JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Newly released 911 calls reveal the moments after a Jacksonville girl was abducted from a Walmart.
Cherish Perrywinkle disappeared from the Walmart on Lem Turner Road in June 2013.
Cherish’s mother Rayne Perrywinkle told the operator her daughter was taken by a stranger.
Rayne Perrywinkle: “I'm at Walmart, and my Cherish has been taken.”
Operator: “What do you mean?”
Rayne Perrywinkle: “Taken by a stranger. I can't find her.”
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She told the operator she met a man, later identified as Donald Smith, at Dollar General earlier that day.
Smith told her he would buy her and her children clothes with a Walmart gift card he had. They rode to the Walmart in his white van.
Rayne Perrywinkle: “The only reason I went with him because he said his wife was going to be there. I told him I don't take rides with strangers.”
Rayne Perrywinkle had not seen her daughter in 30 minutes after Smith told her he was going to buy them food at the front of the store.
Cherish followed him, and the two never returned.
Rayne Perrywinkle: “I don't understand why he would leave right now, unless he was going to rape her and kill her. I'm wasting my time standing here.”
Cherish's mother spent about 10 minutes on the phone with dispatchers before saying she saw officers outside the store.
Cherish’s body was found the next day.
Smith is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing her and is in jail awaiting trial.
Rayne Perrywinkle has been critical of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office response from the beginning.
The Sheriff's Office did an internal investigation about their response and it revealed some missteps in the investigation.
The investigation found the media was not notified quickly enough to broadcast Cherish's photo and an amber alert was not issued fast enough. It was also discovered that officers in charge had not followed protocol and were disciplined.
Action News Jax reached out to JSO for comment about what specifically its internal findings were regarding the 911 calls, but has not yet heard back.