ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Search Continues For 3-Year-Old In River, Landfill - 5/25/2006

Search Continues For 3-Year-Old In River, Landfill
May 25 2006 12:00AM
http://www.ap.org

Associated Press

Minot, N.D. - The search for 3-year-old Reachelle Smith focused Thursday on the river and the city landfill.

Crews sifted through garbage in the landfill and began drawing down the Mouse River channel near the home of the girl, who was last seen the night of May 16. A search of the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge northwest of Minot on Wednesday had turned up no trace of her.

Minot Police Capt. Al Hanson said the drawdown of the river's channel around Minot's Oak Park would likely take two days.

"There's one section (of the river) that we're interested in that's close
to the house," Hanson said.

Divers had searched the section of the river Wednesday.

"We've boated it, walked it and dove it. We just need to go that one more extra step to make sure that box has been checked, that we've done everything we can to look at that particular area," Hanson said.

A search Thursday of Roosevelt Park in central Minot also came up empty,
Hanson said. About 20 off-duty police officers volunteered to search the park,
he said.

The refuge was searched after the body of Leigh Cowen, 22, was found in a van there Tuesday. Authorities suspected he had taken Reachelle. They said he killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning, but there was no sign of the child.

Reachelle Smith was put to bed at about 10:30 p.m. on May 16 at her home in Minot and was missing the next day, police said. She lived with her aunt, Stephanie Smith, who was her legal guardian, police said.

Their suspicions centered on Cowen after he told Stephanie Smith that Reachelle was with his mother, who had sometimes cared for the girl, and then disappeared, Hanson said. Police later learned that Cowen's mother did not know the girl's whereabouts and issued an Amber Alert.

"Mr. Cowen gave an explanation to the custodial mother and that was, in her mind, enough to go on until he disappeared and the vehicle disappeared. She started to question that and followed up," Hanson said.

Stephanie Smith and Samantha Smith, the girl's mother, have said she has asthma and needs treatment for it, and have pleaded for her safe return.