Who Is Anndine Jones? New Details About The Missing 4-Year-Old Who Wandered Away From Home
Authorities have temporarily suspended the search.
Instagram Authorities have suspended the search for a 4-year-old Utah girl who has been missing since March 14.
Anndine Jones vanished from her Aneth home more than a week ago, prompting an intense search and rescue operation, according to the Navajo Police Department. The toddler reportedly wandered away from home and has not been seen in over a week.
“First and foremost our thoughts and prayers are with this precious child and family," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. "We pray for her safety and wellbeing as the search continues. We will continue to offer more updates as this situation proceeds. We ask for your prayers at this time.”
After three days and no new information or leads, police suspended the search. She is listed as a missing person in the National Crime Information Center.
Police said Jones is about three to four feet tall, weighs 35 pounds, has brown hair and black eyes, and was last seen wearing a white shirt and light blue pants. Anyone with information about the disappearance or whereabouts of Anndine Jones is urged to call the Shiprock Police District at 505-368-1350 or 1351.
So who is Anndine Jones and what happened to her? Here is what we know so far.
1. Her footprints were all that could be found.
The only evidence police were able to find related to the toddler's disappearance were a set of footprints leading away from her home, Francisco said. The tracks led to McElmo Creek, about 500 feet from her family's doorstep but end at the water bank, which is overflowing with runoff from winter storms. The creek feeds into the San Juan River.
Navajo Police Department
2. Authorities do not believe she was abducted.
The investigation has led police to believe foul play was not involved in Jones' disappearance. Instead, authorities are leaning toward the possibility that she fell into the river.
“There were no indications of an abduction,” the Navajo Police Department said in a statement on Facebook. Nothing indicated Jones was taken against her will and her case is being treated as a search and rescue.
"We have no other information or leads to say otherwise,” Francisco said on Tuesday.
3. A three-day search ensued.
The search began promptly after Jones was reported missing on March 14.
Police initially focused the search for Anndine along the McElmo Creek and San Juan River, sending out boat teams, divers, and drones to try to locate the girl, according to the Navajo Police Department.
The extensive search efforts spanned 24 miles over the course of three days and consisted of more than 200 volunteers on top of law enforcement crews, which included the Montezuma County Boat team, Grand County boat team, San Juan County Sheriff’s departments of Utah and New Mexico, the Cortez Dive team, Farmington Fire Department, Aneth Chapter House, Utah Behavioral Health Services, Emergency Management Services, and the Bureau of Land Management.
4. The search was suspended.
The Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management gave the order to suspend the search for Jones on Saturday evening after authorities found "no trace" of the child. Francisco explained that although the search and rescue operation was called off, it does not mean it was canceled.
“The Navajo Department of Emergency Management is managing it. The police department is going to be probably just following up on anything that they find. If they find clothing or diapers by the river then we’re going to go out and check it out,” he said on Tuesday. “Or if any other leads come up, we will go and check it out.”
Authorities are using this time to reassess the case.
"The continued deployment of substantial resources after the three days of aggressive searching by air, land and water-based resources has necessitated a pause by these elements to allow them time to recuperate and time for the services to reassess," the Navajo Poice Department said in a statement. “This halt will allow Public Safety to organize and secure additional resources for subsequent search efforts."
Navajo Police Department
5. Volunteers continue to look for Jones.
Despite the official search being suspended, Jones' family and a number of volunteers continue to look for the missing child. On Wednesday, Aneth Chapter’s secretary-treasurer Brenda Brown said that Jones' family has continued to organize daily searches in hopes of finding her, the Navajo Times reported.
“We are thankful of the overwhelming amount of support and resources that we received throughout the search. We want to thank our local, state, federal partners, volunteers and the donations made to helped us in covering the terrain in finding this little girl,” Francisco said.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.