Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced murder charges for D’Andre Louis Lane, the father of missing 2-year-old Bianca Jones, Wednesday in the Detroit toddler’s disappearance case.
Worthy announced her decision to charge Lane Wednesday with first-degree felony murder and first-degree child abuse several months after Bianca was last seen in December even though her body was never recovered.
“The human body is sometimes the best piece of evidence we have,” said Worthy, who noted even though investigators haven’t found Bianca, she feels the case against Lane is a strong one.
Worthy also said Bianca was subjected to child abuse on the day Bianca went missing.
Lane will be arraigned in 36th District Court at 1 p.m. Thursday. He has been in Oakland County’s jail since Monday, according to jail officials. Lane is being held on a violation of a personal protection order unrelated to his daughter’s disappearance. He’ll be transferred to Detroit custody later Wednesday, Worthy said.
Bianca was reported missing around 10 a.m. Dec. 2, when Lane told police that carjackers forced him out of his 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis at gunpoint at Brush and Carter streets, just north of East Grand Boulevard, before driving off with his daughter in the backseat. The car was recovered a few minutes after police responded to the call, but Bianca was gone.
Investigators searching for Bianca had requested a criminal warrant in December. Detroit police asked prosecutors to charge someone in connection with the disappearance, but details of the request weren’t made public then.
A police source told The Detroit News earlier that cadaver dogs searched Lane’s home and evidence was discovered. Police have said they don’t trust Lane’s story, but the father has said he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Police have vowed to continue searching for Bianca and would call on citizen volunteers if needed.
Bianca’s mother, Banika Jones, said Wednesday she’s holding out hope that her daughter is still alive. The flyer that was distributed when Bianca first went missing still hangs in the front window of Banika Jones’ house on Custer Street.
“I’m still looking for my daughter,” she said. “I believe she’s alive, and we won’t stop looking until we either find her, or someone tells me different. She’s still out there.”
Lane’s jailing occurs as a former wife, Rakiba Lanise Mitchell of Farmington Hills, said she fears “now more than ever” for the safety of a son from their brief relationship that ended in 2010.
Last March, the personal protection order was obtained against Lane by Mitchell, who divorced Lane in 2010. In December, Lane was ordered to attend an anger management class by Oakland Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews.
Lane was back in court on Monday for failing to meet the court’s order and sentenced to 14 days in the Oakland County Jail.
Mitchell and Lane were married about 18 months, and she filed for divorce in June 2010. They had a son, now 3 years old. She initially sought a personal protection order against him, saying he had shown up unannounced at her home demanding to see the boy.
Mitchell said Lane sent her repeated “threatening” emails and made unwanted telephone calls to her and relatives, according to Oakland Circuit Court records.
Last December, she said when Detroit police showed up to talk to her about a missing child, “I feared that Mr. Lane had followed me and abducted my child,” she wrote in court filings. She learned her son was fine and that the investigation concerned Bianca Jones.
In an Oakland Circuit filing on Tuesday, Mitchell sought an extension of her PPO against Lane because of various concerns about Lane’s behavior and unwanted media attention she has drawn, “including the Nancy Grace show” who showed up at her residence and at her parents’ address “with cameras rolling.”
“I never made any statements nor do I wish to be involved with the Bianca Jones case; however I fear now more than ever for my son’s safety. Mr. Lane was not able to complete the anger management class that was ordered by Judge Matthews.
“As a result of not completing anger management she sentenced him to 14 days in the Oakland County Jail. To date Mr. Lane has violated the PPO twice, he has had two bench warrants, has been arrested twice, failed to complete anger management and has been involved in a high profile case involving a missing child…” she wrote.