Thursday, November 30, 2006

Trenton Duckett: POI

Authorities have named a close friend of Melinda Duckett as a person of interest in the August disappearance of 2-year-old Trenton Duckett. Chai-Wen Chen, a 25-year-old male friend of the boy's mother, works across the street from the Belleview Wendy's where Trenton was last seen with his mother the day of the alleged abduction. It is believe that Melinda handed the boy off to someone that Sunday in an attempt to keep him away from his father, Joshua Duckett, and staged the abduction from the apartment bedroom that evening.

I hope this pans out. I was starting to get that Holloway feeling about this case.

WESH.com has a thorough article on the latest news. Other entries are accessible through the category menu in right sidebar of this blog.

Timeline update: The 12:08 phone call made by Melinda Duckett on Sunday was to Chen. I've updated the map and timeline entry accordingly.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you think Trenton is still alive?

Average Jane said...

I don't know what to think anymore. At first I thought she had killed him because there was so much of her time unaccounted for between leaving her grandparents' house on Saturday and the "abduction" on Sunday evening. If the Wendy's sightings are genuine, it certainly lends credence to the idea that she handed him off to someone. However, it's possible that she stopped to see Chen right after picking up the food order. Maybe Trenton decided he was hungry and she left him briefly with Chen while she drove thru again for the chicken strips. Easier than loading him back into his carseat. If Chen can pass a polygraph in answering whether or not Trenton and Michelle left the rent-to-own store together, then it's still completely up in the air what she did with the little guy after that. It's more than a little troubling that we never knew before that Chen may have seen them that day though. I recall that when folks at Huff's blog were trying to figure out the identities of the two guys who came to watch the movie, Chen was one everyone assumed was the non-military guy. Turned out to be someone else who was invited after the other friend backed out. It's definitely an interesting twist that has the potential to lead to something.

Another thing that's always bothered me is Melinda telling her mother, (paraphrasing) "Trenton's not coming back. It's been too long." Almost makes you wonder if she abandoned him somewhere.

Anonymous said...

Trenton's not coming back. It's been too long." Almost makes you wonder if she abandoned him somewhere.

That, and the unaccounted for time you mentioned, is what makes me think she killed him. Maybe this guy knows something, but I don't think he has Trenton anymore. I'd be happy to be wrong.

Anonymous said...

Interesting developments in this case lately. I'm glad LE is working so hard on this case. Such diligence.

I hope Trenton is found alive and well.

Anonymous said...

do check josh's father...Melnda didn' get her visit with him on death row that week.