Family talks about missing 10-year-old Roanoke girl

By Candice Nelson
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: October 7, 2008

Roanoke Police are looking for a missing 10-year-old girl. Molicia Julia Tumaline was last seen Monday at her family’s apartment on Marr Street. She’s around 5’ 2”, and she’s about 140 pounds.

“Something, something just doesn’t feel right; it’s not right,” said Julia Hunter, a family friend who says Tumaline is like a daughter to her.

Family and friends sat worried on Tuesday after they noticed she had disappeared on Monday night. Her family thought she had gone to the playground.  Hunter said that’s where she would normally go; however, she said Molicia just left. She wasn’t at the playground.

Edwidge Saint Jean is dating Molicia’s father. Saint Jean said she always came home at a decent time.

“I told her, when you go outside, 7:30 is the latest for you to go outside,” she said.

But looking back on it, Hunter said, “It’s weird. She took a shower and put her clothes back on she had on at school. That’s the weird thing. Usually, Molicia takes a shower and puts her pajamas on.“

They think she probably planned going out with somebody but also planned to come back.

“The other part we try not to think about is something probably happened to her. Maybe somebody has her,” Hunter added.

Whether she was kidnapped or just ran away, Roanoke City Police say they’re not speculating one over the other. They’re looking at all the possibilities.

And Molicia’s family is hoping somebody will see her pictures and call police.

“To me she looks like she’s 15, 16, but she’s only 10 years old,” Hunter said.

She’s a child who belongs at home.

You may have gotten a phone call with a recorded message about Molicia. Roanoke Police tell us it was sent through a Florida organization called “A Child is Missing.”