May 22, 2006 Amber Alert Troopers say Reachelle Smith has been missing since May 16th. The girl was last seen at her home in Minot. The girl is white, about three-and-a-half feet tall and weighs about 40 pounds. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. Authorities believe she may be with 22-year-old Leigh Cowen. He's white, five-feet-nine inches tall, weighing 220 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol on his n eck. Officials say the two may be traveling in a stolen 1995 teal Ford van with North Dakota tag number H-A-Y-5-4-8. The van has minor front end damage. Troopers say the vehicle may be heading to Kansas -- possibly the Wichita area. http://www.kxma.com/news/local.asp?ID=6870

Amber Alert KFYR-TV News 5/22/2006 Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for a three year old Minot girl. Unfortunately, the man police say took her has a six day head start. The little girl`s name is Reachelle Smith. She`s three feet four inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. She has brown eyes with long, straight brown hair to the middle of her back. Police are looking for Leigh Cowen, who is 22 years old. He`s five feet nine inches tall and weighs 220 pounds, with brown eyes and black, collar length hair. He also has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol on the right side of his neck. Capt. Mark Bethke of the North Dakota Highway Patrol says, "He`s possibly driving a stolen 1995 teal colored Ford Astro Van. It has minor front end damage, North Dakota license plate HAY 548. And the destination may be Kansas, and possibly in the Wichita area." Police wouldn`t say anything tonight about why it took six days for the alert to come out, but we do know this. Leigh Cowan was the live-in boyfriend of Reachelle Smith`s mother, and the van was stolen from that residence. However, the mother did not have legal custody of Reachelle. An aunt did, and she`s the one who eventually called police. http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=1941

Posted on Tue, May. 23, 2006 Abducted girl may be headed this way Associated Press The North Dakota Highway Patrol on Monday issued an Amber Alert for a 3-year-old Minot, N.D., girl and said she might be on her way to the Wichita area. The patrol said Reachelle Smith was last seen at her Minot home on May 16. Minot police Sgt. Winston Black said the girl is believed to be with 22-year-old Leigh Cowen, a man claiming to be the girl's father. "The person we're looking for is making the claim he is the father of the child, when in fact, he's not," Black said. "We have reason to believe the child is in danger," Highway Patrol Capt. Mark Bethke said. The girl's mother does not have legal custody of the child, Black said. The girl lives with her mother's sister, the child's legal guardian, he said. Black said Cowen had been living with the child's aunt. Cowen's mother sometimes looked after the child in Minot, Black said. The girl was put to bed at about 10:30 p.m. on May 16 at her home, Black said. "The following day, she was nowhere to be found," he said. Cowen claimed the girl had been staying with his mother in Minot. The child's aunt reported the girl missing on Monday. "It was not uncommon for her to spend time with (Cowen's) mother," Black said. Cowen's mother moved to Derby within the past few days, Black said. Police believe Cowen may be headed there, in a stolen teal-colored van with minor front-end damage. The girl is white, about 3 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 40 pounds, authorities said. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. Cowen is white, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 220 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol on his neck. The Amber Alert program is named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in her hometown of Arlington, Texas. http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/14645125.htm?source=rss&channel=kansas_local

May 23, 2006 Amber Alert issued for Minot girl Troopers have issued an Amber Alert for a three-year-old girl missing from Minot. Troopers say Reachelle Smith has been missing since May 16th. The girl was last seen at her home in Minot. The girl is white, about three-and-a-half feet tall and weighs about 40 pounds. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. Authorities believe she may be with 22-year-old Leigh Cowen. He's white, five-feet-nine inches tall, weighing 220 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol on his neck. Authorities say Cowen claims to be the girl's father -- but he's not. Minot police say the girl's mother does not have legal custody of the child. They say the girl lives with her mother's sister. Police say Cowen had been living with the child's aunt -- and she's the child's legal guardian. Officials say the two may be traveling in a stolen 1995 teal van with North Dakota tag number H-A-Y-5-4-8. The van has minor front end damage. Troopers say the vehicle may be heading to Kansas -- possibly the Wichita area. Authorities say that's where Cowen's mother lives. http://www.kxma.com/news/local.asp?ID=6873

Posted on Tue, May. 23, 2006 AMBER ALERT Abducted girl may be on her way to Derby Eagle staff and wire reports An Amber Alert issued by the North Dakota Highway Patrol for a 3-year-old girl who may be on her way to Kansas remains in effect this morning. Authorities believe Reachelle Smith has been abducted by Leigh Cowen, 22, and that he may be en route to Derby, where his mother moved to within the past few days. "That's where his family is. We have no other reason to believe he's going anywhere else," Minot Police Capt. Al Hanson said today. Police believe Cowen may be headed to Derby in a stolen teal-colored van with minor front-end damage and the North Dakota license plate HAY 548. Minot police said Cowen claims to be the girl's father, when in fact he's not. She was reported missing on Monday, but has not been seen since May 16. "Because she's traveling with a stranger and not a blood relative, there's a possibility she's in danger," Hanson said. Cowen is white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs an estimated 220 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol on his neck. Reachelle Smith is white, about 3 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 40 pounds, authorities said. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 911. http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/14647429.htm

Posted on Tue, May. 23, 2006 Amber Alert issued for 3-year-old girl Associated Press MINOT, N.D. - Police are focusing on Kansas in their search for a 3-year-old girl missing for a week. Authorities say 3-year-old Reachelle Smith was last seen the night of May 16. She is believed to be with Leigh Cowen, 22, a man who had been living with her aunt, the child's legal guardian. Police Capt. Al Hanson said Cowen considered himself the girl's father, but tests proved otherwise. Authorities believe he headed for Kansas. "That's where his family is. We have no other reason to believe he's going anywhere else," Minot Police Capt. Al Hanson said Tuesday. The Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert for Reachelle after she was reported missing Monday. "Because she's traveling with a stranger and not a blood relative, there's a possibility she's in danger," Hanson said. Police said Cowen had been living with the child's aunt and his mother sometimes looked after her in Minot. The 3-year-old was put to bed about 10:30 p.m. on May 16 at her home, Minot Police Sgt. Winston Black said. "The following day, she was nowhere to be found," he said. Cowen claimed the girl had been staying with his mother, but police said his mother had moved to Derby, Kan., within the past few days. Reachelle's aunt reported her missing Monday. "Yesterday is when he disappeared," Hanson said Tuesday. "We've been in contact with authorities in Kansas." Cowen is wanted on a probation violation, Hanson said. He did not have details of the earlier charge. Authorities believe Cowen is driving a stolen teal-colored van with minor front-end damage. He is not accused of stealing the van, Hanson said. Reachelle Smith is described as white, about 3-foot-4 and weighs about 40 pounds, authorities said. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. Authorities said Cowen is white, 5-foot-9, and weighs 220 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol on his neck. http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/14642909.htm

STATEWIDE AMBER ALERT (ND) Reachelle Smith Age Now: 3 Sex: Female Skin Tone:White Hair: lt brown Eyes: brown Height: 3FT4 Weight: 40LBS Status: Update Missing From: 105 16th Street, Minot, ND Last seen: 2006-05-16 22:30:00 Circumstances: UPDATE AMBER ALERT- The child is missing from the listed city. To report information on this case, please contact: North Dakota Highway Patrol (ND) 701-852-0111 To view other cases, please visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com Email Alert

Dear Poster Partner: This poster is an update and replaces all previously released posters for this case. REACHELLE SMITH DOB: Sep 10, 2002 Missing: May 16, 2006 Age Now: 3 Sex: Female Race: White Hair: Lt. Brown Eyes: Brown Height: 3'4" (102 cm) Weight: 40 lbs (18 kg) Missing From: MINOT ND United States Both photos shown are of the child. She was last seen at her home on the evening of May 16, 2006. She is missing under suspicious circumstances. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minot Police Department (North Dakota) 1-701-852-0111 http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1044761&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

Man Sought In Amber Alert Found Dead Wichita Associated Press May 23-- A man thought to have been heading to the Wichita area with a missing three-year-old girl is found dead in his home state of North Dakota. But there's no sign yet of Reachelle Smith, who's the subject of an Amber Alert. The girl disappeared last Tuesday from a home in Minot, North Dakota. Minot Police Captain Al Hanson says the body of 22-year-old Leigh Cowen -- who had falsely claimed to the child's father -- was found in a van by a lake this afternoon. An autopsy is pending, but suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning was suspected. Cowen had claimed the girl had been staying with his mother. But police said his mother had moved to Derby, Kansas, within the past few days. http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/2858371.html

05-23-2006: news-update Man thought to be with missing girl is dead By Associated Press MINOT — A man who police thought was with a missing 3-year-old girl was found dead in a van at a wildlife refuge Tuesday, but authorities said there was no sign of the girl. Police Capt. Al Hanson said the body of Leigh Cowen, 22, was found inside the van on a gravel road at the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Minot early Tuesday afternoon. The body was sent to the state medical examiner in Bismarck to determine a cause of death, but Hanson said Cowen appeared to have killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning. Hanson said authorities searched the area for 3-year-old Reachelle Smith, who was last seen the night of May 16. “At this point, there’s no indication that the girl was around that area,” he said. Authorities had thought Reachelle was with Cowen, a man who had been living with her aunt, the child’s legal guardian. Hanson said authorities were looking for evidence at the site where Cowen’s body was found to see if the girl had been with him. The Patrol issued an Amber Alert for Reachelle after she was reported missing Monday by her aunt. Police said Cowen had been living with the child’s aunt and his mother sometimes looked after her in Minot. The 3-year-old was put to bed at about 10:30 p.m. on May 16 at her home, Minot Police Sgt. Winston Black said. “The following day, she was nowhere to be found,” he said. Cowen said the girl had been staying with his mother, but police said his mother had moved to Derby, Kan., within the past few days, and they had contacted her. Reachelle Smith is described as white, about 3-foot-4 and weighs about 40 pounds, authorities said. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. State officials said Cowen was on probation for theft of property in Ward County and was being supervised in Fargo when he failed to report in as required. A warrant was issued last month for his arrest on charges of violating his probation. The Amber Alert program is named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in her hometown of Arlington, Texas. http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2006/05/23/news/update/doc4473bfdc8e77a100512061.txt

Amber Alert System Brandi Powell 5/23/2006 North Dakota`s Department of Emergency Services says its goal is to find a child within the first four hours of abduction. The Department says there was a delay in the parental reporting of the abduction with Raechelle Smith. When an Amber Alert is issued, it`s done by local law enforcement contacting the division of state radio. Once all information is filed into a computer system, a blast fax and e-mail is activated not only to all broadcast agencies and law enforcement within the state, but also adjourning jurisdictions, provinces in Canada, and states surrounding North Dakota. The department says the police were notified later than usual about the disappearance of Raechelle Smith. "That`s not normal," says Rick Robinson of North Dakota`s Department of Emergency Services. "It was a late report from the time of the potential abduction to the time it was reported." In addition to the Amber Alert System, the information on the missing children goes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Highway Patrol and the Department of Emergency Services say they were just gearing up for the annual Amber Alert exercise when the real thing happened yesterday. The Department of Emergency Services says nearly 40% of missing children die before their disappearance is even reported to the police. It`s why law enforcement says possible abductions should be reported as soon as possible, in the event an Amber Alert needs to be activated. "There is definitely no certain amount of time a child needs to be missing, the child needs to be 17 years of age or younger, there has to be belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred and that the child is in grave danger of bodily harm or death, and that we have information relating to the child such as description and if we have a suspect description and if we have a suspect or vehicle," says Captain Marke Bethke of the Highway Patrol. The Highway Patrol says this is the third time the Amber Alert system has been used in the state. It says the first two times were successful, and this time around they say they will use the same tactics, a collaborative effort to help bring the child home. Bethke says, "It`s law enforcement, the media plays a very important role to get that information out to the general public." The Department of Transportation, Information Technology Division, Highway Patrol, and the National Weather Service are among other entities that are involved in finding abducted children. "It`s important to intercept an abductor as soon as possible before any harm can come to the child," says Robinson. "That`s why the system is in place." All agencies involved with the Amber Alert come up with reports, and do an after action meeting after every activation, to see what can be improved. http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=1949

Child Missing KFYR-TV News 5/23/2006 The search for a three year old Minot girl is intensifying tonight, after authorities found the man they were looking for in connection with her disappearance. They say Leigh Cowen killed himself. The Amber Alert is still in place, but not for Cowen and a stolen Chevy van. Minot police says Cowen was found dead near Lake Darling this afternoon. They say it appears that he killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning. Police say they have no evidence that Reachelle is nearby. Captain Al Hanson says officers processed the scene tonight, and plan on holding a news conference tomorrow with an update on the situation. The Ward County Dive Team spent time out at Lake Darling today, but there`s no word on whether they went into the water. Police explained why it took so long for family to contact authorities. Capt. Hanson says, "On the 16th the story was given by the suspect that the child was with his mother. Again around the 19th, the same story. Her car had broken down, the child was still with her. It wasn`t a problem with his mom at the base. Well then, by the 22nd, when she awoke, that`s when she found the van missing." If you have any information about the disappearance of Reachelle Smith, call Minot police at (701) 852-0111. http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=1952

Search to resume for missing girl after man found dead Associated Press MINOT, N.D. - Searchers locked arms and walked through a wildlife refuge north of here for signs of a missing 3-year-old girl, after the body of a man believed to have been with her was found in a van nearby. The search was to resume Wednesday for 3-year-old Reachelle Smith, at the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, Ward County Sheriff Vern Erck said. Minot Police Capt. Al Hanson said the body of Leigh Cowen, 22, was found inside a van on a gravel road at the refuge Tuesday. Hanson said Cowen appeared to have killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning. He said authorities could find no trace of the girl, who was last seen the night of May 16. "We absolutely felt like we had to do a grid search since the van and the body was found here, Erck said. The search was called off about 9 p.m. Tuesday. It was a tough effort, with searchers battling wood ticks and heat, he said. "We're hoping to get more people out here, and we'll have gone over this refuge with a fine-toothed comb," the sheriff said. The National Guard may be available to help, he said. Reachelle Smith was put to bed at about 10:30 p.m. on May 16 at her home in Minot, Minot Police Sgt. Winston Black said. The following day she was gone, he said. The Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert for Reachelle after she was reported missing Monday by her aunt. Authorities had thought the child was with Cowen, a man who had been living with her aunt, the child's legal guardian. Police said his mother sometimes looked after Reachelle in Minot. Police said Cowen first said the girl had been staying with his mother, but they found out his mother had moved to Derby, Kan., within the past few days. When Cowen turned up missing, they thought he might have taken Reachelle and headed for Kansas. The van in which his body was found was taken to the Police Department for a more thorough search. State officials said Cowen was on probation for theft of property in Ward County and was being supervised in Fargo when he failed to report in as required. A warrant was issued last month for his arrest on charges of violating his probation. Reachelle Smith is described as white, about 3-foot-4 and weighs about 40 pounds, authorities said. She has brown eyes and straight, light brown hair. Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/14655833.htm