I've been following the disappearance of a little Missouri girl named Rowan Ford:
Investigators in Missouri fear that foul play may be involved in the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl last seen Friday night.David Spears told authorities that he last saw his stepdaughter, Rowan Ford, Friday night at 10:45 p.m., Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland told ABC News. Spears then left the house with two friends until around midnight, during which time the fourth-grade girl was left alone in their unlocked Stella, Mo., home. Spears told investigators that he did not check on the girl before going to bed.
The girl's mother, Colleen Spears, had left for her night job at Wal-Mart about two hours earlier. When she arrived home from work Saturday morning, her daughter was not there to greet her, Copeland said.
"The mother worked nights, the dad worked days," Copeland said. "So he was home and he decides to go out drinking with the boys."
David Spears initially told his wife that he did not know where the girl was, the sheriff said. He later told her that Rowan may have woken him up during the night and said something about going to a friend's house, but he could not be sure, Copeland said.
David and Colleen Spears spent the day Saturday searching for the girl. They had no luck at various friends' houses, and Saturday evening they reported her missing to the sheriff's department.
So he was gone an hour and 15 minutes? Not exactly:
Authorities have not identified any suspects in the girl's disappearance, but they also haven't ruled anyone out -- including family members. Copeland described Colleen Spears as "very upset" and cooperative with the investigation. He also said that co-workers confirmed that she was at her job at Wal-Mart.David Spears, he said, took a much different tack.
"The stepfather was uncooperative with us," Copeland said, adding that Spears has refused to speak with police anymore until he consults with an attorney.
Investigators also learned -- and Spears acknowledged -- that he'd left the house for a second time early Saturday morning and was not there between 1:30 a.m. and about 7 a.m. During that time, Copeland said, David Spears' mother was at the house while her son used her car. The woman told investigators that she did not check on her stepgranddaughter while her son was away from the house.
Where David Spears was for more than five hours remains unknown. "We don't know," Copeland said. "We know where he said he went."
I don't know if he Mr. Spears went through with any lawyering up, but he has done some talking: to the media, to say it was stupid of him to leave her alone.
And while there are 50 or more FBI agents now swarming the tiny town, offers of assistance from outside search and rescue organizations are being turned down because, as the sheriff says, he's just going to follow the evidence. So far the only evidence he's mentioned is a missing sheet, a missing kid, and a nocturnal drive in the country of a step-father.
Closer to home, we have our own story of a wandering night owl parent. A 9 year-old Clearwater boy named Zachary Bernhardt who disappeared from home while his mother was taking a 15-minute 4:00 a.m. stroll. Hopefully Rowan's case will be resolved sooner than Zachary's has. He's been gone since 2000.
More on Rowan here, here, and here.
UPDATE:
A video interview with David Spears here has him repeatedly speaking of the girl in the past tense. Not a good sign.
An interview with the mother here.
UPDATE II:
A report out a few minutes ago says her body's been found in a sinkhole. How awful. RIP, Rowan:
A 9-year-old southwest Missouri girl missing for a week was found dead Friday in a sinkhole in eastern McDonald County, a law enforcement official said.The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because authorities had not yet made an official announcement, said the body of Rowan Ford was found on private land near Powell, about 10 miles from the girl's hometown of Stella.
I hope the next announcement they make is that of an arrest and that they have an air-tight case. We've not had much luck in prosecuting the murderer of our own Sarah Lunde of Ruskin, whose case is remarkably similar to Rowan's. It's for a good reason they say the most dangerous person to a child is mommy's boyfriend.
UPDATE III:
Two men have been arrested for her murder.
This is awful. I am originally from Neosho about 8 miles from Stella, but now live in Texas, I myself have been following this story. I knew they had found the body and are taking it for autopsy.
Posted by: Mika at November 9, 2007 11:34 AMWhat a sorry situation. They got a lot of sink holes thereabouts? Maybe the step-father confessed and took them to her body. I hope so - knowing where to find the body would sure seal a murderer's fate.
Posted by: Donnah at November 9, 2007 11:55 AMThis is so terrable to think that their are people out there who would take a lil babys life away from her before she got to live it. I hope that they get prosecuted in the worst way. The step-father is so irresponsable and I am just thankful that all my kids are here with me and I NEVER leave them alone and I mean NEVER they are my life. Its sad to say but At least she is where no one can ever hurt her again. I am glad that my sister got herself and her daughters away from him and that his own daughter dont know him. He is not the man she needs to know or be anywhere around.
Posted by: smith at November 9, 2007 11:00 PMThats just sad all the way around.
If 'daddy' is only a periphial player and his 'friends' commited this henious crime he's still up as an accessory to murder, no telling what else.
I sincerly hope they all rot in hell...
Posted by: Gmac at November 10, 2007 01:16 PMI live close by where Rowan was from. Just in on the local news... The stepfather and his friend were both arrested yesterday. Today the announced that poor Rowan was "brutially" raped by both men and then strangled to death. When I heard this my heart sank and I felt sick at my stomach. What that poor girl must have gone through esp at the hands of her own Stepfather (who sd he'd never hurt her).
David Spears friend from another town (who was with David eariler) took Rowan from her room later that night/ took her back to his home in Wheaton, Mo and raped her. David arrived later witnessing the rape and then also raped Rowan. It was after the rape that Little Rowan was strangle with a curtin cord at the trailer in Wheaton. Both me then took Rowan and dumped her body in the cave.
Both men were arrested Friday and today both were charged with "forcible rape, statutory rape, and Murder."
I must admit when the story broke last wk, I was skeptical of David Spears from the very beginning. Being uncooperative with authorities and changing his story. What really wondering if he was involved was when he took his mothers car and was gone for 5 1/2 hours. Where and what was he doing? We now know.
I wish the outcome could of been a better one. My heart breaks for Rowan's mother and family.
I just hope that justice will be done. I pray it does.
So sad. I only hope that these men are raped and abused and maybe even murdered in prison. I'm sorry to say that, but I am a mother. If this ever happened to one of my daughters, God help the man responsible, even if it was my own husband (their stepfather). I would end up in prison myself I guess. It is quite possible that sexual abuse had occurred before in this instance. This may not have been an isolated incident, except for the murder part. I am sure that this question too will be answered in time. My heart goes out to Mrs. Spears.
Posted by: random66 at November 12, 2007 11:16 AMWhy in the WORLD did the mother wait from 9AM on Saturday when she discovered the kid was missing and waited until 6:30 PM to report her missing. It's not like the kid was 16 or something....
Posted by: Cheryl at November 12, 2007 03:17 PMI am from the Wheaton area myself and I do not know David Spears but I do know of Chris Collings and his family. He has been in and out of trouble his whole life and I always thought he was a troubled individual. Stories of molestation had been brought up before by a step sister when they were both younger. I personally do not feel sorry for Rowans mother. DFS was called when this child was in kindergarten and first grade by concerned school officials. Nothing was done. Colleen Spears also has another daughter who is older and left her mothers home to live with her grandmother due to the fact that David Spears her step father and murderer of Rowan was messing with her also. A mothers first priority is her children and I do not feel this was the case with this mother. A store in Wheaton where the little girl was murdered has a sign out by the road. They had put "hang em' high" on it. Later they was told to take it down that some people were offended. Personally I feel a few "do-gooders" in more ways than one have gotten us in the situations we face today. High numbers in our prisons. Crime at an all time high. There is no longer in this country a punishment that fits the crime. So David and Chris go to jail. Get visits each week from their women, college educations if they choose, meals 3 times a day, clothes and a bed to sleep in every night. I honestly in order to deal with this have to believe that this childs life was so miserable that God has now taken her out of it and she is at home with him never again to be mistreated by her mother or her mothers bedmates. Come on women put the welfare of your children first and not about who you are going to be shacking up with!!!
Posted by: Jen at November 12, 2007 03:22 PMUpdate-You may have seen that David Spears and Chris Collings had a my space page. I went out and looked. Yes they did have my space pages along with Colleen Spears. Something I find very interesting is that the mother came home the morning of the 3rd to find that her little girl was gone. Frantic and worried they searched all over town that Saturday and did not call the cops until 6:30pm. But as I was looking at her my space page I noticed her last log in was Nov 3rd. Now as a mother who is supposedly upset beyond comparison would you have time to log on to your myspace account and just browse around for a while? Also for anyone who goes out to look you will also notice that on
Chris Collings friends list Colleen Spears was number 1?? Again not only friends of David Spears but was friends with her as well. Is this a vicious little circle or what? This poor little girl did not stand a chance in the environment she was in.
piece of shit people..
Posted by: nancy at November 13, 2007 08:13 PMI think the mother has everything to do with, on her myspace she had the main killer on there she had no picture of her daughter at all, her friend aka chris had satanic crap on there. I THINK THE MOTHER SHOULD BE WITH THESE IN JAIL, just for not takeing care of her daughter.... LOOK AT HER, Crack head, bad. I think it will be a matter of time.......... before she gets her behind thrown in jail......
Posted by: Jackie at November 16, 2007 04:49 AMI think the mother has everything to do with, on her myspace she had the main killer on there she had no picture of her daughter at all, her friend aka chris had satanic crap on there. I THINK THE MOTHER SHOULD BE WITH THESE IN JAIL, just for not takeing care of her daughter.... LOOK AT HER, Crack head, bad. I think it will be a matter of time.......... before she gets her behind thrown in jail......
Posted by: Jackie at November 16, 2007 04:50 AM