Unforgotten · Alabama Cold Case Advocacy

Unforgotten Rewind: S1 E2 Rickem Samuel & Interview w/Ericka Davis

·1 hr 29 min·5 clips

Rakeem Samuel's death is classified as a homicide, but the cause of death is still undetermined.

1. Unforgotten Rewind: S1 E2 focuses on Rakeem Samuel's disappearance from Montgomery and the later interview with his mother, Erica Davis. 2. Sellers and Stormy host the episode and frame Unforgotten as an Alabama case show about missing, murdered, and suspicious-death cases. 3. The episode asks what happened to 20-year-old Rakeem Samuel after he left his mother's house on April 2, 2016. 4. Erica Davis describes Rakeem as well-mannered, smart, kind, respectful, and never in trouble. 5. The hosts say Rakeem finished a night shift at Globus, a company that makes Hyundai vehicles, before returning home. 6. Erica says she was getting ready for a friend's wedding in Tuskegee when Rakeem cooked breakfast for both of them. 7. Rakeem called Erica after she left and complained of body aches, and she told him where the Epsom salt was for a hot bath. 8. Erica later called Rakeem around 8 p.m., and his phone went straight to voicemail. 9. The family says Rakeem was expected home by midnight, but he never arrived. 10. Erica learned that a female co-worker had picked Rakeem up earlier in the day because his car was in the shop. 11. Erica then contacted his father and family members, but no one could confirm where Rakeem was. 12. On Monday, April 4, Erica called the phone provider for the last numbers linked to Rakeem's calls and texts. 13. The woman who answered turned out to be the same co-worker who had picked him up, and she later said Rakeem had gotten into a black Ford or Nissan Versa with two men at Walmart on Eastern Boulevard around 1:30 p.m. 14. Erica says the same woman returned a charger but left behind Rakeem's backpack, which made the situation seem incomplete. 15. The hosts say Erica asked Montgomery police to publicize Rakeem's name and photo, and she was told it would violate his rights. 16. The episode later cites a September 7, 2022 WSFA case file saying cell phone records led investigators to a wooded area in the 300 block of Hopper Street, where remains were found on June 30, 2016. 17. That case file says Rakeem's death is considered a homicide, the cause of death is undetermined, and his phone has never been recovered. 18. The hosts also discuss a missing person case involving Nanette Thomas, Rakeem's Glovis team lead, and note that Montgomery police did not think the two cases were connected. 19. The interview style is conversational and emotional, with Erica Davis speaking about faith, depression, and the pressure of carrying a case for years. 20. People who follow Alabama missing-person cases and public-records details will get the most from this episode. 21. Listeners wanting a light, fast, or purely entertainment-focused conversation may skip it.

As heard by us

A careful case update that stays close to the records.

This case update keeps its attention on the paperwork and lets the record carry the weight. The hosts move through the old records request, the later case report summary that arrived without identifying information, and the FBI language around "exceptional clearance," which…

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Why you'd press play

You want a Rakim Samuel update that stays plainspoken about what comes next.

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