Re: LEXIS KAYE ROBERTS - Aged 12 years - Williams Arizona (USA)

**Twiglet** Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:18 am

msnbc

11 February 2011

'Legally dead' man pleads not guilty to killing

A Las Vegas man who was declared dead about 17 years ago has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and killing a 12-year-old girl whose body was found in October in Louisiana.

Fifty-three-year-old Thomas Stevens Sanders entered the plea Friday. He is accused of kidnapping and killing Lexis Roberts. If convicted of either charge, who could face the death penalty.

He is accused of bringing Lexis from Arizona to Louisiana and shooting her with a .22-caliber rifle.

Lexis and her mother, 31-year-old Suellen Roberts, reportedly traveled with Sanders over the Labor Day weekend. Sanders is also suspected in the death of Suellen Roberts.

Sanders was declared legally dead in Mississippi in 1994.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41537590/ns/us_news/

**Twiglet** Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:21 am

ABC News

11 February 2011

'Legally Dead' Man Accused of Murder Faces New Charges‎
Declared Dead in 1994, Thomas Sanders Is Accused of Murdering Two People Last Year

Today, Sanders was arraigned again in connection with other crimes. A grand jury has returned a new indictment, which remains sealed, charging Sanders with use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime and kidnapping.

Sanders has been in a Louisiana federal prison since November awaiting trial for the murder of middle school student Lexis Roberts of Las Vegas. Roberts' body was found last October by hunters in Louisiana.

Authorities said she had been shot.

Sanders pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in November and again pleaded not guilty at today's arraignment on the gun charge.

The disappearance of Lexis and her mother, Suellen Roberts, last year set off a nationwide manhunt. The investigation took a strange turn when authorities discovered the prime suspect was declared legally dead in 1994.

Suellen Roberts' remains were discovered and identified in December in the Arizona desert. Authorities there have been cooperating with the federal investigation in Louisiana, but won't be able to indict Sanders until the federal trial ends.

Sanders also faces a state murder rap in Louisiana.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/thomas-steven-sanders-legally-dead-man-accused-murder/story?id=12895437

**Twiglet** Sat May 07, 2011 6:22 am

WXVT - TV

9 April 2011

La. deputy hailed for work in child death case

Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Deputy Toney Edwards will be honored next month for his work on the case of a kidnapped 12-year-old whose remains were found in October.

Edwards will be honored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children May 18 in Washington, D.C.

The case involved Lexis Kaye Roberts, whose remains were found outside Harrisonburg Oct. 8.

Edwards worked with the Sheriff's Office and the FBI. The investigation resulted in the arrest of a suspect, Thomas Steven Sanders who was declared dead nearly 17 years ago in Mississippi, then resurfaced last year as a suspect in the disappearance of the girl and her mother.

http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=14415321

**Twiglet** Sat May 07, 2011 6:24 am

Monroe News Star

10 April 2011

Deputy who worked case of slain girl will be honored‎

Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Deputy Toney Edwards will be honored next month for his work on the case of a kidnapped 12-year-old whose remains were found in October.

Edwards will be honored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on May 18 in Washington, D.C.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20110410/NEWS01/104100325

**Twiglet** Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:03 am

Monroe News Star

19 May 2011

Alexander, Searcy among officers honored by senator‎

...... According to the release, Landrieu presented the 2011 National Missing Children's Special Recognition award to four FBI agents, including three from Louisiana. The honors went to FBI Special Agent Benjamin Walsh of Alexandria, FBI Senior Agent Robert King of Alexandria, and investigator Toney Edwards of Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Office for their work in investigating the case of 12-year-old Lexis Kaye Roberts.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20110520/NEWS01/105200323

**Twiglet** Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:51 am

Natchez Democrat

30 June 2011

Community honors family

When a hunter found the remains of 12-year-old Lexis Kaye Roberts in the woods near Harrisonburg in October, local resident Cindie Crawford and her fellow small town citizens were devastated.

“We were all just shocked that they actually found a child’s body here,” she said. “You hear about stuff like this happening in New York and places like that, but not in a small town like Harrisonburg. It shocked us all.”

Crawford said she and the rest of the parents in the town kept their children close to home during the course of the investigation.

“We were all just scared,” she said. “We wouldn’t let our children go anywhere without being close to them.”

After more than a month of investigating, Roberts alleged kidnapper and murderer Thomas Steven Sanders was caught, bringing a sigh of relief to Crawford and the town...

.... “Harrisonburg is just a village, and the number isn’t that high,” she said. “But we decided it was best to try and chip in as much money as we can to help her grandparents pay for the costs.”

Crawford said since the state does not help cover the cost of shipping the remains, the town knew it would have to collect whatever it could to help cover the expenses.

“If we didn’t help, it would be all on her family to pay,” she said. “We all thought they have been through enough already, and we just wanted to help out.”

While Crawford doesn’t know the exact cost of shipping the remains, she did say it was expensive.

“Anything we can help with is something they don’t have to pay,” she said.

Crawford said the remains have yet to be released from the state, and there is still time for people in the area to donate to the cause.

“We are doing what we can,” she said. “This was a real tragedy that took place, and we just want to help make sure we are doing what we can to help the people most affected by it.”

Crawford said anyone who wants to donate to the fund can send a check to The Station, a convenience store she operates in Harrisonburg.

http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2011/06/30/community-honors-family/

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