Knoxville police and East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers are asking residents to keep their eyes open, but maintain a distance, as officers search for 18-year-old Jean Marie Niyonkuru, who is wanted on two counts of burglary and is believed to be armed.
The bulletin lists Niyonkuru’s birth date as Jan. 9, 2008, and describes her as about 5 feet 5 inches tall and roughly 105 pounds. Authorities are blunt on one key point: if you see someone who might be Niyonkuru, do not approach her.
According to Knoxville Police Department - TN, the department’s “Wanted Wednesday” Facebook post names Niyonkuru, outlines the two burglary counts, and explicitly states she should be considered armed. The post urges anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers or local law enforcement instead of trying to intervene themselves. It also notes that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
How to submit a tip
According to East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, tips can be submitted anonymously by calling the hotline at 877-363-8847, using the free P3Tips app, texting ETTips to 738477, or filing a tip online. The organization says anyone whose information leads to an arrest may qualify for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
Crime Stoppers emphasizes that its system does not record caller ID or track phone numbers, and that tips must be submitted directly through its phone, text, app, or website channels in order to be eligible for a reward.
Part of regular 'Wanted Wednesday' bulletins
Local law-enforcement agencies and Crime Stoppers routinely use weekly “Wanted Wednesday” posts to spotlight suspects and generate leads from the community. Past bulletins have listed physical descriptions and alleged charges while underlining the same key message: call the professionals, do not play hero.
As reported by helped steer tips to investigators, those posts have aided officers in earlier investigations. The format is designed to pull in information without prompting risky face-to-face encounters between residents and suspects.
Legal status
The social media bulletin reiterates that the listed charges remain allegations and that Niyonkuru is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, according to the Knoxville Police Department - TN post. Anyone who believes they see someone matching the description is urged to call 911 in an emergency or submit a tip to Crime Stoppers rather than approaching the person.
