysitter’s house. He was home alone at 1:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve. He did vanish sometime after 1:45 p.m.

Initial reports:

Jonathan’s stepfather lives in the apartment with Jonathan's mother, Angela Davis, and Jonathan, and is the last person to have seen Jonathan before he vanished Christmas Eve.

Update:

Jonathan’s stepfather did not live with Davis and Jonathan at the time of Jonathan’s disappearance. Jonathan’s stepfather told police he saw Jonathan “before it happened” but did not provide a specific time.

Initial reports:

Jonathan called his mother at work and left her a message of an emergency.

Update:

Jonathan’s mother, Angela Davis, did receive a disturbing phone message at around 1:45 p.m. while she was at work on Christmas Eve. The call came from her apartment.

Police do not know who placed the call and do not believe the message was from Jonathan.

Jonathan’s mother immediately called back and a woman with a raspy voice answered the phone. The woman asked Davis who she was, and Davis identified herself saying she was Jonathan’s mother.

When the woman asked Jonathan if Angela was his mother Davis could hear Jonathan in the background reply “yes,” then the phone abruptly died.

Initial reports:

Jonathan went missing around 1:45 p.m. and his mother did not report him missing until 9:30 p.m.

Update:

When the phone call abruptly ended, Davis feared something was terribly wrong and raced home to find her son missing.

She filed a missing person’s report at 9:30 p.m. PIO Smith is unsure what time she first called police, and will provide that information to Examiner.com once it is made available to him.

Initial reports:

The parents’ car was seized.

Update:

PIO Smith said the Houston Police cannot give specific details about the case, including whether or not a vehicle was seized.

He said they are following leads and were interviewing more witnesses Wednesday.

Question:

Are police still actively searching for Jonathan?

Response:

Yes, the search for Jonathan continues. The Amber Alert remains active.

Police are looking for a woman with a raspy voice.

Police are asking the public for their help. They need to know if you have heard, seen, or know of anything about Jonathan’s disappearance.

Note: Even if the information you have seems minor or even irrelevant, yet it has to do with this case, it is crucial to provide it to police. It could be one of the missing pieces to this puzzle.

If you have information you are asked to call Houston Police, Homicide Division at 703-308-3600.

Question:

Since the Homicide Division of the Houston Police Department is handling Jonathan's missing person's case, does that mean police believe this is a homicide?

Response:

No. The Homicide Division of the Houston Police Department not only handles homicide cases, it is also tasked with handling kidnapping and abduction cases.

Question:

What is the classification of Jonathan’s case?

Response:

Jonathan’s case is a “missing person’s case of a child believed to have been abducted.”

Note: The Amber Alert lists Jonathan as "Endangered Missing."

Initial reports:

PIO Smith stated that he believes Jonathan is still alive.

Update:

To clear up any misconceptions, PIO Smith said he told reporters that police are treating this case as a missing person’s case, and as such, are treating it as if Jonathan is still alive.

Police are actively searching for information into Jonathan’s disappearance.

Initial reports:

An Amber Alert was not issued until Monday, Dec. 27, when Jonathan went missing Friday, Dec. 24.

Update:

Because of conflicting reports police received from Jonathan’s parents, an Amber Alert was not initially issued.

One of the criteria for an Amber Alert is that police must believe the child was abducted. It was not initially clear if that was the case. Police now believe Jonathan was in fact abducted.

Initial reports:

EquuSearch has suspended their search for Jonathan.

Update:

EquuSearch is not searching for Jonathan Wednesday. However, according to its leader, Tim Miller, they told police they are on stand-by and ready to go if they receive leads from police.

Question:

Have any suspects or persons of interest been named in this case?

Response:

Police cannot answer this question at this time. They can say, however, that as of Wednesday afternoon no one has been arrested or charged in this case.

Initial reports:

A burned body was found days after Jonathan disappeared. The body is described as about three feet tall and so badly burned that the gender of the child could not be determined.

Update:

At around 9:30 a.m. Houston time, Tuesday morning, a worker found burned human remains in the 900 block of East Hardy Toll Road and called authorities. Houston Police arrived and determined the remains were so badly burned that the gender could not be determined.

It is believed the burned remains are those of a child. It is believed the child was murdered and burned somewhere else and then dumped at that location.

There is no identity of the burned remains at this time.

Jonathan’s case and the case of the remains are being treated as two separate cases until the identity can be determined by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Scientists.

Description of Jonathan - click here.

Scroll down for more on this case.

Have something to say? Shout out below!


Source: Telephone conversation with Houston Police Public Information Officer Kese Smith
source:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

by BJ♥OR Today at 8:35 pm I deleted the photo....I thought it looked like a woman. "She" had boobs. The photo was with a story about the arrest. Why can't the media get it right? I've never seen so many conflicting versions of a story in my life.

I'm putting the photo back up. This is the woman that was taken into custody. Not sure if she's been charged. I'm adding some more photos and her Myspace link.


With the mayor of Houston who is openly gay.






Yeah ,this is what I come home to, after a hard day.




Mona Nelson: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Eyewitness News has learned that a female suspect has been charged with capital murder in connection with the disappearance and death of 12-year-old Jonathan Foster. He had been missing since Christmas Eve. The Harris County District Attorney's Office told us they have accepted charges for capital murder for Mona Nelson. The office said they will request no bond.
Nelson, 44, is a family acquaintance who was named a person of interest earlier today.

Earlier Wednesday
A source close to the investigation told us the woman police are talking to is in her 40s and is an acquaintance of the family. We are told she is being questioned right now by homicide investigators at police headquarters and is said to be cooperating with authorities.
That same source also told us they are confident that the woman will likely be charged in Jonathan's disappearance and murder.
We've learned that some evidence collected at the crime scene could possibly link the woman to the crime. That evidence is now being analyzed.
Police believe a burned body found Tuesday morning about five miles away from the family apartment on North Shepherd and 43rd Street may actually be that of Jonathan.
An autopsy was performed on the burned body Wednesday morning. Police and the family are still waiting for official identification from the Medical Examiner's Office.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

A family acquaintance has been charged with capital murder in the death of 12-year-old Jonathan Foster.
Mona Yvette Nelson, 44, was arrested Wednesday morning at her home, police said.
A break in the case came Nelson’s truck was spotted on surveillance video taken from an office building near the culvert where a body believed to be Jonathan’s was found in the 9900 block of East Hardy on Tuesday.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has yet to identify the badly burned body as Jonathan’s, who disappeared before 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve, but the police investigators say they’re convinced the body is his.
Police questioned Jonathan's mother and stepfather, Angela and David Davis, overnight Monday and spent hours sorting through conflicting statements from family members, neighbors and friends to establish a timeline for Jonathan's disappearance on Christmas Eve, investigators said
Angela Davis crumpled into a couch this afternoon in the small cottage in northwest Houston where her son was last seen alive, pulling her pajama-clad knees to her chest.
"I feel responsible because I left him here," she said, crying and staring blankly at the front door. "I’m his Mama. I’m supposed to protect him. Who else is going to protect him if I can’t?"
Late today, Davis knew little officially about the fate of her son, who disappeared before 2 p.m. Christmas Eve. Police had found the body of a child in a culvert a few miles to the east of the little cottage, but the medical examiner had not officially identified the badly burned body as Jonathan’s.
Angela Davis also knew that police had a suspect in custody, who she’d met only once before, on the night of Jonathan’s disappearance, she said.
The woman was friends with her roommate and Jonathan’s frequent babysitter, Sharon Ennamorato.
Angela Davis said she couldn’t figure out any reason why anyone would want to hurt her fair-haired boy.
She said Jonathan's stepfather had passed a polygraph about the disappearance. "I do not believe he had anything to do with my son’s abduction," she said.
But she lashed out at HPD. "They didn’t respond fast enough," she said. "To me, they acted like they didn’t care."
Angela Davis said the family was told it was possible that Jonathan had run away, and that was why authorities hadn’t issued an Amber Alert sooner.
Ennamorato shook her head, asking why a kid would run away on Christmas Eve?
Hopes faded Tuesday that Jonathan — a red-headed fifth-grader at Durham Elementary who loves baseball and tree-climbing - will be found alive.
Pending the official notification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Jonathan's family has been prepared for the possibility that the body in the ditch is his, and all indications are that it is, a police source said.
The badly burned body was found half-stuffed inside a culvert outside Rolled Alloys offices at East Hardy and Schilder Drive.
No signs of a fire were near the culvert, indicating that the child had been burned elsewhere and his body taken to the culvert.
"The finding of the body kind of confirmed our worst fears," said Sgt. Brian Harris of Houston Police Department's homicide division.
Was not with babysitter
Initial reports that Jonathan had disappeared after running home from a babysitter's house to retrieve a video game turned out to be false, Harris said. The boy's mother eventually admitted that Jonathan was not in the care of a babysitter when he disappeared, he said.
"There was some shame and embarrassment about leaving a kid home alone, but it's not unusual for a 12-year-old to be home alone," Harris said.
Jonathan, who used to live with his grandmother, had moved in with his mother and stepfather at the Villa Nueva apartment complex in the 800 block of Oak in November, the sergeant said.
In mid-December, Jonathan and his mother moved to a nearby apartment after "mom had some troubles with the stepdad," Harris said.
The stepfather reportedly is the last known person to see Jonathan, he said.
Amber Alert intentionally delayed
A few minutes later, the mother arrived home, Harris said. Jonathan was gone, and the cordless phone was missing, he said.
Within an hour, relatives called police, Harris said.
"Patrol responds by like 3:30 p.m. and they're there from 3:30 to 4:15 or so," Harris said.
The family was told to go to HPD's station on Mykawa Road to file an official missing child report with the juvenile division. Officers there entered details about Jonathan into the national crime information center database about 9:30 p.m., Harris said
He explained that the decision to hold off issuing an Amber Alert for Jonathan until Tuesday evening was a deliberate strategy by investigators.
Police knew that without a vehicle type or suspect description, a vague alert would generate a flood of information, some of it potentially useful, but much of it simply overwhelming, he said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

On Wednesday, the Houston Police Department said it will formally charge 44-year-old Mona Yvette Nelson with capital murder after the medical examiner confirmed a burned body found Tuesday belongs to Jonathan Foster, who has been missing since Christmas Eve.
Detectives spent Wednesday interviewing Nelson and said they originally expected to charge her kidnapping before the medical examiner's confirmation.
Nelson was arrested in the neighborhood where Jonathan was last seen, police said. She is a family acquaintance or a friend of Jonathan's mother, Angela Davis, sources said.
Police said they found Jonathan's burned body in a drainage ditch about four miles from where he disappeared. The body was found near the Hardy Toll Road, and detectives said they believe it was dumped there.
Houston police said the suspect's car was seen on surveillance video near where the body was found.
Shortly after the charred body was found, Jonathan's mother and stepfather were taken to HPD headquarters separately for another round of questioning. Police said that is standard procedure in cases involving missing children.
Investigators have not said if Nelson's arrest clears the mother or stepfather.
Before the medical examiner had confirmed her son's death, Davis begged for help that someone might find her son and said she believed he was still alive.
"I love my son very much, and it breaks my heart that my baby's out there. I don't know if he eats. I don't know if he's sleeping. I don't know if someone's hurting him. I don't know," she said. "You get the news out there and put it on as much as you can to find my baby."
Police said they have since notified the family of Foster's death, but the family has not yet released a public statement.
Police had also questioned neighbors in the area in connection with Jonathan's disappearance.
Vigil For Jonathan Held
Before officials announced the boy's death, family, friends and strangers bowed their heads to pray for Jonathan on Tuesday. About 100 people congregated at Garden Oaks Baptist Church.
"I just got to hold onto that faith, that belief, and not give up and keep faithful," said Mary Gifford, Jonathan's grandmother, had said at the time.
His family had held out hope, though Gifford admitted it was tough because each hour brought a new twist. Wednesday's news did not reward their hopes.
Many at the vigil said the unknown is what pulls at their heart strings -- like those of Jonathan's fifth-grade reading teacher.
"The energy and spirit that he had," said Ronnie Connell. "It's just sad."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

According to police, Nelson gave a statement admitting she was with Jonathan, but that she did not admit to killing him. However, police added that Nelson is the only suspect in the case and no other charges are expected to be filed.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Nelson's criminal record dates back to 1984 with charges for criminal mischief, aggravated robbery, possession of marijuana, theft and terroristic threat.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

what the hell is her motive for burning the child??

Why did this woman call Angela Davis? And also Angela Davis called back and she answered the phone.
The reports Im now reading say Mona was a friend of Angelas -not the stepfather. This is very strange the whole scenario. They police certainly charged her quickly. Im thinking of the Zahra Baker case and still no one has been charged there and in the space of a few hours they have charged this woman with murder.
What in the world could have been her motive to kill Jonathan? This is all so very strange.

Pouring gasoline on a body is not going to destroy it. The body burns until the gas is gone; then the fire goes out. She probably thought she could "cremate" Jonathan and destroy evidence.

This is all very bizarre especially the phone call. If Mona only met Angela once, how did she know where she worked? Why did she call her? The mother lied from the very beginning saying Jonathan was at the babysitters wasting precious time for the police to try to find him. Ashamed or not, her judgement is really bad when a child is missing and you initially lie to the police. We are all missing something here we just dont know enough yet.

Nelson, who is a maintenance worker for several different apartment complexes in Houston, met Jonathan’s stepfather a few weeks before Christmas and was just getting to know the rest of the family, investigators said.

Searching court documents 11 News Reporter Jeff McShan discovered Nelson’s most serious crime was a robbery she committed back in 1984. She served a 10-year probated sentence.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Defendant Status JAIL
Bond Amount $0.00
Next/Last Setting Date 1/3/2011

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

A family acquaintance has been charged with capital murder in the death of 12-year-old Jonathan Foster, a Houston boy who police say was kidnapped from his home on Christmas Eve before being killed, badly burned and dumped in a ditch.
Mona Yvette Nelson, 44, was arrested Wednesday morning at her home.
"Mona Nelson has made what investigators call a self-serving statement, which places her with Jonathan. However, she has not admitted to killing him," said HPD spokesman Kese Smith. "She is the only suspect."
Jonathan disappeared before 2 p.m. on Friday. Smith said the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences late Wednesday identified a body in a culvert near East Hardy and Schilder Drive as Jonathan's. No signs of a fire were near his body, which was discovered Tuesday morning, indicating he had been burned elsewhere.
A break in the case came when Nelson's Ford F-150 truck was spotted on surveillance video taken from an office building near the culvert.
Investigators spent hours Wednesday questioning Nelson. They believe she took Jonathan to her home near US-59 and Laura Koppe, where she likely killed him and burned his body, said HPD homicide investigator Mike Miller.
He said a search of Nelson's house turned up an "incredible amount of evidence" that points to Nelson as the killer, but investigators are still trying to discern her motive.
"That's the million-dollar question," Miller said.
Had spent time in prison
In 1984, Nelson was charged with aggravated robbery and later pleaded guilty in exchange for 10 years' probation, court records show. In 1991, her probation was revoked and she was sent to prison. It was unclear from court documents late Wednesday how she violated probation or how long she spent behind bars.
Jonathan's mother, Angela Davis, crumpled into a couch Wednesday afternoon in the small cottage in northwest Houston where her son was last seen alive.
"I feel responsible because I left him here," she said, crying and staring blankly at the front door. "I'm his mama. I'm supposed to protect him."
She knew little about the fate of her son, nicknamed J.P. for Jonathan Paul, and sometimes called "Frog" by his aunt for the stick-skinny legs he had as a newborn.
She did know that police had a woman in custody, someone she said she'd met only once, on the night of Jonathan's disappearance.
An acquaintance of roommate's
Nelson was friends with her roommate and Jonathan's frequent babysitter, Sharon Ennamorato. Ennamorato described Nelson as a friend who used to work in maintenance at an apartment complex across the street.
On Friday morning, both Davis and Ennamorato had to work, and Jonathan was going to stay home alone until his mom could make it home, around 1 or 2 p.m. They said they left Jonathan with specific instructions: He was not to leave the house, which is nestled next to an apartment complex on Oak Street in northwest Houston. If he had any problems, he should run next door and tell his neighbor.
Davis had moved into the little cottage with Ennamorato on Dec. 14, after she and Jonathan's stepfather, David Davis, split up. She said he had gotten angry and slapped the boy. Davis considered taking Jonathan to her mother's house, she said, but she didn't want to uproot him when he'd just started classes at Durham Elementary School in November.
That morning at work, a colleague told Angela her son had called the office, and had asked for Ennamorato's number. She was only told about the call after the fact, she said.
Then a woman called back, saying it was an emergency. By the time Angela made it to the phone, she said, the line was dead.
Concerned, Angela called the house phone again and again as she drove to the cottage, she said. Someone picked up just minutes before she pulled up around 2 p.m.
A woman answered, she said, and Angela identified herself and asked to speak her son. She heard a woman say: "Is your mama's name Angela?" she said.
And she heard Jonathan say: "Yes ma'am, my mama's name is Angela." And then the phone went dead.
When she opened the door moments later, cartoons were still on the TV, and a game was up on the computer screen. A can of Tootsie rolls sat on the computer desk.
"I hollered, 'Jonathan, mama's home! Where are you?'" There was no answer.
"The only thing missing in this house is his tan T-shirt with a guitar on it, a pair of jeans, his white sneakers and his black stuffed cat that my grandmother made him," Davis said. "There was no struggle."
That night, she said, Nelson stopped by the house. She told Davis she had come to the house that morning looking for Ennamorato, and that Jonathan had answered the door wearing no shirt, and it seemed like someone was in the house with him.
'A gift from God'
Davis said she's not pretending to be a perfect parent. When felt her life spiraling out of control years ago, she sent her children to live with relatives.
"He hasn't seen his father since he was 4 years old," she said. "When he was 6, his father told him on the phone that he was a problem in his life and he didn't want nothing to do with him."
She calls him a twice-born child, because his heart had stopped when she was pregnant with him, and the doctors thought he'd died. But they picked up the heartbeat, and he was born a healthy little boy.
"That's why his name is Jonathan, which means a gift from God," she said. "I don't know how God could give me that gift, and then take him from me."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

We spoke to Jonathan's uncle in Missouri by phone. When we asked him if he feared for Jonathan's safety, Glenn Scrimsher replied, "At some points, yes, but I was hoping with my mom close by that no harm would befall him."
For four years, Jonathan lived with Scrimsher, his wife and their five children on their farm in Missouri.
"Jonathan was a wonderful kid. He was like my son," said Scrimsher.
He says though Jonathan was a little behind for his age, he thrived with his family. At 6 years old, they took him in, off his mother's hands.
When we asked him how Jonathan's mother was not capable, Scrimsher said, "Narcotics, drugs, alcohol; just wasn't fit to take care of him," said Scrimsher.
In November 2009, Jonathan returned to Texas to live with his grandmother. It was not his uncle's decision. He did not know the boy was living with his sister again. He says he has never heard of Mona Nelson, but for a year he has not been at ease.
"All I can say is that I don't think he was in a good place to begin with," Scrimsher said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

First, I have to say that Mona Nelson looks like a man, nothing wrong w/that....just saying it took me by surprise. So, Nelson is "good friends" with the babysitter. Could the babysitter and the boyfriend have been having an affair and this was Mona's way of getting back at the sitter? I am drawing at straws here for a motive.

Artgal, you made a very good point about how long it has taken LE to arrest anyone for the murder of Zahra Baker, yet..this arrest comes out of the blue by someone we had not heard about. "They" say there was plenty of evidence at Nelson's home to arrest her for capital murder charges and apparently there is definite confirmation the burned body is Jonathan's.

I am with BJ on this - never have I read so many conflicting reports. One thing that really, really bothers me is that the mother did not call 911 until 8 hours later, if I read that right. What a horrifically sad, sad case..on Christmas Eve when this boy should be opening gifts and having a good time.

I have to say I'm confused and all of the conflicting stories don't help. I'm super tired so maybe this will all make more sense after sleep. That being said, it sounds like that little boy is dead and someone is to blame. Children don't just run away on Christmas Eve. I can see a mom saying that
because they are holding on to hope. I don't know what to think about this mom now.
Someone is responsible for this poor little boy and I sure hope LE can get it together enough to arrest everyone involved.

Wrapitup wrote:First, I have to say that Mona Nelson looks like a man, nothing wrong w/that....just saying it took me by surprise.

Wrap, I completely agree! And I am also wondering about her motive. It sounds like she has been in trouble before, so it is possible that she did something to him... but why?!? It is a very sad case!

Nelson, who is a maintenance worker for several different apartment complexes in Houston, met Jonathan’s stepfather a few weeks before Christmas and was just getting to know the rest of the family, investigators said.

Davis had moved into the little cottage with Ennamorato on Dec. 14, after she and Jonathan's stepfather, David Davis, split up. She said he had gotten angry and slapped the boy.

Maybe she helped the stepfather "get rid of" Jonathon...but I read that he had passed a polygraph, I think.
Another theory: Maybe I'm misinterpreting something, but it seems that Mona may be a lesbian from the pictures upthread (with the mayor, etc.). Could she have been jealous that Angela had moved in with her "good friend" Ennamorato?

Nelson was arrested Wednesday at her apartment and had been scheduled to appear in a court hearing this morning, but officials said she had a medical issue and was not brought to the courtroom. They didn't release details of her condition.
Authorities detailed evidence against Nelson to allow a hearing officer to determine if prosecutors had enough information to have arrested her. She was ordered held without bond, which is common in capital murder cases.
Prosecutors said Nelson admitted to police that she was the driver of a silver pickup who got out of the truck and discarded Jonathan's body in the ditch in the 9902 East Hardy near Schilder.
Surveillance cameras at a business near the spot where the body was discovered had recorded her images, prosecutors said.
They also said investigators found burned carpet at Nelson's home and discovered twine that appeared to match the string that was used to bind Jonathan's hands.
She also was identified by a witness as the woman seen Friday at the Fosters' small cottage near an apartment complex on Oak.
Investigator believe Nelson took Jonathan to her home off U.S. 59 and Laura Koppe, where she likely killed him and burned his body, said HPD homicide investigator Mike Miller.
However, they have yet to determine a possible motive for the slaying.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thank God for those surveillance cameras!

You can watch the video of the probable cause hearing at:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I noticed that in the video of the hearing, the DA stated that the mom received a phone call from Nelson that day in which she made "threatening" comments about her son...WHY DIDN'T SHE CALL THE POLICE!!!

The news reports are widely varying on the factoids surrounding the 12-year-old boy, Jonathan Foster, who first went missing on Christmas Eve. The Medical Examiner’s office has confirmed the severely burned body found Tuesday morning partially stuffed in a drainage culvert to be that of the missing boy. 44-year-old Mona Yvette Nelson, whose relationship with Jonathan’s family is still totally confused by varying reports, was arrested and charged with capital murder.

A break came after Jonathan’s body was found when Houston police investigators were able to review surveillance video from a nearby business. The video is reported to have clearly showed Nelson’s pickup at the culvert. Police have stated that once they were able to get a search warrant for Nelson’s home they found “an incredible” amount of evidence linking in Nelson’s home linking her to the murder of Jonathan. Since the area where Jonathan’s body was found did not show any signs of a fire taking place, Nelson’s home could be where the desecration of Jonathan’s corpse took place. It is also reported that “evidence on Jonathan’s body” links Nelson to the murder.

As stated earlier, due to varying reports from different media outlets, it is still unclear what connection Nelson has with either Jonathan’s mother or father. Some reports state she became an acquaintance with Jonathan’s stepfather just a couple of weeks prior, which would be around the same time as the falling out between the stepfather and mother which led to Jonathan and his mother moving out. It has now been revealed that Jonathan and his mother had moved in with a woman (some sources describe as Jonathan’s babysitter) by the name of Ennamorato. Some sources state that Nelson is actually an acquaintance of Ennamorato and neither Jonathan’s mother or stepfather. These sources also report that Angela, Jonathan’s mother, claims she had only been around Nelson a few times in the past couple of weeks (since moving in with Ennamorato).

The details of the call on Christmas Eve have now changed as well. One source is stating that when the phone call was made to Angela’s workplace Jonathan was on the phone and he was wanting Ennamorato’s number (since the call would be made form Ennamorato’s apartment, it would be assumed that he was asking for her cell phone number). According to this source Ennamorato normally babysat Jonathan but on Christmas Eve both Angela and Ennamorato had to work, so the boy was left alone for a few hours until Angela was supposed to get off work between 1 and 2 pm.

The change in the story states Jonathan placed the call asking for Ennamorato’s number and the supervisor at Angela’s work told him they would have his mother call back. Before Angela was able to call back, a second call came into the workplace, this time with the “raspy-voiced woman” who told the supervisor to tell Angela it was an emergency. Angela went to the phone but the line was dead. She then left work and is reported to have “attempted the apartment several times” as she drove home. The phone was finally answered but hung up shortly afterward. When Angela arrived home the boy was gone, along with the cordless phone.

There are some things in this story that are still very hinky to me. Of course, there are lots of contradictory stories coming out at this point, so even what has been reported to date should be taken with caution since the entire originally story has changed by a significant degree, but issues with the phone calls and the timing are still very problematic to this story…maybe even more so now. First, we don’t know the motive (and possibly even the HPD don’t know either at this point) and what would lead to Nelson kidnapping, murdering and burning the corpse of Jonathan Foster. So that question stands unanswered. In adidtion, my questions are:

■Initial reports stated the stepfather told police he checked on Jonathan at 1:45 pm and Jonathan was okay, playing video games. These same reports state that the initial phone to Angela’s workplace call came about 15 minutes later. If these particular details have not changed (and phone records verify them) then kind of make sense to me. If Angela had hoped to get off around 1 pm and was still there at 1:45, I can see her calling the stepfather and asking him to check on Jonathan since she was having to work a bit longer.
■However, the new story has Angela arriving at the apartment at 2 pm. So there is no way that a combination of the visit from the stepfather to the apartment at 1:45 pm, the initial phone call to Angela’s workplace “15 minutes later”, and Angela arriving home “around 2 pm” can work out. Some thing is off somewhere in this timeline.
■The most hinky part of the originally story has now changed – that being that Angela called the apartment and spoke to the “woman” who hung up on her, but did not call the police before heading home. The story now has Angela repeatedly trying the apartment as she drove toward it and eventually getting one call answered just before she arrived at the apartment at 2 pm. With the change in the story, and Angela not being the person to speak to the woman on the phone, she could have assumed it was Ennamorato who had called her work. However, the entire story of the stepfather checking on Jonathan at 1:45 pm now does not work when placed with the rest of the times given in the latest story of when the phone calls and Angela’s arrival at home took place.
Until reports firm up exactly who Mona Nelson is connected with in Jonathan’s life, we’re left with shifting sands in this story as to possible other involvement or potential motive. However, if one particular report is valid we can make an assumption about the character of Mona Nelson. One report states that she dropped by Angela and Ennamorato’s apartment on Christmas Eve night and while there told Angela that she had stopped by the apartment that morning looking for Ennamorato. She stated that Jonathan answered the door wearing no shirt and that she [Nelson] felt there was someone in the apartment with him. If the story of Nelson coming by and giving this story is true, this points to a very evil, sadistic person who enjoys being close to their own crime scene and manipulating the situation and people affected by that crime after the fact.

Rest in Peace, Jonathan. The Houston Police Department will continue to work to bring justice for you.
source
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"She stated that Jonathan answered the door wearing no shirt and that she [Nelson] felt there was someone in the apartment with him. If the story of Nelson coming by and giving this story is true, this points to a very evil, sadistic person who enjoys being close to their own crime scene and manipulating the situation and people affected by that crime after the fact."
From the article above Im not sure what Val is alluding
to in this paragraph - any thoughts?