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January 09, 2007
Search continues for Jodi Sanderholm
Police intensified their search for a missing 19-year-old college student on Tuesday as they pursued leads in southeast Cowley County and northern Kay County.
Authorities Tuesday morning confirmed that they had found "significant" evidence in those areas but had not, contrary to rampant rumors, located Jodi Sanderholm or her car. They did not specific what evidence was found.
Jodi was last seen at Subway in Ark City Friday afternoon and her car was last spotted minutes after headed east on Kansas Avenue, family and police have said.
She has not been heard from since.
Late this morning a helicopter was brought to the search area. U.S. 166 was closed while the helicopter landed.
A sheriff's deputy went up in the helicopter and it circled around the Cowley State Fishing Lake several times before landing again. It seemed to focus on the dock area.
Also, two wreckers from Arkansas City came to the lake.
Horses were added to the search efforts Tuesday. Texas-based EquuSearch helps find lost and missing people with volunteers on horseback.
"The company is providing air support, horses and other sophisticated equipment free of charge," Ark City Police Captain Sean Wallace said in a press release Tuesday.
Evidence found over the weekend led police to focus on the lake and Oklahoma state line south of the lake. They searched on foot and in the air, and used divers and search dogs to try to locate Jodi and her vehicle, Wallace said.
"It is imperative that the press and civilians stay out of areas where police are searching as their presence could destroy evidence and/or tire and foot impression that will help lead police to Jodi," the press release states.
Wallace continues to ask that rural Cowley County residents check their garages, out buildings, barns and abandoned structures on their property for Jodi's black 2003 2-door Dodge Stratus, with a license plate WOT 921.
"Basically, I think right now, they're concentrating near the state line," Kay County Undersheriff Bud Thomas said Tuesday. "But we're standing by in the event it needs to come back south again."
Cowley County Sheriff Bob Odell said that rumors are spreading quickly but aren't resembling the truth.
"Unfortunately there's a lot of rumors, and they're really not doing any service to anybody but making people anxious," Odell said.
On Monday Odell said authorities were investigating information that a letter with Jodi's name on it had been found at the bathroom at the state lake.
On Tuesday he said he could not confirm that information but said searchers had talked about mail connected to Jodi found at the lake.
Anyone with information about Jodi or her vehicle is asked to call (620) 441-4444 or 1-800-KSCRIME.
Cowley County Crimestoppers has named the Sanderholm case the crime of the month.
The group said an award will be paid for information that helps find Jodi. The award amount has not been determined.
Crimestoppers can be reached at (620) 442-7777 or (620) 221-7777.
EquuSearch has about 350 members who help find lost and missing people with volunteers on horseback.
The group started in 2000 and is dedicated to the memory of Laura Miller, who was abducted and murdered in North Galveston County in 1984. Laura was the daughter of EquuSearch director Tim Miller, the group's Web site states.
The organization in recent years has participated in searches for Tara Grinstead, Natalee Holloway and Renee Fox.
Sanderholm is a valedictorian and 2006 graduate of Arkansas City High School. She is a freshman at Cowley College and member of the danceline Tigerette team.
Her vanishing has jarred and spread grief throughout the community, which is dotted with pink ribbons and and missing posters for Jodi.
A candlelight vigil at the Ark City Dance facility on Summit Street attracted more than 400 people Sunday evening where sadness and uncertainty mixed with hope and prayer.
An Ark City man in custody on charges unrelated to the Sanderholm case has been questioned about Jodi's disappearance, Wallace said this weekend.
Wallace described the man as a "groupie" of the danceline team and said that police had been aware of his interest in the group. No update on his status in the case was provided Tuesday.
He remained at the jail in Winfield on Tuesday on $33,000 bail on three charges -- none related to Sanderholm's case, sheriff officials said.
Sanderholm's parents talked to her Friday by phone at about 10 minutes to noon, just before her disappearance.
The conversation with her mother centered around lunch plans. Jodi decided not to go with her mother to eat because she had just finished dance practice and was dirty and sweaty, Cindy Sanderholm said.
They agreed to see each other later. But she did not come home, nor did she stop by the glass company. They called her several times but received no answer.
She was last seen at Subway around 1 p.m. in her Tigerette dance jacket with her name on left side, black leggings, gray cut-off sweat pants and flip flops, the family said.
http://www.arkcity.net/stories/010907/com_0001.shtml
Posted by Nealus at January 9, 2007 04:02 PM
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