Family of Lachelle Jordan urges public for help after she goes missing before rape trial testimony
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on May 11, 2023
(CLEVELAND) — The family of Lachelle Jordan, a Cleveland woman who has been missing since Saturday, urged the public to help in the search for the EMT worker, who shared that she was being stalked before her disappearance.
“We’re here to talk about the love of a family for a daughter who is missing,” Lachelle Jordan’s father, Joseph Jordan, told reporters during a press conference on Thursday afternoon outside the Cleveland 5th District police station.
Joseph Jordan said that family, friends, co-workers and Lachelle Jordan’s two children — a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old — want her home and issued an emotional plea for anyone with information about his daughter’s whereabouts to come forward.
“Somebody knows what happened, and I need that somebody — whoever you are, wherever you are — I need you to reach out to law enforcement. Reach out to the media. Contact them. You can remain anonymous,” he said.
“Lachelle Jordan is a somebody. She is an EMT,” he added.
“She is a somebody. There is no way that I am going to rest and let Lachelle become a nobody.”
Lachelle Jordan’s brother William Jordan told reporters that Lachelle’s EMT coworkers canvased for hours today and have continued to help her family in the search efforts.
A spokesperson for the Cleveland Police Department told ABC News on Thursday that “officers have conducted multiple canvasses, searched and have gone door to door.”
Joseph Jordan told ABC News in a phone interview on Thursday that before she went missing, his daughter shared with her family and with coworkers that she was being stalked by Michael Stennett and was set to testify against him this week.
According to Cuyahoga County court records, Stennett was charged with two counts of rape and one count of abduction on May 9, 2022. He entered a not guilty plea and was released on $10,000 bond on May 23, 2022.
According to ABC News Cleveland affiliate WEWS, prior to going missing, Jordan was planning to attend Stennett’s pre-trial hearing on Monday.
Lachelle shared with her family that Stennett started stalking her as they were preparing for the hearings related to his rape and abduction case, Joseph Jordan said.
“She filed a restraining order and [Stennett] continued to violate that restraining order, appearing at both [her] home and work,” Joseph Jordan said.
According to a Cleveland Municipal Court case summary, Stennett was charged with one felony count of menacing by stalking and one felony count of violating a protection order, days before Lachelle Jordan’s disappearance. He appeared in court on May 8.
ABC News reached out to Stennett’s attorney Daniel Misiewicz for comment.
Cleveland police said earlier this week that there isn’t any evidence connecting Stennett to Jordan’s disappearance, according to Cleveland 19 News.
Asked if police have any updates in the investigation, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Police Department told ABC News on Thursday afternoon, “There are no updates at this time.”
Court records reviewed by ABC News show that Stennett is in custody and is being held on a $100,000 bond. His next hearing is set for May 18.
The Cleveland Police Department asked the public to help in the search for Jordan, who was last seen on Saturday and may be in danger.
Authorities said that 30-year-old Lachelle Jordan has been missing since May 6 and was last seen near Fairport Avenue in Cleveland.
Authorities said that at the time of her disappearance, Jordan was last seen wearing “a blue and white East Cleveland Fire Department sweatshirt with ECFD on the back and the Fire logo on the front, green and white tie dye pants and rainbow-colored Croc shoes.”
Joseph Jordan said that he last spoke with his daughter on Friday evening and her twin sister, Rachelle Jordan, was the last person in the family to see Lachelle.
“Her twin sister was home with her on Saturday evening and she was the last one to hear from her because she said she was going out to get something,” Joseph Jordan said. “… and her sister didn’t think nothing of it until she didn’t come back to the house.”
He said that Rachelle Jordan filed a missing person’s report on Sunday.
Mark Barrett, president of the Cleveland EMS Union, told ABC News on Wednesday that Jordan was a new employee and had filed reports with her job that she was being stalked.
Jordan was removed from the truck where she worked and brought to headquarters due to safety concerns for her and her coworkers, Barrett said.
According to an arrest warrant for Stennett obtained by WEWS, Jordan noticed that Stennett followed her multiple times while she was in her personal vehicle when she was working, as well as waiting outside her home.
The arrest warrant stated that, two days before she went missing, Jordan allegedly noticed Stennett sitting outside her home, according to WEWS.
Crimestoppers is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who has information on Jordan’s location. People can leave an anonymous tip by calling 216-252-7463.
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