Aurora – More than two months have passed since 6-year-old Aaroné Thompson was reported missing by her father in a case that twisted and turned into becoming an unsolved murder case that is now shrouded in silence.
Aurora police, who believe Aaroné was killed more than a year and a half ago, aren’t talking about their investigation – only saying they are actively pursuing leads.
No arrests have been made, and Aaroné still hasn’t been found – alive or dead.
Police still consider Aaroné’s father, Aaron Thompson, and his live-in girlfriend, Shelley Lowe, as “persons of interest.” But they don’t have enough probable cause to make an arrest.
“No news is good news,” said Walter Gerash, a Denver lawyer providing legal advice to Lowe.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Thompson and Lowe are expected to be in Arapahoe County Court at a hearing regarding the custody of the eight other children removed from their care after police began their criminal investigation.
Magistrate Jeff Holmes, the judge in the case, issued a gag order forbidding anyone associated with the case from talking about it outside the courtroom. Sources close to the case say the hearing is regarding a contempt- of-court issue.
Thompson and Lowe last spoke publicly about the case on a television news program Dec. 1 to defend themselves and plead for people to continue searching for Aaroné.
“It’s almost like everything is in limbo,” said Sam Riddle, who has acted as a spokesman for Thompson and Lowe. “It’s hard for me to understand how the state can separate those kids from their parents when they really don’t have justification.”
The children range in age from 15 years to 2 months. The oldest is Lowe’s brother, of whom she has tried to obtain custody. The baby is the only child of both Thompson and Lowe. Five of the children belong to Lowe and have four different fathers. One 11-year-old boy is the son of Thompson and Lynnette Thompson of Detroit and is the brother of Aaroné.
According to documents obtained earlier by The Denver Post, the county’s justification for removing the children alleges abuse, neglect and poor living conditions. The report says the children “may be at imminent risk of abuse or neglect” by Lowe and Thompson if they are returned.
The children told authorities that they hadn’t seen Aaroné since before Halloween 2004 and that Thompson and Lowe coached them to say they had seen her recently, according to the report.
The status of the custody case is unclear.
However, here’s what would happen – in a general sense – in a custody case similar to this one, according to Alicia Davis of the Colorado Judicial Department:
The county attorney would present a petition to a judge, alleging abuse or neglect.
Children would be represented by their own attorneys, called guardians ad litem, and parents of each of the children would have their individual attorneys.
A judge – and on rare occasions, a jury – determines whether enough evidence exists of neglect or abuse. If so, the children remain in the county’s care, but efforts are made to reunite the family, Davis said.
The court probably would set up a family services plan, which is steps for parents to undertake to get their children back, such as counseling, drug and alcohol treatment or finding regular employment.
The court would determine whether the parents had met conditions within the plan. If so, the next step probably would be trial home placement, working up to the children’s permanent return.
At the same time, other possibilities of placement would be considered, including placing the children with other relatives. In this case, Aaron Thompson’s parents, who live in Flint, Mich., have been trying to get custody of the children in case Thompson and Lowe cannot.
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
