By Alison McFerrin

The Selma Times-Journal

It’s been one year since Tarasha “Pooh” Benjamin went missing, and authorities said there are no leads on where the now 18-year-old girl could be.

“Of course it’s discouraging, because we want to know where this child is at and what happened to her,” Selma Police Lt. Mike Harris said. “We’re still asking anybody with any information to call us or to call Crimestoppers.”

Family and friends held a candlelight vigil Sunday at Bloch Park to remind the public — “Pooh” is still out there.

“It was real nice,” Tarasha’s mother, Regina Benjamin, said. “It was good — let everybody know we ain’t forgot about her. See, people think that she’s been found, but she hasn’t. A lot of people don’t know that she’s still missing.”

Tarasha never came home June 26 after telling her mother she was going to the flea market. Regina said she knew something had gone wrong.

“I knew ‘Pooh’ don’t go missing like that,” Regina said.

Bob Lowery, executive director of the Missing Children’s Division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said they are still aggressively pursuing what he called an unusual case.

“Her family certainly deserves answers, and we are desperately seeking that with law enforcement,” Lowery said. He said with her car being found, it is strange that they still haven’t turned up any answers.

“Even though the circumstances are very puzzling, we’re very concerned about her welfare,” Lowery said. “We just don’t know what happened to her.”

In June and July of 2010, search and rescue efforts were focused. Members of the community, the Selma Police Department and the Calera Police Department’s Search and Rescue team were actively involved. But Selma Police Lt. John King, commander of criminal investigations division in Selma, said there hasn’t been a new lead to follow for several months.

“We’re still actively pursuing the case, but no leads have come in,” King said. “We’re just hoping somebody would sight her or see a picture.”

Tarasha’s status as missing has been publicized in the magazine Ebony, the Nationwide Crime Database and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, in addition to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Family members aren’t sure what to think about Tarasha’s disappearance. Her sister, Ashley Benjamin, said it still feels surreal.

“When they first told me, I was like, ‘Aw, she’ll be back tomorrow,’” Ashley said. “The next day came, I was like, ‘Something bad’s happened.’”

Her aunt, Natasha Benjamin, said they are still doing what they can, but they don’t have any information to go on. She said everyone misses Tarasha.

“My boys, they miss her as well,” Natasha said. “They’ll be up at night, crying and wondering when she’ll be coming home. And all the kids in the neighborhood will be asking about her.

“We’re just hoping and praying she’ll come home.”

Lowery said even though Tarasha has been gone a year, there is no reason to assume the worst.

“Even though it is very discouraging, we do find children after a year, two years, many years,” Lowery said.

Anyone with information about Tarasha is encouraged to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s 24-hour hotline, 1-800-The Lost; the Selma Police Department, 874-2190; or Crimestoppers, 877-3530.

“Someone out there knows something,” Lowery said.