Berkeley Police Officer Ryan Young said Tuesday evening that what appears to be a bone and several small fragments were discovered after a tip led investigators to search a backyard in Berkeley.
The Berkeley Police Department and Gateway Search Dogs conducted the search Tuesday, March 31, in the 6100 block of Jefferson Avenue as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Shemika Cosey, who went missing 17 years ago.
Cosey was 16 when she vanished while spending the night at her cousin’s home.
“I was tasked with taking over the Shemika Cosey case,” Young said. “We’re following up on leads right now. We’re investigating, trying to find out where she could be.”
Cosey was 16 when she vanished while spending the night at her cousin’s home. “My niece said they stayed up to like 1:30 a.m. watching movies,” Cosey’s mother, Paula Hill, told the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “And when she went to bed, Shemika was there on the couch in the living room.”
The next morning, Cosey’s aunt discovered the teen was gone and the door was unlocked. Her purse and jacket were missing, but her clothes and overnight bag were still inside the home. “That’s when she called me and asked me, ‘Did Shemika come home?’” Hill told NCMEC. “And I said, ‘no.’ She was like, ‘Shemika is not here.’”
Young, who is now leading the case, said the department received a tip that prompted Tuesday’s search but could not share additional details because the investigation remains active.
Hill was present as officers and search dogs combed the property, describing a rush of emotions as she watched. “I’m nervous, scared. I’m a little angry because of how long it’s been,” she said. “I mean, I’m just all over the place right now. I just want some answers.”
Her friend, Theda Wilson, stood beside her, reflecting on the long road the family has endured. “I think about how many administrations we’ve gone through since the disappearance of my friend’s baby,” Wilson said. “All I could do is thank Gateway Search Dogs for bringing out their search dogs and for the officers who are now willing to do what we wanted done years ago.”
Berkeley officers and Gateway Search Dogs excavated at the Jefferson Avenue property into the afternoon. The fragments were found that evening in a backyard marked earlier for a more in‑depth examination.
“A forensic pathologist will examine in the morning to tell us if it is a human or an animal,” Young told KTVI Fox 2.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.