Police continue seeking boyfriend of slain woman

Mary Manning and Emily Richmond

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 11:23 a.m.

Metro Police were searching today for the live-in boyfriend of Yashama Clemons, a single mother who was found shot to death in her home Saturday, her four children, ages 15 months to 9 years, left alone with the body.

The children, who were placed at Child Haven Saturday following the discovery of their mother's body, were released to the custody of their great-grandmother Monday afternoon.

"(The children) were real glad to see us, real glad," Peter Dixon, a cousin of Clemons, said. "We don't know yet how much the younger ones understand about what happened."

The children were in the house when their mother was shot, police and family members said.

Police were allowing the family into Clemons' home today to gather clothing for the children and collect some personal items, Dixon said. The family is also making arrangements for a funeral for Clemons.

"We're all still in shock; this has all been really hard to take in," Dixon said. "We're just trying to take it one day at a time."

The father of the three younger children, LaFonzo McKnight, was expected to arrive today from North Carolina, Dixon said.

The Clark County coroner's office said on Monday that Clemons, 31, died of a gunshot wound in the heart.

The coroner's representative would not release further details and said other tests are pending.

Police want to question the victim's live-in boyfriend, Taiwan Allen, 29, who may be driving an older model, brown or burgundy Toyota Camry, homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said. The license plate number of the car was not known.

On Saturday a friend of the dead woman went to the home in the 6700 block of Tiffolo Lane near Hollywood Boulevard and Carey Avenue to check on Clemons, Monahan said.

The woman found her friend dead inside the house, Monahan said.

The children thought their mother, who police believe had been dead for several days, was asleep.

The children believed their mother had come home from her job at a group home, where she cared for disabled people, and had gone to bed as usual.

Lodia Fluellen, Clemons's grandmother, was granted temporary custody of the four children.

"They will always know I'll be there for them," Fluellen said.

An account has been set up to help pay for funeral expenses and the children at Wells Fargo banks in Lodia Fluellen's name.

Anyone with information about the woman's death is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 385-5555 or Metro Homicide Section at 229-3521.