March 29, 2006

UPDATE ON MISSING MILWAUKEE BOYS, FATHER QUESTIONED




Purvis Parker admits he did some bad things in "a past life" and says he hasn't been the kind of father he wants to be to 11-year-old Purvis Virginia Parker - whom he calls "Little Purvis" and "Junior" - but he said Tuesday from the Milwaukee County Jail that he had absolutely nothing to do with his son's, or Quadrevion Henning's, disappearance. "I've taken two lie detector tests and passed everything," he said in a video interview at the jail. "I love Purvis to the fullest. I can't sleep. I'm throwing up. I'm praying for my son to come home."


Parker, 31, was being held in jail on a probation violation he said resulted from him spending the night at a girlfriend's house. He was arrested March 21, two days after the boys were reported missing. "Everybody is pointing fingers like it's me," he said. "I never did nothing to hurt someone this bad to want to hurt my kids."


Parker has several criminal convictions dating to 1995 and recently served 16 months in prison for selling marijuana and illegally possessing a firearm. He was released five months ago. He said he was never a "big time" drug dealer and that rumors about him owing somebody $75,000 and snitching on somebody were false.


"On the Monday morning I found out he was missing, I filled up my truck and drove around till the tank was empty looking for him," Parker said. "If he does ever come home, I'm going to keep him with me all the time."


Divers waded through the shallow waters of the Milwaukee River and shut down the park acting on information that the boys were familiar with the park. Quadrevion Henning's family sternly disputed that claim. "The boys are not familiar with that park. It's completely too far," said Quentin Henning, Quadrevion's father.


Trevor Henning, Quentin's brother, said Quadrevion never traveled more than two or three blocks from home and was not even allowed to go to the nearby corner of N. 53rd St. and W. Hampton Ave. alone. He didn't use the city buses or even have a bike, Trevor Henning said.


Trevor said Quadrevion had been living with his grandparents, Gary and Betty Henning, since his father was deployed to Iraq with the Army about three years ago. They enrolled him and his 11-year-old cousin, Eric, who also lives with them, in LaBrew Troopers Military University School, 1351 N. 31st St.


"Ever since he was 4 years old, Quadrevion wanted to join the Army like his daddy," Trevor Henning said. When Quadrevion's father returned from Iraq, it was the middle of the school year, and he didn't wa
nt to pull his son out of school. Instead, Quentin planned to move back to Milwaukee, where his family has lived in the same house for the last 18 years, Trevor Henning said.



Based on his many family discussions, here's how Trevor Henning said Quadrevion and Purvis spent the day of their disappearance:



Quadrevion and his cousin Eric slept late. They awoke, ate breakfast and did their chores. They took out the trash and the recyclables and put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket. But this Sunday was slightly different. It was warm and sunny, and the boys asked if they could finish their chores later and instead go to the park. Their grandmother agreed.


So Quadrevion, or "Dre" as his family calls him, and Eric helped her load some groceries into the car to deliver to a friend. Then they along with Purvis, who lives around the corner on Stark St., set off for the playground at Hampton Avenue School two blocks away. They played for a while and returned to the Henning home for lunch. After lunch they asked if they could go back to the park. This time Eric decided to stay home because he was tired, he said. It was about 3:30 p.m.


At about 5:30 p.m. Gary Henning, the boys' grandfather, started to wonder why the boys hadn't returned. He headed to Purvis' home and talked to Angela Virginia, Purvis' mother, who was also concerned. They checked around and called friends. No one had seen them. At 7:30 p.m. they called police.




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