Phylicia Barnes funeral set for Conyers

Funeral plans are set for a North Carolina teen whose body was found in a river months after she went missing in Baltimore.

FILE - This undated photo provided by the Baltimore Police Department shows Phylicia Barnes. After months of searches and appeals to the public, authorities confirmed Thursday, April 21, 2011, that a body found in a northeast Maryland river was that of Barnes, a North Carolina teen who went missing while visiting relatives in Baltimore over the Christmas holidays. (AP Photo/Baltimore Police Department, File)

The private service for Phylicia Barnes is set for Saturday at the Springfield Baptist Church in Conyers. The service can be viewed online.

Phylicia Barnes, from the small North Carolina city of Monroe, about 25 miles southeast of Charlotte, disappeared Dec. 28 while visiting her older half-siblings in Baltimore. Her 17th birthday was Jan. 12.

Barnes’ father, Russell Barnes of Riverdale, spent time in Baltimore after his daughter disappeared. Her mother, Janice Sallis, also went to Baltimore but then moved back to Atlanta in January at her family’s urging.

Baltimore police worked to keep the search for Barnes in the public's consciousness, but none of the scores of tips they received panned out. Barnes' family and friends had raised more than $35,000 in reward money to help solve the case.

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.

Two weeks ago, workers at the Conowingo Dam spotted Barnes' body in the Susquehanna River. Authorities have not yet determined how she died.The body of an unidentified male was also found.

A memorial service for Barnes is set for May 14 at Mount Pleasant Church in Baltimore.