| May 17,
2006 |
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| Missing Girl's Disapperance May Be Foul Play |
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Burke County
Sheriff's investigators are working around the clock to find a 17-year-old girl
who was reported missing on May 9th.
Olivia Nichole Seals (left),
of 3595 Seals Road, Morganton was reported missing by her father, Hugh, to the
Morganton Department of Public Safety. Originally, the girl's last known
whereabouts was at a friend's home on Shuffler Road in Morganton, said Burke
detectives. |
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| The Sheriff's Office assumed the investigation
after learning she was last seen in the county, said Burke County Sheriff John
T. McDevitt. |
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| McDevitt, along with investigators with the
Sheriff's Office, believe the girl may be the victim of foul play. The sheriff
said the disappearance is not characteristic of the teen, along with the fact
that she does not have her purse or cell phone with her. |
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| "We have questioned a number of people in this
investigation," said McDevitt. "I believe these puzzle pieces are starting to
form the big picture, and we hope to find Olivia soon." |
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| McDevitt said that one hinderance to the
investigation has been the lies that his detectives have had to wade
through. |
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| "Some of the stories our CID (Criminal
Investigations Division) has been told by others have been out-and-out lies,
which we can disprove," McDevitt stated. "We will deal with those
individuals who are being untruthful." |
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| Olivia was reportedly last seen by a 20-year-old
unidentified male, who has told authorities that he dropped the girl off on a
dirt road leading to her residence on May 8th around 2 AM. |
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| But she never made it home, said Hugh
Seals. |
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| The same male reportedly gave Olivia's cell
phone and purse to her father a few days later, telling Hugh Seals that Olivia
had left them inside his vehicle the night he brought her
home. Investigators are currently sifting through the girl's cell phone
records. |
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| The unidentified man has been questioned by
authorities, the sheriff said, and remains a person of interest in the
case. |
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| On Monday, personnel with Burke County
Emgergency Management walked the wooded area near Olivia's home with tracking
dogs, but did not locate any sign of her. |
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| The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
has joined the case, McDevitt said. |
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| Olivia is described as being 5'7", 140 lbs.,
with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with any information in the case is
encouraged to contact the Burke County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations
Division at (828) 438-5506, or Crimestoppers at (828) 437-3333. |
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