Missing girl’s uncle in custody, search continues for 5-year-old Elizabeth Shelley
Officials in Utah, with police in Logan City taking point, are continuing a desperate search for five-year-old Elizabeth Jessica Shelley who was last seen on May 25 at approximately 2 a.m. The Logan Police Department reported that Elizabeth was reported missing about eight hours later that Saturday at approximately 10 a.m.
Early in their investigation, police said that they thought that the missing child was with her uncle, 21-year-old Alex Whipple, who has since been taken into custody. Police said that they considered Whipple to be in their “main suspect” in the little girl’s disappearance. Whipple was taken into custody on a probation violation in Salt Lake County and was booked into the Cache County Jail.
ABC News reported that Elizabeth was with Whipple when she disappeared. Logan City Police Department Captain Tyson Budge said that the uncle was not cooperating with authorities. But Budge said he’s positive Elizabeth was with him when she vanished.
Police in Logan City added that they didn’t know what kind of shirt Elizabeth was wearing when she vanished, but “believed at this point she was wearing either blue jeans or a teal colored plaid skirt. She is 3’6″ with shoulder length curly brown hair with choppy bangs and brown eyes.”
Budge wouldn’t go into too much detail about what he felt Whipple may or may not know about Elizabeth’s disappearance citing the ongoing investigation – except to say that “Whipple was in possession of ‘certain items,’ such as clothing, that authorities believe indicates the uncle ‘was with her after he said he was,’” according to NBC News.
The FBI and the local sheriff’s office are assisting the Logan City Police Department in their search for the missing child. The county’s search and rescue unit and a helicopter unit have also been helping in the search for Elizabeth.
Police have also asked any residents in the area that have video surveillance, including smart doorbells, to “please check your videos and cameras specifically for the hours between 2am and noon on Saturday May 25, 2019. Please report any suspicious activity to the non-emergency dispatch number 435-753-7555, please do not call 911.”
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
Also see:
- Closs kidnapper gets life, Jayme and Judge have harsh statements for the murderer
- Police in Palm Beach County and concerned dad searching for missing Jenna Jacobsen
- Cold case still active as $20,000 reward offered in Tammy Mahoney case
- Irate dad arrested and charged after slapping 12-year-old boy that bullied his step-daughter
