The Big Picture: Missing Georgia Woman Found Murdered

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Missing Georgia Woman Found Murdered

The body of Jilani Platt, a 26-year-old pregnant woman who went missing early Saturday, was found Monday.

Her husband — already in jail on a weapons charge — was charged with murder, police said.

Platt’s body was found just after noon Monday about 300 feet north of Cargo Drive in a retention pond next to Schatulga Road, said Columbus Police Lt. Lynn Joiner. Platt, who was nine weeks pregnant, was reported missing around noon Saturday, about 12 hours after her husband, Zyderrious Platt, said he last saw her, reports state.

Zyderrious Platt, 31, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, police said the arrest was unrelated to his missing wife.

Police announced just after 5 p.m. Monday that he was also charged with murder.

Jilani Platt had gone to eat at T.G.I. Friday’s with a friend around 10 p.m. Friday, reports state. Zyderrious Platt told officers he and his wife had been texting each other, arguing about the rent that evening.

She returned home around midnight, and they continued arguing, reports said. Zyderrious Platt then left to take a drive and when he returned around 12:30 a.m., Jilani Platt wasn’t there, reports state.

Jilani Platt’s cell phone and keys were missing as well, though her car was still in the parking lot, reports state. She was reported missing when she failed to pick up her nephew at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Police began searching for her in the area of her Crystal Drive home, where Zyderrious Platt was arrested at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Reports state that he had a 9 mm Luger and was convicted in 2005 on an aggravated battery charge.

Joiner said family members and neighbors were interviewed, and police determined her disappearance may have been suspicious. The friend who had dinner with Jilani Platt Friday night told police that Jilani always told her mother where she was going and that Zyderrious Platt was very controlling and that he had threatened to kill her in the past, reports state.

The search in the Crystal Drive area was halted Sunday night, though investigators continued to search Monday morning. After her body was found, Zyderrious Platt was charged with murder.

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Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through physical, sexual, emotional, and/or financial abuse. Both men and women are capable of misusing power and perpetrating violence, and male victims are often just as afraid to call the police. More resources for female survivors exist, however, because overwhelmingly women and children suffer the most severe consequences (medical, legal, social, and financial) and therefore require the most intensive interventions.

Many women choose to stay in abusive relationships because they do not want their relationship to end...just the violence. Women often remain in, or return to, abusive relationships because their partners threaten to harm them and their loved ones if they attempt to leave. Commonly, women choose to leave when they become convinced that their life is at risk, or that their children are in danger.

Domestic violence is not just a "family matter". The violence will not stop until men and women come together with a common attitude of non-tolerance. We must speak out for those who may not feel safe speaking up, and our children must learn through our words and example that violence is never justified.