LITTLE FLOCK — The Benton County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous letter saying the body of a missing Pea Ridge teenager might be in a pond off Arkansas 94 near Little Flock.
April Dawn Andrews, 15, left her home at Kings Lane Apartments Nov. 18, 2006. She planned to walk to the nearby Pea Ridge Church of the Nazarene, but was never seen again, according to reports.
Detectives received the letter in late April. Cadaver dogs hit on the pond, leading officials to drain it in search of a body. The letter also claimed other evidence could be in the pond, Keshia Guyll, spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, said Wednesday.
At A Glance
Who To Call
Anyone with information concerning the disappearance of April Dawn Andrews is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 479-271-1009.
“These types of tips help break cases open,” Guyll said of the letter. “Someone needs to come forward and help bring this little girl home.”
Detectives and workers from the county Road Department began to drain the pond Monday. An anthropologist and an archaeologist from the University of Arkansas also assisted.
Detectives hadn't found a body or any evidence as of Wednesday afternoon, Guyll said. Dredging that could last a few days started Wednesday. Heavy equipment put piles of mud in dump trucks. The mud was hauled to a nearby location where it was dumped. Firefighters put water on the mud to thin it down so it could be searched. Several truckloads of mud had been hauled from the pond by late Wednesday afternoon.
“We will be here until we feel comfortable that we haven’t missed anything,” Guyll said.
The pond will be filled once the investigation is complete, Guyll said.
The Benton County Child Abduction Response Team began investigating Andrews’ disappearance last year. Pea Ridge police initially handled the disappearance as a possible runaway, according to reports.
Billboards with the girl’s photograph have been put up, and the team has used social media to relay information about the case featured on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website.
The case was never closed, Guyll said.
“It was a cold case and there just wasn’t any leads to follow through on,” Guyll said.
The Sheriff’s Office is trying to find and talk with members of Andrews’ family. Detectives also will again interview witnesses concerning the girl’s disappearance.
“We urge the person to come forward,” Guyll said of the anonymous letter writer.