Tangena )
Hamtramck -- Tangena Hussain's birthday came and went last month, but there was no celebration at her family's Hamtramck flat -- only a gnawing emptiness and long-unanswered questions.
Tangena, who turned 3 on April 10, has been missing since Oct. 2, and after six months, the original Amber Alert remains in effect because police have no clues to her whereabouts.
"I talked to Tangena's mom recently; she's not doing too good," said her attorney, Shawn Patrick Smith.
"She's feeling more hopeless than she ever has, but as long as there's no bad news, there's always the possibility of good news. That's the only thing that's keeping her going."
Police say there have been no breaks in the case.
"The investigation is still open, but we haven't gotten any new leads," Detroit Police spokeswoman Eren Stephens Bell said.
The FBI has offered a $20,000 reward for information about the girl's whereabouts. But so far, no clues have emerged.
The case has taken several odd twists since Tangena disappeared. Jamrul Hussain, the boyfriend of Tangena's mother, Nilufa Begum, was the last person seen with the toddler.
Hussain, who is not related to the girl, although they share the same surname, told police she disappeared when he stopped at a Detroit gas station to buy a pack of gum while on his way to pick up Begum from her job at a Northland Mall clothing store.
Hussain was arrested after a 15-year-old girl called police when she saw him on a television news report about Tangena's disappearance. The girl told investigators that Hussain had kidnapped her eight months earlier and took her to the Hamtramck home of Mamunur Rahman Khan and his wife, Hena Begum (no relation to Tangena's mother), where the teen said she was imprisoned in the basement for a week and repeatedly raped by Hussain.
Detectives say the girl told police in February that she'd ran away with Hussain, after her father reported her missing.
But the teen later admitted she lied because Hussain had threatened to kill her family, police said.
Justin Wainwright
Plymouth police sent out an Amber Alert March 17 for Justin Wainwright, 15, who was believed to have driven off with friend and co-worker Joshua Zohr, 18. The two had been missing since the previous morning, with Zohr's car spotted in Ohio during a routine check by police before the alert was issued. Police say writings found at Zohr's home suggested Wainwright might be in imminent danger. The alert claimed Wainwright was in a possible "homicide-suicide" situation, but a note left by Wainwright claimed he "needed a vacation." The alert was issued to varying degrees in Ohio, South Carolina and Florida, with the two returning to Michigan after learning of the alert. Police say they are still investigating the case and are unsure if any charges will be filed.
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