TOLEDO, Ohio — The disappearance of two Toledo teenagers early in December led to community-wide searches and pleas for the public's help to find Ke'Marion Wilder, 16, and Kyshawn Pittman, 15.
After nearly two weeks of searching, the teens' bodies were discovered Dec. 15 in the remnants of a burned, vacant north Toledo house. Authorities have made several arrests in the case.
Here's a look at the timeline of events in the case:
DEC. 3: 16-year-old Ke'Marion Wilder and 15-year-old Kyshawn Pittman are seen for the last time at 8:14 p.m., according to court documents. Police later confirmed the two were at a party at the Maumee Bay Resort in Oregon before the hosts asked them to leave because Wilder and Pittman had a gun on them.
Police say surveillance video shows the teens being picked up just after 8 p.m. by a silver SUV at the lodge's entrance. Police say the ride was arranged by one of the teen's girlfriend, who lived at a residence in the 500 block of Maumee Avenue along with Carissa Eames and Corbin Gingrich, both of whom are among the five arrested and charged in the case. The girlfriend is Gingrich's niece.
According to court documents, Wilder and Pittman were both seen on a video chat at 9:06 p.m. in the basement of the home.
Documents show Eames and Gingrich both claimed to police that the last time they had seen Wilder and Pittman was on Dec. 1, despite the two being in the basement of their home two days later.
DEC. 5: A vacant house at 3025 Chase Street catches fire. After searching the first and second floors of the house, firefighters are forced to pull back when a firefighter is injured falling through stairs. The basement of the home was not searched, Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said later.
DEC. 6: Wilder's and Pittman's families ask for the public's help as they search for the boys who have been missing for three days.
"Four days it's been four days that's too long. Send my baby home," Kenyotta Reynolds, Pittman's mother, said.
DEC. 9: Police conducted a search warrant on the home in the 500 block of Maumee Avenue at 6:15 p.m. The home was owned by Eames.
Court documents show multiple pieces of evidence connected to charges of assault and obstruction of justice, among other charges, were found in the residence.
Items seized by police in the search warrant include: 11 rounds of ammunition, multiple bags of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the kitchen, a piece of glass with possible blood on it in the basement and a DVR in the upstairs hallway.
DEC. 13: Police bring Crystal LaForge-Yingling, Corbin Gingrich and Carissa Eames to the downtown Toledo safety building for questioning. According to court records they were questioned about the kidnapping of Pittman and Wilder.
Police claimed the suspects lied to them about the whereabouts of people who may be involved in the disappearance. All three were charged with obstructing justice.
Wilder's relatives identified the three as relatives of Wilder's girlfriend.
DEC. 15: Information gathered during their investigation leads police to search the remnants of the Chase Street house that burned down Dec. 5. Inside, two bodies are discovered.
Also Dec. 15, police arrest two more people in connection to the case.
Cruz Garcia, 24, is arrested on two counts of kidnapping. Court documents claim Garcia assaulted the teens with a gun, "tied up the juvenile and led the juvenile to waiting vehicle," based on witnesses and physical evidence.
A friend of Garcia's, Diamond Rivera, 29, is charged with obstruction of justice. Rivera was questioned several times in relation to the kidnapping investigation, according to court documents, and gave a false alibi for a suspect. Phone records and other evidence led to the charge.
At a news conference on Dec. 15, Toledo police ask for the public's help and said they believe more people are involved in the teens' disappearance.
"This is an ongoing case," Lt. Dan Gerken said. "We're not even close to being done."
Gerken urged anyone with information about the case to come forward.
DEC. 16: After autopsies, authorities confirm that the bodies found in the Chase Street house were those of Pittman and Wilder.
Charges against Garcia are upgraded to include murder.
Also Dec. 16, Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong explains at a news conference that Toledo firefighters often must fight fires in vacant buildings from the outside to keep firefighters safe. That is why firefighters were unable to search the entire house as it burned on Dec. 5, preventing them from discovering the boys' bodies, she said.
The causes of death are still under investigation. According to the Lucas County Coroner's Office, no other information will be released at this time.
Also on Dec. 16, families of the boys attended a vigil at the scene of the Chase Street fire to remember Wilder and Pittman.
Wilder's passing leaves a hole in his family that was previously filled by an energetic and happy person, said Wilder's sister, M'Aaliya Nino, said.
"He was a good person," she said. "He was very outgoing. He lights up any room he's ever been in ... He was the glue to my family. We'll miss him."
DEC. 20: Garcia was arraigned on two counts of murder and one count of kidnapping. His bond was set at $2.25 million.
The Lucas County Coroner's Office released a statement saying autopsies were performed on Dec. 16, but no official cause of death has been determined for either boy.
However, causes of death were stated during an arraignment hearing for Garcia Monday morning.
Per the Lucas County assistant prosecutor John Arnsby, detectives said the cause of death of one of the victims involved strangulation and thermal burns, and second victim's cause of death was thermal burns. He also stated the coroner's investigation is still ongoing.
"We're still waiting for further analysis and determination by the coroner," Arnsby said in court on Tuesday.
Court documents indicate Garcia traveled to the abandoned house where Wilder and Pittman's bodies were later found both at the time of the kidnapping and several other times prior to the fire on Dec. 5. The document states witnesses and physical evidence corroborate the detective's information.
DEC. 26: Gingrich and Carrissa's home in the 500 block of Maumee Avenue was shot at "numerous times" just after 11 a.m., according to Toledo police.
The suspect was described to police as a male wearing a gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants.
If you have any information regarding this incident, call or text Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
JAN. 4: Six people -- Garcia, Gingrich, Brent Kohlhoffer, Charles Walker and Carrissa and Don Eames -- were indicted on murder charges.
The charges each of the six were indicted on are listed below:
- Cruz Garcia: two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, one count of obstructing justice, one count of having weapons while under disability and one count of trafficking in marijuana
- Corbin Gingrich: two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping
- Carrissa Eames: two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of obstructing justice
- Don Eames: two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping
- Brent Kohlhoffer: two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping
- Charles Walker: two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping
Gingrich and Carrissa Eames originally faced charges of obstructing justice, which were then upgraded to the murder charges they were indicted on.
LaForge-Yingling and Rivera were also indicted each on one count of obstructing justice.
JAN. 6: Police announce the arrest of a 17-year-old male on two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping. A 14-year-old was arrested Friday morning and also charged with two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping, with an additional charge of obstructing justice.
It is not clear yet whether they will be charged as adults. As a policy, WTOL 11 does not name juveniles who are not being tried as adults.
JAN. 10: Walker and Kohlhoffer appeared in court for an arraignment. Their bond hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12 at 8:30 a.m. The court ordered all defendants to be separated from co-defendants.
Walker was appointed a lawyer by the court.
JAN. 11: Garcia, Gingrich and Carrissa Eames were arraigned on murder and kidnapping charges in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas.
Garcia's bond was set at $3.7 million. Gingrich's bond was set at $2.8 million. Carrissa Eames' bond was set at $2.5 million. All three are set for their next hearing on Jan. 27 at 9 a.m.
About 25 protestors gathered outside of the court in support of justice for Wilder and Pittman as the defendants appeared in court.
JAN. 12: Charles Walker and Brent Kohlhoffer appeared in court and both entered a not guilty plea.
Both Walker and Kohlhoffer have appeared before a Lucas County judge twice but no bond has been set. The bond hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Jan. 17 at 8:30 a.m.
JAN. 25: Rivera and LaForge-Yingling were arraigned and were ordered to continue their supervised own-recognizance bonds. Both are required to wear ankle monitors.
They are due back in court March 8.
JAN. 27: Don Eames was arraigned Friday morning and his bond was set at $2.5 million. He pleaded not guilty.
He is due back in court Feb. 17.
APRIL 10: Gabriel Garcia, 23, was charged on two counts of murder and kidnapping, bringing the number of people facing charges in this case to 11. Police issued a warrant for his arrest.
He is not yet in custody and police are looking for him.
APRIL 13: Police arrested Gabriel Garcia shortly after 4 a.m. and arraigned him at 9 a.m.
According to court documents, Garcia allegedly participated with others in the "luring, assault and tying up (Kidnapping)" of the victim before transporting him to the 3000 block of Chase Street, where Wilder and Pittman were found deceased.
A judge set Garcia's bond at $2 million.
APRIL 20: A grand jury indicted Garcia on two counts of murder and kidnapping.
APRIL 25: Don Eames was one of six suspected gang members indicted for what authorities say was gang-related activity in Erie County, including multiple vehicle and business break-ins.
MAY 17: Diamond Rivera and Crystal LaForge-Yingling appeared in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas after their attorneys filed a motion to remove their ankle monitors. A judge approved the motion.
LaForge-Yingling is scheduled to appear back in court for another hearing on June 14.
JUNE 5: A 14-year-old defendant was sentenced to one year in an Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) facility on two counts.
JUNE 28: Diamond Rivera pleaded no contest to obstructing justice and was found guilty by a judge.
JULY 7: A 17-year-old defendant was sentenced to six months in an ODYS facility.
JULY 17: Diamond Rivera was sentenced to three years of community control and 270 days in prison.
OCT. 23: Crystal Yingling LaForge entered a no contest plea to a charge of obstructing justice and was found guilty. Her sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 9 a.m.
NOV. 15: Crystal Yingling LaForge was sentenced to 270 days at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio and 36 months of community control.
The brother of one of the victims read the following victim statement in court:
"It hurts to say you're never coming back. It hurts even more I couldn't protect you from the wickedness of the world. As your big brother, I feel as if I failed you and they stripped you of your innocence. To think, these people have kids of their own. My brother had his whole life ahead of him. These people robbed us. Took a part of us that we can never get back. Me and my family were already traumatized and you took away something we couldn't live without. We are still grieving about the fact that KeMarion's mother just passed away just months before KeMarion and Kyshwan were murdered. Just imagine how Kyshawn's family feels. Another broken family. A mother grieving day by day, still gotta look at her other kids and know these people really took a part of her that she can't get back. Every day I wake up knowing my brother will never answer my calls again. Will never laugh, cry, love. Every time I blink I see my brother's face. I hear his voice. It haunts me to know they murdered my brother on my birthday. Now I will never feel the same about that day, knowing it's the day my brother was murdered and tortured. She lied because she knew what was going on. One of the people she took custody of is also involved in this case. Just imagine if it was one of your kids. What would you want done about the situation?"
A statement was also read in court from Crystal Yingling LaForge:
"To the family, I'm sorry that I lied for my daughter but I didn't do it on purpose. She lied to me about what time she came to my house. I believed her. I had no reason not to; she's my child. If I would have known there were two kids missing at that moment I would have never ever stuck up for her. And if she has involvement, I hope she gets the max sentence because that's what she deserves."
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