Searching the park for Phylicia Barnes
City police and about 200 of their colleagues spent Saturday searching Patapsco Valley State Park for Phylicia Barnes, the 17-year-old who disappeared from her half-sister's Northwest Baltimore apartment in December.
Searchers found a body, but not of Barnes, and some assorted animal bones. All in all, it was a frustrating day that left police without any new clues in the girl's disappearance. "We are very much back at square one," a police spokesman said.
The search for Barnes has been one of the most extensive in years. A task force of six homicide detectives continues to work around the clock, and authorities are staffing a 24-hour hot line. But a flood of 200 tips that poured into the center in the first two months have slowed to just five in the past month.
The hot line number is 855-223-0033.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said only that “we identified this as an area of interest. It was associated with one of the people of interest we talked to, one of the 30 people who last saw Phylicia.” Police said they had searched part of the park before, but “frozen ground and the snow limited our ability to search further.”
These photos of the today's search were taken by The Sun's Kim Hairston. Here's a list of some of the agencies that helped out on Saturday:
Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management
Baltimore Fire Department
Maryland Urban Search and Rescue
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Chesapeake Foundation K-9 Dogs
The American Red Cross
The Civil Air Patrol
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Baltimore County Public Safety
Maryland State Police
Howard County Public Safety
Coppin State Students
Morgan State Students
Anne Arundel County Emergency Personnel
Baltimore County Emergency Personnel
Wicomico County Sheriffs
Maryland Park Service
Greater Gethsemane Baptist Church
Comments
The lack of evidence in this case is simply stunning. My thoughts and prayers to the Barnes family.
Posted by: Al P | April 10, 2011 6:49 PM