Toddler found dead; brother still missing
Body of children’s mother found Tuesday; uncle discovered Thursday
MENA, Ark.—A missing 2-year-old girl has been found dead near Cove, Ark.
The body of Acelynn Carrie Wester was found Friday afternoon near where the body of her mother, 43-year-old Bethany Jo Wester, was found Tuesday, investigators with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
A Morgan Nick Amber Alert was issued for Acelynn and her brother, Reilly James Scarbrough, 9, earlier this week. Neither child had been seen since April 22. Investigators believe Reilly may still be alive and will continue searching until he is found.
The case has taken many twists in recent days. On Thursday, Bethany Wester’s uncle, Steven J. Payne, 66, was found dead at his home. The deaths are all being investigated as homicides.
Investigators are concerned
for Reilly’s safety and are working around the clock to find the child and investigate the deaths of his relatives, a spokesman for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Anyone with information concerning Reilly’s whereabouts, should contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 479-394-2511.
“We have been working around the clock. Every agency involved and every officer involved is committed to finding these kids,” Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer said in a news release earlier Friday. No information on a suspect in the kidnapping, a vehicle description or a direction of travel has been released.
The children’s mother was found Tuesday in a creek southwest of Cove, Ark. Her cause of death has not been released, but the case is being investigated as a homicide.
Payne’s body was found Thursday inside his residence in Hatfield, according to the Sheriff’s Office. His body has been sent to the Arkansas State Crime lab for an autopsy.
Arkansas State Police, Mena Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are actively searching for the children, who are considered critically endangered.
The FBI, Arkansas Game and Fish, Arkansas State Parks authorities, U.S. Forest Service, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Grannis Police Department are also assisting in the search.