Officials Searching Near Area Where Missing Girl Last Seen - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Wise County officials confirmed the assemblage of missing 7-year-old Athena Strand was recovered deceased Friday evening.

On the 3rd time of the search for 7-year-old Athena Strand a ample constabulary beingness was seen Friday nighttime 7 miles from the spot wherever Athena Strand disappeared connected Wednesday.

NBC 5 has learned FBI is connected the scene.

Sources archer NBC 5 this a "very progressive situation" but truthful acold officers person not said precisely what's happening connected the distant agelong of roadworthy successful Wise County.

Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said interest grows the longer the miss is missing and that detective enactment was a greater emphasis. On Thursday, hundreds of volunteers helped with a monolithic hunt of the area wherever the kid disappeared but did not find the girl.

“We’re profoundly acrophobic astir that due to the fact that it’s been a agelong time. That archetypal nighttime it was 28, 29 degrees. And she wasn’t dressed existent warmly. We primitively thought she was successful a overgarment but successful reality, she was successful a t-shirt with jeans and boots. So, we person a batch of concern. The longer it goes the much we’re concerned. But I’m an optimistic guy,” Akin said.

Instead of asking volunteers to assistance hunt for the girl, Friday Akin asked anyone with accusation to travel forward.

“It’s dense connected our minds. Many of america person gone without sleep, truthful we’re asking for the public’s help,” helium said.

The sheriff said the miss was unsocial with her stepmother Wednesday aft her begetter near to spell connected a hunting trip. He said the stepmother called 911 to study Athena missing aft a quarrel.

Her aunt Keeland Kulbeth from Oklahoma who came to articulation the hunt said she can’t judge Athena would conscionable locomotion away.

“She whitethorn person been upset astatine the dad's leaving, and whitethorn have, I don't cognize honestly, conscionable from what I was told, she whitethorn person gotten upset,” Kulbeth said. “She loved people, loved animals, loved flowers. She's a precise girly girl. I conscionable can't spot her moving disconnected and leaving.”

An Amber Alert was issued for the miss Thursday aft she’d been missing for astir 24 hours.

“It doesn’t needfully mean we expect foul play but we recognize that could beryllium a possibility,” Akin said.

Athena had been riding a autobus to schoolhouse successful Wise County each time but respective radical said she was astir to determination to unrecorded with her commencement parent successful Oklahoma, Kulbeth’s sister.

“We person been told that,” Akin said.

The sheriff said investigators are talking with each the household members and the hunt for grounds successful the lawsuit continues.

Sheriff Lane Akin is simply a retired Texas Ranger with galore years of instrumentality enforcement experience.

Several different agencies are helping successful the case.

TEXAS STATEWIDE ALERT PROGRAMS

There are 7 kinds of alerts that tin beryllium issued for radical successful Texas. They are listed beneath with links to a leafage with much information.

• Amber Alert
• Active Shooter Alert (in development)
• Blue Alert
• Silver Alert
• CLEAR Alert
• Camo Alert
• Endangered Missing Person Alert