A little boy who disappeared in 1986 may have been murdered. His mother was arrested last month on suspicion that she killed her son, Francillon “Yo-Yo” Pierre, while she still lived in Las Vegas.
The Palm Beach Post reports that 60-year-old Amy Elizabeth Fleming is behind bars in Palm Beach County, Florida. Police arrested Fleming on January 29 and charged her in connection with the 1986 murder of her 3-year-old son. North Las Vegas police have been working on the cold for the past 18 months, and indicated they obtained enough information to obtain a warrant for Fleming’s arrest.
Fleming was currently living in Boca Raton, but reportedly chose not to find extradition back to Nevada.
Francillon was supposedly last seen in Las Vegas on August 2, 1986, at the Broad Acres Swap Meet, although the ticket taker at the event reportedly told police they didn’t see the boy. At the time, Fleming and the child’s stepfather, Lee Luster, apparently told police they lost track of the boy at the event.
The pair didn’t want Francillon’s photo shared with the media, reportedly claiming they didn’t want to sensationalize the case. Police thought the suggestion was odd, and immediately had suspicions about the couple’s story.
Eight months prior to Francillon’s disappearance, Fleming and Luster were arrested for child abuse after they beat the boy with a belt, leaving 30 to 40 welts. The couple pleaded no contest to the charges and ended up with five years of probation each.
The couple later claimed the boy’s father abducted him and took him back to Haiti. Police, however, cleared the man.
A few months after reporting Francillon missing, the couple allegedly tried to sell his toys at a garage sale, but canceled the sale after a local news outlet ran the story.
As the case continued to gain media attention in Nevada, Luster and Fleming packed up and moved to Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The case followed the couple to Florida, who refused to talk about it after they landed at the Orlando International Airport.
In a rare decision at the time, the Nevada Department of Probation and Parole allowed the couple to travel to Florida to find work, with the requirement they return to Nevada within a month if they couldn’t find work. It’s unclear if the couple remained in Florida or moved back to Nevada, but according to The Beach Post, court documents showed a South Florida business listing for the pair, from 2005 to 2008.
Police haven’t released many details on what information and evidence led them arrest Fleming. North Las Vegas authorities are scheduled for a press conference on Monday afternoon.
Fleming remains behind bars, charged with murder. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Image: Francillon Pierre & Amy Fleming/Police Handout]
