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Niagara Falls cops say suspect in disappearance case will not cooperate
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
City police confirmed Thursday that the body found in the trunk of a North Side man’s car in Niagara Falls, N.Y., is that of Anvia Mickens.
Mickens’ boyfriend, Jeshawn Elliott, 37, of Outlook Avenue, is in custody in Niagara Falls on a charge of assault on a police officer after police looking for him there said he pulled a knife when they tried to take him into custody.
Police in Niagara Falls called the chain of events that led to his arrest “bizarre.” Police there received calls from Elliott’s brother and Youngstown police that Elliot had said he stabbed Mickens and had driven to Niagara Falls – and that she was with him.
Elliott was arrested by police there about 6 p.m. Wednesday. Police checked Elliott’s car before they found him, and they found a woman’s body with several stab wounds in the trunk.
Although Mickens’ identity was confirmed, the Niagara County Coroner’s Office had yet to rule on a cause of death.
E. Brian DalPorto, superintendent of police in Niagara Falls, said in the news conference that was live-streamed over the internet that Elliott borrowed a cellphone from someone after he reached Niagara Falls, then called his brother and told him what he had done.
Elliott then rented a bicycle before he was found by police.
When he pulled a knife on officers, one of them used an electronic stun weapon on him before he was taken into custody.
“The actions of the suspect when he walked away from his car were bizarre,” DalPorto said.
What is not known yet is the future status of Elliott. Police in both Youngstown and Niagara Falls are treating the case as if Mickens was killed in their jurisdictions, DalPorto said. As for now, however, Elliott can be held in Niagara Falls on the assault charge, and that should allow investigators to figure out what happened with no danger of Elliott being freed, DalPorto said.
“We don’t know if some crime was committed in Youngstown for sure,” DalPorto said. “All we know is we have a dead woman with stab wounds in Niagara Falls.”
DalPorto said there was no indication that Elliott stopped somewhere on his way to Niagara Falls. Youngstown police Detective Sgt. Michael Lambert said he learned from cellphone data that Elliott’s phone was in northwest Pennsylvania at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Elliott asked for an attorney when he was arrested, and because of that, police have not been able to question him, DalPorto said.
Youngstown police Lt. Doug Bobovnyik said because Elliott asked for an attorney, detectives here cannot go up and talk to him unless he changes his mind and agrees to answer questions.
Lambert also said Elliott’s neighbors reported seeing him at his home about 9 a.m. Wednesday and Mickens also went to work Wednesday. Her car was found Wednesday evening in a 25 Market St. parking lot.
City police initially went to Elliott’s home about 12:45 p.m. after they received calls from both Mickens’ mother and Elliott’s brother that Elliott had possibly harmed Mickens. When police arrived, the house was locked up, so they called firefighters to help open the house.
Police checked the house and then had firefighters wrench apart the garage door to check inside there. Officers then left, but left one cruiser to wait for detectives to check the house while police put out an alert for Elliott. They also called Niagara Falls to tell them Elliott may be there.
Niagara Falls police Detective Lt. John Conti said he has been in constant contact with Youngstown detectives and his investigators worked the case until at least 2 a.m. Thursday.
“As this investigation continues, there are new questions coming up from their end as well as from our end,” Conti said.