85 replies to this topic

[Jenn]

http://www.mynorthwe...d=11&sid=276640

Updated Jan 27, 2010 - 5:19 pm

Police refocus on missing girl's case

By JEFF POHJOLA

Investigators are re-doubling their efforts and throwing thousands of dollars at the public in hopes of finding a missing McLeary girl.

On Wednesday Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott said his office the will be looking at every piece of evidence again to see if there's anything they missed in the case of Lindsey Baum who has been missing since June of 2009.

Scott said the FBI conducted a third-party review of the investigation which will lead to an "increase in activity" in regards to the case.

In addition to going back over the case, the reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Baum has been doubled to $20,000.

The 11-year-old hasn't been seen since June 26 when she left a friend's house to walk home.

[Jenn]

http://www.theolympi...ry/1117267.html

Reward doubled for missing McCleary girl

Published January 27, 2010

MCCLEARY - Grays Harbor County Sheriff's officials and the FBI announced today that they have doubled a reward for information that helps them solve the disappearance of Lindsey Baum, who was 10 when she went missing as she walked home from a friend's here on June 26.

Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott said the FBI has upped the reward from $10,000 to $20,000. Scott added that investigators wanted to announce to residents that they are going to be ramping up the police presence in McCleary in the coming weeks as they reinvestigate and recanvass the area.

Scott said some of the police work might seem redundant to residents, as they see "an increase in police activity in and around McCleary."

"We want everyone to know that this hasn't gone away and we haven't given up our efforts," Scott added.

Anyone with information that can assist investigators can call the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office at 360-249-3711, extension 543, Scott said.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.komonews....s/84777457.html
8-year-old boy finds human remains near Cowlitz River

An 8-year-old boy came upon human remains while playing in a brushy area near the Cowlitz River on Thursday afternoon. Now investigators are trying to determine who the person is and how the remains got there.
By KOMO Staff
Story Published: Feb 19, 2010 at 8:36 AM PST
Story Updated: Feb 19, 2010 at 6:27 PM PST

TOLEDO, Wash. - An 8-year-old boy came upon human remains while playing in a brushy area near the Cowlitz River on Thursday afternoon.

Now investigators are trying to determine who the person is and how the remains got there.

The grisly discovery was made around 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the 100 block of Cougar Lane, Lewis County sheriff's deputies said.

There are several missing women and children in southwest Washington, and many people are asking if these remains could be connected to any of those cases - particularly the missing McCleary girl, Lindsey Baum.

But so far, authorities don't see a connection between these remains and Baum or any of those cases.

"This does not appear to be Lindsey Baum. No, this is not a child," says Stacy Brown of the Lewis County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say the bones are likely those of a man - but at this time, no one is certain.

The boy who found the remains ran home and told his grandmother, Bethann Boettner, about his discovery. She walked back and had a look for herself.

"Well, I dropped a tear because it is creepy. It is not something you find every day," Boettner told KOMO News.

She called 911. And on Friday, five detectives, six Explorer scouts and seven dogs searched the area behind the Boettner home.

There are 100 acres here, and animals had disturbed the remains, police said.

A preliminary investigation has found that the bones appeared to have been in the area for one to two years.

A car was found abandoned in the area during that time. But police are being cautious.

"We are not speculating on who this person may be until we can get a forensic pathologist to look at the bones, analyze them and try to ID the person," Brown said.

Police completed their search at mid-afternoon.

As for the 8-year-old who found the bones - he's fine.

"His attitude is really good," says Boettner. "Today, in fact, he said, 'Grandma, if it wasn't for what I found we wouldn't have all this excitement going on.'"

It may be several days before the bones are identified. And right now, police say they aren't speculating on the cause of death or whether this was a homicide.

[Jenn]

http://www.kirotv.co...498/detail.html

Mom Searching For Missing McCleary Daughter Ordered To Pay Back Unemployment

Posted: 6:25 pm PST February 22, 2010Updated: 6:52 pm PST February 22, 2010

RAINIER, Wash. -- Her daughter's been missing since June and now the mother of Lindsey Baum has been ordered to repay unemployment benefits the state said she never should have received.

Melissa Baum took three months unpaid leave from her job as a call center operator and then filed for unemployment when her employer said she could not return to work part-time.

Baum left her job so she could assist in the search for her daughter, Lindsey, who has been missing from McCleary since June 26.

“We discussed it when I did my initial interview for unemployment. They all knew what was going on, they approved me, I started getting unemployment,” Baum said.

The checks came for five weeks then just before Christmas the state said she was ineligible and asked her to send a $1,000 back.

“I paid into unemployment, I earned the unemployment and now they're saying I can't have it,” Baum said.

Baum and her 13-year-old son just moved to the town of Rainier to live with relatives. She said she can no longer afford the rent for the house in McCleary where she knows her missing daughter is trying to get home to.

“It's very hard, extremely, and I put it off as long as I possibly could. I don't want to do it, but I don't have a choice,” Baum said.

She said she also doesn’t have the $1,000 the state of Washington is demanding her to pay back from unemployment benefits.

“It's just one more battle that I just don't have the time or energy to fight.” Baum said.

Due to federal privacy rules, the state could not make a comment on Baum’s case. They said the federal rules require Baum to pay back the benefits that she wrongly received.

Anyone with information about Lindsey’s disappearance is asked to call the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office at 1-866-915-8299 or send an e-mail to soadmin@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.

[Jenn]

http://seattletimes....clearygirl.html

FBI makes another sweep at missing WA girl's home

The Associated Press

MCCLEARY, Wash. — Taking advantage of a last opportunity before a missing girl's mother moves, FBI agents have returned to Lindsey Baum's home in McCleary, Wash., to conduct a new search. Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott says forensic experts are taking samples of carpeting, furniture, hair strands, car materials and anything else that might help them.

Scott said Friday the 10-year-old girl's home has been searched at least three times before. But an outside review of the investigation suggested another sweep of the home be made by crime scene specialists and an FBI team was available.

Scott says there is no new evidence but the girl's mother, Melissa Baum, is moving out of McCleary soon. He says there are no suspects.

The undersheriff says the girl's room has been preserved untouched since the evening of June 26, when she vanished while walking home from a friend's residence.

[Jenn]

http://www.kirotv.co...279/detail.html

FBI Searches Home Of Missing McCleary Girl Before Family Moves

Posted: 3:23 pm PST February 26, 2010Updated: 5:49 pm PST February 26, 2010

MCCLEARY, Wash. -- The FBI is searching the home of a missing McCleary girl one last time before her family moves out.

Lindsey Baum’s family is moving to Rainier and Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott said it’s the last chance to obtain samples of the old house before someone new moves in.

Baum was last seen June 26 when she disappeared while walking home from a friend's house. Two people spotted the then 10-year-old along the way, but she never made it home and investigators have found no evidence that could explain her disappearance

Scott said Friday's search was planned and is part of the FBI's review of the county's investigation.

Investigators are taking samples of carpet and other items inside the home to put into an evidence library in case they are ever needed for comparison. They are also doing a final search of Lindsey’s room which hasn’t been touched since she vanished, Scott said.

Samples are also being collected from Melissa Baum’s car, Lindsey’s mother, for possible future use.

Scott said the search and collecting samples are routine and that there are no new tips or information in the case.

Lindsey's family has two Web sites with information: http://lindseybaum.com/ and http://findlindseybaum.com/.

Lindsey is 4 feet 9 inches tall, 80 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light blue hooded pullover shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about Lindsey’s disappearance is asked to call the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office at 1-866-915-8299 or send an e-mail to soadmin@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.theolympi...on-stepped.html

Missing girl's investigation stepped up
Lindsey Baum: Reward now $25,000
JEREMY PAWLOSKI; Staff writer | • Published April 30, 2010

MCCLEARY - As the first anniversary of Lindsey Baum's disappearance approaches, the Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office is stepping up its investigative efforts, Undersheriff Rick Scott announced during a news conference at the McCleary City Hall on Thursday.

Lindsey was 10 years old when she disappeared on June 26. She has not been found, and investigators think she is the victim of foul play.

At every turn, police have been stymied by a lack of evidence or clues, despite numerous massive searches of the area in and around McCleary.

“We’re going to be here as long as it takes,” Scott said during Thursday’s news conference. “We’re still as tenacious in our investigation as we were from day one.”

The refocused efforts will start Monday, Scott said, and will include re-interviewing people who live in the area of Maple Street, where Lindsey disappeared, and researching areas in and around McCleary in an effort to find her.

Scott said the point of the intensive investigation in McCleary is to get a sharper snapshot of exactly what was going on around town when Lindsey disappeared.

Lindsey was walking home from a friend’s on Maple Street shortly before 9:15 p.m. June 26 when she disappeared. The last time someone saw Lindsey on her approximately half-mile walk to her mom’s old home on Mommsen Road was at about 9:15 that evening, when a resident saw her walking on Maple Street between Fifth and Sixth streets, police have said.

On Thursday, Scott also announced that the FBI has added $5,000 to the reward money being offered for information that leads to Lindsey’s whereabouts, or the arrest and charges filed for the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.

The total reward money now being offered is $25,000.

Another new tool being used by investigators are five large trailer trucks posted with large photos of Lindsey, along with a phone number, 1-800-THE-LOST, that’s used by the Washington State Patrol’s Homeward Bound program in an effort to find missing children. The trucks were donated by Gordon Trucking Inc. of Pacific, Wash., said Luci Stewart, manager of WSP’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit.

Stewart explained that the trucks will be placed at strategic locations where motorists on local roads can see them. They also can be placed anywhere in the country where the investigation into Lindsey’s disappearance is being conducted, in an effort to get more tips.

Lindsey’s mother, Melissa Baum, also was present during Thursday’s news conference. She pleaded with McCleary residents to cooperate with the coming investigative effort, and to rack their brains for anything that might help them find Lindsey.

“Somebody out there knows something,” Melissa Baum said.

Melissa Baum said that she and her supporters are planning a community event in Olympia’s Heritage Park, tentatively scheduled for June 26, the first anniversary of Lindsey’s disappearance.

Anyone with information about Lindsey Baum’s disappearance can call in tips at 1-866-915-8299, or send tips to Post Office Box 305, McCleary WA, 98557.

[Jenn]

http://seattletimes....clearygirl.html


New video clue in search for missing McCleary girl

Video from a convenience store has shown police three people they'd like to talk to about the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl last June in McCleary.

The Associated PressTuesday, May 4, 2010 at 5:53 AM

McCLEARY, Wash. — Video from a convenience store has shown police three people they'd like to talk to about the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl last June in McCleary.

Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott says the McCleary Shell Station video shows a man and a boy walking into the store apparently from a pickup truck. It also shows a second man who also is not identified as a local resident.

Scott told KXRO they are not suspects in the disappearance of Lindsey Baum, but investigators want to know if they saw anything suspicious the night she went missing while walking home from a friend's home.

[Jenn]

http://www.king5.com...l-92704724.html

Two men sought in search for missing McCleary girl



Grays Harbor County investigators want to speak with two men seen on surveillance video the night Lindsey Baum vanished in McCleary last June.

by DREW MIKKELSEN / KING 5 News
Posted on May 3, 2010 at 2:04 PM Updated yesterday at 4:38 PM

McCLEARY, Wash. - Grays Harbor County investigators want to speak with two men seen on surveillance video the night a girl vanished in McCleary last June.

The men are not considered suspects in the disappearance of ten-year-old Lindsey Baum.

Police say they were seen entering a convenience store at a Shell station near the spot where Baum was last seen walking home from a friend's house June 26, 2009.

Investigators believe one of the men was driving a white Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.

Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott said investigators consider the men potential witnesses.

"Perhaps something they saw that's important to us was meaningless to them," said Scott.

Tracking down people like the two men is the main focus of the renewed effort in McCleary to figure out what happened to Lindsey Baum.

"Until we recreate that moment in time we're not going to know exactly who was out and about and which person… it could be this gentleman here who has that one piece of information that's going to solve this mystery," said Scott.

Investigators are well aware that the two men, if they can be found, may not help the case one bit, but they want to be sure. And while the video is 10 months old, it's relatively new to them. They're blaming the delay on technical problems and a language barrier with the owner of the Shell station.

[Jenn]

http://www.examiner....ng-Lindsey-Baum

Police stepping up search for missing Lindsey Baum

May 11, 12:16 AM Missing Persons Examiner Jerrie Dean

On June 26, 2009, 10-year-old Lindsey Baum left a friend's house to walk home.  She only had 3 blocks to walk, but she disappeared before she ever made it home.

Lindsey's disappearance has been hard on her small hometown of McLeary, Washington with a population of only 1,500 people.  Many have searched and many have been questioned, but Lindsey is still missing.

The FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) team has talked to two-thirds of the towns residents and have used state-of-the-art equipment to try to located Lindsey. They have brought in profilers to analyze the behavior of persons of interest and Lindsey's personality for clues.

"There is between 100 and 200 cases a year where it is a stranger abduction. These are very, very serious crimes that the FBI places a high priority on. There's no greater crisis in a community, and I can't imagine a greater crisis for either a parent or a community, than to have a child go missing," said Kevin Perkins, assistant director of the FBI's criminal investigation division.

"Somebody saw something and somebody suspects something. Somebody knows something and they're not coming forward. I think that's my greatest frustration through this all is, I know there's somebody out there and for whatever reason, they're not sharing whatever information that they have. Whether they honestly don't believe that it's important or that it will make a difference," said Melissa Baum, Lindsey's mother.

Grays Harbor County police have released three surveillance videos from the gas station/convenience store of the night that Lindsey disappeared.

No one to date has risen to the level that we would label them a suspect,." said Rick Scott of Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Dept.

Lindsey is 4'9" tall, 80 pounds and was 10 years old when she went missing. She has brown hair and brown eye.

The reward for information leading to Lindsey's return is $25,000.

You can contact the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s office at 866-915-8299 or send an e-mail to: soadmin@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.

[WJHarrison]

http://www.kirotv.co...081/detail.html

Crews Search Sewers, Canal For Missing McCleary Girl

5:58 pm PDT May 25, 2010
Updated: 6:45 pm PDT May 25, 2010
KIROTV

MCCLEARY, Wash. -- Crews searched manhole covers and searched a canal in McCleary for missing 11-year-old Lindsey Baum.

Grays Habor County Undersheriff Rick Scott said it’s a “routine follow up search” for Baum who has been missing since June 26. They were searching the sewers near where Lindsay was last seen.

The FBI called Lindsey’s mom, Melissa Baum, Tuesday morning and informed her of the search, said Baum's friend Kam Burkey.

Burkey told KIRO 7 that divers had some new equipment to search the sewers that they had not used before. She said this was not the first search below ground.

Crews didn’t find anything, Burkey said.

Anyone with information on Baum’s disappearance should contact the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s office at 866-915-8299 or send an e-mail to: soadmin@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.

[Denise Harrison]

http://www.mynorthwe...d=11&sid=328076

Sheriff's office releases video of missing girl Lindsey Baum

IRO Radio

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Department has released a video of missing 11-year-old Lindsey Baum.

Baum has not been seen since June 26 when she disappeared walking home from a friend's house in McCleary.

Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott says they released the video in hopes it might spark memories with people who may have seen Baum.

"We're releasing it to just continue to hopefully jog people's memories."

The video shows Baum playing with a neighbor seven months before she vanished in McCleary last June.

Scott says leads are few and far between, but approaching a year on the case, they're stepping up efforts again.

"In the next days and weeks to come we're going to be doing more searching in and around McCleary and continuing to talk to people."

[Jenn]

http://www.cbsnews.c...312-504083.html

Lindsey Baum Disappearance Anniversary: "Day of Hope" to be Held for Missing 10-Year-Old

June 21, 2010 3:27 PM

McCLEARY, Wash. (CBS/AP) A "day of hope" will be observed Saturday in an Olympia park on the one-year anniversary of Lindsey Baum's disappearance.

PICTURES: Lindsey Baum Disappearance

Police are still looking for possible leads in the case and hope that they will one day be able to determine what happened to Lindsey, who was 10-years-old when she went missing on June 26, 2009 while walking home from a friend's house in McCleary, Wash.,west of Olympia.

During the observance, called "Lindsey's Day of Hope and Awareness for the Missing," balloons will be released for Lindsey and all of the other missing persons of Washington state, reports The News Tribune. It will take place from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Olympia's Heritage Park.

Previously, police have enlisted the help of the FBI, bloodhounds, and searchers on horseback, but there have been no signs of the missing 4-foot-9-inch, 80 pound girl.

Melissa Baum, Lindsey's mother, says that her daughter was upset by the recent divorce of her parents, but says Lindsey did not have enough money to run away, nor had she ever tried to run away in the past.

After nearly a year of searching, her mother fears the worst.

The search for Lindsey continues, and authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for information regarding the young girl's whereabouts, as well as information leading to the arrest of and charges against the person or people responsible for her disappearance.

If you have any information regarding Missing Child Lindsey Baum, please call the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office at 866-915-8299.

[Denise Harrison]

http://seattletimes....seybaum26m.html

FBI seeks man, boy as witnesses in missing-girl case

Lindsey Baum of McCleary has been missing for one year now, and law enforcement agents are trying to attract new leads.

By Seattle Times staff


Lindsey Baum of McCleary, Grays Harbor County, has been missing for one year now, and law-enforcement agents are trying to attract more leads in what is still an active investigation.

The 10-year-old disappeared at approximately 9:30 p.m. on June 26, 2009, while walking home from a friend's house.

On Friday, the FBI distributed a video taken inside a nearby Shell Mart at around that time, in hopes of contacting a man and boy in the clip, who might have witnessed something. The mini mart is along the walking route Lindsey normally took, FBI Special Agent Fred Gutt said.

The man is wearing a large brown T-shirt, dark knee-length shorts and a crimson baseball hat. He drove a white Honda Ridgeline, to the minimart at about the time the girl was last seen.

Grays Harbor sheriff's deputies previously released the video, which can be found at http://seattle.fbi.gov.

Anyone who has tips should call the FBI in Seattle at 206-622-0460.

[Jenn]

http://seattletimes....clearygirl.html


McCleary girl disappeared 1 year ago
One year ago Saturday, 10-year-old Lindsey Baum disappeared while walking home from a friend's house in McCleary.


Originally published Friday, June 25, 2010 at 12:32 PM The Associated Press

MCCLEARY, Wash. —

One year ago Saturday, 10-year-old Lindsey Baum disappeared while walking home from a friend's house in McCleary.

She has missed her 11th birthday party, the start of a new school year, holidays and family gatherings.

KXRO reports investigators continue to hope a piece of critical information might be found that can bring the case to a close.

Undersheriff Rick Scott says there's a renewed search around McCleary. The reward for information on Lindsey's whereabouts has risen to $30,000.

To mark the anniversary of her disappearance, Lindsey's Day of Hope and Awareness is being held in Olympia on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Heritage Park.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.thenewstr...s-families.html


Lindsey's Day spotlights families of missing
Event: Attention brought to other cases on anniversary of disappearance

ROLF BOONE; Staff writer
Published: 06/27/1012:05 am

About 365 red balloons bearing heartfelt messages were released Saturday above Capitol Lake, a balloon for each day that an 11-year-old McCleary girl named Lindsey Baum has been missing.

Saturday’s event, Lindsey’s Day of Hope and Awareness, was a gathering to support not only Lindsey’s families but all families with missing children. Friends and family of Nancy Moyer, the Tenino woman who disappeared 15 months ago, also participated, as did Theresa Lewis of Tacoma, the mother of Teekah Lewis, who disappeared at a Tacoma arcade bowling alley in January 1999.

Teekah turns 14 on July 4, she said.

“I told her I would be right back,” Theresa recalled about that night. She next remembers seeing her daughter in the arcade, and then she was gone. Lewis was one of the guest speakers Saturday at Heritage Park; others were Melissa Baum, Lindsey’s mother, and Bev Poston, Nancy Moyer’s longtime friend and co-worker.

Baum thanked everyone who attended – about 200 people throughout the day – and said she hoped the rally would bring attention to all missing children and adults.

“She needs to come home,” Baum told the audience.

Poston worked with Moyer for 10 years at the state Department of Ecology. Poston told the crowd that before Moyer disappeared, she told Poston she was happy, was blessed to have good friends and that life was going well. Since, Poston has been among a group of volunteers who have participated in about two dozen search-and-rescue efforts and also have held fundraisers to help raise about $8,000 in college money for Moyer’s children. Vicki Cline, who also works at Ecology and knew Moyer, also was there. On her red balloon, she wrote, “Come home Lindsey.”

Lewis told the audience that her heart goes out to everyone who has a missing child.

“Teekah was my world, my everything. That person stole my heart from me,” she said about Teekah’s abductor. “Life is so empty without her.”

The event was not without hope. Also speaking were Kerensa Thomas and her 13-year-old son Apollo, of Hoquiam. Thomas told a story about how her special-needs son avoided being abducted last Tuesday afternoon. At the time, both Thomas and Apollo were in their garden when she suddenly heard her son’s distressed voice and saw him being forced down the street by another man. Thomas yelled at Apollo to get away from the man, and he used an evasive maneuver to free himself and run back to the house.

Apollo’s would-be abductor later was identified as 46-year-old Michael Hickman, a Hoquiam man with a history of mental health problems. Thomas urged those in the audience to familiarize themselves with the legal process, particularly civil commitment hearings, which few people understand are open to the public, she said.

“Terrifying isn’t the word,” she said about seeing her son forced down the sidewalk. “There is no word for that.”

[Denise Harrison]

http://seattletimes....clearygirl.html

New search for missing McCleary girl

Grays Harbor County sheriff's deputies and FBI agents are searching two properties in McCleary for a girl who disappeared more than a year ago while walking home from a friend's house.

The Associated Press
McCLEARY, Wash. —

Grays Harbor County sheriff's deputies and FBI agents are searching two properties in McCleary for a girl who disappeared more than a year ago while walking home from a friend's house.

Undersheriff Rick Scott told KOMO-TV detectives served search warrants Tuesday for the two locations - a house and a storage area. Scott says a person of interest is connected to the properties.

No arrests have been made and police have never identified a suspect in the disappearance of Lindsey Baum who was 10 when she went missing in June of last year.

A $30,000 reward is offered for information to solve the case.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.kval.com/...l/98336299.html

Detectives execute search warrants in missing girl case

By KOMO Staff
Story Published: Jul 13, 2010 at 4:31 PM PDT

MCCLEARY, Wash. - Sheriff's deputies are combing through two properties here as part of their ongoing search for Lindsey Baum, who disappeared more than a year ago while walking home from a friend's house.

Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott said detectives obtained search warrants for the two locations.

Deputies and FBI agents began searching a house in the 100 block of Fir Street, and a storage area in the 900 block of West Simpson on Tuesday morning.

Scott said a "gentlemen who has become a subject of interest to us" is connected to the properties.

He expected the searches to take several hours.

Detectives have spent months searching the town, conducting interviews and reviewing security camera footage, hoping to turn up new clues that will lead them to the missing girl.

No arrests have been made and police have never identified a suspect in the girl's disappearance.

Scott said the man targeted in Tuesday's searches is someone detectives also talked to early in the investigation.

"He, like everyone else, came to our attention because of the proximity of where he was living in relation to where she was believed to have been last seen," Scott said.

Investigators have released several video clips to the public hoping to generate new tips and are offering a $30,000 reward for information in the case.

[Jenn]

http://seattletimes....dwritethru.html

Missing McCleary girl: 2 new search warrants

The Associated Press  Originally published Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 9:33 PM

McCLEARY, Wash. —

Grays Harbor County sheriff's detectives and FBI agents with search warrants have combed through a home and a storage facility in McCleary, Wash., in their continuing investigation into the June 2009 disappearance of little Lindsey Baum.

KING-TV reports investigators took some items Tuesday to see if they contain forensic evidence.

Undersheriff Rick Scott says a man investigators consider a "person of interest" is connected to the two properties. No arrests have been made and authorities have never identified a suspect in the disappearance of the girl, who was 10 when she vanished while walking home from a friend's house.

Scott says some of the information investigators received from the man is inconsistent with what they've developed themselves.

[Jenn]

http://www.komonews....l/98336299.html

Police focusing on person of interest in missing girl case

By KOMO Staff Story Published: Jul 13, 2010 at 10:42 AM PDT Story Updated: Jul 13, 2010 at 8:35 PM PDT



MCCLEARY, Wash. - Sheriff's deputies are combing through two properties here as part of their ongoing search for Lindsey Baum, who disappeared more than a year ago while walking home from a friend's house.

Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott said detectives obtained search warrants for the two locations.

Deputies and FBI agents began searching a house in the 100 block of Fir Street, and a storage area in the 900 block of West Simpson on Tuesday morning.

Scott said a "gentlemen who has become a subject of interest to us" is connected to the properties.

He expected the searches to take several hours.

Detectives have spent months searching the town, conducting interviews and reviewing security camera footage, hoping to turn up new clues that will lead them to the missing girl.

No arrests have been made and police have never identified a suspect in the girl's disappearance.

Scott said the man targeted in Tuesday's searches is someone detectives also talked to early in the investigation.

"He, like everyone else, came to our attention because of the proximity of where he was living in relation to where she was believed to have been last seen," Scott said.

Investigators have released several video clips to the public hoping to generate new tips and are offering a $30,000 reward for information in the case.

[Jenn]

http://www.king5.com...r-98447299.html

Search for missing McCleary girl focuses on man's car

by DREW MIKKELSEN / KING 5 News  Posted on July 14, 2010 at 1:31 PM  Updated yesterday at 2:09 PM

McCLEARY, Wash. - Investigators are focusing on the car of a man considered a "person of interest" in the disappearance of Lindsey Baum.

Baum was 10 years old when she was last seen in McCleary in June of 2009.

On Tuesday, police served search warrants on the storage unit and McCleary home of the 47-year-old man, whose name is not being released.

On Wednesday police began searching the man's car.

Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott said investigators have not found any evidence linking the man to Baum's disappearance.

Several items seized from the locations are being sent to crime labs to be analyzed.

[Jenn]

http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=11161927

Investigators Looking for Lindsey Baum Search Man's House, Storage Unit
Inconsistencies Spur New Search, but Still No Suspects

By JOHN WETENHALL  July 14, 2010

Investigators with the Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office and the FBI grew suspicious after they found inconsistencies in information provided a year ago by a 47-year-old man, whose name they will not release.

Some of the man's account failed to match other information the investigators had obtained independently, Grays Harbor Undersherriff Rick Scott told ABCNews.com.

"We found that what we were being told and what we now believed to be true were two different things," Scott said. "Those inconsistencies gave birth to some concerns that we needed to explore further."

The Sheriff's Office obtained search warrants and carried out searches on the man's residence and a shared storage unit Tuesday, seizing some items and speaking to the man at length.

Investigators planned to search his car this morning.

Scott downplayed the new search, emphasizing that this man was one of many persons of interest in the case and has not become a suspect.

"A lot of what we were concerned about has been somewhat explained," Scott said.

"We found nothing yesterday that clearly links him to Lindsey's disappearance.

"We've looked at over 4,000 leads so far," Scott said. "Even if it eliminates someone from further scrutiny, it's a step in the right direction."

Investigators will submit the items they seized from the man's residence and storage unit for forensic testing, but Scott said it may be some time before they learn anything.

Sheriff's Office Holds Hope That It Will Find Lindsey Baum

It has been more than a year since Lindsey disappeared on the 10-minute walk from a friend's house. Witnesses spotted her shortly after 9:30 p.m. on that day last June, but when she did not return home by 10, her mother, Melissa, went to look for her. When Lindsey did not turn up, her mother notified police within the hour.

Lindsey would have celebrated her 12th birthday a week ago, on July 7.

Even though a year has passed, Scott still holds hope his office can find Lindsey and "bring her home.

"You have to remain optimistic," he said."It's a painstakingly slow process, but we are making progress."

[Jenn]

Charley Project Profile for Lindsey: http://www.charleypr...um_lindsey.html

NamUs Profile: https://www.findthem....org/cases/2542

NCMEC poster: http://www.missingki...earchLang=en_US

[Denise Harrison]

http://blog.seattlep...from=blog_last3

Criminals help in search for missing girl

Department of Corrections inmates plan to help this week with the search for Lindsey Baum, a girl who went missing in June 2009 when she was 10.

Inmates from the Cedar Creek Corrections Center plan to work with the FBI, the Grays Harbor Sheriff's Department and the State Patrol on Tuesday through Friday. They're expected to clear vegetation. A similar effort earlier this year led to the recovery of bones, which were later determined to animal remains.

The inmates earn 75 cents per hour, but the effort gives them a sense of pride and is an important part of the rehabilitation process, Superintendent Douglas Cole said in a statement.

[Jenn]

http://www.thenewstr...ndsey-baum.html

Search for Lindsey Baum will get help from prison inmates
Inmates will help law enforcement officers search for missing 12-year-old Lindsey Baum of McCleary this week.

Staff report Published: 10/26/10 8:18 am | Updated: 10/26/10 8:17 am

Inmates will help law enforcement officers search for missing 12-year-old Lindsey Baum of McCleary this week.

The FBI, the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol will be working with inmates from the Cedar Creek Corrections Center to conduct targeted searches in and around McCleary today, Wednesday and Thursday.

The inmates assisted in searches for Lindsey during August and early October.