Hundreds Of Tips Received In Missing-Boy Case
Human Dragnet For Boy Comes Up Empty
POSTED: Monday, September 18, 2006
UPDATED: 7:23 am EDT September 18,
2006
OCALA NATIONAL FOREST, Fla. -- Divers searched a murky lake over the weekend for evidence in the case of missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett, but authorities said so far they have found nothing to bolster their investigation.
Searchers formed a human dragnet Sunday in the search for clues after a tipster reported talking with Trenton and his mother, Melinda Duckett.
Local 6 News reported that since the boy vanished on Aug. 27, tips have come in by the hundreds but there are still more to check out.
"We are still trying to firm up Melinda's timeline in the 24 to 48 hours prior to the abduction," Leesburg police Capt. Steve Rockefeller said.
Crews spent nine hours Sunday searching about 11 miles of palmetto scrub and isolated roads in the Ocala National Forest over the weekend.
More than 150 officers and volunteers, 17 cadaver dogs and a helicopter were used in the search near the Farles Lake area of the forest.
"It is pretty obvious at this point that they no longer think he is alive," Sanchez said. "They are now searching for his body."
Leesburg police said a multi-agency task force is working other routine leads and plans to regroup Monday and Tuesday to plot a new course in the search for the toddler.
Melinda Duckett killed herself in her grandparents' Central Florida home Sept 8. Relatives have said stress and intense media attention pushed her to suicide..
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Previous Stories: - September 16, 2006: Source: Hand-Drawn Map Lead Not Credible In Missing Boy Case
- September 15, 2006: Report: Hand-Drawn Map Shows Travels Of Missing Boy's Mom
- September 15, 2006: Father: Stuffed Animal Found In Forest Likely Not Missing Boy's Toy
- September 14, 2006: Stuffed Animal Found In Ocala National Forest Search For Boy
- September 13, 2006: Family: Media Coverage May Have Pushed Missing Boy's Mom Over Edge
- September 8, 2006: Body Of Missing Boy's Mom Found
- September 8, 2006: Missing Boy's Mother Declines Polygraph; Father Passes Test
- September 6, 2006: Search Continues For Missing Boy
- September 5, 2006: Police Seek Help In Verifying Alibis Of Missing Boy's Parents
- September 2, 2006: Tip Prompts Search Of Woods For Missing Boy
- September 1, 2006: Search Continues For Missing Boy
- August 30, 2006: Sex Offenders Questioned In Search For Boy
- August 29, 2006: Police: Missing Central Fla. Boy In Danger
- August 28, 2006: Police: Boy May Have Been Abducted From Bedroom
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