Somer Thompson, 7, Missing Walking Home from Florida School; "Foul Play" Suspected

Somer Thompson was mad at her friends over an argument and moved on ahead of them while walking home from school Monday afternoon, but when Somer Thompson's 7-year-old twin brother and 10-year-old sister got home, Somer wasn't there. Somer Thompson remains missing. She has not been seen since.

According to Central Florida News 13, an Amber Alert was issued and local law enforcement agencies and volunteers conducted searches on foot and on horseback. Dogs were brought in. A helicopter with heat-imaging instruments was employed. The FBI joined the search as well. So far, there has been no sign of Somer Thompson.

Clay County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dan Mahla reported that authorities "suspect foul play." He also said that, given information about the7-year-old, it was "totally out of character" for Somer Thompson to run away from home. He added concern for exposure to the elements: "...due to the climate conditions, the age, and the size of that child, it [would] be very, very tough for her to survive."

"This is an all-out search," he said. "It's been go-time for us all night."

Somer Thompson went missing just before 3 p.m. on her way home from Grove Park Elementary School in Orange Park, Florida. She has brown hair, is 3 feet 5 inches tall, and weighs about 65 pounds.

At present, there are no persons of interest in the missing child case and no evidence to give investigators direction. They have received over a 150 leads and have interviewed all 57 known sex offenders in the immediate 3-mile radius around Somer Thompson's home. Investigators have also extended that circle to 5 miles and have begun interviewing another 37 sex offenders.

Authorities are looking into a report of people in a blue Nissan Sentra that attempted to lure a child into the car from a couple weeks back. The incident occurred in the same neighborhood.

Orange Park, which is just south of Jacksonville, is not that far from Satsuma, Florida, where 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her home back in February. According to her babysitter, Misty Croslin, who later married Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, and is now in the process of a divorce, the little girl was last seen asleep in a small bed in the same room as the babysitter. Although interest in the case has increased of late and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office is still questioning people and pursuing leads, there has been no break in the Haleigh Cummings missing person case in eight months.

Anyone having any information regarding either Haleigh Cummings or Somer Thompson is urged to call 911.

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Source:

CFNews13.com