- June 3rd marks one year since Lori Paige, a now 13-year-old Tallahassee child, was reported missing.
- ABC27 sat down with the Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell, to talk about new leads, resources to Page's case, and criticism his office has faced in the year-long search.
- Watch the video to see how Chief Revell responds and how has the department ensured that Lori's case receives appropriate attention and resources.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
June 3rd marks one year since Lori Paige, a 13-year-old Tallahassee child, was reported missing.
ABC27 sat down with the Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell, to talk about new leads, resources to Paige's case, and criticism his office has faced in the year-long search.
"We're going to find out where Lori is and we're going to bring closure to this case," Lawrence Revell, the Tallahassee Chief of Police said.
Billboards around the city, the FBI on the case, and neighbors saying her name, and still no trace of 13-year-old Lori Paige.
When asked if there were any "significant leads or developments in the case that you could share? Now that we're here at the one year?"
Revell said, "There's no specifically that I can share in the case because of the ongoing nature of it. What I can tell you is that we do have leads that we are following up on those leads."
Paige has been missing since June 2023, turning 13 on April 14th.
ABC27 asked Revell how has the department ensured that Lori's case receives appropriate attention and resources, especially given concerns about missing persons of color?
"What I can say proudly, is that we have spared no expense in Lori's case," Revell said. "And we wouldn't in any other case, either. You know, those demographics that you spoke of, can't have any bearing in how we investigate a case, especially a case of a child."
Community efforts continue to find her, with ongoing searches and digital billboards in Tallahassee.
ABC27 asked Revell to "address that critique of a lack of visibility of searching for her that some community members had of your department?"
"We're not perfect, you know, so we take every case, and at the end of that case, we critique that case, to see what it is we could have done better things that we should have done that we didn't do, or just things that we could do better," Revell said.
Revell said while they continue to do self-reflection
the conversation and attention right now should be on Page.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information on her whereabouts.
"Is there anything we missed?, Revell asked. "Is there anything that we could do, and again, I feel very confident that there's not. Especially given the outside organizations that we brought in to look at this investigation. I don't think we've missed anything. So really, at this point, it's just going to be the continued plea to our community, and maybe going back and continuing to talk to family, continuing to talk to friends."
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Tallahassee Police Department, are still actively investigating Lori's disappearance.
"It's going to take that person in the community to come forward with that piece of information that's going to bring closure to this case and bring Lori home," Revell said.
TPD said between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023: 494 juveniles (17 & Under) were reported as missing. As of 5/31/24, 3 remain open/active cases.
Between Jan 1. 2024 and June 1, 2024, 177 juveniles (17 & Under) were reported as missing. As of 6/3/24, 6 remain open/active cases. 137 were Black, 1 was Asian, 3 were Hispanic, and 36 were White.
To listen to the full interview of ABC27 and TPD Chief Revell watch here.
The conversation includes:
· Investigation Updates
· Police Actions and Strategies
· Development and Leads
· Equity and Resource Allocation
· Challenges and Obstacles
· Technological and Forensic Resources
· Outreach and Community Engagement
· Disparities and Criticisms
· Systemic Bias and Equitable Treatment
· Prioritization and Attention
· Community Trust and Collaboration
· Engagement with Community Organizations
· Review of Past Cases
· Partnerships and Collaborations
