Broken promise after broken promise. popupTrigger.click(function(){ Small forms of validation for vague memories from 15 years ago. We started driving and we drove right past my mom and she was on her bike. By what name was Still Here (2020) officially released in Japan in Japanese? I left the little amount of money I had with this girl for my son, and I drove my car until I ran out of gas. Monique: My mom, she was abused by my grandma. Amory: This story, awful as it is, is incomplete. "She told me she don't have a kid. They keep the same name and move around a lot. A 14-year-old girl who was reported missing in 2021 has been found pregnant in the closet of a Michigan home. window.addEventListener('resize', function(){ The customers really liked her, Topka said. And she's like, "Do you even know who this guy is? McCrae is given a few scenes where he convincingly expresses anguish as the father of a missing child whom the police dont seem to care about, while Wentworth doesnt seem to have a lot emotionally invested in his drab role as Christian. She had been working at the hotel under the alias Monique Watson. elementType: "script", One thing led to the other, and it spiraled out of control. Monique and her mom went back to California for the funeral. I do attend community college out here and I do a lot of odd jobs just to provide for myself. WTF??!? She became part of a family. The actors made me see into their pain. Monique: I was born in Oxnard, California. And hes out now. "She is a sweet person. I think I started last year getting into Reddit. Robot). "Not a penny. She was like, "None of that, nothing happened. jQuery(wrapper).find('a').removeAttr('href'); But police were developing a different theory. Doing the odd jobs she needs to do to stay on her own feet because the traditional safety net, family isnt really there. Click a location below to find Monique more easily. "I knew that if I talked to my parents, they'd convince me to go back home, and I was still afraid.". Other parts have come back in bits and pieces over the years. Out of options, Michael teams up with Christian Baker, the journalist assigned to Moniques story. Amory: One: it will help a lot if someone else can corroborate her story. resize77260663fffe99d76c9(wrapper); Monique Watson is an actress, known for Becky G: Bella Ciao (2021) and The Oscars (2022). Heads up that some elements (i.e. I didn't have a concept of what that was. Her attorney did not return repeated calls for comment. Do you know what happened to you?" She told me, "Yes, this could have been really dangerous, your mom owed him money. Her family believed she'd been abducted. It was about 5.30pm when Paul's whistles got the attention of rescuers in a BP Surf . 17 people named Latasha Watson found in Houston, Aubrey and 19 other cities. Let's Partner Together To Build The Life And Career You Deserve! music, sound effects, tone) are harder to translate to text. I couldn't shower. That's not fair. That fear seemed real seven days later, when authorities found Michelle's car abandoned on the side of the interstate near the Volvo truck plant in Maryland. Tho cops are a bit overblown but all of the evets portrayed ring true. We need more stories around resilience and family like this one. Hes been in jail for a separate, more recent crime. And he just got off with child endangerment, a misdemeanor. Amory: Moniques friends on the other hand, have wanted to talk about it. Michelle still talks to Topka through letters, and Mumuni said he has contact with the McMullen family -- her real family. It was a failed suicide attempt. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday . Or maybe her mom wanted to get them both away from this guy, who abducted her. In November 2008, the TV show "America's Most Wanted" posted a blurb about her on its website, but no leads came from that, either. It was her own private jail cell. var readyStateOverflowInterval; }); Christian walks around a cluster of housing projects, and then asks a group of four young African American men hanging around outside the buildings if they know where the Watson family lives. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. There are so many things wrong with how the movie shows Christian doing his investigating. For starters, Christian wants to go to the Watson family home unannounced to talk to Moniques parents, but he doesnt know where they live. Regardless, shes on a mission to solve the mystery of what happened to her. Among some old clips of The Ventura County Star newspaper. I don't know the dates that it happened. textContent: 'var frmRef=""; try { frmRef=window.top.location.href; } catch(err) {}; var captainform_servicedomain="app.captainform.com";var cfJsHost = "https://";', But as of right now, it's all up to her. The irony of Michelle's story is that even if found guilty, she probably would not have spent any time behind bars had she stayed and faced her alleged crimes in 2008. Then came the summer of 1992. }, true); Sign up for a chance to win prizes (such as free gift cards) and get priority alerts or invitations to the hottest lifestyle/culture news, discounts and promotions. Ben: Two, its highly unlikely that police could dredge up physical evidence of what happened to Monique 15 years ago. We didn't really care about anything. He abruptly gets up in the middle of the meeting and announces, This aint right, before storming out. She stayed with her other aunt in Las Vegas. "She was really friendly, especially to my customers. It wasn't until she posted to Reddit that she found real leads and. Ben: Kats ingenuity got the ball rolling for Monique. I can't stop my life for her right now. And I just read through the bits and pieces that they had available and one of them sounded just like her. Monique: When my mom told me she was selling drugs, I knew that I couldn't tell anyone. I go to therapy now because of this. So they were all going through similar things. So I'm sure she might remember a lot more than I do. Shes wondered if it had to do with Child Protective Services. At various times in the movie, there are other people who fall under suspicion about Moniques disappearance, including her brother Andre and a neighbor in his 20s named Marcus Mitchell (played by Justin A. Davis), who lives on the same floor as the Watson family. McMullens story on Investigation Discoverys Disappeared show initially in February 2010 and repeated. We didn't really trust each other. Still Here is currently playing in select theaters and on VOD. The scene shows what can happen when someone is brought in for questioning by police and that person doesnt know enough about their rights to ask for a lawyer, which (by American law) would put a stop to the questioning. Im doing everything I can by myself. Bipen Patel, manager at the Knights Inn, told police he met Monique when she was staying at a different hotel, near the Maryland border. Amory: Which makes more sense when you learn that Moniques family has been caught in a cycle of violence. An amber alert that had gone out, was lifted. "She was pretty upset, she was crying and she was pretty scared," he added. She told us that.". Join Facebook to connect with Monique Watson and others you may know. But that Friday, Sept. 26, 2008, when Michelle got an unexpected day off from work at McDonald's, she made a decision to pack up her boy and secretly drive 18 hours through the night to the midstate. I thought I was safe, I thought I was in good hands. I think I left my car in Maryland. And when I brought it up, it was kind of a taboo thing to talk about. But, at the same time, I'm really scared to even talk to her about it because what if she doesn't remember at all? And so we decided to just try to find someone to help us. In Still Here, when twelve-year-old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father, Michael Watson (McRae), refuses to give up even as the media and police make little effort in solving the. She made sure I took my medication. Lisa and Paul Watson on the back section of their Pakowhai home. The Romanian-born director makes his feature film debut with Still Here. "I felt sorry for her," he said. She has taxed the efforts of law enforcement in not just our state, but now across the country.. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. "There was a letter that she had written about how she claimed to be a Katrina victim," Thornton said. And when I actually searched his name and I saw his picture, my body started shaking. But she didnt really know how to go about getting it. Such a shame as a real case could have been good. Well feed you later, we'll do something later.. And it closed with this statement: Im hoping that finding out more about this case will bring me peace and help with my healing, I hope that one day I could be reunited with the girl who was abducted with me, but that may never happen. And just hung up and hasn't spoke to my god-sisteror even tried to reach out to me since then. "She's not some villain that needs to be holed down in her situation because of an error in judgment that she's made.". Amory: We're coming to you from WBUR, Boston's NPR station. Layla the 18-month-old Tabby found refuge on the family's chicken coop after swimming about 150 metres through raging floodwaters. Anthony has no problems carrying out their boss orders to find and arrest a suspect, regardless if theres no evidence. The movie stars Johnny Whitworth (Limitless), Maurice McRae (Random Acts of Flyness), Zazie Beetz (Joker), Afton Williamson (The Night Of), Larry Pine (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Jeremy Holm (Mr. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Monique: I'm new to Reddit. At this point in the story, Monique has been missing for eight days, and Michael is getting increasingly stressed-out because the police havent made any progress in the investigation. "People do some of the darnedest things," Michael McMullen said. However, it soon evolved into a narrative feature for Still Here to relay a better message under his vision. Or worse, she could have become a victim -- vulnerable and weary from the treacherous trip. So I ended up in the mental hospital. It's likely she never would have gone to prison. We're going to go to the beach." how many super bowls did dan marino win. Even the initial storyline changed from Romania to New York and with a black family. Some of her previous jobs include a real estate agent. The police dont seem to care, but a crusading white journalist decides to do his own investigation, and hes the only one who can get things done and save the day. Michael, who works as a mechanic, is also seen in a support group for parents of missing children. It was Jan. 27. In California, Danielle moved around a bit -- spending time in Piedmont and Hayward before settling in Oakland. 4,731 following. On January 17, . I thought it was weird but I didn't know what was going on. It speaks volumes that the filmmakers wanted to make the African American cop a bigger villain than his white colleague. All calls will be . But I'm hoping by sharing my story, that more people, no matter how long ago it was, will go and seek help. Thank you! She never did anything wrong to me," Patel said. Ben: In the span of a lunch break, Pseudo-Nymph found what Monique had been searching for for years. The V.O. So it was kind of normal. He pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment a misdemeanor. Our story Email Us Call Us: 248.387.9826, USA TODAY • L.A. Times • CBS Detroit • Crains Detroit Business • Corp Magazine, Zazie Beetz, Johnny Whitworth, Larry Pine, Maurice McRae, Vlad Feier, Afton Williamson. And by me talking to her and having a conversation with her, you know, it could trigger things that just might have been better off not addressed for her because, you know, everyone's different. Limitless, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). (document.removeEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",d),window.removeEventListener("load",d)):(document.detachEvent("onreadystatechange",d),window.detachEvent("onload",d))},d=function(){t||!document.addEventListener&&"load"!==event.type&&"complete"!==document.readyState||(t=!0,n(),e())};if("complete"===document.readyState)e();else if(document.addEventListener)document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",d),window.addEventListener("load",d);else{document.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",d),window.attachEvent("onload",d);var o=!1;try{o=null==window.frameElement&&document.documentElement}catch(a){}o&&o.doScroll&&!function c(){if(!t){try{o.doScroll("left")}catch(d){return setTimeout(c,50)}t=!0,n(),e()}}()}}; She refused to comment on how her grandson was taking the news. ", Michael McMullen said his daughter endured "pretty horrific" things while she was away. Christian with guilt decides to finally do his work properly finding himself in a race against time to help the family find the girl. Ben: Every day, she wakes up at 6 or 6:30 in the morning. And after that, I was reunited with my mom. I want to go to Europe. Michelle McMullen of Harrisburg is charged with theft by deception, accused of stealing $20,000 from a Susquehanna Township church where she worked and using the money to pay for school, authorities said. Michael answers the door. The transcript has been edited from our original script for clarity. | TCR, Mando S3E1: The Apostate Review Fun Without Meaning, Design Without Thought, Disney+s Peter Pan & Wendy Teaser Trailer Showcases Familiar Characters, Creed III Black Carpet Interviews with Cast and Guests, Kogonada Rumored To Direct Episodes Of Star Wars: The Acolyte | Barside Buzz, Both Blade And Deadpool 3 Set To Begin Filming May This Year | Barside Buzz, Mandalorian Exec Producers Discuss Moving On Without Cara Dune, DC Spotlight February 28, 2023: The Comic Source Podcast, Arnold Schwarzenegger Stars In Netflixs FUBAR, His First Television Project, Vlad Feier on Child Abduction Story for Still Here [Exclusive Interview]. Menu. IN A NUTSHELL: Then one morning in January, police came and took her away. I'm hurt, but no matter how the situation is, she's still a person who is my daughter.". 7,061 Followers, 4,731 Following, 323 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Monique Watson (@piinklemonade_) piinklemonade_ Follow. Ben: Monique has a god-sister, Sophia, who is one of her closest friends. Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Blue Fox Entertainment. Im doing great right now. }); captainformDomReady(function() { She worked. There was nothing there. I don't know why I got kidnapped. Movies. When youre a kid and something gets swept under the rug, sometimes you move on to other things and its not until youre older that the nagging questions return. And I think that she never got help for it. "He said, 'Yeah, she got some explaining to do with me,'" her father said. The continuation of this narrative is not in support of what it claims it stands for but rather of White people who carry the god complex. It wasn't until Dec. 15, 2008, when a McMullen family friend walked into the Knight's Inn in Martinsburg, W.Va., and spotted a familiar face working behind the counter. Ben: Do you think you'll ever try to patch up your relationship with your mom or is it pretty much up to her or what are your thoughts on that? captainForm772606PreloadInterval63fffe99d76c9 = setInterval(function(){ Instead of researching this information, like any good journalist would do (and the information would be very easy to find by using The Chronicles address-finding resources), he decides to go to the neighborhood where the Watson family lives, with the hope that someone can tell him which building is the one where the family resides. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Because of the subject matter you forgive a lot of it. Or the other girl. Monique: I had my god-sistercall her and she refused to talk about it. With public interest waning and time running out, Michael and Christian race to uncover the truth - and find Monique, before its too late. It's about the likelihood someone will show up for her next court hearing. I want to finish college because my family doesn't think that I'll finish college. Maurice McRae, although theatrical at times, brings heartbreak and despair to a very tough role. Because they were black. . Its something shes changing. And we spent maybe two, three hours just Googling two girls kidnapped, found at park, dates, everything that we could to just try to find something. Monique: It wasn't until after Reddit that I was able to actually go to my godmother. Police dogs, helicopters and firefighters converged on the area where her car was found, but Michelle evaded the search. She is active on social media. Amory: What happened next is another blurry part of Moniques memory about the abduction. "She said she wanted me to teach her how to do hair. Michelle was outed and on her way back to Harrisburg. They say and do things that are hard to take back. Movie Insider is a registered service mark of The Movie Insider LLC. She is the Founder and Chief Prosperity Officer of Em Watson LLC. Martin said he thinks she worked to get as far away from Pennsylvania as possible in order to avoid arrest. And a description of the kidnappers car: a dark blue, 1995 Honda Civic. I have to say I'm always more compelled to watch movies based on true events. Good hands caught in a NUTSHELL: then one morning in January, police came and took her.. Paul & # x27 ; s Partner Together to Build the monique watson found alive Career... ``, Michael McMullen said his daughter endured `` pretty horrific '' things while she was like, `` you! From our original script for clarity of Moniques memory about the abduction is another blurry part of Moniques memory the... You even know who this guy, who abducted her worse, she wakes up 6... 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