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Breasia Terrell: Child sex offender Henry Earl Dinkins a 'person of interest' in 10-year-old's disappearance

Breasia's aunt confirmed that her family has known Dinkins for years as the young girl's mother shares an 8-year-old child with him
PUBLISHED JUL 15, 2020
Breasia Terrell (Iowa Department of Public Safety)
Breasia Terrell (Iowa Department of Public Safety)

DAVENPORT, IOWA: New details have emerged in the disappearance of a 10-year-old Iowa girl who was last seen on Friday, July 10, with officials announcing they had identified a "person of interest" in the case. Breasia Terrell was last seen in the 2700 block of East 53rd Street in Davenport last week and has been missing since, with the Davenport Police confirming during a press conference on Tuesday, July 14, that Henry Earl Dinkins was suspected in her disappearance.

Dinkins, 47, was arrested just hours after Breasia was reported missing, according to KWQC. Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski said he was a person of interest in the case, which he defined as "someone who has not been arrested or formally charged in this case but may have information that could assist the investigation or possess certain characteristics that merit further attention by investigators." Indeed, Dinkins was not taken into custody over Breasia's disappearance. He was arrested on a separate charge of a sex offender registration violation second or subsequent offense, a Class D Felony, for failing to report a change in his address.

CrimeOnline reported that investigators have good reason to suspect him. Dinkins is a registered sex offender who was convicted at age 17 of sexually abusing a female victim of age 13 or under, and Breasia was last seen at or in the area of his residence in the early hours of Friday morning.

Dinkins is regarded as a "person of interest in Breasia's disappearance (Iowa Department of Public Safety)

Breasia's aunt, Lakeshia Lankford, confirmed that her family has known Dinkins for years. She said the young girl's mother, Aishia Lankford, shared an eight-year-old child with Dinkins and met with him at the Scott County Jail where he's being held at his request but that they were no longer together.

She revealed the 10-year-old had been at Dinkins’s home on Thursday night with her brother, Dinkins' son, before she went missing. She said he had asked to take care of her daughter for her but that she had refused.

"I said no. You know when someone is a molester," Lankford said, adding that she "really wants [Breasia] to come home."

Breasia is 4-feet-5-inches tall, 75 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, flip flops, and shorts. According to the State of Iowa's Amber Alert website, the 'destination' on her alert is listed as "between Clinton and Davenport."

"We are asking the public’s assistance for any information regarding Dinkins and associated vehicles during the time frame of Thursday, July 9, from 10 p.m. to Friday, July 10 at 12 p.m," Sikorski said. "We are requesting any information the public may have on Dinkins’ whereabouts in the Quad-Cities area during that time frame."

He said Dinkins has known connections to the Clinton and Camanche areas and that three vehicles associated with the 47-year-old -- a 2007 Maroon Chevy Impala, 2012 Black Chevy Camaro, and a 1980′s Kings Highway motorhome -- were in the possession of investigators.

CrimeStoppers of the Quad Cities has also announced a $3,500 cash reward for any information that will assist law enforcement in locating the young girl.

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