Jerice Hunter Arrested for Murder of Jhessye Shockley

Glendale, Arizona Jerice Hunter was taken into custody at about 1:30 pm today by Glendale Detectives for the murder of her 5 yr old daughter Jhessye Shockley. This comes after 11 months of investigative effort into the disappearance of Jhessye, which began with a 911 call to police from Jerice on October 11, 2011, announcing that she had returned home from an errand to find her youngest daughter missing. The Glendale Police Department, working in conjunction with the Maricopa County Attorneys Office and other law enforcement partners over the past year, moved forward today after a warrant was issued for the arrest of Jerice Hunter, based upon a Grand Jury Indictment handed down late this morning for 1st Degree Murder and Child Abuse. Hunter was taken into custody in Mesa without incident. For the past 11 months, the men and women of the Glendale Police Department and our partners from local, state and federal law enforcement worked tirelessly to accomplish two goals: to find Jhessye and to hold the person responsible for her disappearance accountable. We are confident with the indictment and arrest today, we will achieve our second goal of securing justice for Jhessye, said Glendale Chief of Police Debora Black. I commend our law enforcement partners for their refusal to give up on this case. Thanks to their diligence and hard work, we now have an opportunity to seek justice for Jhessye and uncover the truth behind her disappearance, said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.