The sickening, horrifying and ultimately sad news that 14-year-old Jayla Blackshear and her 39-year-old mother Raechyl were found dead in their home on April 15, more than two weeks after they had reported Jayla had been raped by a family member, and 11 days after they made contact with police, raises a number of troubling questions. Neither Jayla nor Raechyl had been seen since April 1, when they met with police. Family and friends allegedly requested a welfare check; that was apparently not made until April 15, when Jayla and Raechyl were discovered dead in their home.
Raechyl’s husband Jalonni Blackshear, who was a state corrections officer, had given DNA samples on April 1 but, despite a history of domestic violence at the home as well as the rape allegations, was not only still employed by the state, but not in custody and presumably still accessing the home. Some time between April 4 and April 7, when he left Alaska, Jalonni Blackshear killed his wife and daughter. Sexual abuse charges against Jalonni were filed on April 13. On April 20, Jalonni was arrested on the sexual abuse charges in New York State. It appears that the “system” failed Jayla and Raechyl.
— Carol Johnson
Anchorage
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