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

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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.