REACHELLE SMITH - 3 yo (2006) - Minot ND

She went missing on May 17th, 2006. There were clues for police, but
Reachelle Smith still has not been heard from. Reachelle was 3 years
old when she was last seen by her family in her bed.

Tuesday afternoon, authorities released an age enhanced photo of Reachelle at age 7.
The man suspected of taking her, 22 year old Leigh Cowen, a family friend,
was found dead in the Upper Souris National Wildlife refuge. Cowen died
of a suicide and was found just days after the Amber Alert was issued.
Unfortunately, after an extensive search, there were no traces of
Reachelle. As the family keeps hope alive that Reachelle will be found,
authorities hope that the photo will jog someone`s memory, someone that
may have seen Reachelle. If you have any information on Reachelle
Smith`s whereabouts, contact the Minot Police Department.

From dive teams to squads of all terrain vehicles.

From helicopters to search dogs.

Law enforcement officials pulled out all the stops to search for
Reachelle Smith in the days, weeks, and months after the Minot girl
disappeared nearly four years ago.

And the effort continues today.

"If it were me," Sgt. Jason Sundbakken of the Minot PD said. "I`d
expect people to keep looking until they found her. And that`s what I
intend to do."

Only this time the search has moved high tech...with this new
age-enhanced photograph of Reachelle that depicts her at her current
age of seven years old.

The Minot Police Department worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make the new image possible.

"I obtained photos from the biological mother and father at the same
age that Reachelle would be today. They are able to take those photos,
put them into some sort of a computer program, and age-enhance
Reachelle`s photo to show what she would look like today," Sundbakken
said.

Police say the new pictures could prove incredibly helpful because of how quickly young children change as they age.

They say people tend to remember the last images they saw when looking for missing children.

"We still receive tips that say, `I saw a girl exactly like the girl in
the picture.` The picture was taken four years ago so she`s changed a
lot since then," Sundbakken said.

Updated photos have proved helpful in past Amber Alert cases.

Because they redirect people`s thoughts to what children like Reachelle would look like today.

"When they`ve found the child it`s been remarkably accurate,"
Sundbakken said. "So we`re hoping that`s the case with this drawing as
well."

Because the fate of one little girl may count on it.

Reachelle Smith

Cops: No Signs Of Reachelle Smith Where Man's Body Was Found


Reachelle Smith overview

Leigh Cowen was found dead inside a van in Minot, N.D. Police say he may have killed himself.

Cops in Minot, N.D., are now searching for new clues that will lead them to Reachelle Smith. Investigators say they initially thought the little girl may have been traveling with 22-year-old Leigh Cowen. But any hopes of finding the 3-year-old with him vanished when cops found Cowen's dead body following what appeared to be a suicide.

Unfortunately, the discovery of Cowen's body didn't shed any light on where Reachelle might be. But that doesn't mean investigators are giving up. As of May 26th, a force of 200 searchers continued the mission to find the little girl.

Search teams scoured parks, a local river and a city landfill in hopes of finding clues. The National Guard also joined the search.

But following the weekend search, police say the search is taking a new turn -- things are starting to wind down in the search for little Reachelle. Investigators say the fact that they've received few new leads is putting a damper on their mission.

Reachelle Smith was last seen at her house on Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at about 10:30 p.m., when she was put to bed. She is about 3' feet tall and weighs about 40 pounds. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair.

Television Airings: »June 3, 2006

http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=38883

Nick Dreyer ndreyer@kmot.com
Apr 26, 2012

to XXXXX


There have been no new developments released to the media.

Nick Dreyer
KMOT News Director/Anchor
1800 16th St. SW
Minot, ND 58701
Phone: 701-852-4101, Fax: 701-838-6781
ndreyer@kmot.com
www.kmot.com