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Jamal, circa 1990 - age-progression to age 26 (circa 2008)

Jamal's stepmother dropped him and his eight-year-old brother, Basil, off at their mother's apartment in the 1700 block Clarkson Road on April 16, 1990. The boys went outside to play in the front yard at 2:30 p.m. while their mother, Tambra Ellis, went to sleep inside. She had worked the night shift the day before. Ellis woke up after a nap, searched for her sons, but couldn't find them. When she had looked for them for forty-five minutes without result, she contacted the police. The boys never returned to their apartment. A photo of Basil is posted below this case summary.

Three days later, authorities discovered Basil's body in a Chesterfield County landfill ten miles from their home. Basil had been bound, gagged and stabbed twice in the back, and his skull had been fractured postmortem. His killer placed his remains in a plastic garbage bag and put in a dumpster, and from there his body was taken to the landfill. There was no sign of Jamal at the scene and he has never been heard from again.

Following the discovery of Basil's body, investigators detained the boys' father, Everett Abdul'Faruq, for three hours. Court documents indicated that authorities initially believed the child was injured or killed inside his father's residence. A search of the property failed to produce any evidence to support the theory. Everett has never been implicated in connection with his sons' cases, although he did refuse to take a lie detector test, saying it was contrary to his Muslim religious beliefs. Eventually both of Jamal's parents were ruled out as suspects in his disappearance and Basil's murder.

Jamal's favorite food in 1990 was pizza, and he enjoyed playing and watching basketball and watching <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> videos. Authorities believe it's possible he's still alive. His case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
  • Missing Since: April 16, 1990 from Richmond, Virginia
  • Classification: Non-Family Abduction
  • Date Of Birth: August 12, 1982
  • Age: 7 years old
  • Height and Weight: 4'5, 47 pounds
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes. Jamal has a scar on his right eyebrow and a mole on his temple above his left ear. He had a small gap between his upper front teeth at the time of his disappearance.
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black <i>Batman</i> t-shirt, blue jeans, a gray and red fleece baseball jacket and white sneakers.


Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Richmond City Police Department
804-780-6748