Search Continues For Felicia Mikels; former Gloucester City resident

The search is continuing for the body of Felicia Mikels, 17 of Pennsauken. Mikels lived with her grandmother, Margaret Mikels, and her sister in a two-story home on Rudderow Avenue. Prior to moving to Pennsauken, Mikels resided in Gloucester City and was a student at Gloucester High School. She moved from the City in 2005.

Today the Courier Post  reported  police charged two men Sunday with the murder of the teen.

Police charged two men Sunday, including one relative, with  the murder of a teen whose infant was found in a Cherry Hill yard.

Douglas Mandichak, 25, of the 200 block of Linwood Avenue in Maple Shade was charged with the murder of Felicia Mikels, 17. Christopher Mikels, 26, of the 6500 block of Rudderow Avenue, Pennsauken, is the paternal uncle of Felicia Mikels. He has been charged with accomplice to murder. Both remain in police custody.

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Comments

[Aunt Marie]

On Saturday, January 18, 2007 at 1:00 a.m. there was a missing person’s report called into the Pennsauken police station by an Aunt of the present victim. On Saturday, January 18, 2007 at about 7:00 a.m. a newborn baby girl was discovered by a passer-bye motorist in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The two incidents were combined and the baby was identified as the missing person’s daughter.

A few family members spent hours in the police station answering questions about 17 year old Felicia Nicole Mikels. Christopher Mikels (victim’s paternal uncle) went to the police a few days afterwards and lead them to his best friend and room mate Douglas Mandichak. They both confessed their individual roles in the killing of Felicia, placing her into a creek and also explained that they were going to put the baby in the water as well.

Many DNA tests are being performed because only Felicia knew who is the father of her baby. Christopher Mikels is suspected to be the father. Her uncle had raped her and she was too afraid to tell anyone.

The Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) placed the baby in foster care. They are in the process of performing home evaluations of several possible family members to care of the baby. One was told by a DYFS social worker that the Judge wants to place the baby with someone who is a licensed foster parent and can adopt her.

As this is going on, the paternal (Mikels) family is not consulting with the maternal (Huggins) family. Felicia’s close sister was told to leave the Mikels home and to never come back. Police and DYFS have harassed the sister and her boyfriend inside the home of the maternal grand mother. The Mikels family is trying to get a church to use donated funds from church members in order to pay for a lawyer for Christopher Mikels. I know that churches are not suppose to use funds nor get involved in any crime related issues.

The paternal family is making funeral arrangements without consulting with Felicia’s mother. It has been two weeks, her body has not been found and the search may be called off. The maternal family is large and we keep a loving and caring relationship between one another. We feel that our rights are being violated.

There is a chance that the baby may be placed with a member of the Mikels family. How is that right? There is no proven father yet Christopher Mikels had say in the family meeting with the Judge. Our family lost a lot during our childhood because of DYFS promising to help. We trust in the people that are in positions to help but we get shot down. Just because we are not rich in dollars does not mean that we are not qualified to care for a new family member who had her mother taken by her great uncle and his best friend.

I am Felicia’s Aunt Marie

Its such a shame that this had to happen to a young mother.. I wonder what was behind her killing? Who could kill or let someone kill family? Then to leave the baby without any parents? The two sick men who did this should be killed the same way.. its only fare

the Mikels lived on the 800 blk of Mercer in Gloucester City until a few years ago