Search resumes after missing 14-year-old girl’s backpack found in river, screaming heard

TROY — Search crews have returned to Great Miami River in Miami County to continue the search for a missing 14-year-old girl.

Ellie Carder was last seen during the evening hours of Jan. 31 in the area of E. Staunton Rd. and Michigan Ave. heading toward the Great Miami River., according to Troy Police Chief Shawn McKinney.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Missing 14-year-old girl’s backpack found after screaming heard; large search underway

News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz reported from the scene Thursday morning on News Center 7′s Daybreak.

The Troy Police Department wrote on social media Wednesday night that officers will continue to follow leads and a physical search will resume this morning.

“On-duty officers will continue to follow up on leads overnight and the physical search of the River will resume in the morning,” the department said in a statement on its Facebook page. “We would like to also thank everyone for their assistance today.”

Troy Mayor Robin Oda also took to social media to thank the search-and-rescue teams who were on site Wednesday as they continue to search for Carder.

“We want to thank and acknowledge the search-and-rescue organizations, agencies, and teams (approximately 100 people) that were on site (Wednesday) helping our Troy Ohio Police Department look for 14-year-old Ellie Carder.

“They brought people, search dogs, cadaver dogs, a helicopter search team, rafts and boats, drones, all-terrain vehicles, a witness/victim support team, a mobile command center with computer setups, and all kinds of equipment.

“Mutual aid between agencies is an amazing thing to behold. We will get a complete list of these agencies to thank them.

“We continue to hope and pray that Ellie is found safe.”

>>PHOTOS: Large search underway for missing 14-year-old girl

News Center 7 reported Wednesday that crews were searching the area around 8:30 a.m., some in the air with a helicopter, and some in the water where Carder’s backpack was found.

Troy Police Chief Shawn McKinney said Carder was leaving her friend’s home on January 31 and was walking by the river before she went missing.

Six days later they found her bookbag in the water.

McKinney described what was inside.

“School papers in there and some other information that verified it belonged to her,” McKinney said.

That bag is one of the main reasons why crews were there in the first place, but also because the night she was last seen a nearby factory heard something.

“They thought they heard screaming from the employee parking lot close to the river,” McKinney said.

A post downstream in Tipp City has also been set up because there’s a chance the river was moving much faster last week compared to now.

“And this is kind of complicating the search efforts is because of the recent rains on Wednesday, we believe that the river was much higher,” McKinney said.

>>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: 14-year-old girl missing; Troy police ask public to be on lookout

McKinney said tips have been sent in about several possible boyfriends of Carder’s.

“We have talked to a boyfriend and an ex-boyfriend and we have not talked to a possible future boyfriend,” McKinney said.

It is not believed that foul play was involved.

“Our leading idea now is that it may have been an accident, but nothing’s been ruled out yet,” McKinney said.

Carder’s family was waiting for updates all day.

They said they are grateful for everyone searching and trust they are doing all they can to find her.

“We’re here to do that job and we do it for anybody in the city that would come under these circumstances,” McKinney said.

News Center 7 will continue providing updates as more details become available.

If you have any information on Carder’s whereabouts contact Detective Compton at (937) 339-7525 ext. 1410.

If you know her current location, call 911 or (937) 440-9911.

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