From his home office, Private Investigator Jim Conklin pieces together the details of a disappearance from a house not unlike his own, the last place anyone saw little Everlyse Cabrera in foster care in June of 2006.
"I just don't think it's possible that a young child, just 2-years-old, would be able to walk out of that situation. I think somebody took her from that situation," he said.
Everylyse's foster parents, Manny and Vhee Carrascal, speculated to police that Everlyse used a stool to unlock the front door and wander out during the night. That day three years ago was the last time the couple, and their adult son Melvin Balane, cooperated with the investigation.
So when Conklin's initial canvas of the neighborhood revealed the house had changed hands, he contacted the new owners for permission to investigate the property. "When she disappeared, nobody saw anything or heard anything, so the thought was perhaps she had been murdered and buried in the backyard or the grounds surrounding the house. So we felt the primary thing was to search that," he said.
With assistance from the North Las Vegas Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, investigators recently surveyed the home using cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar -- tools not available during the original forensic examination of the property.
"Unfortunately, there was nothing striking that came out of it," said North Las Vegas Police Sgt. Tim Bedwell. "At this point, we really have to hope that someone involved in this disappearance has some feelings of guilt or someone that knows the person or persons that were involved in this comes forward with some information."
Bedwell hopes the passage of time may loosen some tongues as he again pleads for information about Everlyse. She would now be 5-years-old.
"It just tears at your heartstrings to know this child has been missing for three years and there is not one answer as to what happened to her," said Conklin.
Conklin continues to work the case. He hopes a fresh perspective will help finally bring her home. "I'll keep at it until we get a solution," he said.
The attorney appointed to represent Everlyse's best interests hired Conklin. He's being paid with settlement money from a Clark County insurance policy covering the Carrascals.
Anyone with information about the case, no matter how small, is encouraged to share it with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or James Conklin with ExFed Investigations at (702) 204-7654.
Contact Investigative Reporter Colleen McCarty
Everlyse Cabrera
Manny and Vhee Carrascal
Age Enhanced Picture of Everlyse Cabrera
