By Dan Aceto and David Harry

Staff Writers

For Lorraine Ela, the past five months have been a “long and heartbreaking journey.”

Ela’s 22-year-old daughter, Megan Waterman, has been missing since June 6 after a trip to New York with boyfriend Akeem Cruz.

A benefit will be held Saturday to raise reward money for information leading to the Scarborough resident’s safe return.

“Our hope is to get somebody to say something,” said Ela, a South Portland resident

Ela said Waterman’s family has been planning the benefit dinner for more than two months. A silent auction also includes themed gift baskets for newborns and other items.

 “Once we put a reward out, I feel like someone will come forward,” Ela said.

The dinner will be sponsored by the LostNMissing organization based in New Hampshire that raises awareness of missing persons through the media. Ela said she hopes the dinner will raise approximately $5,000. 

Waterman, who according to Scarborough Police, advertised as an escort on Craigslist, was last seen in Hauppage, Long Island, on June 6 with Cruz, 21 of Brooklyn, N.Y., and has been missing ever since.

Cruz was scheduled to face arraignment today in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland on drug trafficking charges. 

He was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury last week on charges of dealing crack cocaine and violating conditions of release. Cruz was arrested in August during an investigation by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

In a press release following Cruz’s arrest, MDEA Special Agent Kevin Cashman said Cruz had 13 grams of crack when he was arrested Aug. 10 in a South Portland motel room.

Cashman said the crack was packaged for sale and worth about $1,300 and Cruz also had $500 in cash with him when the room was raided.

Scarborough Police Detective Don Blatchford said Cruz is considered a witness in Waterman’s missing person investigation, but has not provided much detail about what may have occurred on June 5 or 6, when Waterman disappeared.

“He did not provide a clear detailed statement, but he did see her that night,” Blatchford said.

Police said Cruz and Waterman were known to visit Long Island because Waterman was working as an escort who posted online ads.

Cruz remains in Cumberland County Jail in Portland, according to a jail official.

Elizabeth Meserve, Waterman’s aunt, said she hopes the charges Cruz faces will prompt him to come forward about Waterman’s disappearance.

“Now that he’s in jail, we would like to see him make some kind of deal and talk,” Meserve said.

Blatchford said the investigation is progressing daily as police continue to interview people who were known associates of Cruz. He said he would be interested in hearing from Cruz if given the opportunity.

“He made it very apparent he wasn’t interested in talking,” Blatchford said.

Blatchford said all leads are being investigated, including that Waterman may have been a victim of sex trafficking.

Meserve said sex trafficking is a very real concern in America.

“A lot of people don’t think it happens in this country or that it only involves women recruited from foreign countries. But many American girls are taken each year as well,” she said.

Ela said police have been doing all they can and continue to work on the case day by day.

“Each month they do continual updates on Facebook regarding Megan’s disappearance. They have just been awesome about getting the word out,” Ela said.
Although it has been a trying time for the family, Ela remains optimistic. 

“I know somebody out there knows something,” she said.