Search for Ellie Carder continues along river
Crews continue to search the Great Miami River in Troy a week after a missing 14-year-old girl’s backpack was found in the water.
The morning of Feb. 6, Troy police and fire crews discovered Ellie Carder’s backpack in the river near East Main Street (state Route 41), according to police. The backpack mostly has schoolwork and some other personal items.
Volunteer search organizations were called in as a result. They covered the area from the CSX railroad bridge to state Route 571, using boats, drones and sonar in the search.
Police, fire and volunteers continued searching the Great Miami River last week.
Troy police Capt. Dominic Burnside said Tuesday police are still actively searching for Carder.
“There are no updates to report at this time, and our main area of focus remains in the area of the Great Miami River,” he added. “We will continue to utilize boats for visual searches and drones for air and underwater support. Recently, we have received assistance from organizations such as Christian Aid Ministries, Equusearch and Wright Patterson Fire Services.”
Burnside encouraged anyone with information or tips on Carder’s disappearance to call Troy police at 937-339-7525 or the Miami County Communication Center at 937-339-6400.
The police department previously asked the public to refrain from creating their own search parties.
“If someone would get in trouble searching the river on their own, having to perform a water rescue would severely delay our searches,” police said.
Carder was reported missing on Feb. 2 by her father. During the investigation, police used video surveillance and witnesses to determine she was last seen a little after 6 p.m. on Jan. 31 East Staunton Road and Michigan Avenue and headed toward the river.
Employees at Conagra Foods, 801 Dye Mill Road, also reported hearing a woman yelling outside around 9:08 p.m. on Jan. 31. Police checked the area at the time, but did not hear anyone yelling or find anyone.
Carder stands 5 feet, 7 inches, weighs 110 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.