Stepha Henry, 22: Police Believe Missing Woman Was Murdered In 2007
Although investigators believe they’ve pieced together what happened to Stepha Henry, the 22-year-old remains missing. On May 24, 2007, Stepha, who lived in Brooklyn, flew to Miami, Florida, to celebrate her sister Shola’s birthday. During the visit, the two reportedly stayed with their aunt. For Stepha, the trip was supposed to end on May 29, when she was scheduled to fly back home. Not giving herself time to recover, Stepha was also scheduled to work the following day. However, she disappeared, and police say suspect Kendrick Lincoln Williams took her life.
The Circumstances Involving The Case
Stepha Henry was described as a responsible young woman who worked in the enrollment office of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She graduated from there the year prior and looked forward to a successful career. So, when tracing her final steps, police weren’t convinced she left of her own accord.
“She was full of hope and promise,” Jeremy Travis, the university’s president, said. “We mourn the fact that she was unable to fulfill her dreams.”
Reports state Stepha was last seen at 1:00 a.m. leaving her aunt’s home on May 29, the day she was supposed to fly back to New York. Stepha planned on going to Club Peppers, a nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, with Kendrick Lincoln Williams. He picked Stepha up from her aunt’s house in his Acura Integra, and the pair drove away. No one has seen or heard from Stepha Henry since. However, Williams would tell police that they made it to Club Peppers but lost one another in the crowd. Williams claimed he didn’t wait on Stepha and left her there before traveling home alone.
“It was not a date,” Stepha’s mother, Sylvia Henry, told reporters in 2008. “He is just a family friend, an acquaintance of hers.” Because she took so many trips to Miami to visit family, Stepha met people her age whom she would spend time with; some acquaintances, and others friends. Williams was someone Stepha knew casually, so he wasn’t a stranger.
DNA Tests Refute Williams’s Claims
The investigation wouldn’t confirm Williams’s version of events. Police looked into Stepha’s cell phone and learned someone checked her voicemail at 4:13 a.m. near the nightclub. However, the phone was turned off and couldn’t be traced.
It was later speculated that Williams lived in his vehicle, but not long after Stepha went missing, he sold his Acura. However, police located the car in September 2007 and had it impounded. Upon a closer look, they came across a gruesome scene in the front passenger seat and floor. A significant blood stain, as well as bleach, was in the floorboard. There was enough evidence to be tested, and it matched the DNA of Stepha Henry.
“No one could have survived losing that amount of blood,” said Jim Loftus, assistant director of investigative services for the Miami-Dade police.
In January 2008, Williams was arrested in Brooklyn after police found him sleeping in his vehicle. Williams was charged with second-degree murder. Updates regarding this case have been scarce, but according to reports, he continues to await trial.
Stepha Henry: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Stepha Henry stood 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 110 pounds. She had red/auburn hair and brown eyes. Stepha has a tattoo on her back.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Miami-Dade Police Department – Homicide Bureau at (305) 471-2400 or their local authorities. The agency case number is PD070529284933.
Please share this story about Stepha Henry to help bring her home. She is our sister, and her life matters.
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