Dec 28 2006 8:07PM
KXMCTV Minot
It's time to continue our look at the top stories of 2006.
This time, Jim Olson reminds us of what was in the news in May and June...
In late May, a tragic story began unfolding with news that a young girl,
3-year old Reachelle Smith of Minot, was
missing and feared abducted by the boyfriend of her custodial mother. But the
story quickly took an ominous turn when the boyfriend was found dead inside a
van at the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge,
north of Minot. It was determined Lee Cowan had killed himself, but there was no
trace of little Reachelle. Her custodial and biological mothers, who are
sisters, pleaded for information to find their girl.
Hundreds of volunteers spent thousands of hours searching the refuge where
Cowan's body was found and many other locations based on tips and other
information in the case. But despite repeated searches, including efforts
involving the FBI, and a feature story on CBS's Early Show, there's been no sign
of the little girl and the story of Reachelle Smith has yet to reach a
conclusion.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This article, in its entirety, can be read here.]
