Fate of Trailer Where Janaya Thompson Murdered Still Unknown

It’s been two months since the body of Janaya Thompson, 5, was found in a trailer at 14475 Whitney Drive in Gulfport, but what is going to happen to that trailer? In the days after Thompson’s body was found at the trailer, community members spoke out and wanted the trailer destroyed because of the awful things that happened in it.

Now two months later, the fate of the trailer is still up in the air. Steve Cohen lives right around the corner from the trailer where Thompson’s body was found on July 17th.

Once the site of a makeshift memorial for the little girl, Cohen says there hasn’t been much activity around the trailer since then. Cohen says, “The only thing that I’ve seen getting done is that the owner of the property has taken away all of the stuffed animals and stuff that people came and put out there for her remembrance. Other than that, I haven’t seen anything getting done there at all. The property is still vacant. It’s still just as bad as it was before.”

In the wake of Thompson’s death, many who live in the area spoke out, calling for the trailer to be demolished. To them, it still stands as a horrific reminder of the torture and violent death of the little girl known for her kindness and bright smile. A lot of people still want to see it leveled. Cohen also says, “Whether I think he should take it out of there? Yes, let it take it out of there, put a new one in.”

When News 25 spoke with the property manager back in July, he told us he didn’t expect it to be torn down. Jerry Carriere, the property manager, says, “I have no idea what we’ll do with it because that belongs to the owner. I have no idea, but we’ll probably get the property cleaned up and either re-sell it or re-rent it, one of the two.”

News 25 tried to reach out to the property owner to see what his exact plans for the trailer are, however we were not able to get in contact with him. The windows facing the street have since been replaced, leading neighbors to believe there are no plans to demolish it and that it could be rented out or sold.

Neighbors tell News 25 they find it hard to believe anyone would want to live where something so terrible happened to a child. Carol Cohen, a neighbor, says, “I think they should pull that thing out of there, put another one in there because that trailer is always going to be a remembrance of that little girl.”

Neighbors say they have seen one change at the site of the trailer. The fence that was torn down between the Palms Apartments and the trailer has been replaced. A brand new one has been put up.