***UPDATES AT BOTTOM OF THE ENTRY***
In "Kelsey Smith is Missing," I wrote about the disappearance of the 18-year-old Overland Park, KS resident from a Target department store on Saturday, June 2, 2007.
Kelsey can be seen in this YouTube video entering and exiting the story around 7 p.m. that night. In a video posted at AMW.com (America's Most Wanted), a young man in his twenties can be seen exiting the same store -- he has been considered the main person of interest in Kelsey's disappearance.
Another video was broadcast on cable news networks tonight (June 5). It apparently showed someone pushing Kelsey into her 80's model Buick Regal in the Target parking lot that night. The vehicle then exited the Target lot and turned in the opposite direction Kelsey would have headed to go home.
A news conference about Kelsey's disappearance will be held at 10 p.m. Central Time, according to KSHB-TV.
This is an unusual time of day to hold a news conference, is my only comment at the moment.
This entry will be updated as needed.
UPDATE 1, 12:25 p.m. EDT, 6/06/07
Based on cell phone technology, authorities have deployed a large number of resources in South Kansas City, MO. The "resources" include law enforcement and police academy cadets.
A release from the Overland Park PD, given to major media outlets, indicated as many as 200 people were involved in the latest effort.
Kelsey last spoke to her mother on her phone between 7:10 and 7:15 p.m. on Saturday night. About an hour after Kelsey vanished, her phone did ping a tower in that area of Kansas City. Speaking to Fox News, an FBI agent related the preceding and indicated that the area where the search is occurring is heavily wooded in spots.
Also mentioned in the Fox alert -- no civilian volunteers are participating in the new search. The federal agent who was interviewed stated that this was because evidence might be found in this effort, and law enforcement would be needed to process that evidence.
A press conference is expected to occur at 1 p.m. ET, 12 Central Time.
UPDATE 2, 1:00 p.m. ET
In the news conference held at noon (CT), broadcast locally in the Overland Park/Kansas City area, investigators gave out some new information about the search for Kelsey Ann Smith.
The search includes members of the FBI, DEA, and police academy students, as well as more than 50 detectives from municipalities including Lenexa and Olathe, KS.
Apparently the ping from the cell tower could have come from Kelsey's family attempting to contact her after she disappeared on Saturday. Pings come from calls in to a number or calls out from that phone. The officer giving out info in the presser wasn't sure as to whether a ping on a cell tower could be distinguished by the source -- the person with the phone or calls coming into the cell.
The last ping from Kelsey's cell was actually at 7:56 p.m. on June 2, 2007. The area currently being searched -- the Longview Lake Park area -- was near the only tower that received two pings related to Kelsey's cell number. The pings occurred about 12 minutes apart, according to police.
In the news conference they also directed those with an interest in Kelsey's case to the website created to aid in finding the young woman:
(High traffic has knocked CrimeBlog.US down for the moment. This entry is identical to the one posted there earlier this week.)
http://www.findkelsey.com.
Police also announced a new tipline number: 913-327-5638.
NBC Action news has the text of the officer's prepared statement from the press conference here. Thanks to Tim for posting the link in the comments.
UPDATE 3, 3:02 p.m. ET
Tim Miller of Texas Equusearch has told a Fox News producer that Kelsey Smith's remains have been found 20 miles east of the search area around Longview Lake.
Kelsey can be seen in this YouTube video entering and exiting the story around 7 p.m. that night. In a video posted at AMW.com (America's Most Wanted), a young man in his twenties can be seen exiting the same store -- he has been considered the main person of interest in Kelsey's disappearance.
Another video was broadcast on cable news networks tonight (June 5). It apparently showed someone pushing Kelsey into her 80's model Buick Regal in the Target parking lot that night. The vehicle then exited the Target lot and turned in the opposite direction Kelsey would have headed to go home.
A news conference about Kelsey's disappearance will be held at 10 p.m. Central Time, according to KSHB-TV.
This is an unusual time of day to hold a news conference, is my only comment at the moment.
This entry will be updated as needed.
UPDATE 1, 12:25 p.m. EDT, 6/06/07
Based on cell phone technology, authorities have deployed a large number of resources in South Kansas City, MO. The "resources" include law enforcement and police academy cadets.
A release from the Overland Park PD, given to major media outlets, indicated as many as 200 people were involved in the latest effort.
Kelsey last spoke to her mother on her phone between 7:10 and 7:15 p.m. on Saturday night. About an hour after Kelsey vanished, her phone did ping a tower in that area of Kansas City. Speaking to Fox News, an FBI agent related the preceding and indicated that the area where the search is occurring is heavily wooded in spots.
Also mentioned in the Fox alert -- no civilian volunteers are participating in the new search. The federal agent who was interviewed stated that this was because evidence might be found in this effort, and law enforcement would be needed to process that evidence.
A press conference is expected to occur at 1 p.m. ET, 12 Central Time.
UPDATE 2, 1:00 p.m. ET
In the news conference held at noon (CT), broadcast locally in the Overland Park/Kansas City area, investigators gave out some new information about the search for Kelsey Ann Smith.
The search includes members of the FBI, DEA, and police academy students, as well as more than 50 detectives from municipalities including Lenexa and Olathe, KS.
Apparently the ping from the cell tower could have come from Kelsey's family attempting to contact her after she disappeared on Saturday. Pings come from calls in to a number or calls out from that phone. The officer giving out info in the presser wasn't sure as to whether a ping on a cell tower could be distinguished by the source -- the person with the phone or calls coming into the cell.
The last ping from Kelsey's cell was actually at 7:56 p.m. on June 2, 2007. The area currently being searched -- the Longview Lake Park area -- was near the only tower that received two pings related to Kelsey's cell number. The pings occurred about 12 minutes apart, according to police.
In the news conference they also directed those with an interest in Kelsey's case to the website created to aid in finding the young woman:
(High traffic has knocked CrimeBlog.US down for the moment. This entry is identical to the one posted there earlier this week.)
http://www.findkelsey.com.
Police also announced a new tipline number: 913-327-5638.
NBC Action news has the text of the officer's prepared statement from the press conference here. Thanks to Tim for posting the link in the comments.
UPDATE 3, 3:02 p.m. ET
Tim Miller of Texas Equusearch has told a Fox News producer that Kelsey Smith's remains have been found 20 miles east of the search area around Longview Lake.
