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The search for Jessica Lunsford
Vast search begins for missing girl
The 9-year-old was last seen when her grandparents put her to bed in their Homosassa home.
By JUSTIN GEORGE and JORGE SANCHEZ
Published February 25, 2005
 Jessica Lunsford was last seen wearing a nightgown and shorts. |
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CRYSTAL RIVER - The disappearance of a 9-year-old girl sparked a broad search Thursday involving scores of local and state law officers, bloodhounds, a helicopter and FBI agents.
Jessica Marie Lunsford was last seen about 10 p.m. Wednesday when her paternal grandparents put her to bed at their home in Homosassa, just south of Crystal River. The grandparents also slept in the home Wednesday night.
Authorities say Jessica's father, Mark, also lives there. He was out with a friend Wednesday night and returned home some time before 6 a.m. Thursday to find the mobile home's front door unlocked and his daughter gone.
"I have some grave concerns about the welfare of this child," said Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy. "We're working something (that is) a step up from a missing person."
Jessica's mother, Angie Lunsford, lives in Ohio. FBI agents were unable to locate her Thursday, the sheriff said.
Authorities do not suspect that either of the parents or grandparents were responsible for the girl's disappearance, Dawsy said. "We just know that she's gone," said Kristy Kirkland, Jessica's older cousin.
Jessica is 4 foot 11 and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink nightgown with white shorts. She is a third-grader at Homosassa Elementary School.
It doesn't appear she put shoes on, authorities said. Her school clothes remained laid out as they were the night before.
Searchers on foot and horseback scoured 2 square miles around the Lunsfords' mobile home Thursday. Today, the search team will be bolstered by a team from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Mark Lunsford, 41, and his father Archie, 72, spent much of the day being interviewed at the Sheriff's Office. Archie's wife Ruth, 73, remained at the scene. Mark Lunsford works as a dump truck driver, according to his brother, Paul, who lives in Springfield, Ohio. Jessica was the child of Mark Lunsford's second marriage. He has three older children by his first wife.
Mark Lunsford moved to Homosassa about two years ago to be near his aging parents and to provide his daughter with adequate child care while he worked, his brother said.
"It was something we always wanted to do, and he was just in a better position to do it," Paul Lunsford said.
Angie Lunsford would see her daughter infrequently, Paul Lunsford said.
"But there wasn't a problem there, as far as I could tell," he said. "Jessie knew that her mother couldn't get here to see her often, and when she could visit, they would have fun times together."
Jessica's grandmother alerted authorities that the girl was missing at 6:30 a.m. Sheriff's officials issued a national Missing Child Alert, but stopped short of seeking an Amber Alert. The latter alerts require law enforcement to describe what vehicle might have been used in an abduction or provide some evidence of danger, sheriff's spokeswoman Ronda Hemminger Evan said.
Solid tips or clues were few Thursday, she said.
The search for Jessica included vested searchers on horseback and a sheriff's helicopter buzzing overhead throughout the day. A large media contingent, which included a reporter from Good Morning America, stood just inside police tape that blocked off most of the street. Locals began passing out fliers to help. Bloodhounds howled in the distance.
Neighbor Alvin Harris even brought Buford, his own bloodhound, to aid the search. "He just needs something to sniff," said Harris' friend, Bernie Smith.
Tiffany Powalish, Jessica's 9-year-old friend, was interviewed by detectives as she waited at the scene with her father, Scott. She said Jessica has complained about her grandparents being strict about cleaning her room.
"I just feel very bad because, last night, I didn't say bye to her," said Tiffany, still carrying the pink backpack and wearing the butterfly necklace she had worn to school.
Tiffany attends Faith Baptist Church just a few blocks away with Jessica. Both girls attended the same King's Kids Club on Wednesday. They sang and made get-well cards for a pregnant church member, said Kim Bidlack, the pastor's daughter who led the group. She said she noticed nothing unusual about Jessica Wednesday night.
Both girls were driven home by Sharon Armstrong, a Lunsford family friend. She said Jessica sang "The sun will come out tomorrow," from Annie, during the drive. Armstrong made sure Jessica climbed inside her house before she pulled away.
Armstrong also tutored Jessica before the club session began, helping her prepare for the math portion of the upcoming FCAT exam. Authorities called her a bright student with no apparent problems at home.
"She's definitely not the type of child to run away," said Armstrong, who learned of the missing girl after Jessica's grandparents called early Thursday. "I never saw her sad, never saw her cry."
Dawsy said search crews would work into the night.
Neighbors, on edge, didn't expect to get much sleep.
"I just hope they find her okay," Dolores Michaels said. "I have a 9-year-old granddaughter, and I was going to have her over this weekend, but I told her mother to stay away."
[Last modified March 1, 2005, 04:44:02]
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