JOZLYNN MARTINEZ - 2 yo (2010) - Grand Rapids MI

A man incarcerated at the Kent County jail in connection with 2-year-old
Jozlynn Martinez's disappearance told the child's mother his version of
what happened to the toddler. Consuela Martinez, 21, sat down
with former live-in ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Malmberg on Saturday during
his visitation hours to hear his side of the story. Jozlynn fell
down a set of stairs at the couple's Nagold Street home in Grand Rapids
on Monday night and died, Malmberg told Martinez. He panicked and
decided to dispose of the child's body in a nearby commercial Dumpster,
he said. "When he went in the bathroom, (Jozlynn) was sitting on
the bed," Martinez said after talking to Malmberg. "When he got out of
the bathroom, he heard a noise ... and went downstairs and found her
laying there. "I asked him why he didn't get her help, why he
did what he did. He just said, 'oh, I was afraid.' It was like I was
sitting there looking at a monster -- not an ex-boyfriend." Malmberg said he was sorry, Martinez said. "He
said he found her not breathing and dead," Martinez said. "I don't know
if she fell or if he threw her but ... we're all hoping to get to the
bottom of this." It doesn't add up, she said. "I'm
sorry," she said. "Even if you're panicked, you still get a child help.
I'm questioning, was she actually dead when he did that or was this
intention?" The child's father, who just got to Grand Rapids from Arizona, echoed a similar sentiment. "I never liked (Malmberg) to begin with," John Rittenhouse said. "I had a bad vibe of him since the day I met him." Jozlynn
went missing Monday night, police said, and by Wednesday, an Amber
Alert was issued. Friday evening, Grand Rapids police held a news
conference and announced Malmberg told investigators the girl was dead. Police
won't comment on how Jozlynn died. Her body has not been found.
Malmberg has not been charged with the toddler's death, and Jozlynn's
parents are holding out hope their child is alive. "As I was at home earlier today, I started looking through the clothes and it just tore me apart," Martinez said.

Well the answer is obvious. Would anyone really think an innocent person is going to throw a child in the trash rather than call 911? Spindy syndrome.

The mother of a missing two-year old girl came face-to-face with the man accused of taking her child.
Two-year old Jozlynn Martinez is presumed dead, but her body still
hasn't been found. Over the weekend, Martinez visited ex-boyfriend,
Jeff Malmberg at the Kent County Jail in hopes of learning more about
Jozlynn's disappearance.
"The way he told me he was sorry for it, there was no remorse. No
real, I'm sorry", says Connie Martinez. She does not believe that
Jozlynn's death was an accident. Malmberg was babysitting the night she
disappeared. "He says he was in the bathroom and she fell down the
stairs."
Sometime Monday night, or Tuesday morning, Malmberg says he found
the little girl, dead, at the bottom of the stairs. He did not call
911. "So, not responsive means they could be knocked out unconscious.
They might not be breathing. There's still something he could have
done."
Martinez says Malmberg also old her that he brought Jozlynn's body
to the corner of 4th and Stocking. That's where he says he dumped her
body in a trash bin. By the time Grand Rapids police got the
information, the garbage had been picked up and taken to a waste
facility. After an extensive search, they still couldn't find a body.
The family fears they never will.
"I keep praying every day since I found out that she's been
missing", says John Rittenhouse. He's Jozlynn's biological father. He
just arrived from Arizona. Although he hasn't seen his daughter for
several months, he feels bad that he wasn't there to protect her.
"Because knowing I wasn't there like a father should be."
The family now waits for any new information about Jozlynn. Although
investigators believe Malmberg's story that she's dead, the family
prays that it's not true.
Grand Rapids police said again Monday that they do not believe the mother had anything to do with Jozlynn's disappearance.
They also said the search at the waste facility, is over, but the
investigation continues. Police got some surveillance video from a
convenience store in the area of Stocking Avenue, where the body was
supposedly dumped.
Grand Rapids Police said they are still working with the Kent County
Prosecutor's office. That means there could be more charges coming,
very soon.

In Grand Rapids, the search continues for Jozlynn Martinez.
The two-year-old girl went missing from her home on Nagold Street on February 22^nd.
Jeffrey Malmberg has been charged with
kidnapping and larceny related to Jozlynn's disappearance. Police
recently announced that Malmberg told them that Jozlynn died and he
disposed of her body.
Jozlynn's mother, Consuela, says that in a phone call from prison, Malmberg told her that
Jozlynn died after falling down the steps of their home on Monday night.
On Monday, Malmberg's father spoke to media representatives from his home in Florida.
In an interesting conversation, Bob Malmberg was very frank about his son,
saying that he can be downright mean and can't be trusted.
“It bewilders me to no end that something like this would happen,” said Bob.
Bob Malmberg claims that his
son, Jeffrey, has significant attitude problems, going all the way back
to his school days at Big Rapids High School. Bob said his son always
wanted revenge, but Bob never dreamed his son would be involved in
something like this.
“I am not too happy, no,” said Bob. “I never thought he would go to,
get mixed up in whatever he's mixed up in there.”
Bob says he hasn't spoken to his son in
more than two decades. The two were estranged after Bob turned his son
in for stealing money at age 18. Bob said his son was a habitual liar
as a young man, and that police are going to have to be very tough to
get the truth out of him.
Malmberg has told police and Jozlynn's mother that the
girl fell down the steps inside the house on the west side of Grand
Rapids, and that he dumped the body in a commercial dumpster a couple
of blocks away. Her body has not been found.
“It's just torture for us because we're getting no closer,' said Jozlynn's father John Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse also thinks Malmberg could have harmed the girl. The motive, he said,
being that the family was giving little Jozlynn more attention than
Malmberg's young son.
“To me that's a jealousy thing,” said
Rittenhouse, “because he has to be the center of everything, and since
things were going south, he figured maybe this is his way to get even.”
On Monday, Grand Rapids police admitted that Malmberg's story changes every time they interview
him, making it very difficult to pin down what happened.
Malmberg's father says that he wants his son to simply be honest.
“If he actually harmed the little girl,
yes, he's got to tell the truth and get it out,” said Bob Malmberg.
“Take his punishment and let the world move on.”
It has certainly been a long week for Jozlynn's family,
moving from uncertainty to heartbreak in a matter of five days.
The story began on February 22^nd
when Jozlynn's mother, Consuela, says she last saw her daughter. The
next day, Consuela called police saying she couldn't find her
boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg, or her daughter. She also reported that
$2,800 had been stolen.
An Amber Alert for Jozlynn was issued
Wednesday afternoon, and Malmberg was captured by police Wednesday
night in a pool hall in Lansing.
On Thursday, police say Malmberg told
them that Jozlynn had died in an accident at the home and that he had
disposed of her body.
Malmberg was arraigned Friday afternoon
in Grand Rapids, the same day Grand Rapids Police ended the Amber Alert
and announced that Jozlynn had died.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:In Grand Rapids, the search continues for Jozlynn Martinez.
The two-year-old girl went missing from her home on Nagold Street on February 22^nd.
Jeffrey Malmberg has been charged with
kidnapping and larceny related to Jozlynn's disappearance. Police
recently announced that Malmberg told them that Jozlynn died and he
disposed of her body.
Jozlynn's mother, Consuela, says that in a phone call from prison, Malmberg told her that
Jozlynn died after falling down the steps of their home on Monday night.
On Monday, Malmberg's father spoke to media representatives from his home in Florida.
In an interesting conversation, Bob Malmberg was very frank about his son,
saying that he can be downright mean and can't be trusted.
“It bewilders me to no end that something like this would happen,” said Bob.
Bob Malmberg claims that his
son, Jeffrey, has significant attitude problems, going all the way back
to his school days at Big Rapids High School. Bob said his son always
wanted revenge, but Bob never dreamed his son would be involved in
something like this.
“I am not too happy, no,” said Bob. “I never thought he would go to,
get mixed up in whatever he's mixed up in there.”
Bob says he hasn't spoken to his son in
more than two decades. The two were estranged after Bob turned his son
in for stealing money at age 18. Bob said his son was a habitual liar
as a young man, and that police are going to have to be very tough to
get the truth out of him.
Malmberg has told police and Jozlynn's mother that the
girl fell down the steps inside the house on the west side of Grand
Rapids, and that he dumped the body in a commercial dumpster a couple
of blocks away. Her body has not been found.
“It's just torture for us because we're getting no closer,' said Jozlynn's father John Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse also thinks Malmberg could have harmed the girl. The motive, he said,
being that the family was giving little Jozlynn more attention than
Malmberg's young son.
“To me that's a jealousy thing,” said
Rittenhouse, “because he has to be the center of everything, and since
things were going south, he figured maybe this is his way to get even.”
On Monday, Grand Rapids police admitted that Malmberg's story changes every time they interview
him, making it very difficult to pin down what happened.
Malmberg's father says that he wants his son to simply be honest.
“If he actually harmed the little girl,
yes, he's got to tell the truth and get it out,” said Bob Malmberg.
“Take his punishment and let the world move on.”
It has certainly been a long week for Jozlynn's family,
moving from uncertainty to heartbreak in a matter of five days.
The story began on February 22^nd
when Jozlynn's mother, Consuela, says she last saw her daughter. The
next day, Consuela called police saying she couldn't find her
boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg, or her daughter. She also reported that
$2,800 had been stolen.
An Amber Alert for Jozlynn was issued
Wednesday afternoon, and Malmberg was captured by police Wednesday
night in a pool hall in Lansing.
On Thursday, police say Malmberg told
them that Jozlynn had died in an accident at the home and that he had
disposed of her body.
Malmberg was arraigned Friday afternoon
in Grand Rapids, the same day Grand Rapids Police ended the Amber Alert
and announced that Jozlynn had died.

Sounds just like Casey doesn't it?

GRAND RAPIDS -- As Consuela Martinez clings to the thought her
2-year-old daughter Jozlynn might still be alive, police say there is
little chance.
They believe Jeffrey Malmberg's story about putting the dead girl in
a dumpster near the home he shared with Martinez, his live-in
girlfriend.
"We are confident the story he gave us about putting her in a
particular dumpster is accurate," Grand Rapids police Capt. Jeff Hertel
said.
Police would not say why they believe Malmberg, but officers did
collect surveillance video last week from a store at 704 Stocking Ave.
NW, at the corner of Stocking and Fifth Street.
The owner of Family Pantry, Richard Kado, said the video is focused
on the store's parking lot. A dumpster sits behind the store. The
location is about two blocks from Martinez's residence at 915 Nagold
Street NW.
Police did not tell Kado what they found on the video, which covered Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Consuela Martinez said she awoke Feb. 23 to find both her daughter
and Malmberg gone. Police issued an Amber Alert the next day and
Malmberg was arrested in Lansing, but without Jozlynn.
Since then, Malmberg told Martinez the girl died in the home Monday
night after falling down stairs, then he panicked and carried her body
to a Dumpster. Police did not comment Monday on the claim.
Martinez is holding out hope that Malmberg might be lying about her daughter's death.
Malmberg was arraigned Friday on charges of kidnapping and larceny
and remains held in the Kent County Jail on a $1 million bond. He
allegedly stole $2,800 from Martinez's purse.
Hertel said police met with prosecutors Monday to discuss the case and possibly look at changing the charges against Malmberg.
As they investigated his claims last week, police searched the Kent
County Waste-to-Energy facility Thursday and Friday, looking through
more than 100 tons of trash.
"We did the best we could to isolate an area, but we didn't find her," Hertel said.
Meanwhile, Jozlynn's family has erected a small memorial to her outside
the Nagold Street home, with flowers and a picture of the girl affixed
to a sign.

The man accused in the disappearance of 2-year-old Jozlynn Martinez will be charged Friday with second-degree murder. Jeffrey Malmberg,
40, the once- live-in boyfriend of the girl's mother -- they have since
broken up -- admitted to police he put his knee on the little girl's
chest and held her down until she stopped breathing, a Grand Rapids
police detective said in court Thursday. He said it happened at around 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22, at the child's home on 915 Nagold St. NW, Grand Rapids Detective Jana Forner told the judge. Malmberg admitted to police he then placed Jozlynn in a garbage bag, then disposed of her body in a commercial Dumpster. Grand Rapids District Judge Jeanine Laville authorized the warrant just before 2 p.m. Thursday. Malmberg
could face up to life in prison on the murder charge. He also will be
charged for tampering with evidence -- a 10-year felony, and with
larceny for allegedly stealing $2,800 from Jozlynn's mother, Consuela
Martinez. Malmberg had been charged with kidnapping, but that warrant was issued before he told police Jozlynn was dead. At
a 3:30 p.m. news conference, GRPD Chief Kevin Belk said Malmberg will
be arraigned Friday, and the search for Jozlynn's body continues. "I
mean, I think ... our whole community has rallied around, hoped and
prayed, that first she would be found alive," Belk said. "And we
certainly now continue to hope we'll find her body. Obviously, as time
goes, that becomes less and less likely. We realize that, but we
continue to pursue leads with the hope that somehow, we'd find her." Belk also said he did not expect any charges to be filed against Martinez. Earlier Thursday, Jozlynn's parents, Martinez and John Rittenhouse,
were told Malmberg would be charged with the toddler's death. Until
that time, they held out hope Jozlynn was alive somewhere. Now, they
believe she is dead. Rittenhouse said brings
some "closure" for he and Consuela. As for Malmberg, Rittenhouse said,
"May he rot in hell." He and Consuela are no longer together. Rittenhouse lives in Arizona. Jozlynn disappeared Feb. 22, apparently while her mom was away from their home at 915 Nagold St. NW. Martinez,
21, discovered she was missing the next morning, but thought Jozlynn
was with Malmberg, who often spent time with the child. Grand
Rapids police issued an Amber Alert on Wednesday and obtained a
kidnapping and theft warrant for Malmberg, who was arrested that
evening in Lansing. Malmberg at first denied involvement in the
disappearance, but later told police the girl died Monday evening and
that he carried her body to a trash receptacle about two blocks away in
the area of Fourth Street and Stocking Avenue NW. Thursday and
Friday, more than 70 Grand Rapids police personnel combed through the
Kent County Waste-to-Energy plant on Market Street SW, where the city's
garbage is incinerated, but they were unable to find the girl's body. Malmberg has since told Martinez that Jozlynn died after falling down the stairs, and that he panicked. The owner of Family Pantry, a nearby store, says police seized surveillance video from his store at Fifth and Stocking. Several
cameras cover the store's parking lot and Dumpster and also parts of
the street out front. Police have said they obtained an image of
Malmberg, but they wouldn't provide details.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Surrounded by family and friends, Consuela Martinez
tries not to dwell on the former boyfriend accused of killing her
2-year-old daughter.
She doesn't know why he allegedly would put his knee on the little
girl, leaving her unable to breath until she died, then put her body in
a nearby commercial Dumpster.
"We have no clue. He won't answer our questions," Martinez said Friday on the back porch of her mother's apartment.
Jeffrey Malmberg, now accused of second-degree murder in the Feb. 22
death of Jozlynn Martinez, was arraigned Friday on the charge in Grand
Rapids District Court. Malmberg said little during the brief hearing.
He has been held in the Kent County Jail since Feb. 24 on kidnapping
and larceny charges -- counts now dismissed -- and Judge David Buter
left his $1 million bond the same Friday.
The case has proven sensational and disturbing for the Grand Rapids
community as observers struggle to comprehend any motive behind the
alleged killing and body dumping.
"I've been shocked. I've been crying for days now," said 20-year-old
Joann Lyons, a friend of Consuela Martinez who showed up at her door
Friday to offer comfort.
Police and prosecutors have not divulged any theories about a motive, worried it might damage the prosecution.
In a brief testimony for a warrant earlier this week, a Grand Rapids
Police detective described how Malmberg allegedly admitted the killing.
"The suspect, Jeffrey Malmberg, made a statement to police that on
Feb. 22 at approximately 6:30 p.m. at 915 Nagold St. NW, Apt. 2, he put his knee on the chest of Jozlynn Martinez, age 2, and held her down which caused her to stop breathing.
"Jeffrey states that he then disposed of the body by first putting
Jozlynn into a garbage bag, then putting the bag containing Jozlynn's
body into a Dumpster," the detective told a judge.
Police said Malmberg also admitted to taking about $2,800 from Martinez's purse and fleeing the area.
He was arrested Feb. 24 in Lansing after police issued an Amber
Alert for Jozlynn. Police searched trash at the Kent County
Waste-to-Energy facility, but have not found the girl's body.
At her mother's apartment Friday, Martinez said she knows some
people have criticized her parenting skills and questioned her
relationship choices. She said the comments hurt.
"I loved Jozlynn so much," she said. "I gave her everything."
She was not home when Jozlynn died and was out collecting her income
tax money, she said Friday. Although Martinez earlier reported seeing
her daughter in bed sometime after 11 p.m. on Feb. 22, she said she
might have been mistaken.
"I could have sworn I heard her rustling," she said.
Buoyed by friends and family Friday, Martinez talked about moments she'll miss in her daughter's life.
"I was going to get her a potty trainer," she said, holding her
young sister, Tabitha. "She was going to be 3 this year and I won't get
to see her on her birthday."Martinez
visited Malmberg in jail three days after his arrest, trying to get
answers surrounding her daughter's disappearance. At the time, Martinez
said Malmberg told her the girl died falling down stairs and he panicked, putting her in the trash.
She doesn't plan on seeing him again.
For John Rittenhouse, the biological father of Jozlynn, anger boils in him when he thinks about Malmberg.
"I really wish we had capital punishment. He is cold and he doesn't care," Rittenhouse said.
The Martinez family has established a fund at Huntington National
Bank to accept donations to fund efforts to find the girl's body and
pay for an eventual funeral.

The search for the remains of Jozlynn Martinez at a Kent County
landfill was called off Wednesday afternoon by the Grand Rapids Police
Department. The body of the 2-year-old was not found. "It's not frustration," GRPD Capt. Jeffrey Hertel said. "We're disappointed we didn't find her." The
investigation will continue, though not at the landfill, Hertel said.
The department is reasonably confident Jozlynn's body was taken to the
Kent County Waste-to-Energy Facility the night she died, he added. The search lasted "three total days, (we) got about 750 man hours put into this search," Hertel said. "I'm
confident we tracked the right Dumpster (and) I'm confident we searched
the right trash at the incinerator," he said. "I'm confident we
searched the right place out here where the skim came. The fact is, she
may have been incinerated the first day. It's a long shot even being
here." "We're figuring it would be about 600 tons to come out of that hole, approximately." He
said tips will continue to be looked into as the prosecution begins
building its case against Jeffrey Malmberg, who is charged with killing
the toddler. Jozlynn's mother, Connie Martinez, will be in court
Thursday morning for a custody hearing on the child she shares with
Malmberg, 7-month-old Brian. An Amber Alert was issued for
Jozlynn in late February, then Malmberg confessed to kneeling on the
toddler's chest until she stopped breathing. He later put her body in a
trash bag and disposed of it in a nearby commercial Dumpster, which
launched the search for the girl's remains. Malmberg, 40, dated
21-year-old Martinez for about 1.5 years. The couple previously shared
a home on Nagold Street NW, where Jozlynn allegedly died.

A day after she was told police had given up the search for the
body of her 2-year-old daughter, Jozlynn, Connie Martinez lost
temporary custody of her baby boy. Brian Malmberg is the 7-month-old son of Martinez and her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg. A
Kent County referee Thursday sided with the state and ruled the boy
should live in foster care, under the supervision of the Department of
Human Services. Connie will be allowed two hours a week of supervised
visits with the boy. The referee also ordered Jozlynn's biological father, John Rittenhouse, to move out of the mom's home. The
state's goal is to reunite Brian with Connie, and the state also plans
to termainate Jeffrey's parental rights, according to Kent County
Assistant Prosecutor Vicki Seidl. Malmberg is accused of kneeling on Jozlynn's chest until she stopped breathing, and then dumping her body in a Dumpster. Malmberg was in the courtroom, escorted in by deputies, in his jail uniform and with his hands cuffed in front of him.
Connie Martinez, 21, sat at a table, a few feet away from Malmberg, with Rittenhouse. Grand
Rapids police on Wednesday finished their search for Jozlynn's body
after three days of digging through garbage at the South Kent Landfill
on 100th Street SE in Byron Township. Children's Protective
Services had removed Brian from his mom's home shortly after Jozlynn
disappeared on Feb. 22. Malmberg and Connie Martinez were living
together with the children in an apartment at 915 Nagold St. NW. Malmberg has told police Jozlynn died about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 at the home. Police have said the mom was not home at the time. In a jailhouse interview, Malmberg told reporters the death was an accident, though he refused to provide details. He said he missed his "little princess" and his son. Malmberg
is charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and
larceny. He is to appear in court on March 30 to determine if he will
stand trial.

The mother of 2-year-old Jozlynn Martinez
suspected her live-in boyfriend Jeffrey Malmberg might have been
bruising the child in the days and weeks before the little girl went
missing, court documents show.
On Thursday, Kent County prosecutors and Child Protective Services used Jozlynn's mother's own admissions as reason to keep Consuela Martinez's second child in protective custody at least until April.
Jeffrey Malmberg has been charged in the death of Jozlynn, after
police say he admitted to kneeling on child's chest until she stopped
breathing on Feb. 22, then dumping her body in a garbage bin near the
West Side home he shared with Martinez.
Revelations about Martinez's knowledge of troubling events happening
in her Nagold Street NW home were outlined in court documents released
Thursday after a Kent County Family Court hearing.
"Consuela Martinez had concerns about minor injuries Jozlynn had
recently sustained and she suspected that the injuries had occurred
while Jozlynn was in the care of Mr. Jeffrey Malmberg," said a petition
to keep her younger child, 8-month-old Bryan Malmberg, in state custody.
"Ms. Martinez continued to allow Mr. Malmberg to provide care for
Jozlynn and Bryan in her absence, despite her concerns for Jozlynn's
well-being under Mr. Malmberg's supervision."
Relatives of Martinez, 21, earlier said Jozlynn had bruising
Police have not found the girl's body, despite searching two waste sites.
Malmberg, arrested in Lansing two days after Jozlynn disappeared
from the home, is charged with second-degree murder. Martinez was not
home when the death happened, police said.In a clearly awkward situation Thursday, Malmberg sat near Martinez
and John Rittenhouse, the father of Jozlynn, at a court hearing.
Malmberg was in handcuffs and a jail uniform, surrounded by Kent County
court security.
Prosecutors want to terminate Malmberg's parental rights to Bryan,
but say they hope to reunite the child with Martinez after parenting
classes and other possible treatments.
After the brief hearing, Family Court Referee Deborah McNabb ordered
Bryan to be placed in foster care, with supervised, two-hour-per-week
visits by Martinez. At the request of prosecutors, McNabb ordered
Rittenhouse to stop staying with Martinez at her home.
Prosecutors did not explain that request, but the Family Court
petition says Rittenhouse, 26, had his parental rights terminated to
another child in Arizona, where he now lives. He returned to Michigan
recently after learning about Jozlynn's disappearance.
Rittenhouse also has admitted he has a bench warrant against him for
failing to pay child support to another mother in Kent County.
He was admittedly upset by the order.
"I'm just agitated. I'm the only one keeping (Martinez) sane right now, and they are taking that from her," he said.
While Martinez left the courtroom Thursday without comment,
Rittenhouse talked briefly while waiting for her to finish discussions
with her attorney, Lou Hoos. He was admittedly disturbed by Malmberg's
presence.
"I felt him staring at me," he said. "I just wanted to jump up and
hit him. I tried to avoid looking at him because I knew it was going to
get my anger up."
In the petition to remove Bryan from Martinez's home, Child
Protective Services staff alleged that she knew Malmberg was using
marijuana and cocaine in the home, with the children there, "but did
nothing to intervene in Mr. Malmberg's illegal habits."
The petition also alleged she occasionally used marijuana and
admitted to being diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress
disorder, but was not using her medication in the last several months.
Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Vicki Seidl said parenting classes
and possible mental health and drug issues could be part of a treatment
plan for Martinez.
"The entire goal is to reunite her with the child. There are just some issues that need to be corrected," Seidl said.
Another hearing to discuss custody of Bryan is scheduled for April 16 before Judge Nanaruth Carpenter.
Hoos, attorney for Martinez, said he thinks she is doing "very well."
"I can't imagine how I would feel going through this," he said. "She
has experienced more emotions in her short life than a lot of people
have in a lifetime."

GRAND RAPIDS — About 50 people trying to keep candles lit huddled in
Rosa Parks Circle on Saturday night to remember the light Jozlynn Mari
Martinez brought into the world.
Jozlynn’s father, John Rittenhouse, who organized the vigil, said he
would like to keep believing Jozlynn’s light has not been snuffed out,
but hope is fading.
Jozlynn Martinez, 2, has been missing nearly three weeks. Her
mother’s live-in boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg, has been charged with her
murder. Malmberg told police he kneeled on the girl’s chest until she
stopped breathing, then disposed of her body in a Dumpster, though an
intensive police search of a Kent County landfill did not produce a
body.“It’s tough for me knowing that I wasn’t there for her like I should
have been,” said Rittenhouse, who lived most of Jozlynn’s two years in
Arizona. “I wish I had stayed here and been active in her life.”
Rittenhouse said he met Malmberg only once. Last July, both were
lodged in the Kent County Jail — Rittenhouse for failing to pay child
support for an older daughter and Malmberg for violating a personal
protection order.
“He was cold,” Rittenhouse said. “He had no emotions.”
Rittenhouse and Connie Martinez, Jozlynn’s mother, stood arm-in-arm
during the brief vigil, conducted by The Rev. Sean Letorneau of the
Universal Life Church.
“This is so hard to handle because Jozlynn was happy child who never
failed to bring a smile to the face of everyone she met,” Letorneau
said. “We believe she is with God in a place where she will never be
hurt again.”Several people spoke about the need to protect children, and some were
critical of police for calling off their search for Jozlynn’s body.
Martinez did not speak publicly, but said it was soothing to gather
and remember Jozlynn.
Donation canisters have been placed at a few area businesses for
funeral expenses.
The family hopes to ceremonially bury some of Jozlynn’s favorite
things, although no date has been set, Rittenhouse said.

The family of a missing Grand Rapids girl held a vigil Saturday in
her honor.
Two year old Jozlynn Martinez disappeared nearly three weeks ago and
is now presumed dead.
Police looking for Jozlynn's remains ended their search at a Kent
County landfill on Wednesday, after failing to find Jozlynn. The search
started several weeks earlier after accused killer Jeffery Malmberg
allegedly admitted to throwing her body in the trash. Evidence
suggests the little girl's body may never be found.
Saturday's vigil is the closest thing the family has had to closure.
"It is real hard because we still have not found her body yet. We all
still want to believe she is alive," said Sean McLetourneau, a minister
and family friend who lead the vigil prayer. "It is hard for all of us
who knew Jozlynn to handle this."
The family was expecting several hundred people to show up at Rosa
Parks Circle for the emotional ceremony, based on the number of
supporters expressing interest on their Justice for Jozlynn Martinez
Facebook page. Instead, turnout was closer to about 50 people. Connie
Martinez, Jozlynn's mother, says she appreciates everyone who came.
"Having the family and everybody here to remember her is a big deal
because she touched everybody's lives," she said. "She was just the
light of everybody's life. She could just walk down and smile and she
had everybody's heart at hello."
Through tears and hugs, members of the crowd shared stories of
Jozlynn, trying to keep her memory alive. At the same time, her parents
prayed for closure so they could begin the healing process.
"This is just one step in it," said Martinez.
"This really brings it home how much one little child can impact the
whole community. Someone you don't even know. We've gotten so many
people that have been by our sides though this," said John Rittenhouse,
Jozlynn's father.
Jean and Bruce McRobert were among the strangers saddened by the
tragic death of Jozlynn. They said they came to help in what small way
they could.
"I'm here because I felt sorry for the mother and daughter and I just
want to come here and show support even though I don't know them," said
Bruce McRobert.
His wife, Jean, says she is heartbroken to think how the little girl
may have suffered.
"I can't even imagine. I can't imagine," she said, while hoping to
extend words of sympathy to the parents. "We love you and we are here to
support you. We care about you."
Noticeably absent was Connie Martinez's infant child, Bryan, who was
removed from her care in the wake of Jozlynn's disappearance and death.
She says it would have meant the world to have him there to say goodbye
to his sister.
"It would have meant a lot. Every time she woke up, she would give
him a little peck on the head and he would smile and I know he misses
her so much right now," she said, with tears streaming down her face.
Rittenhouse, who lived in Arizona for most of his daughter's life,
says one of the biggest challenges for him is living with regrets.
"It is tough for me knowing I wasn't there when I should have been
there all these years. For me it hits me really hard. It is hard for me
to deal with this," he said. "After tonight, all we can do is sit back
and wait and see what goes on with the trial. I want justice. That is
what I really want."
Jeffery Malmberg, Martinez' former live in boyfriend, is in jail on
charges including second degree murder. He is due back in court later
this month.
The family says they are still trying to raise money to bury Jozlynn
in case her body is found, or at least to have some type of funeral
ceremony where they can bury keepsakes of hers. Her father says without a
body, it could take up to ten years to get a death certificate.

A West Michigan man will stand trial on murder charges for the disappearance of a toddler.
Two-year-old Jozlynn Martinez hasn't been seen since February 22^nd. Detectives say Jeffrey Malmberg
has admitted to killing her and disposing of her body.
Tuesday saw testimony from Jozlynn's mother and a taped confession from Malmberg.
The big news to emerge on Tuesday was the fact that Jozlynn's murder happened around 6:00 pm in the evening that
Monday in February, a full 15 hours before her mother noticed she was missing.
Consuela Martinez, Jozlynn's mother, says
she left her kids with Malmberg to run an errand on that night around
6:00 pm. She said she was gone a short time, and when she came home she
didn't notice her daughter was missing, and didn't check on her.
Martinez said she thought Malmberg had
put Jozlynn to bed, and even fooled her by acting like he was talking with the girl.
“He had the door open and he sat at the
end of the bed,” said Martinez, “told her, 'you gotta go night night, love you, night night.”
Prosecutors believe that Jozlynn was
killed while her mother was gone, but initially Malmberg only admitted
to dumping her body in the trash.
Malmberg stuck to his story that Jozlynn
had fallen down the steps and that he dumped her body in the trash, but
Martinez didn't believe it.
“Jozlynn didn't like to go down the
stairs,” said Martinez. “She fell down them once, she wouldn't even, she
didn't like holding the rail to go down them, I always had to pick her up and take her.”
After nine interviews with police,
Malmberg admitted to suffocating Jozlynn by putting his knee on her chest.
What has struck many as outrageous is the
way Malmberg acted after killing Jozlynn, going to buy drugs, cocaine
and marijuana, and having a bit of a party inside the apartment as if
nothing had happened.
Martinez says she was part of that party
for only a short time, and only smoked marijuana, no cocaine. Ultimately
she says she went to bed thinking that her daughter was sleeping while
others shared the drugs.
The most emotional moment of Tuesday's
hearing came when a recording of Malmberg's confession was played in court.
“I put my knee on her chest,” said
Malmberg in that confession. “I restrained her and I got up on my knee
and put a little pressure on it.”
Malmberg says he was trying to restrain
Jozlynn because she was acting out, he says she was crying, screaming,
kicking, and punching him in her room next to her toy box.
Malmberg says he wanted Jozlynn to calm
down and thought putting his knee on her chest would do the trick, he
said he did that for up to 45 seconds.
“She just started gasping for air and her
breathing slowed down, and then there was no life in her,” said
Malmberg in the confession. “She was staring up at me with open eyes. I
held her for a couple of minutes, put her in her bed and covered her up.”
Malmberg said Jozlynn's death was an
accident, and told detectives he put her back in her bed because he was scared.
When the recording of Malmberg's
confession was played in court, people began weeping. Friends and family
of Martinez later expressed their outrage.
“I was really furious, I wanted to jump
across the table and break his neck to be honest” said family friend
Cheryl Paulsen. “That just broke my heart, how could you not think
putting a knee on the chest of child is not going to hurt it? It's a baby.”
Malmberg's defense attorney is likely
going to try to have that confession thrown out as evidence.