Kalea Ava Melton, 18, vanished on Saturday from Holly Springs, according to an alert from the Town of Holly Springs.

On Saturday, police searched areas around her home using unmanned aerial vehicles, police K-9 teams, and officers on foot, Holly Springs spokeswoman Kelly Miller said in a Sunday news release.

"Today, officers canvassed the area again utilizing officers on foot and a police bloodhound team," Miller said about efforts on Sunday.

Melton's home is located in the Twelve Oaks area off New Hill Road, family members told CBS 17 Sunday.

Melton was last seen wearing a white and pink anime sweatshirt, multicolor Vans shoes, and was carrying a Star Wars backpack, officials said. She was also seen with a Vans shopping bag containing a pillow, the news release said.

Authorities asked residents to be on the lookout for Melton, who is 5 feet tall and weighs about 77 pounds.

Officials said anyone with information about Melton’s location should contact Detective Dieckmann of the Holly Springs Police Department at 919-567-4737.

On Friday, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) issued an Amber Alert for 10-month-old Eleia Maria Torres. Officials sent out the alert after the Clovis Police Department found the girl's mom and another woman dead at Ned Houk Park.

The deceased victims were identified as 23-year-old Samantha Cisernos and 23-year-old Taryn Allen. A 5-year-old girl was also found injured at the scene. Authorities believe Torres should have been with her mother.

Eleia Maria Torres is 28 inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair. New Mexico State Police shared this photo of her with the Amber Alert:

Details remained limited during a Sunday press conference as investigators pleaded for information leading to Torres and those responsible for the "senseless act of violence."

Investigators said surveillance footage showed the victims had stopped for food before going to a store in Clovis.

Later, two men entered Ned Houk Park and found Cisernos, Allen, and the young girl lying beside their van. A man walking in the park later told police he had heard gunshots, but did not immediately report them.

Authorities said the 5-year-old girl was still receiving medical treatment but did not explain what injuries they suffered. The fathers of both children have been cooperating with law enforcement.

Deputy Police Chief Trevor Thron said Sunday that investigators with New Mexico State Police helped search the ponds and surrounding areas. Those search efforts did not uncover any additional evidence.

Authorities obtained surveillance footage that showed the victims stopping for food before going to a store in Clovis. The FBI and Clovis police are now asking anyone with information to come forward, noting that no tip is "too small" or "insignificant."

If you have any information on this case, call 575-763-9472.

Clovis is roughly 220 miles east of Albuquerque and 10 miles from the Texas border.

Andrade Ramírez's office issued a news release Sunday evening stating "families of the victims had positively identified" their loved ones.

On Sunday morning she had said the bodies recovered from the well were in an "advanced state of decomposition" and DNA testing would be required, something that is now moot according to Baja's attorney general.

It appears the three men were victims of a robbery, and when they resisted giving up their truck, they were shot and killed, and then dumped into the well.

Andrade Ramírez says investigators believe the suspects came across the surfers who were camping near La Bocana, a well-known surfing spot south of Ensenada near the community of Santo Tomas, and saw an opportunity to rob them.

She says the assailants likely felt it was an isolated area with no cell service and "no witnesses."

Two men and a woman are in custody and two others are "under investigation," according to Baja's attorney general.

According to officials in Greenwood Village, located just outside of Denver, K-9 Mercury has been with their police department for just over a year. He is trained in narcotics detection, as well as searching for people.

On Thursday, Mercury and Officer Austin Speer were called in to help search for an 85-year-old woman who had been missing for two hours.

Mercury was able to lead Speer to the woman, who authorities said was "clinging to a tree down a steep ravine."

In a video shared by the village on Facebook, Mercury can be seen tracking down the woman and receiving plenty of praise upon finding her.

"Hi, ma'am! This is a friendly dog, he found you. We're going to get you home, OK?" Speer can be heard saying in the video.

According to authorities, the woman was in a spot where she could not be seen from the roadway or canal. She was able to safely return home after being found.

In a comment on the village's Facebook page, a man claiming to be the woman's son explained that his mother had become "'gassed out' after trying to climb" the hill.

"I had been searching for her for two hours and Mercury and Officer Speer found her in 10 minutes: UNBELIEVABLE!" he wrote.

The Baja California Attorney General’s Office confirmed Friday the bodies were located in La Bocana, about 130 miles south of San Diego, California.

Jack Carter Rhoad, Jake Robinson and Callum Robinson were last seen April 27. Their last known location was San Miguel Beach in Mexico.

Evidence discovered on beach

Police confirmed that the three men were driving a white Chevrolet pickup truck, which has been recovered by police. Police also discovered a cell phone and tents along the beach where the three men were last seen.

María Elena Andrade Ramírez, Baja California’s chief public prosecutor, said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was somehow linked to three suspects. Those three people have been arrested in connection to the three men's disappearance, Mexican police said.

"At this moment, a team of investigators is in the location where it seems they were seen for the last time, where tents were found along with some evidence that could be related to these three people included in the investigation,” Andrade Ramírez said Thursday.

Robinson's, Rhoad reported missing

Rhoad and the Robinson brothers were officially reported missing Monday after they never arrived at their Airbnb and Callum Robinson didn't show up for work.

"We do not know what condition they are in," Andrade Ramírez said. "All lines of investigation are open at this time. We cannot rule anything out until we find them."

Callum Robinson posted multiple pictures to his Instagram account at locations in northern Baja California, including a popular surf spot called KM 38 Surf Point and a restaurant called La Hoguera.

The last photo he posted showed the men at San Miguel Beach about 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana.

On Wednesday, the missing Australians' mother, Debra Robinson, posted on a local community Facebook page an appeal for helping in finding her sons, Jake and Callum.

Robinson said one of her sons, Callum, is diabetic.

Andrade Ramírez said her office was in contact with Australian and U.S. officials. But she suggested that the time that had passed might make it harder to find them.

“Unfortunately, it wasn't until the last few days that they were reported missing. So, that meant that important hours or time was lost,” she said.

The area where these men vanished is known as a hotspot for cartel violence.

'Hotspot' for cartel violence

Víctor Clark Alfaro, director of the Binational Center for Human Rights in Tijuana and professor at San Diego State University, says through the end of March, the Baja California’s Attorney General’s Office was investigating 415 homicides in Tijuana.

By comparison, Ciudad Juárez, just south of El Paso, Texas, had 219, and León, Guanajuato had 152.

"Two groups with organized crime are in dispute for the region generating violence. On average, six murders take place daily, all revenge killings for the most part," Clark Alfaro said. "There's no glimpse of a solution in the short term, and it shows signs of getting worse and more intense."

In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California — also known as the Sea of Cortez— from the Baja peninsula. Authorities say they were victims of highway bandits. Three suspects were arrested in that case.

NewsNation affiliate Border Report contributed to this report.

A Feather Alert is a resource for law enforcement agencies to notify the public when an indigenous person or woman goes missing

Paula Connolly, 28, was reported missing to the sheriff's department on Monday just after 11:00 p.m., according to authorities. Her vehicle and personal belongings were found at a hotel in Jacumba, but there was no sign of Connolly.

After receiving information about Connolly being seen at a Shell gas station in Jacumba, deputies reviewed the surveillance video that shows her walking from the gas station to the park next to the Park and Ride around 10:30 p.m.

Authorities describe Connolly as standing 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighing around 180 pounds. Connolly, who has dark brown hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a black and pink dress with a flower print. She also has a large tattoo of a large flower covering a woman's face on her right shoulder.

Anyone with information about Connolly's whereabouts should call 911 or contact the sheriff's department at 858-565-5200.

It's the latest twist in the Suzanne Morphew case and the big question that remains is whether prosecutors will once again charge her husband, Barry Morphew, in her death. A previous case against him was dismissed without prejudice.

Suzanne Morphew disappears

On May 9, 2020, Suzanne Morphew sent a selfie to a man in Michigan she was having an affair with. It's the last evidence of her alive.

On May 10, 2020, her husband reported her missing after sending her a Mother's Day text and not getting a response. He left their home early for a business trip but returned home after a neighbor said she was missing.

Search parties began looking for Morphew and on May 11, 2020, her mountain bike was found in the woods near the couple's home, off the road. A few days later, her undamaged bike helmet was found off a different road.

Searches continued into the fall, led by Morphew's family members and a $200,000 award was offered for information but no sign of her was found.

Barry Morphew charged

In May 2021, prosecutors charged Barry Morphew in his wife's disappearance. Later that year, Morphew was also charged with fraudulently submitting a ballot in his wife's name to help former President Donald Trump help win the 2020 election.

In preliminary hearings, prosecutors revealed Suzanne Morphew's two-year affair and submitted evidence including scratches on Barry Morphew's arms and a tranquilizer dart and needle that had been found at the Morphew home.

In April 2022, prosecutors dropped the case, which was dismissed without prejudice, making it possible for the case to be brought back to trial at a later date if there was more evidence.

In October 2022, the prosecutors involved were under investigation for allegedly withholding evidence in the case. There are also allegations of a plot against a judge.

Suzanne Morphew's remains found

In September 2023, Suzanne Morphew's remains were found during an unrelated search in Saguache County.

In April 2024, her autopsy report was released to the media. They indicated Morphew's manner of death was homicide but the cause of death could not be determined.

Traces of drugs used to immobilize wildlife were found in her remains. Because of the age of the remains, it's not clear if the drugs killed her or if there was another cause of death.

Barry Morphew previously told investigators he used tranquilizer darts to immobilize deer and cut off their antlers. After the autopsy findings were revealed, he suggested investigators should be investigating veterinarians in the area who might use those drugs on wildlife.

It's not clear if prosecutors will charge him again now that there is new information on his wife's death.

On Tuesday, the Marin County District Attorney's Office filed felony charges against Christopher "Kio" Dizefalo, 26, of San Francisco, and Sarah Atkins for allegedly abducting a 16-year-old minor in Marin County on April 21.

The teen's parents are Stewart Butterfield, a billionaire businessman and former CEO of Slack, and his ex-wife, Caterina Fake, the co-founder of Flickr.

Fake reported her daughter as missing to the Marin County Sheriff's Office on the morning of April 21. The mother told investigators that her daughter vanished from their Bolinas home, left a note behind, and likely ran away. FBI agents joined the around-the-clock search.

San Francisco Police Department officers found the teen unharmed at 11:30 p.m. on April 27 inside a white van in the city's drug-plagued Tenderloin neighborhood.

Dizefalo was also inside the white van at the time, MCSO said. Investigators described Dizefalo as the teen's "adult friend," and he was questioned at the SFPD's Tenderloin police station.

The teen "was uninjured and detectives confirmed she had run away from their home voluntarily. After being interviewed by MCSO Detectives, Dizefalo was arrested for multiple criminal violations and was booked in the Marin County Jail," MCSO wrote.

The teen's six-day disappearance made international headlines, and the sheriff's office thanked the public for sending in tips that "ultimately led to (the victim's) safe return."

Prosecutors said Atkins and Dizefalo tried to "conceal" the teen from Butterfield and Fake.

A criminal complaint filed by the district attorney states that the co-defendants "did willfully
and unlawfully, not having a right to custody, maliciously take, entice away, keep, withhold, and conceal a child ... with the intent to detain and conceal that child from a lawful custodian, to wit: Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield."

Atkins and Dizefalo are also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly encouraging the teen to not return home.

Dizefalo remained behind bars on Tuesday night in lieu of $50,000 bail. Atkins is not in custody, according to Marin County inmate records. The duo is slated to make their first court appearance on Wednesday morning for arraignment.

(NewsNation) — A church choir director has been missing for three years and police have named his boyfriend a person of interest as new details are revealed in the case.

Police told NewsNation exclusively they had polygraphed Creg Lyle's boyfriend, Michael Butler Jr., during the investigation and that he had failed the test. But they didn't have enough evidence to charge him and are now seeking the public's help in solving the case.

Creg Lyles' disappearance

Creg Lyle was a church choir director in Michigan before he disappeared. For his family and friends, the kitchen table is a safe place to reminisce.

While he worked a day job as an IT specialist, Creg Lyles' faith was his true passion whether he was acting as the choir director at his church in Pontiac, Michigan, or stepping into the spotlight on stage.

His parents, Greg and Mary Lyles, can't believe how much time has passed with no news of their son.

Creg Lyles' family is a sprawling bunch of loving relatives who bond through good-natured teasing and hold parties for every occasion. Creg Lyles was a critical element of that, starting a group chat with his cousins and hosting parties.

Have a question about the case? Join the conversation by submitting it on this page and we may answer it in the show. You can watch new episodes of Missing every Friday on our YouTube page.

But when he met Butler, everything changed, his family said.

They all supported Creg Lyles when he came out and when they met Butler, the first boyfriend he brought home to meet his loved ones. But it was tricky, they said, because something seemed off about Butler.

"It was just something about him that I didn't care for," Greg Lyles said.

It may have been father's intuition, as the family would only learn after Creg Lyles disappeared that Butler had recently been paroled from prison after serving part of a 22-year sentence.

"Creg hid from me because he didn't want me to know that he was gay. I take responsibility for that growing up and I feel responsible because when I told him to be himself, he went to be himself and then he went missing," Greg Lyles said. "That hurts me. Instead of letting him be himself, I waited until he got grown to tell him, hey, be yourself."

The first sign of Creg Lyles' disappearance came when the usually active man stopped using social media.

"Someone reached out to my oldest son and that's how we know Creg hadn't been on social media," Mary Lyles said. "He was a social media young butterfly and he called his dad every day."

The Lyles sent their son's college friend over to the Waterford apartment the 33-year-old shared with his boyfriend.

Searching for Creg Lyles

The friend quickly called the police after finding signs of a struggle. Waterford Police Lieutenant Chet Bartle picked up the case the next morning.

"We get to the apartment, Creg is not there. But Creg's live-in boyfriend, Mike Butler, is there," Bartle said. "He was startled. It was very clear that he was surprised by us being there. We were trying to ask him questions about their relationship."

Bartle determined the damage to the apartment wasn't recent, but came from an argument that happened at least a month before Creg Lyle disappeared.

One item would become a key piece of evidence: Creg Lyles' truck, which Butler was seen driving around the streets of Pontiac for days after his boyfriend was last seen.

Bartle said his team examined many kinds of evidence, including cell phones, watches, car computers, satellite imagery and video surveillance.

"Unfortunately, specific to the car, the data that is contained within the car only goes back to about two or three days before we met with Mike," Bartle said.

A missing boyfriend and unanswered questions

The family said earlier this year, detectives told them Creg Lyles would never be found.

"So I would never have that closure to put my son to rest properly like he's supposed to," Mary Lyles said.

The family has turned to their faith, just as Creg Lyles did in his life even with no concrete answers of what happened to him.

"I don't care if anybody goes to prison, I just want to know where my kid is," Greg Lyles said. "So I can put him to rest."

Police vow the case isn't over.

"Should this man feel comfortable at this point? Absolutely not," Bartle said. "Somebody out there knows. He's told somebody, he's left a crime somewhere. At some point, we'll get the answers that we need."

Detectives believe Michael Butler is living somewhere in Texas, but have been unable to locate him. NewsNation was unable to locate Butler as well.

Anyone with information on Michael Butler or Creg Lyles' disappearance should call the Waterford Township Police at 248-618-6041. To submit anonymous tips, call 248-674-COPS or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Marine Cpl. Charles Alex Benfield, who was reported missing from Southern California’s Camp Pendleton roughly two weeks ago, has been found, according to a nonprofit group that's been supporting his family during their search.

In a social media post Sunday afternoon, The RAD Movement said Benfield has officially been located and recovered. The group also noted, he's "receiving the help he needs."

Prior to his disappearance, Benfield was detained in downtown San Diego for public intoxication and was later released on Sunday, April 14 from the McAlister Institute Recovery and Bridge Center.

Shortly after, a communications director for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, to which Benfield belongs, made a statement announcing Benfield “did not report for duty the morning of April 15 following weekend liberty in the San Diego area.”

The Marine Corps requested the assistance of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service because he was an active duty servicemember.

In an update Wednesday, April 24, a public affairs specialist for NCIS confirmed Benfield was successfully contacted by law enforcement on Saturday, April 20. The official said Benfield “was
reported to be safe and is no longer considered a missing person.”

Despite this, The RAD Movement continued working with and supporting Benfield’s family. Founder Sharie Finn said Benfield was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol; however, his command and his family, along with her organization, had not heard from him directly at that point.

On Sunday, the nonprofit group said NCIS has been notified that the Marine has officially been located and is safe.

No further updates have been released by NCIS or the Marine Corps at time of publication.

Sarah Schultz told NewsNation affiliate KCAU that her husband David Schultz's body was found not far from where searches were held. She added that she was able to identify the body by the boots.

“We’re still in shock,” Sarah Schultz said. “I know after being gone, you know, for two to three days that something bad happened because he never would have not called even if he didn’t have his phone. So, I knew something was preventing him and I’m glad we know where he is now. There are still a lot of questions. Things don’t make sense, but we have him now.”

Sarah said she’s thankful to finally have closure and for the support she’s received from the community.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy on David Schultz's body.

According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Sac County Sheriff's Office was called shortly before 2 p.m. about a body that had been found in a field. It had been found near the intersection of 190th Street and Union Avenue, where Schultz's semi had been located in November 2023, the DCI said.

Hundreds of searchers covered thousands of acres looking for Schultz to no avail. The volunteer disaster recovery organization United Cajun Navy organized several public search parties.

"We did not search these fields because we were told that these fields had already been searched," Jacob Rowley with the United Cajun Navy said. "So, we ended up reaching outside of these areas, and that's where our search area was, so that's kind of where our search area came in. But, it really does surprise me that it was that close."

Rowley added he hopes that finding David Schultz's body brings closure to his family.

David Schultz, 53, went missing days before Thanksgiving in November 2023. Sarah Schultz said she last saw her husband as he left their Wall Lake home to go to work as a truck driver. He was set to deliver a load of hogs from Eagle Grove to Sac City, but he never arrived to his destination.

His truck was found the next morning on the road on northbound Highway 71 about 5 miles north of the Old Highway 20 intersection. The truck was still fully loaded with hogs. David’s wallet and phone were found in the semi, and his jacket was found in a nearby ditch.

Multiple organizations assisted in searching the surrounding lands.

After further investigation, officials provided a detailed timeline of the night and next day of David's disappearance. The timeline also detailed video footage of David stopping at a truck stop east of Fort Dodge on Highway 20. It was the last time he was seen, authorities said at the time.

A reward for information about Schultz reached $28,400.

Sebastian was last seen the night of Feb. 25 in the Hendersonville home of his mom Katie Proudfoot and stepdad Chris Proudfoot.

Seth Rogers, the missing 15-year-old's biological father, hired a private investigator to look into his son’s disappearance, saying he still doesn't know where his son is or what happened to him.

"There's been really no leads that have been shared with me by law enforcement," he told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports“ on Thursday.

Heather Cohen, the private investigator Sebastian's father brought on to work the case, said there was a lot of "turmoil surrounding Sebastian" and called attention to December and January, saying they are key months for investigators to study.

"We know that Chris Proudfoot was in the middle of a custody battle with his ex-wife. We know that the daughter did visit over Christmas break. We know that Sebastian was with Seth during that time," she said.

Cohen also said she knows there was a Tennessee Department of Children's Services referral to the Proudfoot home.

"That call was likely determined to be unfounded because the case was closed and that file is restricted at this time," she said. "I know Seth has tried to find out more about that call and he has been unsuccessful in doing so."

Cohen also referenced "some talk" about Chris leaving Katie, alluding to what she called "trouble in paradise."

"I feel that that probably had something to do with Sebastian," Cohen said. "To me, these are all things that need to be considered."

Cohen questioned how the teen would have reacted to tension in the home.

"If he overheard a conversation between Chris and Katie, where Chris is saying he can't deal with it anymore? He's out. Whatever, you know, that could have been an occasion for Sebastian to just leave."

Seth Rogers said he has "mixed feelings" about whether Sebastian was safe at his mother's home.

"I've heard some things," he said.

This comes as Sebastian's father told NewsNation that neither Katie nor Chris Proudfoot have spoken with him about the investigation.

“I haven’t spoken to them for two weeks," he said. "They’re not talking to me.”

What happened to Sebastian Rogers?

The Tennessee teen was last seen the night and heard the night of Feb. 25 in the Sumner County home Katie and Chris Proudfoot in Hendersonville.

Sebastian is autistic and his mother said she heard a thud from his room around 10 p.m., about an hour after he went to bed. She added that she called out for the teen to keep it down, who responded, and she told him to “go to sleep.”

That was the last time she heard from the teen, she said.

Sebastian was reported missing the following day, Feb. 26, and an Amber Alert was issued.

Chris Proudfoot was in Memphis working on a construction site the night of Sebastian’s disappearance. He said he returned home Feb. 26 after being notified that his son was missing.

Seth Rogers, Sebastian’s biological father, told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports“ the circumstances surrounding his son’s disappearance do not "make a lot of sense.” 

He said the teen's shoes were still at the front door. His Nintendo Switch was where the teen left it and his phone was still in the kitchen.

“I still can’t figure it out," he said.

Katie Proudfoot said she believes someone has Sebastian.

“I feel like if he had been close to the house, or had walked off, that we would have found him by now with as many people as have been searching,” she said.

Authorities have received more than 300 tips but no answers. And his family believes that he could be anywhere at this point.

So far, there is no evidence of foul play connected to Sebastian’s disappearance, Sumner County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Craddock said, though he added that authorities are not ruling anything out.

Did Sebastian Rogers' parents leave home?

Craddock said Sebastian’s mother and stepfather have been cooperative as the investigation continues, though the pair has faced questions over their decision to leave their home shortly after their son's disappearance.

In an interview on the “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” podcast, Katie and Chris Proudfoot were asked to confirm reports that they’ve packed up an RV and left their home in Hendersonville.

“I’m going back to work,” Chris Proudfoot said of his decision to leave.

Katie Proudfoot said she left “to accompany my husband going back to work,” adding that she planned to return home but didn’t specify when.

Additionally, Katie Proudfoot added that she’s concerned about being away while the search continues, “because my son could be anywhere and we’re looking everywhere and anywhere.”

The information from Craddock comes as Sebastian's father tells NewsNation that neither Katie nor Chris Proudfoot have spoken with him about the investigation.

Who is searching for Sebastian Rogers?

Authorities have scoured miles of land while searching for the missing teen in the days and weeks after he went missing. However, repeated search efforts have not turned up any new leads.

Sebastian’s grandparents have traveled from Texas on two occasions to help look for their grandchild. Sebastian’s grandmother, Robin Rogers, broke out in tears at a prayer vigil, recalling the teen.

“He loved to talk about plants with me," she said. "He loved to talk about animals with me. He loved to go fishing."

The search for Sebastian took investigators as far north as a landfill in Southern Kentucky, where the trash in Sebastian’s Hendersonville neighborhood reportedly goes after being picked up. Nothing was found during that search.

Volunteers with the United Cajun Navy, who helped search for University of Missouri student Riley Strain, have redirected some of their crews to help find Sebastian. 

“Sebastian’s father reached out to us and asked for help, and so we’re going to try to help up there as much as we can,” said David Flagg, incident commander with the search organization. 

United Cajun Navy volunteers couldn’t elaborate on exactly where they were sending search crews. However, members told NewsNation affiliate WKRN that they had drones and K-9s assisting.  

Sumner County Sheriff Sonny Weatherford told WKRN he briefly met with private investigators, who reportedly want to re-search some of the areas around Sebastian’s home.

EquuSearch Midwest had also offered assistance on the ground and via drone searches. 

Some strangers have become allies to Sebastian’s family. Karen Strahm and her son, Jaden Semich, took a special interest in the case from the beginning and decided to assist in the search.  

“By the fourth day, I really started to get involved. I went out searching on the fourth and fifth day, and ever since then, I’ve just been pretty vigilant with helping however I can," Semich said. “I have children of my own, and it’s hard to not see their faces when you look at his, and I think it’s hard for every mom and dad here.”

Cristian Rangel, 24, was last seen April 8 in a Walmart parking lot in south Austin. The police department said in a news release April 18 it was searching for him and was concerned for Rangel's well-being.

Officers responded to reports of a dead person in a southeast Austin neighborhood around 7 p.m. Friday, the release said.

The man was later identified as Rangel. Police are considering this incident a death investigation.

Anyone with information should call the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for information that leads to an arrest.

You can send a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling (512) 472-8477.

Marine Corporal Charles Alex Benfield was reported missing from Southern California's Camp Pendleton last week. Prior to his disappearance, Benfield was detained in downtown San Diego for public intoxication and was later released on Sunday, April 14, from the McAlister Institute Recovery and Bridge Center.

Sarah Lazo, Benfield's sister, told Nexstar's KSWB/KUSI that front desk workers at the center relayed to authorities their last encounter with the Marine.

"He was saying how he was scared, he was going to lose his rank because they had to meet that following morning at 8 a.m., which he had obviously missed," she said. "He said he needed to find his phone, so he was going to go search for that."

Shortly after, a communications director for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which Benfield belongs to, made a statement announcing Benfield "did not report for duty the morning of April 15 following weekend liberty in the San Diego area."

Benfield loved his job, according to his family, and just reenlisted for four more years with the Marines this past fall. Lazo said they were also able to determine that his bank had "been cleared out."

"There was no money left in it. There were several big amounts of money taken out at different ATMs,” Lazo said.

The Marine Corps requested the assistance of NCIS, which confirmed Wednesday that Benfield was successfully contacted by law enforcement on Saturday, April 20. A spokesperson said Benfield "was reported to be safe and is no longer considered a missing person."

A nonprofit organization, The RAD Movement, has been working with and supporting Benfield’s family in the search. Founder Sharie Finn says Benfield was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol; however, his command and his family, along with her organization, have not heard from him directly.

“When an adult goes missing in California, they are reported missing," Finn explained to KSWB/KUSI on Wednesday. "If any law enforcement agency encounters them, they simply ask them, ‘Are you a danger to yourself? Do you feel safe?’ If that individual says, ‘I am not a danger to myself and I feel safe,’ they are free to go. So in this case, that occurred.”

Finn says the last confirmed sighting of Benfield was at a Chevron gas station in Ocotillo, California, just a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. She said he had indicated to a store clerk at another market that he was hiking cross country.

“He has a T-shirt on, a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and a plastic bag,” Finn said. “But he by no means is prepared with the backpack and the supplies to travel cross-country.”

Finn says her organization will continue searching for him.

“We have resources on the ground over there,” Finn said, adding that they've alerted officials in El Centro, California, and Yuma, Arizona, as those "would be the next stops along the way, provided he makes it that far.”

Benfield’s family has created a Facebook page detailing more information about their search.

KSWB/KUSI has reached out to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton for comment.

Kasia Gregorczyk contributed to this report.

According to the TBI, 55-year-old Oretha Kollie was last seen wearing a blue jumpsuit and could be traveling in a 2005 red Honda Pilot with Tennessee tag BBD4724.

The TBI reports Kollie may be in the Memphis area.

She reportedly has a medical condition that could impede her ability to return home.

Kollie is described as a Black female who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Jonesborough Police Department at 423-753-1053 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Jaslene Nieves was last seen leaving her home on the 1400 block of North Central Avenue in the city's Austin neighborhood on Feb. 21. According to police, the teen has not had any contact with family members since she was reported missing, which they say is unusual.

Nieves is described as 5-foot-7, 130 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a red hoodie and black Adidas jogging pants with white stripes.

Anyone with information regarding the teen's whereabouts is asked to call Area Five Detectives at 312-746-6554.

Mint Butterfield, 16, was last seen late Sunday night in Bolinas, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said. Mint was reported missing to law enforcement on Monday morning. "It is believed Mint headed to the San Francisco area after running away," the Sheriff's Office wrote.

Mint's father is Stewart Butterfield, the co-founder and former CEO of Slack, according to reports.

"This is a missing child whom we now believe to be in or around the Tenderloin neighborhood here in San Francisco. If you see Mint Butterfield ... or have information about her whereabouts, please contact the phone number (415-569-0003)," San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey wrote on X.

Mint has reddish-brown curly hair and eyebrow piercings. The teen was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, flannel pajama pants, and black boots, the Sheriff's Office said.

Mint is five-feet-tall, weighs 100 pounds, and may have a gray suitcase. The Marin County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information on Mint's whereabouts to contact them.

Stewart Butterfield and his ex-wife co-founded Flickr, a photography and image sharing website, before they sold it to Yahoo for $25 million in 2005, according to Yahoo News. Butterfield co-founded Slack, an office workplace messaging app, in 2009, his LinkedIn page states.

Forbes magazine wrote, "In July 2021, cloud software giant Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7 billion in cash and stock. Butterfield departed Salesforce in December 2022, amid an exodus of executives at the software giant."

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Marine Corporal Charles Alex Benfield, who was reported missing from Southern California's Camp Pendleton last week, has been located.

Prior to his disappearance, Benfield was detained in downtown San Diego for public intoxication and was later released on Sunday, April 14 from the McAlister Institute Recovery and Bridge Center.

Sarah Lazo, Benfield's sister, said front desk workers at the center relayed to authorities their last encounter with the Marine.

"He was saying how he was scared, he was going to lose his rank because they had to meet that following morning at 8 a.m., which he had obviously missed," she said. "He said he needed to find his phone, so he was going to go search for that."

Shortly after, a communications director for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which Benfield belongs to, made a statement announcing Benfield "did not report for duty the morning of April 15 following weekend liberty in the San Diego area."

The Marine Corps requested the assistance of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service because the missing individual is an active duty servicemember.

In an update Wednesday, April 24, a public affairs specialist for NCIS confirmed Benfield was successfully contacted by law enforcement on Saturday, April 20. The official said Benfield "was
reported to be safe and is no longer considered a missing person."

No further details were provided. FOX 5/KUSI has reached out to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton for comment on the matter.

(NewsNation) — When Brittany Tee left her boyfriend's home in 2023, he thought she was going to her mother's house but instead, the 35-year-old simply vanished. Now, police are asking the public for help finding her.

What happened to Brittany Tee?

Brittany Tee walked out the door of the Massachusetts home where she lived with her boyfriend in January 2023 and was never seen again, leaving her family wondering if her vibrant, caring personality made her a target.

Her family called her the "fun aunt": The one who loved playing with her niece and nephew.

"She's the one that's getting down on the ground on her hands and knees and just being fun," said her sister Bethany Tee.

Her mother, Susan Tee, agrees.

"Anything the kids did, she did too," Susan Tee said.

The kids are now struggling to understand what happened to their favorite playmate. Initially, they just thought their aunt was on vacation and forgot to tell the family where she was. But as time has passed, the realization sank in that she really is missing.

We will be discussing this case in a digital show Friday. Join the conversation by submitting a question on this page and we'll answer it!

Brittany Tee disappears

Investigators said Brittany Tee left her house in Brookfield, Massachusetts, around 8:30 on the night of Jan. 10, 2023, but then just disappeared.

"Check your garages, check your sheds, anything where a person could seek to get out of the elements," the district attorney advised in an early press conference.

Investigators released surveillance photos from days before the disappearance, showing the black jacket and hoodie Brittany Tee was believed to be wearing when she left home.

But more than a year later, she's still missing.

"We know she left the house," said District Attorney Joseph Early. "Where she went after that, that's still a mystery. We don't have the answers."

Susan Tee spoke to her daughter on the phone just half an hour before she disappeared.

"We had a brief conversation and she started to cry. I asked what was wrong and she said, 'Oh nothing mom, we'll talk about it later,'" Susan Tee said.

When she couldn't reach Brittany Tee for two days, Susan Tee got worried and texted her boyfriend.

"He called me back very shortly after saying, what do you mean, how is Brittany doing? Isn't she with you?" Susan Tee said.

They immediately went to the house and discovered Brittany Tee's Jeep, with her purse and keys still inside.

Her boyfriend said he thought Brittany Tee had gone to her mother's home.

"He knew she was speaking with me and he thought she was asking me to come pick her up," Susan Tee said.

Investigators said the boyfriend has cooperated fully and the family is not releasing his name because they said there is no evidence he did anything wrong.

"We're getting pretty consistent stories from different people," Early said. "As far as the boyfriend goes, he's been very cooperative from the beginning."

In photos taken two weeks earlier at Christmas, Brittany Tee is seen playing with her niece and nephew.

"She had more energy, she was being silly with the kids," Bethany Tee said. "I felt like I had my sister back."

The shift from joy to disappearance is what troubles her mother.

"We can't imagine what could have gone wrong in two weeks and she's gone," Susan Tee said.

Early would not confirm whether Brittany Tee's phone had pinged after her disappearance but said multiple searches have left no stone unturned.

"The investigators have been relentless with the searches," he said. "Helicopters, drones, canine unit, civilian search teams."

Did someone take advantage of Brittany Tee's caring personality?

The Tee family is confident Brittany Tee would not have walked down the unlit road alone in the freezing cold.

"She had just spoken with my mom a half hour prior and she was clear as a bell," Bethany Tee said. "She was not intoxicated or altered in any way."

The family said Brittany Tee worked at the local liquor store where she became friends with the customers.

"She's kind and loving and funny and people are drawn to her personality," Susan Tee said. "We're just afraid maybe the wrong person was drawn to her personality and she was too trusting. Did the wrong person come by? And she got in the wrong vehicle?"

Early said he could not speculate about possible scenarios.

"We asked for cameras to see fi there may have been another vehicle, someone might have pulled up or she might have gotten into another car," he said. "We don't have any definitive answers at this point."

Her family is just hoping someone with information will come forward.

NewsNation reached out to Brittany Tee's boyfriend through the family, but he declined to be interviewed.

The District Attorney stressed that anyone with information should call the tip line, and any bit of information could be the one that breaks the case.

"We're still looking for information from the public," Early said. "We'd love more information from the public, no matter how inconsequential you think it might be."

Brittany Tee is 5'6" tall and weighs about 120 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone who has information should call the tip line at 508-453-7589.

GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- The desperate search has intensified for a missing marine from Gastonia, North Carolina. Corporal Charles Alex Benfield was reported missing after a night out in downtown San Diego.

The Marine stationed at Southern California’s Camp Pendleton had just reenlisted for four more years this past fall. His family is questioning the circumstances surrounding his sudden disappearance.

“It's just unbelievable and bizarre to us that this happened,” said Sarah Lazo, Benfield’s sister.

Gastonia native Sarah Lazo and her family are desperate for answers after her brother, Corporal Charles Alex Benfield, disappeared from California's Camp Pendleton.

The family found out through Benfield's first sergeant that he was detained in downtown San Diego for public intoxication just over a week ago while his ship docked there. He was later transferred and released from the McAlister Institute Recovery and Bridge Center on Sunday, April 14th.

“The morning that he was self-released around 11:30 am, he was very paranoid, scared, explaining how he had lost his phone the night prior, that he wanted to go look for it,” Lazo said.

“He didn't want to return to ship without his phone for the fear of losing his rank and punishment.”

A communications director with the Marines stated Benfield did not report for duty in the morning on April 14. The Marine Expeditionary Unit has stated that it will continue to try to locate Corporal Benfield to ensure his well-being. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has also joined the search.

“For us to think he just abandoned his duty, his service to his country, it's ridiculous to us,” Lazo said. “He loves his job.”

Benfield graduated from Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia. Last fall, he reenlisted in the Marines for four more years. His family can't fathom a reason he'd willingly disappear.

“My mom is Alex's favorite person, so for him to just drop off the face of the earth, and have no contact with her, it's making us question if something else is going on,” Lazo said.

Financial activity has also raised questions. Withdrawals from that weekend have resulted in a negative balance.

“Strange three withdrawals,” Lazo said. “Two of them were in the amount of $400, and another was in the amount of $180.”

For now, his family is here in the Carolinas is feeling helpless, and lacking the answers they so desperately seek.

“It's like body-shaking frustration,” Lazo described.

“It really breaks my heart. And for my son's sake, his nephew. I would love for them to be able to see him again and to get him the help that he needs,” said Jason Craft’s sister Shelby Rayborn.

“Even if he is not still out there, we need to know for his daughter's sake, for my parents. So, for my own sake, just to have that closure, it is so important to know that, you know, either he is OK or that he is not. We need to know either way,” Rayborn said.

Family members say this has happened before. The last time Craft went missing, he was found two weeks later in Mobile, Alabama. Right now, they don't know where he could be.

“He went off on foot and we have no idea which direction he went, if he went into the woods, if he went down the highway toward the casinos, we don't know. We haven't had any actual sightings that would point us in a direction of where he went,” Rayborn said.

Authorities say Craft was last seen March 30 at his home on Pleasant Hill Church Road in Lucedale. The George County Sheriff’s Office says it has been looking for him and posted about the case April 2 and again Thursday. They say he has a mental illness that affects his judgment and can lead to depression. Craft’s disappearance leaves unanswered questions for his family including his 9-year-old daughter.

"I would want to say that I love him so much and I hope he comes home. It's crazy without him," said daughter Ellie Craft. They hope more attention brings more leads and prompts people to search the wide, rural areas he may have roamed to.

“We also ask that anyone in the Basin and Barton area of Lucedale, Mississippi, search through properties, security cameras, trail cameras, and anything that may point to a clue that Jason had been there,” Rayborn said.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office made the discovery on Saturday, weeks after 25-year-old Claudia Pena and her husband, Nicolas Alvarez, were reported missing from Kissimmee on April 7.

The couple was reportedly last seen through a Ring doorbell camera entering and leaving Pena's mother's house twice before vanishing.

According to the sheriff's office, after deputies located the Pena's vehicle, they found the remains of two bodies in a wooded area nearby. Police said the incident appears to be an "isolated incident."

While the remains have not been positively identified as the missing couple, the clothing on one of the remains is consistent with what Pena was wearing when she went missing.

The medical examiner's office is working to identify the remains at this time.

"We’re all worried. This isn't normal behavior for Alex, just to leave and not to have any contact with anyone, especially my mom," Sarah Lazo, Benfield's sister, told Nexstar's KSWB/KUSI.

Alex was in downtown San Diego earlier this month when he was detained for public intoxication. He was later released from the McAlister Institute Recovery and Bridge Center on Sunday, April 14.

Lazo explains what the front desk there relayed to authorities.

"He was saying how he was scared, he was going to lose his rank because they had to meet that following morning at 8 a.m., which he had obviously missed. He said he needed to find his phone, so he was going to go search for that," she said.

A communications director with the Marines told KSWB/KUSI in a statement that Benfied, a field artillery cannoneer assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit "did not report for duty the morning of April 15 following weekend liberty in the San Diego area."

"The 15th MEU is aware that Cpl. Benfield was detained by San Diego police [on] April 14 and released later that day," the statement continued, adding that Marines from Benfield's unit then searched for him in downtown San Diego.

"The safety and accountability of our Marines and sailors is a top priority. The 15th MEU has requested the assistance of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and will continue to attempt to locate Cpl. Benfield to ensure his wellbeing."

Benfield's family says because Alex is active duty and NCIS is investigating, San Diego police cannot declare him a missing person, but that’s not stopping them from sharing their own missing persons posters on social media.

"I can understand him being scared to show up after missing a meet, but to completely fall off the face of the earth basically is unlike him at all," Lazo said.

Benfield loved his job, according to his family, and just reenlisted for four more years with the Marines this past fall, so they can’t accept that he would choose to abandon his duties.

Lazo says Benfield’s phone is dead, but last pinged at the San Diego Police Department. His financial activity is also raising more questions.

"We were able to find out that his bank has been cleared out. There was no money left in it. There were several big amounts of money taken out at different ATMs," Lazo said.

The family has tried calling hospitals, hotels, and even the medical examiner. The NCIS is asking anyone with information to submit tips online.

"I want her personally to know that she is loved and that we are wanting to welcome her home," Brigetta Uta'i, Aaliyah's aunt, told ABC4.com.

Aaliyah is described as being 5'3" tall and weighing 105 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen around 1 p.m. on Friday, April 19, wearing a baggy white shirt, tan pants and black Converse. She had a brown shoulder bag and has been known to take TRAX.

Brigetta said the last time the family was in contact with Aaliyah was around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, when she was dropped off at Mt. Jordan Middle School in Sandy.

Less than 30 minutes later, Brigetta said security cameras at the school captured Aaliyah leaving the campus and crossing the street.

"For her to just fall off the face of the earth is just not normal," Brigetta said.

Brigetta said none of the neighbors' cameras picked up Aaliyah, but she was last seen right before 1 p.m., walking past her grandma's house. Brigetta said there is no evidence of Aaliyah entering the home.

"There's so many dead-ends and so many unknowns," Brigetta said. "It's just not fair to be so unaware of what's going on with her right now."

Brigetta said the family learned through Aaliyah's friends that another person may have been involved, but Brigetta pointed out that that has not yet been confirmed. Brigetta also said Aaliyah tends to be a homebody, but gets along with a lot of people.

The family doesn't know if a second person was involved by vehicle, and said Aaliyah's mother has reached out to the Utah Transit Authority to see if Aaliyah had been seen on any of their cameras.

Brigetta said Aaliyah was in "very high, good spirits" a couple days ago and even wished Brigetta a happy birthday. For Aaliyah to be off-the-grid for so long is "unusual," Brigetta said.

"First and foremost, the only priority we really care about is that she's safe," Brigetta said. "That she knows she's welcome to come home."

Aaliyah is described as being bubbly and family-oriented, and Brigetta said that her family just wants to know that she is safe and they want her home.

"We just truly just wanna know that she's OK," Brigetta said.

Anyone with information regarding Aaliyah's whereabouts has been asked to contact Unified Police Department at 801-840-4000.

Just after 12 a.m. Saturday, Eau Claire police released a statement on Facebook saying that the teen has been found safe.

“We can always count on Eau Claire,” the message says. “We thank our residents and the numerous agencies that assisted us in finding Colin.”

The teen was last seen on Wednesday after leaving a note to his family stating his intentions to leave his residence voluntarily.

According to the Eau Claire Police Department, on April 17, the teen's parents contacted police after the 16-year-old had not gone to school or returned home.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the teen left a note stating his intention to leave home voluntarily. His parents say this behavior is uncharacteristic, and they are also concerned about recent statements he made about the stress he was experiencing.

The teen was seen on video surveillance leaving his residence in the 2200 block of Windsong Court alone on his bicycle shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Additionally, he was seen on business security cameras on American Boulevard heading east.

As a part of this investigation, the Eau Claire Police Department utilized many avenues to bring Colin home safely. These include interviews of friends and family, repeated phone pings, searches of social media accounts, reviewing business security surveillance video, drone searches with thermal imaging, and public assistance messaging.

After a review of public safety cameras, the teen was seen on April 17 using the bike trail to travel through Eau Claire. The area where he was last observed on camera was on the Chippewa River State Bike Trail along North Hastings Way near Hogarth Street. He was riding alone north toward the Village of Lake Hallie.

Wings of Hope has assisted in advanced searches of Eau Claire County bike trails, wooded areas, and waters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office, Altoona Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Northstar Search and Rescue, and the Eau Claire Area School District are also assisting in these efforts.

Police say additional efforts will include canine tracking with assistance from Northstar Search and Rescue, aerial observation from a Wisconsin State Patrol air unit, continued drone searches, and further review of social media accounts.

"We are aware of numerous residents and neighborhood associations offering assistance with search efforts," said the Eau Claire Police Department. "We are thankful for public support. At this time, there is no specific geographic area to focus on, so we ask all community members to be vigilant and report information."

The Eau Claire Police Department continued to say that residents can help by reviewing home security videos. Additionally, residents are asked to respect others' private property if they organize a search party in their neighborhoods. Never search alone; carry a phone; be cautious when conducting searches, as safety is critical.

The torso and an arm believed to belong to 19-year-old Sade Robinson were found Thursday morning along a remote stretch of tree-lined beach in South Milwaukee about a quarter of a mile (402 meters) from an apartment complex, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said.

The remains were found by someone walking on the beach, the office said in a news release.

Maxwell Anderson, 33, of Milwaukee has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson in the case. A phone message seeking comment was left Thursday afternoon for one of his attorneys, Anthony Cotton.

Anderson, of Milwaukee, was arrested April 4, two days after a leg believed to belong to Robinson was found by a passer-by down a bluff at Warnimont Park along Lake Michigan in Cudahy. The leg had been severed just below the hip.

Robinson had been reported missing April 2 by a friend. An employee of the building where Robinson lived told police that Robinson was excited about a date she had planned for April 1, according to the complaint.

Surveillance video from a restaurant showed Robinson and Anderson sitting together at the bar on the evening of April 1. Her burned car was found the next morning.

Anderson is being held on a $5 million bond. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Monday.

Anderson’s father, Steven Anderson, released a statement Thursday that offered condolences to Robinson’s loved ones, saying, in part, that his family was “shocked and devastated by her senseless death.” The statement came out before the latest discovery of remains was made public.

Sebastian was last seen on Monday, Feb. 26 near Stafford Court in Hendersonville and has been missing ever since.

Sumner County Sheriff Sonny Weatherford told WKRN he briefly met with the private investigators on Tuesday, April 16. The investigators reportedly want to re-search some of the area around Sebastian's home.

Authorities covered miles and miles of land while searching for the missing teen in the days and weeks after he went missing. However, repeated search efforts have not turned up any new leads.

The search for Sebastian took investigators as far north as a landfill in Southern Kentucky, where the trash in Sebastian's Hendersonville neighborhood reportedly goes after being picked up. Nothing was found during that search.

Sebastian's father, Seth, has organized searches himself, going as far west as West Tennessee.

Seth told WKRN on Tuesday he's doing everything he can to find his son.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense. His shoes (were at) the front door. His (Nintendo) Switch was there. His phone was in the kitchen,” Seth said during an appearance on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports in March“… “I still can’t figure it out. I’ve been looking everywhere, handing out flyers.”

Seth told NewsNation that neither Katie nor Chris Brownfoot have spoken with him about the investigation.

“I haven’t spoken to them for two weeks. They’re not talking to me.”

Paternal grandmother Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50, have each been charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39.

Butler and Kelley vanished on March 30 while en route to pick up Butler’s children for a supervised visit.

The victims' families attended the arraignment, filling the first three rows of the courtroom. Family members heckled the suspects, shouting expletives at them.

During the extremely emotional hearing, victims family members had to be held back as suspects were brought into court. Family called grandma Tiffany Adams a "f***ing b****" as she entered and the others "sorry pieces of s***."

NewsNation's Brian Entin spoke with Butler's aunt Ladonna Thompson as she left the courtroom. Thompson told Entin that Butler and Kelley didn't deserve to be killed, nor did the family deserve to have to endure the grief of such a loss.

"There's just too many emotions, so much anger," Thompson said. "I don't understand how somebody can hate somebody so much that you want to kill them. My niece did not deserve that and neither did the young lady with her. She was just there to help her."

All four suspects are expected back in court sometime next month.

Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley's bodies found

Butler and Kelley's bodies were discovered by authorities in Texas County on Sunday during a police search for their remains just over two weeks after their disappearance, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday.

Their bodies were found about 8 1/2 miles away from where their vehicle was discovered abandoned off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 in a hole covered with hay on a property Cullum was renting for cattle grazing.

The cause of death for both women is still pending from the medical examiner’s office.

Veronica Butler and Tifany Adams' custody battle

Butler was reportedly in the middle of a nasty custody battle with Adams at the time of her death.

Wrangler Rickman, the father of the two children, had legal custody but was in a rehabilitation facility, so the children were living with Adams at the time of the disappearance.

Kelley was the supervisor of the child visits for Butler, court papers stated. The visit was a designated, court-approved visitation that takes place every Saturday.

On the day Butler went missing, Adams asked her preferred court-approved supervisor to “take a couple weeks off” and then told Butler to find someone else to supervise her visitation with her children that day, court papers revealed. Butler then asked Kelley to go with her.  

Probable cause affidavits showed that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody.

Investigators referred to the legal back and forth as a “problematic” custody battle between Adams and Butler, which had been ongoing since February 2019. 

Garrett Oates, Butler‘s attorney, said the custody dispute was “contentious from the beginning.” Oates told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo that Butler was an “organized and diligent” client.

Arrest records revealed that Wednesday was the day Butler was scheduled to go to court and receive more visitation rights from Adams, the grandmother who had custody of Butler's two young children.

Investigators believe the custody battle was a driving motive of the killings.

The four suspects lived in the Oklahoma Panhandle, a thin strip of land with a history of lawlessness and criminality in the 1800s. The Oklahoma Panhandle, where the suspects lived and where the two bodies were found, had historically been known as “No Man’s Land.”

The quartet, allegedly part of an anti-government religious group called “God’s Misfits,” has become a central figure in the investigation. The group allegedly met at the Twombly's residence weekly, court documents revealed.

Police say a fifth person who attended those meetings was not arrested.

Investigation remains ongoing

On Tuesday, police towed away a white trailer from a property Cullum allegedly has ties to. Witnesses say they saw the trailer in the area where the women were killed.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Adams’ cellphone searches include web searches for taser pain level, gun shops, prepaid cell phones and how to get someone out of their house, in the weeks leading up to the disappearance.

The Twombly’s teen daughter told investigators that her mother spoke with her about a previous attempt to kill Butler in February, but that it failed because she didn’t leave her house. That plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s window, court papers stated.

The daughter also told police that the four told her they were going on a “mission” the day of the women’s disappearance.

When they returned, they told their daughter “things didn’t go as planned” but they wouldn’t have to worry about Butler again, and that Kelley also had to die because she supported Butler. 

When she asked her mother if the bodies were put in a well, she replied “something like that.”

'A tragedy close to home'

Vincent Forbes, a local municipal court judge who says he’s a friend of Cullums, told NewsNation's Brian Entin Tuesday that he had been in regular contact with Cullum and was even present at the residence during the police raid.

“I’m blown away that this even happened,” Forbes said, referring to the arrest of his friend. “Tad was a very good friend of mine. I’m not gonna say he was a very good friend of mine. He is a good friend of mine.”

Forbes, who is also Cullum’s business partner, said he never got a “bad vibe,” describing him as “one of the nicest, funniest” people he knew. However, Forbes acknowledged that Adams seemed “a little bit out of left field.”

"It’s such a tragedy close to home. You hear about these things on the news. You see all this stuff, but when you’re this close to the fire, it’s a whole different story," Forbes said.

Forbes has been forced to resign since telling NewsNation he was shocked by the killings. The judge’s decision to speak out about the case appears to have angered local officials, with the mayor who appointed him demanding his resignation.

NewsNation's Damita Menezes, Katie Smith, Safia Samee Ali and Liz Jassin contributed to this report.

Strain’s body was discovered March 22 in the Cumberland River in West Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville police said the college student’s death appears “accidental,” with no trauma suggesting foul play, according to preliminary autopsy results.

Strain's frat brothers "all of a sudden disappeared, all of the boys," during the search, Whiteid said. "A little later," she added, they showed up "in their dress clothes to go out to their formal that night." 

Riley Strain’s family talked to NewsNation’s Brian Entin about Riley’s fraternity brothers, his messages about his drink and more in an extended exclusive interview. Not sure how to watch NewsNation? Log in to this web player or go to JoinNN.com to locate us on your TV. 

In an emotional interview with NewsNation's Brian Entin, Whiteid said on top of Strain's friends choosing to party during the search, they apparently did not call 911 the night he went missing, either.

"Why wouldn't they? Why wouldn't they have called the police when they got back at 3:15 in the morning and didn't see him then? Why wouldn't they have called the police?" Whiteid said Tuesday on "Banfield."

Strain's family has ordered a second autopsy that they hope brings clarity.

Strain disappeared March 8 during a trip to Nashville with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers.

He communicated with his mom throughout the trip and texted her when they arrived at the hotel, she said. During the evening, Strain texted Whiteid saying he ordered a rum and Coke "that didn't taste good."

“Maybe there was something in it that shouldn’t have been,” Whiteid said. The TC Restaurant Group, which owns and operates the bar, said Strain was asked to leave after being served one alcoholic drink and two waters.

His toxicology results aren’t complete yet. It’s unclear what else, if anything, may have been in Strain’s system at the time.

The next morning, when Whiteid woke up to go grocery shopping, she received a call from his fraternity brother, asking if she’d heard from Strain.

His body was discovered two weeks later, about 8 miles from where he was last seen. Strain was missing his wallet, pants and boots. His family said he had been wearing a belt that night, which should have secured his pants.

Forensic pathologist Priya Banerjee and NewsNation law and justice contributor Jennifer Coffindaffer previously told NewsNation it’s difficult to make the “leap” that something “nefarious” happened to Strain.

“Eight miles is really long undercurrent,” Banerjee said.” I think you could lose things.”

Whiteid said she believes it's possible Strain's fraternity brothers have more details about the night her son went missing that they haven't yet shared.

"I haven't sat down with them. Would I like that? Yes, it would be nice" if Strain's fraternity brothers would agree, she said. "We may never know what happened that night, but I would like to know everything that happened that day," Whiteid added.

NewsNation's Katie Smith contributed to this report.

Michelle Whiteid, Strain's mom, says she is bothered by a text message her son sent the last night he was seen.

Strain disappeared March 8 after getting kicked out of a downtown bar while visiting Tennessee with his fraternity brothers.

Earlier that night, Michelle Whiteid said, he sent her a message, saying he ordered a rum and coke that "didn't taste good."

Riley Strain’s family talked to NewsNation’s Brian Entin about Riley’s fraternity brothers, his messages about his drink and more in an extended exclusive interview. Not sure how to watch NewsNation? Log in to this web player or go to JoinNN.com to locate us on your TV. 

Whiteid told Strain he probably shouldn't drink it. He told her, "It tastes like barbecue."

"I go, 'Well, that sounds awful," Whiteid said in an interview with NewsNation. "He said, 'Well, it sounds good, but it's not.'"

"Maybe there was something in it that shouldn't have been," Whiteid said.

The TC Restaurant Group, which owns and operates the bar, said Strain was asked to leave after being served one alcoholic drink and two waters.

Whiteid and Strain had a close relationship. Just a couple of weeks before, he had let her know that the fraternity's annual formal was coming up in Nashville and that he was going. The whole day of the trip, he texted her and gave her a heads-up when they got to the hotel.

"He was excited," Whiteid said, adding that as a mom, she was still nervous about his trip. They were texting back and forth as Strain went out that Friday night, and later, he Facetimed his mom.

The next morning, when Whiteid got up to go grocery shopping, she got a call from his fraternity brother, asking if she had talked to Strain.

"I said, 'What do you mean, he's with you? Why would I? What do you mean you can't find him?'" Whiteid recalled. "(The brother) goes, 'Well, he's not in the hotel, and we can't find him.'"

After telling the brother to call the police, Michelle and Chris Whiteid, Strain's stepfather, got in the car and headed from Springfield, Missouri, to Tennessee. Ryan Gilbert, Strain's father, said he also made a seven-hour trip down there. When the family got there later that day, Gilbert said, a police officer was still there finishing up their report.

Strain's body was found March 22 in the Cumberland River in West Nashville, less than two weeks after he disappeared.

Family members have previously brought up other questions they had about Strain's death. Chris Whiteid previously told NewsNation that the last-known footage of Strain showed him approaching the James Robertson Parkway bridge fully clothed. When Strain's body was found, he wasn't wearing the pants, wallet, or cowboy boots he had on earlier in the night.

This made his family wonder why the belt they knew he was wearing didn't secure his pants.

“Riley had a swimmer’s body,” family friend Chris Dingman said earlier this month on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “(The belt) would have been snug to him, riding on his hips. … As soon as we found out he had a belt on that night, (it) totally changes the dynamics of why those articles are missing.”

Police say there is no evidence of foul play, and preliminary autopsy determined that Strain's death was accidental. His parents, though, have ordered a second autopsy.

“One thing that threw the family for a loop was the coroner going on record stating about the lack of water in his lungs,” Strain’s family friend told NewsNation. “Usually water in the lungs means that they were alive when they went into the water.”

Chris Whiteid says he wants to know what happened and that he will continue to look for answers.

"If he fell and truly fell in the water, and you can prove that to me, show me. I'll accept it," he said to NewsNation. "But I can tell you from all the stuff that we've done as far as search and looking, taking pictures — I don't feel like it's really possible that happened. He may have fallen, but someone helped him in the water."

It is still unknown whether the remains are those of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39.

An investigation into the killings remains ongoing. Police would not say whether the bodies were found together.

The two bodies were transported to a medical examiner’s office Sunday to determine identification as well as cause and manner of death, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said.

Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Tifany Machel Adams, 54; Cole Earl Twombly, 50; and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron counties without incident in connection with the disappearance of the women, OSBI said Saturday.

Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children, and Cullum is Adams’ boyfriend, according to court papers. Cole and Cora Twombly are friends with Adams.

While police have publicly not shared much about the ongoing investigation, probable cause affidavits filed in support of the criminal charges against the four suspects, obtained by NewsNation, revealed a bitter custody battle between Butler and Adams involving death threats and plans for violence.  

Butler and Kelley disappeared March 30 without a trace except for an abandoned car on the roadside. Their car was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 along a dirt path. The two were traveling together to pick up Butler’s two children for supervised visitation from Adams' home.

All four suspects were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, according to police.

The first court appearance for all four suspects has been scheduled for Wednesday morning, where they will be arraigned.

A “problematic” custody battle 

Probable cause affidavits showed that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody. Her children were living with Adams at the time. 

Investigators referred to the legal back and forth as a “problematic” custody battle between Adams and Butler, which had been ongoing since February 2019. 

Wrangler Rickman, the father of the two children, had legal custody, but Adams and Cullum refused to let Rickman have them at times, prompting police calls, the affidavit stated. 

Rickman also discussed “death threats” by Adams and Cullum in court recordings of the custody case, according to court papers. 

Rickman’s grandmother told investigators that in February this year, Rickman told her that they didn't have to worry about the custody battle much longer because “Adams had it under control” and that “we will take out Veronica at drop off,” the affidavit stated.

At the time of the women’s disappearance, Rickman was in a rehabilitation facility, investigators said. 

On the day Butler went missing, Adams asked her preferred court-approved supervisor to “take a couple weeks off” and then told Butler to find someone else to supervise her visitation with her children that day, court papers revealed. Butler then asked Kelley, an acquaintance, to go with her. 

They never made it to the usual pickup point at an abandoned gas station in Texas County. 

Butler was a mother to six children who are currently safe, authorities said. 

Twomblys’ daughter reveals the four suspects were on a “mission” 

Investigators interviewed Twombly's 16-year-old daughter, who said she overheard group conversations about Butler not protecting kids from her brother’s alleged sexual abuse. 

All four had been part of an anti-government group called “God’s Misfits” and met regularly. 

The teen said her mother told her about a previous attempt to kill Butler near Hugoton, Kansas, in February but that it failed because she didn’t leave her house. According to Cora, that plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s window.

On March 29, the Twomblys told their daughter they would not be home when she woke up the next morning because they were going on a “mission.”

She told police that they did not get home until around noon on March 30th and told her to clean the interior of their Chevrolet pickup as soon as they got back.  

They told their daughter “things didn’t go as planned” but they wouldn’t have to worry about Butler again and that Kelley also had to die because she supported Butler. 

When she asked her mother if the bodies were put in a well, she replied, “Something like that.”

Web searches, burner phones, and dirt ditches revealed in affidavit 

According to the probable cause affidavit, Adams’ cell phone searches include web searches for taser pain level, gun shops, prepaid cell phones and how to get someone out of their house.

On February 13, Adams bought three pre-paid cell phones in Guymon, Oklahoma. All three phones were in the area where the abandoned car was located. They were powered on and accessed for the first time at or near Cullen’s residences.  

The Twombley’s teen daughter told investigators that Adams gave everyone burner phones so they could communicate without using personal devices and saw two burner phones charging on her mother’s nightstand.

One week before the woman's disappearance,  Adams bought five stun guns in Guymon, according to court papers. 

Shortly after the disappearance of Butler and Kelley, and less than ten miles from where they went missing, two burner phones were at a property where a hole had been dug, filled back in and covered with hay. 

The property owner, Jamie Beasley, said that dirt work was done with a skid steer by Cullum on March 29 and was finished March 30. Cullum rents pasture property owned by Beasley.

Beasley knew Cullum left his skid steer on the property on March 29, and when he awoke on March 30, it was gone. 

On March 31, Cullum was at Beasley’s house and told Beasley that police were looking at him for the disappearance of Butler and Kelley and that he didn’t want police to cause a problem for Beasley. 

Beasley said if anyone asked, he would say Cullum had done tree and dirt work for him.

Read the affidavits

NewsNation’s Damita Menezes contributed to this report.

The deceased individuals will be transported to a medical examiner’s office to determine identification, as well as cause and manner of death, police said.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, from Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared March 30 without a trace except for an abandoned car found on the side of a road. Their car was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 along a dirt path.

Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties, OSBI said Saturday.

All four were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, according to police.

The OSBI, the FBI and the Texas County Sheriff's Department found the bodies. Police have scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. CT Monday to provide more details about the investigation.

Congregants of Hugoton First Christian Church are grieving, gathering for prayer and hymns outside the family home of Kelley following Sunday service. After two weeks of hope, two local families now know to mourn Kelley, a mother of four, and Butler, a mother of two.

"We read in the Bible that evil is in the world and some people that don't know Jesus Christ are full of evil," said Phil Thompson, treasurer of the Hugoton First Christian Church. "As a Christian, we should forgive, but we also have to have the laws of the government take over, too."

NewsNation spotted an extraordinary show of law enforcement as they served the four arrest warrants.

NewsNation crew, the only network on the ground, captured exclusive footage following more than 20 SWAT and police vehicles to various locations.

Outside one compound, NewsNation heard an officer on a loudspeaker announcing, “We have a warrant for your arrest!” All officers appeared heavily armed and wary of all who approached, drawing guns to turn people back, including NewsNation crew.

NewsNation learned Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children and Cullum is Adams’ boyfriend.

NewsNation previously reported Butler and the father of her children were embroiled in a bitter custody battle, and that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody.

A court hearing was set for Wednesday when Butler was expected to seek full custody.

OSBI is not revealing details about what happened or the actions of each suspect, but a custody dispute may be linked to a motive.

Kelley was among four court-approved supervisors for Butler's visitations. They never made it to the usual pickup point at an abandoned gas station in Texas County.

Butler’s family says the two were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler’s two children. NewsNation has learned Butler’s children may have been living with Adams.

No word yet on the arraignments of the four suspects. Their alleged actions have left six children without their mothers.

(NewsNation) — NewsNation has confirmed four people have been arrested in connection to the disappearance of two Kansas moms.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, from Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared Mar. 30 without a trace except for an abandoned car found on the side of a road.

Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50 and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Saturday.

All four were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, according to police.

NewsNation has learned Adams is the grandmother of Butler's children and Cullum is Adams' boyfriend.

The OSBI and local law enforcement are still currently working to locate the two victims.

Sources tell NewsNation that police suspect the women were shot and blood was found near the vehicle they were last seen in. Investigators haven’t confirmed those details.

On Apr. 3, OSBI said “there was evidence to indicate foul play” based on information obtained from their vehicle.

Police say the two disappeared after their car was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 along a dirt path on Mar. 30.

NewsNation previously reported that a small amount of blood was found inside the vehicle, but sources now say that there were also separate puddles of blood outside of the vehicle.

Police have described the two women as more acquaintances than friends. NewsNation reported that Kelley was the supervisor of the childhood visits for Butler. Family members, who have been asked to postpone media interviews until the police tell them otherwise, say the two women were involved in their community and their churches.

The car the two women were traveling in was found in a vast, open area near Yarbrough School, from which Butler graduated in 2015. Despite investigators believing foul play could be involved in the women’s disappearance, there have been few visible signs of an active, large-scale search.

Butler’s family says the two were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler’s two children. NewsNation has learned Butler’s children may be living with their paternal grandmother, who is currently watching the kids.

NewsNation previously reported Butler and the father of her children were embroiled in a bitter custody battle, and that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody.

The court filings said things had not been going well between Butler and the grandmother.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said it is conducting a search for the women and will provide updates when they become available. NewsNation previously reported that the FBI is lending resources to the search.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.

(NewsNation) — As authorities continue to investigate the case of two missing Kansas mothers, sources tell NewsNation that police suspect the women were shot and blood was found near the vehicle they were last seen in.

Investigators haven't confirmed those details.

Police say Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley of Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared after their car was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 along a dirt path March 30.

NewsNation previously reported that a small amount of blood was found inside the vehicle, but sources now say that there were also separate puddles of blood outside of the vehicle.

Police have described the two women as more acquaintances than friends. NewsNation reported that Kelley was the supervisor of the childhood visits for Butler. Family members, who have been asked to postpone media interviews until the police tell them otherwise, say the two women were involved in their community and their churches.

The car the two women were traveling in was found in a vast, open area near Yarbrough School, from which Butler graduated in 2015. Despite investigators believing foul play could be involved in the women’s disappearance, there have been few visible signs of an active, large-scale search.

Butler’s family says the two were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler’s two children. NewsNation has learned Butler’s children may be living with their paternal grandmother, who is currently watching the kids.

NewsNation previously reported Butler and the father of her children were embroiled in a bitter custody battle, and that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody.

The court filings said things had not been going well between Butler and the grandmother.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said it is conducting a search for the women and will provide updates when they become available. NewsNation previously reported that the FBI is lending resources to the search.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.

Digital content producer Sean Noone contributed to this report.

In October of 2010, then 14-year-old Jessica Delgadillo was reported missing after she failed to return home from school. Police opened an investigation immediately but did not locate Delgadillo.

In 2023, the Amarillo Police Department established a cold case unit that began investigating three cases of missing children which remained unsolved, including Delgadillo's.

The unit began working with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children and posting information about the case on social media in hopes of getting any information that could lead to answers.

In November 2023, the unit got a call from a woman who identified herself as Delgadillo and knew she had been reported missing. A DNA sample compared with DNA from a relative confirmed she was telling the truth.

Delgadillo requested that her location and the details of her disappearance not be disclosed. Police said the case is now considered closed.

David Robinson is running in his home state of South Carolina and is campaigning in part to improve the process of searching for missing persons.

Daniel Robinson was working in a remote part of Arizona when he disappeared. The 24-year-old's Jeep was found crashed in a ravine with his cell phone, wallet and keys inside. Police said there was no evidence of foul play though the family continued to call for a deeper investigation.

Police records show Robinson had been rejected by a woman shortly before his disappearance. He had met her while delivering for InstaCart and based on text messages, had shown up to her home uninvited multiple times even after she asked him to leave her alone.

His family maintains that he was not suicidal in the days leading up to his disappearance and David Robinson said he believes his son is still out there.

An Army veteran, David Robinson is campaigning for changes like making it easier for families and law enforcement to access a missing person's technology, since time is of the essence in missing cases. He has pointed to his military experience, suggesting that if the government can find a terrorist like Osama bin Laden, they should be able to locate missing people in the U.S.

Robinson is also campaigning on other issues, including infrastructure updates. In addition to his bid for office, he continues to return to Arizona to press law enforcement and search for his son.

Six weeks later, there is still no sign of him.

His family hasn't heard from him since Feb. 27.

NewsNation affiliate WAVY learned the home 32-year-old Hector Olmeda Jr. was staying at had been visited more than once by police and the Navy Criminal Investigative Services since his disappearance.

One court document said Olmeda's friend, who is in the U.S. Navy, led a state trooper on a high-speed chase on the Peninsula around 11 p.m. Feb. 27. He's in jail for this incident.

"There were no outstanding warrants at the time of the pursuit for (redacted) to give him a reason to flee," court documents state.

The friend's car, a Kia Stringer, was searched. According to court paperwork, Olmeda's wallet, passport, bank cards and phone were found inside the friend's car.

"Forensic technicians found what is believed to be blood splatter all throughout a bedroom closet," one search warrant said, "and garden tools in another closet located in the home." These were all found inside the Wilcox Avenue home owned by the friend.

They also took into evidence a 5-gallon bucket with hardened concrete that had an odor.

"The remains in the bucket are believed to be the remains of Hector E. Olmeda Jr.," court documents state.

In the search inventory, a journal that shows the friend's state of mind is included. It also lists a knife, metal trash can, fire pit, sub-flooring and carpet.

A neighbor told WAVY's Lauryn Moss police have been at the house for two months. He said he saw K9s going inside. He recalled smelling Olmeda's friend burning something. The neighbor said he was using a fire pit and putting items in a metal trash can.

The family recently saw the court documents. His father posted on Facebook and said, "I was notified Monday night my baby is no longer with us. You will forever live in my heart. I love you, RIP."

His uncle, William Rodriguez, told WAVY, "We ask for time and privacy at this time so we can process the loss of Hector Jr."

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday confirmed to FOX 8 News that the body of 25-year-old Abdul Arfath Mohammed was retrieved from the waters of Lake Erie in the 1000 block of East 9th Street.

That's near Voinovich Bicentennial Park on the East 9th Street pier and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Police officers responded to the area at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, according to a news release.

The cause and manner of his death have not been released.

The local student was last seen on March 5, along East 13th Street, when he left his home in Reserve Square but never returned, according to Cleveland police.

Police first started circulating missing person flyers on March 14.

The Consulate General of India in New York acknowledged the man's death in a Monday social media post:

Anguished to learn that Mr. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio. Our deepest condolences to Mr Mohammed Arfath’s family.

@IndiainNewYork is in touch with local agencies to ensure thorough investigation into Mr Mohammed Abdul Arfath’s death. We are extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India.

Statement on X from Consulate General of India in New York

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State also released the following statement:

We have seen reports of Mohammed Abdul Arfath’s death and express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We are strongly committed to the safety, welfare, and comfort of international students on U.S. campuses.  We are working with the Indian Government to ensure that the nearly 270,000 Indian students on our campuses are aware of and have full access to campus resources.

U.S. Department of State spokesperson

FOX 8 News has reached out to Cleveland police for more information.

(NewsNation) — The search for two Kansas mothers who disappeared over a week ago continues, with investigators saying little beyond the fact that foul play is suspected.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared after their car was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 along a dirt path on March 30. Investigators say they were on their way to visit Butler's children amid an ongoing custody dispute.

While the investigation into their disappearance continues, there doesn't appear to be any signs of an active, large-scale search.

NewsNation has reached out to the family and friends of the missing women, who say they are getting their information from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) but did not want to comment further.

Meanwhile, investigators are also remaining tight-lipped about the search.

Butler and Kelley were headed to an abandoned gas station in a remote area for a child custodial pickup as it was the halfway point between Butler's home in Kansas and the children's grandmother's home in Oklahoma. The women never made it, and the search has been on since then.

Residents of Hugoton are devastated but holding out hope that the women will be found. Many have been hesitant to discuss the matter, but one resident says she visited Butler just before she went missing.

"She was so happy; she had on a full face of makeup, you know? She said, 'I'm going to Liberal,' and I said, 'What are you going to do?' She went, 'We're going on the boat with the kids, and we're not coming back to Hugoton till Tuesday,'" the local resident told NewsNation.

In response to continued inquiry, the OSBI said only that it "along with other agencies, are continuing our search and are hopeful to find both women alone. Anyone with additional information can contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov."

NewsNation reported Tuesday that Kelley was the supervisor of the childhood visits for Butler. The two women were in a part of Oklahoma to meet up with a guardian for Butler’s children, who are ages 6 and 8.

The visit was a designated, court-approved visitation that takes place every Saturday. Four people, including Kelley, have been listed as approved supervisors, NewsNation reported.

NewsNation reported Tuesday that Butler and her ex-husband were in a bitter custody battle, and just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.

Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50, and Paul Grice, 31, have each been charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39.

Butler and Kelley vanished while en route to pick up Butler’s children for a supervised visit. Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children.

While police have not shared much about the ongoing investigation with the public, probable cause affidavits filed in support of the criminal charges against the suspects, obtained by NewsNation, revealed a bitter custody battle between Butler and Adams involving death threats and plans for violence.

Wrangler Rickman, the father of the two children, had legal custody but was in a rehabilitation facility so the children were living with Adams at the time of the disappearance.

Who are the moms Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley?

Butler, 27, was 5 feet, 4 inches tall, with red hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts, and HEYDUDE shoes. Police said Butler has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm.

Kelley, 39, has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt, white-washed blue jeans and either tan or beige shoes. Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Kelley has several tattoos, including a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and a sunflower on her left shoulder.

The two women were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler’s two children aged 6 and 8, for supervised visitation from Adams’ home, court papers stated. The children had been staying with Adams.

Police have described the two women as more acquaintances than friends. NewsNation reported that Kelley was the supervisor of the childhood visits for Butler. Family members, who have been asked to postpone media interviews until the police tell them otherwise, say the two women were involved in their community and their churches.

Butler will be remembered with a memorial service at the beginning of May. A memorial will be held for Kelley on Sunday, April 28.

Who are the five suspects?

On April 13, four people were arrested in connection to the disappearance of the Kansas moms.

Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50 and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

All four were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, according to police.

On April 24, a fifth person was arrested. OSBI said that “based on the evidence and information gathered from the case,” Paul Grice, 31, was arrested and booked into the Texas County Jail with the same charges as the other four previously arrested.

According to the affidavit of probable cause for Grice’s arrest warrant, he admitted he was part of the planning, killing and burying of Butler and Kelley.

Grice was allegedly involved in a previous murder plot but was not arrested along with the others. NewsNation learned that Grice was taken into custody and questioned by authorities but was then released.

Grice was mentioned several times in affidavits related to the case. He was allegedly involved in other attempts to kill Butler, the affidavit states. One attempt was in February 2024; another attempt was on March 29, 2024.

NewsNation obtained land records Grice had filed last year stating his children were his creation and not subject to government control.

The four suspects earlier arrested were arraigned in an Oklahoma court April 17, when a judge denied each of them bond. The quintet, allegedly part of an antigovernment religious group called “God’s Misfits,” have become central figures in the investigation.

The victims' families attended the arraignment of the four suspects, filling the first three rows of the courtroom. Family members heckled the suspects, shouting expletives at them.

NewsNation's Brian Entin spoke with Butler's aunt as she left the courtroom. She told Entin that Butler and Kelley didn't deserve to be killed, nor did the family deserve to have to endure the grief of such a loss.

"There's just too many emotions, so much anger," she said. "I don't understand how somebody can hate somebody so much that you want to kill them. My niece did not deserve that and neither did the young lady with her. She was just there to help her."

Grice’s first appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1.

All four suspects are expected back in court sometime next month.

The four suspects jailed in the killings of two Kansas mothers are being kept apart from one another at Oklahoma’s Texas County jail, the county sheriff told NewsNation’s “Banfield.” Texas County Sheriff Matt Boley provided details on procedures at the 96-bed facility, which currently houses 47 inmates — 36 men and 11 women.

The four suspects lived in the Oklahoma Panhandle, a thin strip of land with a history of lawlessness and criminality in the 1800s. The area where the suspects lived and where the two bodies were found had historically been known as “No Man’s Land.”

The leader of the religious group in South Carolina called “God’s Misfits,” who goes by the name “Squirrel,” says the suspects do not share the same God as him. Squirrel defended his religious organization, adding that he has no relationship with the four suspects, who also are part of a group with the name “God’s Misfits,” and has never been to Oklahoma.

Affidavits detail alleged plot targeting the women

Several details have emerged about the killings of the Kansas mothers whose suspected killers had a violent history of plotting to kill and went to extreme lengths to conceal the crime, according to court documents that reveal why the defendants were denied bail.

On the day Butler went missing, Adams asked her preferred court-approved supervisor to “take a couple weeks off” and then told Butler to find someone else to supervise her visitation with her children that day, court papers revealed. Butler then asked Kelley to go with her.  

The visit was a designated, court-approved visitation that takes place every Saturday.

Probable cause affidavits showed that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody. Her children were living with Adams at the time. 

Investigators referred to the legal back and forth as a “problematic” custody battle between Adams and Butler, which had been ongoing since February 2019. 

Adams’ cell phone searches include web searches for taser pain level, gun shops, prepaid cell phones and how to get someone out of their house, in the weeks leading up to the disappearance, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The Twombly's teen daughter told investigators that her mother spoke with her about a previous attempt to kill Butler in February, but that it failed because she didn’t leave her house. That plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s window, court papers stated.

The daughter also told police that the four told her they were going on a "mission" the day of the women's disappearance.

When they returned, they told their daughter “things didn’t go as planned” but they wouldn’t have to worry about Butler again, and that Kelley also had to die because she supported Butler. 

When she asked her mother if the bodies were put in a well, she replied “something like that.”

According to court documents obtained by NewsNation affiliate KSN, Adams reportedly admitted responsibility for the two women's deaths.

In the motions to hold the four defendants without bail, records state, in part, that Adams “did provide a recorded statement to law enforcement indicating her responsibility for the death of the deceased.”

The document also alleges that Adams and Cullum “have a history of violent interactions including death threats and intimidation … abide by their own philosophy and have no regard for the sanctity of human life.”

When arrested, Cullum allegedly had a rifle, ammunition, body armor and a “go-bag” at his residence.

According to the documents, Adams and Cullum plotted to kill Butler previously by “dropping an anvil through her windshield.”

Prosecutors cited this alleged propensity for violence, along with evidence the pair were well-resourced and prepared for potential flight, in their bid to hold them without bail — a request the judge granted.

Of particular concern were statements by the suspects that they “knew the path the judge walked to work” in a previous custody case involving Butler’s children, raising fears they could try to intimidate the court.

The judge entered not-guilty pleas for all four defendants, with the possibility of capital punishment still on the table. In Oklahoma, the maximum sentence for murder is death, life or life without parole.

“Now faced with the consequences of a sentence of death or life in prison, the defendants would be willing to do anything since they have shown to be willing to commit capital murder in order to limit Veronica’s visitation,” court documents state.

Where was the women's missing car found?

The car the two women were traveling in was found in a vast, open area near Yarbrough School, from which Butler graduated in 2015.

NewsNation reported the car was found just 3 miles from its intended destination. The meetup with the children’s grandmother was set to take place at an abandoned gas station in a section of Oklahoma called Four Corners, but the women never arrived.

The drive from Hugoton to the meetup spot in Eva is about 45 minutes.

Was blood found near their located vehicle?

Court papers revealed that blood was found on the roadway and edge of the roadway near the car.

Butler's glasses were also found on the roadway by the car near a broken hammer, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Investigators also said a pistol magazine was found inside Kelley's purse in the car but that there was no gun found.

"An examination of the vehicle and area surrounding the vehicle found evidence of a severe injury," the affidavit stated.

Police recover bodies

Two bodies were found in rural Texas County, Oklahoma, after police began searching for the remains of the two moms who went missing more than two weeks ago, OSBI said on Apr. 14.

The deceased individuals will be transported to a medical examiner’s office to determine identification, as well as cause and manner of death, police said. The OSBI, the FBI and the Texas County Sheriff’s Department found the bodies.

Shortly after the disappearance of Butler and Kelley, and less than ten miles from where they went missing, two burner phones used by the four were at a property where a hole had been dug, filled back in, and covered with hay, court papers stated.

NewsNation’s Brian Entin confirmed with a medical examiner the women were not shot as previously reported. A cause of death is still pending.

Cullum allegedly dug a 10-foot grave on property owner Jamie Beasley‘s land near a dam and pond, claiming he just needed to “do some dirt work” and bury concrete, according to the landlord.

Two days before the women disappeared, Cullum asked Beasley if he could use a skid-steer to remove a stump and dig on the property. Beasley agreed.

After the women went missing, Cullum warned Beasley that police considered him a suspect and that the skid-steer tracks “might look suspicious.” Beasley said he would simply confirm Cullum had been doing dirt work if asked.

NewsNation visited the site at night and documented the disturbed earth about 50 feet from the dam where authorities eventually found the bodies buried 10 feet underground.

There was a hay bale nearby that sources said Cullum had strategically positioned to attract cattle and obscure evidence of the digging.

The property, which is located 8 1/2 miles from the location where the women disappeared and where Butler’s vehicle was found, had fresh dirt work done, and discarded burner phones were found.

“The area of disturbed dirt was excavated, and the bodies of two individuals were discovered,” court records state.

Video shows Adams days after deaths

A newly released video Adams just days after the women's deaths.

The video, from just four days after the brutal killings, appeared to show Adams behaving normally at the self-checkout of a store with her grandchildren.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 800-522-8017.

Rounds, 19, moved from his family's home in Idaho to Lucin, Utah, an area near the Utah-Nevada border, to start working on his farm. He lived in an RV on the property while working on the land.

Rounds was reported missing after his family failed to hear from him and, on Memorial Day weekend, traveled to his farm to check on him. They found the farm seemingly abandoned, with Rounds' boots found near the camper he was living in.

In March 2023, 60-year-old James A. Brenner was charged in the case, facing charges of first-degree aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human corpse.

Brenner had been squatting on Rounds' land and led the police to Rounds' remains as part of a plea deal.

Court documents showed investigators had used the boots along with evidence from Rounds' phone to lead them to Brenner. Rounds' blood and Brenner's DNA were reportedly found on the boots and evidence from Rounds' phone which was found on a pond on the property.

According to investigators, a time-lapse video timestamped around the time Rounds disappeared showed Brenner cleaning a gun with bloodstains on his arms and shirt.

The remains were sent to the Utah Medical Examiner's office for processing and to officially confirm Rounds' identity.

"That was huge. That was something we were looking for," Dingman said Tuesday on NewsNation's "Elizabeth Vargas Reports." "He told the detective his account of the story of what happened to Riley."

Strain, 22, went missing on March 8 after being ejected from the Luke's 32 Bridge bar in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. His body was discovered two weeks later in the Cumberland River after an expansive search.

On March 23, Nashville police confirmed to local NewsNation affiliate WKRN that Strain's preliminary autopsy had been completed and his death appeared to be an accident pending toxicology reports, with "no foul play-related trauma" present.

Strain's family, however, ordered a second autopsy and is continuing to look for other evidence that may shed light on what happened to him. In addition to the witness' statement, another potential source of new information is video footage from a detention center near where Strain was last seen.

While video from one camera at the center has been made public, the center has several other cameras, and those recordings have not been available to the family.

"We would love to see the footage," Dingman said, noting it was currently in the possession of the local sheriff's department. "We now do have confirmation that there were cameras pointing back toward the bridge where Riley went missing at."

When NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas asked Dingman if the family was still searching for evidence because it thought Strain did not just fall into the Cumberland River and that something else happened, Dingman confirmed that is indeed what the family believes.

"Correct," he said. "One hundred percent."

Strain's family continues to look for answers and for some people, such as the fraternity brothers who were with Strain the night he vanished, to step up in the aftermath.

“We haven’t really heard much from them,” Strain’s father, Ryan Gilbert, told Vargas last week. “There’s a lot of things we’d like to find out from them.

“If I was in their situation, I’d be beating down those parents’ doors to tell them everything I could and be helpful in any way that I could."

(NewsNation) — Leona Kinsey walked out of her home in October 1999 and vanished, but police told NewsNation exclusively there is a new person they're interested in talking to in connection with the decades-old case.

Leona Kinsey's disappearance

On Oct. 25, 1999, Kinsey walked out of her trailer home in LaGrande, Oregon, and disappeared. A member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Kinsey left a pot of coffee on the stove, bananas rotting on the counter, a carton of cigarettes in the freezer and her beloved pets in the yard. There were no signs she wasn't planning on going back.

But, Kinsey was involved in the drug scene, both using and selling, according to LaGrande Police Department Lt. Jason Hays.

"It's unfortunate, but she was heavily involved in the use and sale of methamphetamines," Hays said. "It's reasonable to say she got a call when she was at home, from someone she knew, to come to the Albertson's parking lot. When she got to the Albertson's parking lot, she vaporized."

We will be discussing this case in a livestream at noon ET Thursday. Join the conversation by submitting a question on this page and we'll answer it during the stream!

Police say Kinsey was known to use that parking lot for drug deals. Her friend, Nancy, was the first to report her missing. She told police that Kinsey had plans that night to meet a man named Juan, or John, Pena-Llamas.

Searching for Leona Kinsey

Pena-Llamas was her drug dealer, police say, with ties to a Mexican cartel.

There was also at least one rumor around town that Kinsey was an informant or that she had a drug debt, possibly owed to a cartel. Carolyn DeFord, Kinsey's daughter, said there had been a previous incident of vandalism.

"A couple weeks before she went missing, someone spray-painted the word 'narc' on the front of her home," she said. "I just want the truth. Was it a drug debt? Was she an informant? What happened, how and why?"

Pena-Llamas spoke to police but denied harming Kinsey. He failed to show up later for a voluntary polygraph. Police said he was arrested on sex abuse charges in 2006, sent to prison and then deported to Mexico.

Days after Kinsey went missing, her vehicle was found at the Albertson's parking lot. But the store manager told police it may have been moved to that location.

Ties to a Mexican cartel

Now, police have revealed exclusively to NewsNation there's another person they're looking for.

"Leona's best friend Nancy said that Leona got her drugs also from a person named Jose," Hays told NewsNation. "Everybody that we talk to doesn't know who Jose is. If he, too, is another drug supplier for her, it's also reasonable to think he may have something to do with it. What I don't know is, did Juan and Jose know each other?"

Pena-Llamas' ex-wife told police that he had boasted that although he didn't kill Kinsey, he had somebody do it. Police, search-and-rescue teams and cadaver dogs combed a hillside and pond about 35 miles from town and also searched a place where Pena-Llamas had sexually abused another woman, but they found nothing.

Recently, the FBI was able to get proof that Pena-Llamas was alive and living in Manzanillo, Mexico. But because he is only a person of interest in the case, police can't question him unless he crosses back into the U.S.

"If Leona's disappearance has anything to do with the Mexican cartel, that is very problematic to me," Hays said. "They do horrific things to make people disappear, like put them in acid vats and liquify their body and flush them down the drain."

Leona Kinsey's legacy

DeFord said when she was just a little girl, she and her mother talked about how Kinsey wanted to be buried when she was gone.

"She said, I just want to go out to the woods and die naturally and let the beetles and the bugs and the coyotes feed their babies with my body," DeFord said. "I was just disgusted, like no."

But now, that memory is what gives her comfort as she continues to search for her mother.

"She's likely on this hillside out there, according to rumors around town," she said. "And there's nowhere else she'd rather be. There are these beautiful mountains."

Kinsey's disappearance has left a profound influence on her daughter's life. DeFord is a national advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People and a founder of Missing and Murdered Native Americans.

After so much time has passed, she continues to hope for justice even if it's long overdue.

"What does justice look like after 25 years?" DeFord asked.

Police think time may ease people's fears about coming forward. That's what gives police and Kinsey's daughter hope.

"I miss her very much and I'm ready for her to come home," DeFord said, "and I'm ready for justice and I'm ready to send her on her journey in a good way."

(NewsNation) — The mystery continues to deepen surrounding the disappearance of two Kansas mothers who vanished more than a week ago.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, from Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared Mar. 30 without a trace except for an abandoned car found by Butler's fiancé on the side of a road.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday "there was evidence to indicate foul play" based on information obtained from their vehicle.

The search efforts appear to be severely lacking. Despite the police's belief of possible foul play, there are no visible signs of an active, large-scale search — no grid searches, no canine units, no command center.

NewsNation captured drone footage of the vast open area where the women's car was found abandoned.

OSBI remains tightlipped about the ongoing investigation.

Butler's family says the two were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler's two children. NewsNation has learned Butler's children may be living with her ex-husband's mother, who may have custody.

The car was found empty near a school where Butler graduated in 2015.

A family member informed NewsNation Wednesday they’ve been asked to postpone media interviews until authorities tell them otherwise. Additionally, sources have indicated to NewsNation that Kelley might have accompanied Butler to assist her with a custody matter.

The two moms, described as more "acquaintances" than "friends," were involved in their community and their churches.

Butler's small business in Hugoton is closed until further notice as investigators work to find the two moms.

On Mar. 30, the Texas County Sheriff’s Department requested OSBI look into the disappearance of Butler and Kelley.

“As of right now, as the investigation continues and we were requested, we’re unsure where these women are or what happened to them,” said Hunter McKee, OSBI public information manager. “That unknown is what has created it suspicious for us at this time.”

The OSBI said the vehicle the two women were in was found abandoned near Highway 95 and Road L south of Elkhart, Kansas.

OHP issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for them.

Butler is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and has red hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts and HEYDUDE shoes.

Kelley has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt, white-washed blue jeans and tan or beige shoes.

“Veronica has several tattoos, a Chinese symbol on her left forearm, a sunflower on her left shoulder. Jilian has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm," OHP said.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.

Her family members say the leasing office at Winston's apartment complex told them someone had cleaned out her apartment after she vanished.

Winston's uncle reported finding a bag with a pair of shoes and a bleach smell while searching behind her building, which police took as evidence.

The family says Winston's 4-year-old daughter is now with her father and that Winston had a rocky relationship with him, WSB-TV reported.

The father of Winston's child was also recently arrested for stealing nearly $8,000 worth of money orders, though police have not indicated he is connected to Winston's disappearance.

Her family's last known contact with her was on Mar. 16, and she was reported missing Apr. 1.

Winston weighs about 200 pounds and is 5 feet, 1 inch tall, with black hair and brown eyes.

The prayer vigil was held on Saturday, April 6 outside The Rudder, where vigil organizers have been keeping stacks of flyers for any community members interested in distributing them.  

"We are one, Lord God, and we believe and we decree and declare that Sebastian will come home safe and unharmed," Minister ShaLawn Williams prayed.

Despite the ongoing search efforts, those who attended the event worked to spread messages of hope. 

"You guys are Sebastian's army," Sebastian’s father, Seth Rogers, said. "We will find him, we will find him alive, we will find him well."

Seth thanked everyone who had helped in the search for his son. Sebastian’s grandparents were also in attendance, after traveling from Texas for a second time to help look for their grandchild.

"He loved to talk about plants with me, he loved to talk about animals with me, he loved to go fishing, and he would say, 'You know, Memaw, that's our favorite sport, right?'" Sebastian’s grandmother, Robin Rogers, recalled, breaking up her tears with laughter.

However, Sebastian's family also had a strong message for anyone looking to benefit from their search efforts or use the investigation as "clickbait."

"If you're going to be out here, doing what needs to be done to bring our grandson home, we appreciate it," Robin said. "But if you're out there just making money, stay away."

Nevertheless, throughout the investigation, some strangers have become allies to Sebastian’s family. Karen Strahm and her son, Jaden Semich, took a special interest in the case from the beginning.  

“By the fourth day, I really started to get involved. I went out searching on the fourth and fifth day, and ever since then, I've just been pretty vigilant with helping however I can,” Semich said.  

He and Strahm organized Saturday’s vigil and have even searched for Sebastian alongside his father.  

"I have children of my own, and it's hard to not see their faces when you look at his, and I think it's hard for every mom and dad here," Strahm said.

Saturday's gathering ended with attendees making hand-written messages to Sebastian, with the intention of one day sharing those writings with him.  

"We can't let this case get cold. It cannot get cold, and we will find him, and the more vigils and the more news presence and the more media coverage that we get, the more his face keeps out there, and maybe somebody will see something and they'll say something and we'll get Sebastian home," Semich said.

Community members are invited to stop by The Rudder in Hendersonville and pick up flyers to distribute around the area. 

The girls are ages 15 and 16 and have been missing for weeks in one case -- and nearly two months in another girl's case, according to news releases from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

The youngest of the two, Nyeimah Clayborn, has been missing since mid-February, according to deputies.

Clayborn, 15, was last seen around 3 p.m. on February 18 at her home on Dwelle Drive, near the intersection of Natal Street and Camden Road, just south of Fayetteville, officials said.

In a news release three days after she vanished, a photo was included and deputies said she was "believed to be in the Durham area."

Meanwhile, Mary Abourezk, 16, was reported missing about three weeks ago on March 15, deputies said in a March 20 news release.

Mary was last seen at 7:45 a.m. that Friday at Jack Britt High School, at 7403 Rockfish Road, according to the release that also included a photo of Mary.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Youth Services Unit is asking for help finding Mary and Nyeimah.

Deputies said that anyone with information about the location of either girl should contact Youth Services Detective J. Parisi at (910) 677-5505 or the Watch Commander after hours at (910) 677-5432.