Prayers for Randy and Denim...
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This has my days consumed right now... My sister used to live in these apartments and this is less than 15 minutes from my house. The father sits in jail right now in connection with their disappearance. I don't know if it's hormones, the fact that little Randy is so close to Brendan's age, or the fact that it's SO CLOSE to home but my heart just aches over this. I hope that whatever happened to them at least they find their bodies so that they can be laid to a proper rest. I hope the father, if he is convicted, pays dearly. If you can't trust your parents, who can you trust?
PASADENA, TX (KTRK) -- Dozens of volunteers are searching for two Pasadena children missing since Sunday.
Randy Sylvester, Jr., 7, and his sister Denim Sylvester, 3, were last seen playing outside their home on Sunday afternoon.
About 100 volunteers arrived to take part in today's search. They broke out into small groups and moved their search eastward. A remote control plane or drone is being used to take photos of the areas that teams are searching.
While the search for the kids yielded no clues yet, searchers do not believe their efforts have been in vain.
"We are successful all the time and it's just as important to know what areas are cleared as not," said search team leader Gene Robinson. "We can definitely say that we have covered all of these areas and we are confident our target is not there. It's just as important for that to happen as it is to anything else. So we are always successful."
Crews were scouring several locations in east Harris County yesterday, including a trash transfer station.
Police say the children's father, 27-year-old Randy Sylvester, Sr. is being held on traffic violation warrants and a domestic violence charge.
The children's mother, Jerilynn St. Cyr, has not been at the command center. She is reportedly in protective custody. She hasn't been called a suspect in this case.
Eyewitness News has learned from the children's grandmother that their mother has been allegedly sending her nasty text messages and leaving some nasty voice mail messages. We'll have more on those messages in our later newscasts.
That is so sad. I hope they find them. Will keep those kids in my prayers.
Christy, they have been in my prayers, this is so horrible. I almost went out and searched today, but honestly I don't think I could handle actually finding the bodies. I do hope they are wrong about that, but it seems to be adding up to a recovery mission.
On a different note, my dd knows the son of the man who was killed last week in the boating accident. It has been such an emotional news month for us!
They are in my thoughts, please keep us posted..
They are searching a pond/lake this am. They brought the dad from prison yesterday and he showed it to them.
It's just so terribly sad, but I am really proud/amazed at his mom (the grandmother) for being the one to turn him in. Many moms in that situation would turn a blind eye.
I just went and read some of the past articles.
What is this about the mother sending nasty messages to the grandmother... Do you think it is, like, blaming her for what is going on, type messages? That confuses me a bit.. My understanding is that the grandmother is trying to help the police and that she contacted them and a special search company for help. She clearly isn't standing behind her son and I am sure the pain of knowing her son might have killed his children has her beyond grief stricken.. These poor people...  and those poor babies..
I hate it when the actions of one, are put on everyone around them... If a child fails, that doesn't always mean the parent is at fault..
I am Christy, this just makes me sick to my stomach... How people can do this. Hopefully he just hid them off somewhere, has someone watching them.. It is unlikely but it would be nice if that was the case...
It gives me horrible chills to think of it.. I can't imagine how anyone could do anything like that to their kids and I do say way to go to that grandmother but I also know that if I did something like that my mom would most definatley turn me in... if she didn't kill me first.. she is so protective of my girls..
CRAZY people!
They haven't said much else about the mother really or the messages as to what kind of messages they were/are. They have been VERY clear that they aren't considering her a suspect. Today we drove by the park they were searching and they had a dive team out there, now they've moved the search to a retention pond not far from the park, they've said that dogs smelled the dad's scent at both places.
It just sickens me, I've been in tears for the past 5 days over this and just can't understand people... It's clear that those kids had EXTREMELY rough lives, the dad has a history of in and out of jail for domestic abuse to the wife and drug charges.
Tonights report almost gave you the feeling that he will or has confessed and it's only a matter of time before these kids can be laid to rest and the law can set about it dealing with him.
Kym -- I wanted to go out and search but decided against it. This has had me so emotional I couldn't imagine what it would do if I actually found something, or had been involved in the search.
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Water is being drained from a retention pond in which rescue crews have been searching for clues about two missing Pasadena children.
Pumps were brought out in hopes that removing some of the water might help police locate the two children who have been missing since Sunday.
"We are in the process, at least the preliminary stages, of draining the pond, at least in part," said Captain Bud Corbett with the Pasadena Police Department. "That will give us a better sense of what's on the bottom."
Captain Corbett told the media late Friday afternoon that the bottom of the retention pond is making it difficult for the sonar to detect anything, so they're hoping by removing some or all of the water, they'll better to able to search for any clues about where Randy Sylvester, Jr., 7, and his sister, Denim, 3, might be.
It's been five days now since the children have been seen alive. But that hasn't stopped volunteers from holding out hope. And it hasn't stopped police from doing all they can to find them, even bringing their father out to the search area.
Earlier in the day, bound in handcuffs and clothed in bright orange, the father suspected of in the disappearance of those two children walked with investigators through an area where volunteers searched Friday.
Randy Sylvester, Sr., first showed up around 3pm Friday. Police say he is now the only suspect in the cae. Walking in shackled and wearing an orange Harris County jail jumpsuit, he was walked along the water's edge. By Sylvester's side was community activist Quanell X.
He was brought there in hopes he would lead police to evidence that could help police find his missing two children.
Friday's search focused on the retention pond. A Houston police dive team boat unloaded special sonar equipment into the muddy water.
Besides comments reportedly made by Sylvester earlier this week that led them to believe the children were dead, specially trained police tracking dogs hit on Sylvester's scent Thursday at the lake at Crenshaw Park as well as that nearby retention pond.
All week, hundreds of people volunteered to help find the children, searching the nearby area. Hopes were high that the children would be found Friday. But those hopes were dashed for the volunteers and police as no evidence was found.
Shortly before 5pm Friday, Sylvester was put back in a deputy's car and taken away. Earlier on Friday, Sylvester appeared in court for a probable cause hearing. He is being held without bail on charges of assaulting a family member, his wife Jerilynn St. Cyr, Monday night.
It just seems odd that he can't take them to where the bodies are. They had him out there, I mean, what was he high or something when he did it and his memory is clouded. You would figure you would remember exactly where you dumped the bodies of your babies...
And I would turn in anyone of my children if I suspected they were involved with something like this, or something illegal in general. I am pretty clear with them on what I will and will not tolerate and violating the law is something that I will not.
Despite the way "Mr Sylvester" (Mr used lightly) has turned out, I say his mom has done the right thing and I hope that others recognize this was not her fault. Sometimes people will "witch hunt" family members of people that do things like this.
I know we had a man here in town that raped an 12 year old girl. They put out and APB on him and his mother and father tracked him down for the police and helped them arrest him. Still, some red necks decided to retaliate against the guys family members anyway. The family members are good people and they were distraught over what he had done.. But the people that trashed their yard and car apparently couldn't see that they were not involved in that child being injured..
I hope they find the babies today... Five days... Gosh!!!
they found their bodies....
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5847134.html
The bodies of two missing Pasadena children have been recovered, Pasadena police said this morning, ending a nearly weeklong search for the siblings.
Authorities have not revealed the site where searchers found Randy Sylvester Jr., 7, and his 3-year-old sister, Denim Sylvester. However, investigators this morning are at a site in southeast Houston, several miles from the home where the siblings were last seen on Father's Day.
Authorities from the Houston Police Department, the Pasadena Police Department and the Houston Fire Department are at a site near Galveston Road and Allendale, behind an embankment near railroad tracks.
Before the search led to Houston, authorities were in the process of draining a retention pond near Preston and Beltway 8 in Pasadena.
Using sonar, divers and dogs, police on Friday searched in and around the pond and another nearby pond for the siblings. Their father, Randy Sylvester Sr., has been named the sole suspect in the disappearance but has not been charged.
Officials on Friday decided to disband the search at the other pond, at Crenshaw Park, said Pasadena Police Capt. Bud Corbett. Instead, the search was scheduled to focus on the retention pond, where search efforts were difficult Friday because the bottom is uneven and the water is murky, Corbett said. Portions of Preston will be closed to traffic as the pond is drained.
Authorities had refocused their attention on the pond because a search dog that had gotten a sample scent from Sylvester at the Harris County Jail alerted to the same scent when he was taken to the pond, Corbett said.
Also, Corbett said a witness reported seeing a man wearing a red shirt who matched Sylvester's description at the pond earlier this week. Corbett said Sylvester has been seen wearing a red shirt.
Authorities had been at the pond before. Divers were sent in after authorities thought they had a lead based on an image taken from a drone that flew over the water. The image turned out to be a tire.
For about an hour late Friday afternoon, the 27-year-old Sylvester, shackled and dressed in an orange Harris County Jail jumpsuit, went to the pond, accompanied by community activist Quanell X. The two walked for about 20 minutes near the water. They spent the rest of the time in a vehicle.
The two also spoke on Thursday, and the search was directed to Crenshaw Park, based on comments Sylvester made, Corbett said. Friday morning, dozens of spectators came to the park to try to watch the search, some climbing trees to find good vantage points.
At one point Friday morning, the sonar equipment noted what appeared to be a box in the Crenshaw Park pond, Corbett said, but divers found that it was an old piece of lumber.
Law enforcement and volunteer search teams have been looking for the siblings since they disappeared from the Sandridge Apartment Homes, 4025 Burke. Both Sylvester and the children's mother — his wife — live in the complex, but in different units.
He became the sole suspect after reportedly making a comment to his wife, Jerilynn St. Cyr, suggesting that the children were dead. Sylvester is being held on a felony assault charge, accused of attacking St. Cyr on Monday night.
Friday night, St. Cyr joined about 300 others, including her father, at South Belt Church of Christ for a prayer and candlelight vigil for her children.
She thanked the attendees for their search efforts, her speech interrupted by sobs.
"Please continue searching for my children," St. Cyr said. "I'm not giving up, yet."
Norman Poole, a search volunteer, was among the crowd.
"I just want to bring these kids home safely," said Poole. "Bring them home, period. For their family, for closure."
Chronicle reporter Jemimah Noonoo contributed.
dale.lezon@chron.com
He is some kind of sick. I just don't get it. How can you hurt your babies? I think he intentionally led them to the wrong place, if bodies aren't recovered it is a much more difficult trial.
They were found in the same place Laura Smithers was found 10 years ago. I guess because Houston is so big, we have more than our share of crazies. There have just been so many children hurt here. It is so very sad.
There bodies were badly burned, it just disgusts me. How can you hurt a child, much less your own? I just don't understand??
He is an animal of the worst kind, I hope they throw him in jail and throw away the key and ultimately he is given the death penalty. Think of all the money spent on these searches while he led them on a wild goose chase, and that poor mother and grandmother.
I'm just sick over this....
Charred remains of missing Pasadena kids found
03:17 AM CDT on Saturday, June 21, 2008
By Jeff McShan, Rucks Russell and Jeremy Desel / 11 News
PASADENA, Texas -- Pasadena police believe they have found the bodies of two children who have been missing since Sunday. The pair was found in a wooded area off Old Galveston Road near Allendale in southeast Houston just before midnight Friday.
A source close to the investigation told 11 News reporter Jeff McShan that the bodies of the two children had been burned. Randy Sylvester Jr., 7, and his 3-year-old sister Denim had been missing since Sunday.
Police suspect that the kids’ father, Randy Sylvester Sr. is responsible for their deaths as well as dumping their bodies near a railroad overpass that crosses over Old Galveston Road.
Just hours before the gruesome discovery, police had begun draining a retention pond near the apartment complex the children lived. The location where the bodies were found is about 7 miles to the north of the pond.
Community activist Quanell X, who had been talking to Sylvester for the past two days, was able to get the father to finally lead authorities the the wooded area that sits a few yards away from a set of railroad tracks. As police and FBI investigators collected evidence in the wooded area, Quanell X could be scene talking to Sylvester in the dark of the night.
Before that, Sylvester kept pointing authorities to the pond.
In a morbid case of déjà vu, that retention pond is the same pond where the body of a murdered teen was found more than a decade ago. Three large pumps were brought in to start moving water out of the pond located near Beltway 8 and Preston Road.
Video: Jeremy Desel's 11 News report on the search and vigil.
View larger player
>More video:
• Rucks Russell's 11 News report
• Raw video of Friday's search
More KHOU.com Video
It is unclear why Sylvester finally gave up the location in the woods.
Divers also searched a pond located in Crenshaw Park, but police decided to instead focus their attention on the retention pond near the Beltway on account of “inferences” by the kids’ father and other evidence that the kids' bodies were dumped there.
Police also grudgingly admitted Friday that their efforts to find Randy and Denim were considered a recovery effort.
It was 11 years ago this past April that Laura Kate Smither's body was found in that same pond that police had focused on prior to the bodies being found in the other location. Smither's disappearance changed how missing children cases are handled in Texas.
While not charged in the children's disappearance, Sylvester is in police custody on outstanding traffic ticket warrants and a drug offense probation violation.
Earlier in the night Friday, the local community rallied in support of the search effort and for the kids' mom Jerrilyn St. Cyr. In a church not far from where the kids were last seen, the St. Cyr found that her tears are shared by young and old alike.
“I know those kids and they are so sweet,” said family friend Natalie Davidson. “Just knowing that they might not come back… I don’t understand. I just want to understand.”
The kids’ mother doesn’t understand either. But she was also not giving up.
“I’m not giving up hope and please nobody else give up,” St. Cyr told the crowd at the vigil. “Please, just keep praying for my children and for them to return.”
Police weren't giving up either.
"We are just going to do it as long as we can,” said Corbett. “There are occasions when you have to realize when to let go. But we are not at that point yet
at least Quanell was helpful this time. usually he is screaming racism.
Annie, my husband I were just commenting that very thing. I think this is the first positive thing that has ever come out of a quanell x involvement.
Annie, where are you located? Are you in the area also? Christy and I don't live too far from one another.
i have never seen him do anything but muckrake.
i am on the westside of town in the Memorial area suffering through the I10 expansion. LOL
ah..fun fun. I have a good friend in the heights, I go see her often, but I try hard to stay off of i10!
That "man" should never see his court date.. Life in prison with his children's pictures as full wall murals looking at him every day, might be a good punishment. But I doubt he is overly concerned with their death, to burn their bodies, and lead the police on a wild goose chase. He needs to fry...
I heard about this on my local news tonight. It's so sad.
I have been just so torn up over this today... This evening I was thinking about the parents of the children who live in those apartments and the kids that little Randy was friends with at school, how do you explain something like to your child? How do you explain that "no he can't come play anymore, his father killed him". I just can't fathom, I've been following this closesly and even took a drive to where they were searching but I've made sure Brendan didn't know anything of it. It's something I don't understand how would you explain that to a 7 year old???
People in prison don't like "baby killers" if he lasts long in there I'm sure his life won't be a fun one. Not that I think he deserves a life.
I don't think I would tell my young child that the boy was killed by his dad. I think you would keep it very simple and age appropriate.
I wouldn't either but I was thinking of the kids at the complex, the news have been EVERYWHERE, helicopters, dogs going in and out of apartments, police officers everywhere there's going to be questions...
Did you happen to go the service? I have friends who were there, but I didn't go. We were driving by though and my older son asked what was going on (obvious traffic), he is almost 13. I said it was a funeral, he asked who for (we know a lot of people from this church), I said for a couple of children that had died that he didn't know. He just flat out asked how they died. So I did tell him, just that it is suspected that their father killed them. The father is claiming that it was his drug dealer and the father obviously is one very sick man. His response was, oh yeah I heard about that on the news. He doesn't watch the news, he just caught it in passing at mr gattis. So I guess I made the right choice, but sometimes you just have to tell them the world can be a horrible place.
No, I didn't go to the service but did go put flowers and balloons out at the site of where they were found.
I think you did the right thing in telling him, at 13 they understand more than we give them credit for I think. Brendan saw the signs hanging on our walmart door and asked why those kids got to be on the door. I told him they were missing (at the time they were) but nothing more.
I've still been following the stories on ABC and that man is one sick sick man.
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