Video from night of Azuree Charles' disappearance shows person who police say may have information
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) — A brief video taken the night a New Kensington child disappeared shows an individual who investigators say may have the information they need.
The video comes from a doorbell camera across the street from where 9-year-old Azuree Charles lived and close to where the child's body was found on Wednesday morning.
It shows an individual moving quickly along the walkway before cutting between housing units in the East Ken Manor neighborhood. The timestamp shows the video was taken shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The boy's mother apparently told police that she last saw him around 10 p.m. that night.
Police are not calling the individual in this video a suspect. They say they just want to identify them in an effort to speak to them to find out if they saw or noticed anything in the area.
Meanwhile, Charles' father, Jean Charles, is in the Westmoreland County Jail charged with child endangerment and assault.
Court records show that Jean allegedly assaulted a 9-year-old boy last year, hitting the child so hard that he suffered a black eye. Investigators say the reason for the alleged attack was that Charles became angry that the child was making noise.
The incident allegedly happened in December 2021, but Charles was arrested Thursday. He told police that he was homeless, but police say the assault happened inside the home where Azuree lived. However, it's important to note police have not said if the boy Jean allegedly assaulted and Azuree is the same child.
Police have not yet named a suspect in Azuree's death, but they do say they have a "person of interest."
KDKA-TV reached out to detectives, who said they do not believe there's any current threat to the community. However, sources tell KDKA-TV that New Kensington police are stepping up patrols to try to reassure parents.
