Phylicia Barnes | More Barnes Photos |April 7 Search Photos
The Monroe, N.C., 16-year-old was visiting family in northwest Baltimore over the Christmas holiday. Her disappearance garnered national attention and puzzled investigators who conducted massive searches for the teen.No immediate cause of death was determined after the preliminary autopsy. More tests were scheduled to be done Friday.Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld said at a Thursday night news conference that detectives will continue working to find out what happened to Barnes. He extended his condolences to the Barnes family."We're now at stage one of the new phase of the investigation," Bealefeld said.Barnes' mother told 11 News that she's been in mourning since her daughter disappeared and is grateful for all of the efforts made to find her.Barnes was an honor student and a track star. Her mother said Barnes planned to graduate early and attend Towson University.Initially, 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller said a distinctive tattoo was a leading clue in the case. Barnes has a tattoo of a rose on her lower right leg, and Miller reported that a similar tattoo was located on the body of the female who was pulled from the river Wednesday
Team Coverage, Case TimelineMaryland State Police Superintendent Col. Terrence Sheridan confirmed that during Thursday's news conference.Police said two troopers crossing the Conowingo Dam were flagged down by people working there about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The female body was pulled from the river about 10 a.m. The man's body was found about 2 p.m., police said.Miller reported that the area north of the dam where Barnes was found isn't easy to reach.The Susquehanna is a cold river, and it is possible that Barnes' body had been in the river since shortly after her disappearance and was only recently stirred up by warmer weather and storms, Sheridan said.Police have not yet identified the male body, but the 11 News source said police believe he and Barnes are linked. Police said the man was black, about 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 240 pounds.Miller reported there was no identification on either of the victims, and neither of the bodies was clothed. The source said the conditions of the bodies were very similar.There were no signs of injury or wounds to Barnes when her body was found, Sheridan said. The cause and how they died have not yet been determined.Soon after the teen vanished, Baltimore police alerted local media saying her disappearance was unusual because she had no history of disputes with her family or trouble with the law. Police called it one of the strangest and most vexing missing persons cases they had investigated, and, despite getting help from the FBI, they had few leads.
"We're not going to spare any expense to try to find out what happened to these two people. It's going to take a lot of work."
- Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Terrence SheridanPolice spokesman Anthony Guglielmi described the incident as "Baltimore's Natalee Holloway case." The Barnes case did not get as much attention as the disappearance of the Alabama teen in Aruba, but Barnes' mother said in January that she did not feel slighted."My daughter is not the only child that's missing. Other children need their time, too," Janice Sallis said. "I appreciate all that has been done for her and us thus far, and it's quality, not quantity, that's important to me."Barnes' family and friends had raised more than $35,000 in reward money to help solve the case. Her mother and stepfather declined to comment on the identification of the body.Telling Sallis her daughter was dead was a horrible experience, Bealefeld said."It's the worst possible news you can give to any mother," he said. "It's the last bit of news they ever want to hear."
Investigators find themselves at the beginning of a new phase of the investigation. State police have 12 homicide investigators working with city police on the investigation and police are plotting out areas of the river to search, Sheridan said."We're not going to spare any expense to try to find out what happened to these two people," he said. "It's going to take a lot of work.
"Stay with WBALTV.com and WBAL-TV 11 News for updates.
No comments:
Post a Comment