Megan Maxwell,Missing, April 26, 2009 TN.
Update: Friends to search again for Megan Maxwell; reward offered Emily Stroud Updated: 5/4/2009 12:07:09 PM Posted: 5/1/2009 5:47:54 PM Family and friends plan to search again Tuesday for a missing Newport teen, last seen at her father's house. Megan Maxwell went missing on Sunday, April 26, after checking in on her father early that morning. The only sign of her since then was her car found burned on the side of the road. Community members in Cocke County were out in force Friday, searching for any sign of Maxwell's whereabouts. They plan to search again Tuesday. Volunteers will meet in the Food City west parking lot in Newport, which is the same location where they met for Friday's search. Friday, they fanned out to search for clues but found nothing. Thursday, Gov. Phil Bredesen authorized a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any person responsible for Maxwell's disappearance. The first community search Multiple law enforcement agencies have been searching for a Newport woman who was last seen last Sunday. Now the Cocke County community has joined the search for 19-year-old Megan Maxwell. Dozens of volunteers gathered Friday morning in a grocery store parking lot. They split into groups, grabbed maps, and went to designated areas between the spot where Megan was last seen Sunday morning in Newport and the area in Cocke County where a police officer saw her burning car an hour and a half later. The father of Megan's best friend coordinated the effort. "It's been a really tough last few days for people close to Megan. We hope to find her," Randy Lane said. Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults appreciates the extra eyes looking for clues. "Our prayer is that we find Megan, we get to hug her, and send her home," he said. "We want to be able to bring some closure to this family. We want to be able to solve this missing persons incident and if there's evidence of foul play, we want that found." Cocke County High School let kids out of class Friday to join the search effort. Friends of the family and strangers also helped. "I've got daughters of my own, and I would hope somebody would come to fine mine if one of mine we're missing," searcher Randy Hurley said. Volunteers searched in two shifts, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday. They did not find anything. Thursday, Governor Bredesen authorized a $10,000 reward for tips in the case. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=86410

Cocke County Authorities: Search growing "grim" Posted: 11:30 PM Apr 28, 2009 Last Updated: 1:09 PM Apr 29, 2009 Reporter: Mike McCarthy Email Address: mike.mccarthy@wvlt-tv.com KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Cocke County authorities say the possibility of finding a missing teenager alive is growing grim. Megan Maxwell, 19, was last heard from early Sunday morning. Newport police say her car was later found burned along east highway 25/70. Crews stopped their Tuesday search around 4:15 pm. They've focused on several miles of the French Broad River near where the Teena's car was found. Crews say say they've searched the readily accessible spots, and they need different equipment to get further downstream. But the clock is ticking. As search crews make waves, painful thoughts ripple through Lisa Maxwell's mind. "It seems like it's getting harder as time goes on. It's getting longer, it's getting harder," Maxwell said. Her 19-year-old daughter, Megan Maxwell, has been missing for three days in Cocke County. "It just gives you more time to think about something you don't want to think about that may have happened," Maxwell said. "We know we may not have a good end to this now," Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults. The troubled waters began Sunday. "She'd gotten a call to go and check on her dad. He'd been in a situation. She came and spent time with him," Shults said. Megan Maxwell was last heard from early Sunday morning, around 4:30. Police say she called a friend from her cell phone. "Said she'd be home in a just a few minutes, but she never arrived," Shults said. Police say the teen was headed back to her grandmothers. An off-duty Newport Police officer found the teen's car, burned, along east highway 25/70 just after 6:00 am. "At this point, we're coming to the conclusion that she has met with foul play," Shults said Crews have searched miles of the nearby French Broad River. "We have some information and a piece of physical evidence that led us to believe we need to be looking for evidence near the river, in the river," Shults said. The Maxwell family's been on the banks throughout the search. "I just can't imagine never seeing her again," Megan's sister, Stephanie, said. "She always had a smile on her face. She was never a stranger. She had so many friends," Lisa Maxwell said. But the family hasn't sank in the murky water. "We're going to find her, no matter what it takes," Lisa Maxwell said. Megan Maxwell is described as five foot six inches, and 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweat shirt and jeans. If you have any information about her disappearance call, call the Newport Police at (423) 623-5556 ext. 105. The Maxwell family says they're incredibly grateful for all the community support they've received. Lisa Maxwell says that's what is holding the family together now. Search crews plan to be back out Wednesday. The Cocke County Sheriff's Office and the Cosby Volunteer Fire Department are also involved in the search. http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/43932687.html

Volunteers search Douglas Lake for missing Newport teen Posted: June 6, 2009 03:24 PM By HARLOW SUMERFORD 6 News Reporter NEWPORT (WATE) -- Lisa Maxwell watched from a boat ramp Saturday as a team of volunteers searched for her daughter Megan. Similar searches over the last few weeks have been unsuccessful. The 19-year-old from Cocke County was reported missing in late April. "With each day that passes, I don't know, it gets harder. At times I feel like, I know deep down I'm probably going to get bad news, but we have to find her," Mrs. Maxwell said. Saturday was an all-volunteer effort. Dozens of people donated their time, their boats, even specially-trained recovery dogs. Crew members say they know there is a chance her body is in the lake, so they plan to search every inch. A couple of boats cruised along the shoreline with volunteers and a cadaver dog on board. On board one boat was Libby, a certified cadaver dog trying to pick up a scent. If she hits on a scent, a second crew will be called in to search that spot. Leading the search Saturday was a non-profit group from North Carolina, the CUE Center for Missing Persons. Still, a lot of people like Teresa Moore are from the Newport community. Moore said she has known Megan since she was a little girl. "We aren't going to give up hope and we aren't going to give up on finding her. We are here until, it doesn't matter if it takes another day, another week, six weeks, we aren't going to stop until we find her," said Moore. Other crews, including members of Ducks Unlimited and a local bear hunters group, searched parts of the county by foot on Saturday. http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=10489762

Help Find Megan Maxwell Missing from Newport ,Tennessee- April 26, 2009 http://www.helpfindmeganmaxwell.com/

Convicted sex offender arrested in connection with case of missing Cocke County woman Published June 10th, 2009 The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting that a federal grand jury has indicted a convicted sex offender from Del Rio, Texas, in connection with the disappearance of a 19-year-old woman in April. Jeffrey Lee Stock , 41, will be arraigned Thursday. He is currenlty in the Grainder Co. Jail and is now charged with traveling in interstate commerce and failing to register as a sex offender. The indictment was returned Tuesday in Greeneville. Newport police have think Stock might know what happened Megan Maxwell, who's been missing more than a month. There's a $10,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest or conviction of "any person responsible for (Maxwell's) death or disappearance." Five weeks of searching the river, quarries and acres of surrounding property have proven fruitless. http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9014432

Feds indict suspect in Cocke County missing woman case By News Sentinel staff Originally published 10:58 a.m., June 10, 2009 Updated 10:58 a.m., June 10, 2009 KNOXVILLE - A federal grand jury has indicted a Cocke County man who is being questioned in the disappearance of a 19-year-old woman in April. Jeffrey Lee Stock, 41, a convicted sex offender from Del Rio, has been charged with traveling in interstate commerce and failing to register as a sex offender. The indictment was returned Tuesday in Greeneville. He is to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Greeneville. Stock is being held in the Grainger County Jail on a state charge of failing to register as a sex offender. Newport police have said they believe Stock might know what happened Megan Maxwell, who's been missing more than a month. Police, rescuers, family and friends have searched for Maxwell since the morning of April 26, when an off-duty officer spotted her 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse burning on U.S. Highway 25/70 near a riverbank. She'd talked to a friend that morning just before 4:30, saying she was leaving her father's home on Mineral Street. Authorities have offered a $10,000 reward for any tips leading to the arrest or conviction of "any person responsible for (Maxwell's) death or disappearance." Five weeks of searching the river, quarries and acres of surrounding property have proven fruitless so far, said Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults. Maxwell is white, about 5 feet 6 and about 115 pounds. She wore a blue sweatshirt and tattered blue jeans the day she disappeared. Shults is asking that anyone with information in the case call 865-623-5556, ext. 105, or 423-623-1285. If convicted of the federal charges, Stock faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; a maximum term of supervised release of up to life; a maximum fine of $250,000, and a $100 special assessment. More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jun/10/feds-indict-suspect-cocke-county-missing-woman-cas/

Update: Search for missing teen has family, police at odds Alison Morrow Updated: 6/8/2009 8:31:20 PM Posted: 6/8/2009 4:15:59 PM The search for missing 19-year-old Megan Maxwell continued Monday afternoon, but Megan's mother, Lisa Maxwell, says it's what didn't happen that grabbed her attention. "It's been 6 weeks now, and we have nothing. Nothing. I don't understand it," Maxwell said. Megan went missing on Sunday, April 26. Her car was found burning near the French Broad River, and her whereabouts remain a mystery. Police quickly launched a search of the river, but Maxwell believes since then, they haven't done enough to bring Megan home. "The first three days of this, I got on camera, and I bragged about how well the police were doing," Maxwell said. "After that, everything went to nothing." Last weekend, the Newport Police Department canceled a planned search of a Hamblen County landfill for the second time. They blamed it on logistical complications, but Megan's family says it's just another example of a faulty investigation. "I'm getting angry. It just seems like we're having to get out here and beg," Maxwell said. "As time goes on, you feel sad and you feel like Megan's being let down," said Megan's grandmother, Judy O'Neil. "What if it were their daughter?" Maxwell sighed. Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults responds that they're doing everything in their power to bring the investigation to a successful end. "It doesn't look like progress is being made, but we're e-mailing constantly with outside agencies, phone calls, coordinating things," he said. Chief Shults says they've called in help like the Knox County Rescue Squad and argues combing through miles of water without a lead would be a waste. "If we start utilizing all our manpower and equipment researching and researching the same places, we're not gaining anything," Shults said. "If I could take Megan home today, it would be the best day of my life." Chief Shults adds that patience and diligence now may make the difference between a succesful or failed prosecution later. "We've got to prepare that it may be a while and we want to be thoroughly prepared to place the person who did this, or persons, in prison for the rest of their lives." But with every hour that passes with no news, Megan's family says waiting gets that much more difficult. "Each day that goes by is a wasted day," Maxwell said. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=89954&catid=2

Updated: 5:20 PM Sep 21, 2009 Suspect in missing teen case pleads guilty to unrelated charges The man investigators have called the "top suspect" in the disappearance of Megan Maxwell, 19, in Cocke County pleaded guilty to unrelated federal charges in U.S. District Court Monday. Posted: 5:03 PM Sep 21, 2009 Reporter: Michael Grider Email Address: michael.grider@wvlt-tv.com GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The man investigators have called the "top suspect" in the disappearance of Megan Maxwell, 19, in Cocke County pleaded guilty to unrelated federal charges in U.S. District Court Monday. Jeffery Lee Stock, 41, of Del Rio, pleaded guilty to violating federal sex offender registry laws. "Stock faces a maximum term of ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of life, and a special mandatory assessment of $100," according to a release from U.S. Attorney James R. Dedrick's office. "He remains in federal custody pending sentencing. Dedrick's office says Stock was convicted on two counts of sexual battery in 1998 in Indiana, where he's originally from, before leaving the state for Tennessee in August 2008 without notifying law officers in either state, as required by sex offender registry laws. He was picked up by Knoxville Police on Oct. 9, 2008 on drug charges. He registered with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as a sex offender at that time, according to the release. Megan Maxwell disappeared on April 26, 2009. Her burning 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse on US Hwy. 25/70. http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/60046602.html

http://helpfindmeganmaxwell.blogspot.com/ This is a blog devoted to news updates on Megan. The last update was posted on July 10, 2009 but I will check it often for news.