Amber Alert Day In ND - 1/13/2007

Amber Alert Day In ND
Jan 13 2007 11:54PM
KXMBTV Bismarck

If a child disappears, law enforcement officials are prepared to use every tool at their disposal to return that child to their family. In many cases, authorities will use the Amber Alert Program.

And today is Amber Alert Awareness Day in North Dakota.

The program was established in the state in 2003 and exists as a voluntary partnership among law enforcement, broadcasters, and transportation agencies.

The system helps spread the word quickly that a child has gone missing.

Most recently, authorities activated the system when Reachelle Smith vanished in
Minot, May of last year.

Police say the alert helped them recover clues in the case.

And though it didn't lead to the recovery of the little girl, Captain Al Hanson says
the Amber Alert generally proves a very useful tool in missing cases.

(Capt. Al Hanson, Minot Police Department) "With all those extra set of eyes out there on the roads commercial truck drivers, the recreational people that are driving or going to work or whatever they're doing...coming from the grocery store who knows who's going to run across that vehicle. We can't be everywhere all the time. We just need all those extra eyes."

According to statistics, Amber Alerts have helped save the lives of over 300 children nationwide.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

This is the van that 22-year-old Leigh Cowen was found in at the Upper Souris NWR, after an 'apparent suicide' as LE put it. This photo was taken at the site where Leigh was found.

What is wrong with this picture???

Look at this picture carefully, and see if you can find at least three things that jump out at you, that don't seem right based on the information we have been given.

Please, if you would, comment below. I am interested to see if anyone else noticed the things I did. Thank you so much for your help.

ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Year End Review Part 3 - 12/28/2006

Year End Review Part 3
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.]

ARCHIVED VIDEO: CBS Morning Show Interview With Samantha & Stephanie Smith - Girl Gone 'Without A Trace'

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ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Authorities Recover Ground In Search For Reachelle Smith - 10/27/2006

Authorities Recover Ground In Search For Reachelle Smith
Oct 27 2006 11:36PM
KXMBTV Bismarck

Five months have passed since Reachelle Smith disappeared. She would have celebrated her fourth birthday in those missing weeks.

Now, authorities have returned to the site where her suspected abductor took his own life....... the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge.

There, the recovered old ground, looking for any sign of the missing Minot child.

Abby Wuellner has more.

Spring has turned to summer, and summer to fall in the months since anyone last saw Reachelle Smith, but still law enforcement officers continue to pursue her case...

(Cpt. Todd Keller, Ward Co. Sheriff Dpt.) "The sheriff wanted us to come back before the winter months, before everything was covered with snow, and do another search."

Today, searchers from the Ward County Sheriff's Department, the Minot Police Department, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation retraced their steps at the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge...Where on May 23, authorities found the body of Leigh Cowen, the man believed responsible for the girl's disappearance.

Nearby, yellow tape still hangs on branches where they found things he left before he committed suicide.

Sgt. Larry Hubbard was among those who found the items in initial searches.

(Sgt. Larry Hubbard, Ward Co. Sheriff's Dpt.) "We've done numerous searches. i was out here the first day when we did the initial search."

But since then, he says other than the color of the leaves, little has changed.

(Sgt. Hubbard) "You can see the line a lot better with the foliage change, and a lot of the leaves off the trees, but still it's difficult walking with the steepness of the hills."

No new leads prompted this search. Rather, previous search parties weren't able to re-cover the whole area several months ago.

And as the 14 man search wrapped up this afternoon, those involved say they found nothing new pertaining to the case of the little girl...but added they don't intend to stop searches altogether.

(Sgt. Hubbard) "It's frustrating. You know, we want to have some kind of closure to the case one way or the other, whether we find Reachelle or have a different type of closure. Everybody would like to have closure."

So as fall turns to winter, and snow covers the leaves that now crunch underfoot, they'll continue to look for Reachelle and seek some closure in this case.

At the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge, Abby Wuellner, KX News.

In the next few weeks, Reachelle's family will have a dog-search recover the ground yet again.

Authorities are also asking that hunters be on the look-out for any sign of the little girl.

ARCHIVED VIDEO & PHOTO GALLERY: Authorities Recover Ground In Search For Reachelle Smith - 10/27/2006

View Photo Gallery

View The VIDEO

ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Authorities Recover Ground In Search For Reachelle Smith - 10/27/2006

Authorities Recover Ground In Search For Reachelle Smith
Oct 27 2006 8:06PM
KXMCTV Minot

Five months have passed since Reachelle Smith disappeared. She would have celebrated her fourth birthday in those missing weeks.

Now, authorities have returned to the site where her suspected abductor took his own life....... the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge.

There, the recovered old ground, looking for any sign of the missing Minot child.

Abby Wuellner has more.

Spring has turned to summer, and summer to fall in the months since anyone last saw Reachelle Smith, but still law enforcement officers continue to pursue her case...

(Cpt. Todd Keller, Ward Co. Sheriff Dpt.) "The sheriff wanted us to come back before the winter months, before everything was covered with snow, and do another search."

Today, searchers from the Ward County Sheriff's Department, the Minot Police Department, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation retraced their steps at the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge...Where on May 23, authorities found the body of Leigh Cowen, the man believed responsible for the girl's disappearance.

Nearby, yellow tape still hangs on branches where they found things he left
before he committed suicide.

Sgt. Larry Hubbard was among those who found the items in initial searches.

(Sgt. Larry Hubbard, Ward Co. Sheriff's Dpt.) "We've done numerous searches. i was out here the first day when we did the initial search."

But since then, he says other than the color of the leaves, little has changed.

(Sgt. Hubbard) "You can see the line a lot better with the foliage change, and a lot of the leaves off the trees, but still it's difficult walking with the steepness of the hills."

No new leads prompted this search. Rather, previous search parties weren't
able to re-cover the whole area several months ago.

And as the 14 man search wrapped up this afternoon, those involved say they
found nothing new pertaining to the case of the little girl...but added they
don't intend to stop searches altogether.

(Sgt. Hubbard) "It's frustrating. You know, we want to have some kind of closure to the case one way or the other, whether we find Reachelle or have a different type of closure. Everybody would like to have closure."

So as fall turns to winter, and snow covers the leaves that now crunch underfoot, they'll continue to look for Reachelle and seek some closure in this case.

At the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge, Abby Wuellner, KX News.

In the next few weeks, Reachelle's family will have a dog-search recover
the ground yet again.

Authorities are also asking that hunters be on the look-out for any sign of the little girl.

ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Authorites End Search For Reachelle Smith - 10/27/2006

Authorites End Search For Reachelle Smith
Oct 27 2006 4:09PM

Associated Press

Minot, N.D. (AP) Ward County authorities have ended their search today for young Reachelle Smith of Minot, who's been missing since in May.

About 15 law enforcement officers started the search about ten a-m. and searched until about 3 p-m. The search was focused on an area around the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Minot, where the body of 22-year-old Leigh Cowen was found in late May.

Authorities said Cowen claimed to be Reachelle's father. They believe he killed himself, but they found no sign of Reachelle.

Sheriff's Captain Todd Keller says nothing but a few animal bones were
found in today's search.

He says another search won't be planned until there are some new leads in
the case.

Reachelle turned four years old in September. She was last seen at her Minot home on May 16th.

A number of searches earlier involving hundreds of volunteers turned up no trace of her.

ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Another Search Planned Friday For Reachelle Smith - 10/25/2006

Another Search Planned Friday For Reachelle Smith
Oct 25 2006 12:00PM

Associated Press

(Don May, KCJB, Minot)

MINOT, N.D. (AP) The Ward County Sheriff's Department plans another search Friday for young Reachelle Smith of Minot, who disappeared in May.

Sheriff's Captain Todd Keller says authorities have no new leads, but he says
they want to retrace their steps.

The girl who turned four years old in September was last seen at her Minot home on May 16th.

The body of a family friend, 22-year-old Leigh Cowen, was found on the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Minot in late May. Authorities said he killed himself. But there was no sign of Reachelle.

A number of searches since then have turned up no trace of her.

Keller says Friday's search will be in the area where Cowen's body was found. He says it will be a scaled-down search, involving about 15 officers.

Keller says authorities are not asking for volunteers, but they're asking hunters to watch for anything suspicious and are asking land owners to check shelterbelts, sloughs and other areas.

ARCHIVED ARTICLE: Reachelle Smith Turns 4 Years Old - 9/10/2006

Reachelle Smith Turns 4 Years Old
Sep 10 2006 11:36PM
KXMBTV Bismarck

Today is Reachelle Smith's fourth birthday.

Reachelle is the Minot girl who was last seen in Mid-May and has since been the subject of weeks of searching.

And that searching will resume in the next couple weeks.

Reachelle's mother Samantha Smith says a search dog owner from South Dakota will be making another trip to the Minot area soon to comb more areas in search of clues.

It'll be the third trip to the region for the dog-handler.

And his lack of success in finding anything related to Reachelle has her
mother encouraged.

(Samantha Smith, Reachelle's Mother) "Him not finding anything has been...has
been a joy. But it's been hard. It's a joy because it doesn't point to she's
dead, but it's hard because she's still not home."

Samantha says she hopes Reachelle will be found soon and hopes especially that her daughter's birthday is being remembered by whomever has her.

"We don't know if they're giving her a good birthday party. We don't know if
she'll get any presents, or a hug, or anything. And that's the hardest part for
us is just not knowing."

Minot Police and Ward County deputies say previous searches for Reachelle have turned up nothing.

They also say there are no new leads in the case.