The hunt continues for a missing 5-year-old Utah girl who reportedly disappeared with her uncle on May 25.
As NBC News reports, Elizabeth Shelley’s mother hasn’t seen her daughter since she went to bed around 2 a.m. on Saturday.
When the mom woke up, Elizabeth was gone, and so was her maternal uncle, Alex Whipple, 21. He was at the family’s home at the time of Elizabeth’s disappearance.
These are photos of Alex Whipple and his clothing on Friday May 24. We hope this helps you as you are checking your…
Posted by Logan City Police Department on Tuesday, May 28, 2019
At the start of the investigation, authorities discovered evidence connected to Elizabeth, Whipple, and the home not far from the residence.
Investigators located Whipple around 3 p.m. on the same day of Elizabeth’s disappearance.
In addition to trying to run away from police, he also refused to identify himself, NBC News reports.
Officers soon realized Whipple had a warrant for “violating probation on recent charges of receiving stolen property and driving under the influence.”
Further, officers found a baseball bat in the 21-year-old’s possession. Forensic testing revealed that other items in his possession were connected to Elizabeth.
According to KSL, Logan police Capt. Tyson Budge said police interrogated Whipple for several hours to no avail.
Budge said:
“He was uncooperative and he made some statements that we were able to verify as untrue very quickly into this interview because of the knowledge that we had of his whereabouts previously. Everything he had done has been quite (deceptive) and we have no reason to believe anything he told us was accurate.”
In the meantime, around 200 officers from federal, state, and local agencies continue to search for Elizabeth “around the clock.”
Jill Parker, the public information officer for the Cache County attorney’s victim advocate office, read a statement from the family:
As a family, we are overwhelmed, scared and sad at the recent tragic events that have touched our lives. We are grateful for all those who continue to search and help. We would like to thank law enforcement, volunteers and all other agencies and businesses for their tireless efforts in helping us find our daughter. Our family asks for privacy and respect during this difficult time and continue to hope for the safe return of our sweet girl Lizzy.
As NBC News reports, the 5-year-old was last seen wearing a red tank top and jeans. She has brown curly hair with bangs and brown eyes. Further, she is 3 feet, 6 inches tall.