Learning for
Dyslexic Minds
Bluesman
Honored
Summer program
gets kids ready
fo r fall
Norman
Sylvester voted
to Oregon Music
Hall of Fame
See Metro, page 5
g^partlanh
See story, page 3
bgerlier 41
krortior z'/Arv-»
bac^ issues of the Portland Observer a at www.portlandobserver.com
Read back
Volume
Volume XXXXI,
XXXXI, Number
Number 29 29
Wednesday • July 20. 2011
City of Roses'
Established in 1970
P- C" f 0
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Committed to Cultural Diversity
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large crowd gathers at the base o f Rocky Butte to give comfort and prayers to the family and friends o f Yashanee Vaughn. The local
teenager’s body was found in heavy brush o ff Northeast Rocky Butte Road on Friday. The identification o f the remains was confirmed
from DNA evidence on Tuesday.
/A
Closer to Closure
Body on Rocky Butte identified as missing girl
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
After the ambiguous disappearance of teen­
ager Yashanee Vaughn on March 19, her body
has been found, putting to rest the lingering
question, dead or alive, which has tirelessly
haunted her family and friends for over four
months.
Tuesday, the Oregon State Medical Examiner
released results from DNA tests
which confirmed the remains lo­
Yashanee
cated over the weekend on Rocky
Vaughn
Butte Road in Northeast Port-
land were those of the 14-year-old girl.
The cause of death was determined to be a
gunshot wound to the head.
“The remains found this weekend were con­
firmed this morning to be those of my grand­
daughter Y ashanee,” said V aughn’s grandmother
Reynelda Hayes. “Although the news was ex­
pected, it didn’t make it any easier to hear the
words from investigators of confirmation.”
According to Multnomah County District
Attorney Mike Schrunk, her accused killer, 16-
year-old Parish Bennette Jr., told investigators
last week where he hid Vaughn’s body and pro­
vided police with the information that led them to
the remains.
Bennette, who was Vaughn’s boyfriend at the
time of her death, revealed the information two
days after his attorneys initiated a settlement
conference before Multnomah County Judge Eric
Bergstrom.
On March 28, police first searched Bennette’s
home, which is located less than a mile from Rocky
Butte. The residence was also the location where
police said they discovered blood on Bennette’s
continued
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on page 19