Major Harris still missing, Amber Alert vehicle found
MILWAUKEE - Police located the vehicle of interest in the Amber Alert for 3-year-old Major Harris in Milwaukee on Monday, Oct. 18. A vehicle matching the description of the vehicle being sought by police in this case was seen parked outside of a laundromat near Sherman and Villard. The SUV was towed away – and the child is still missing.
The discovery of the vehicle buoyed optimism and galvanized a resolve to find the boy. This, as Major's father arrived in Milwaukee from the East Coast to join the search for his son.
Milwaukee police actively canvassed the area Monday as part of the ongoing and active multi-jurisdictional search to locate Major, officials said.
Police presence near Sherman and Villard, Milwaukee
Meanwhile, neighbors near Sherman and Villard banded together on Monday afternoon. They prayed for the safe return of Major.
Major's mom killed
Major is the son of a homicide victim who was found dead near 37th and Clarke Street Thursday, Oct. 14. The Milwaukee Police Department, as well as numerous local, state and federal agencies, have been actively searching for Major since.
Major Harris, Jaheem Clark
Person of interest found dead
Milwaukee police said on Sunday that a person of interest in the case was found dead. According to police, officers responded to a home around 4 p.m. near 31st and Custer, "that was believed to contain the homicide suspect." About 15 minutes later, police say at least two gunshots were fired, believed to have been initiated from within the house. About an hour later, officers entered the house and found the homicide suspect with "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound." He was pronounced dead – and later identified by the medical examiner as Jaheem Clark.
"It took two to three hours later – and they rammed the door went inside. It took even longer after that and then they said someone was dead inside," said Dimitri Holifield, a neighbor.
Initially, authorities said Harris may be with Clark, and said Clark was a person of interest in the homicide that happened Thursday in Milwaukee near 37th and Clarke. The body of 25-year-old Mallery Muezenberger was located there. The victim is from Onalaska – near La Crosse.
Mallery Muezenberger (photo provided by family)
The family is desperate to locate Muezenberger's son, Major. They do not know why she was in the Milwaukee area.
"Bring him back. Call the police. We need to find him," said Mary Muezenberger, stepmother of the victim.
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Police, community searches in Milwaukee
Milwaukee police sent out a team to search the area near Sherman and Villard Monday, with officers going through garbage cans and looking through bushes in the area. Community groups launched searches of their own.
About a dozen or so community members spread throughout McGovern Park Monday afternoon, searching in ditches and ducking down walking trails in the 60-acre park near Sherman and Custer.
"We’re hoping to find something," said Vaun Mayes, ComForce MKE. "People are very emotional about this. People are very sad. It just helps keep the spirit up to do something."
At the laundromat where the vehicle of interest was found, police officers and cadets from the academy fanned out into the neighborhood, eventually rendezvousing at McGovern Park as well, searching through dumpsters, along the lagoon and in playing fields.
Major's father arrived in Milwaukee from West Virginia, too distraught to speak on camera about his missing son.
"It just shows that even with everything going on in our city, we definitely still are trying to move forward and assist one another the best we can," said Mayes.
As the sun set, the group headed back north to Havenwoods State Forest just north of McGovern Park, taking to the trails with flashlights as darkness set in.
The connection, if any, between Muenzenberger and Clark is unclear. Family says she was traveling to Madison, and they do not know why she was in Milwaukee.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-933-4444 or to remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or P3 Tips App.