IDAHO FALLS — As rescue workers began their third day of scouring the Snake River for a missing Utah toddler, the girl's family expressed increasing frustration with the limited scope of the search efforts.
Divers, dogs and boats have methodically searched the river, which bisects this southeastern Idaho city, searching for 19-month-old Acacia Patience Bishop, who was kidnapped from the Salt Lake County home of her great-grandmother Sunday night.
Police said Tuesday they had "every reason to believe" Acacia was in the 40-degree waters of the river. The girl's grandmother, Kelley Jean Lodmell, allegedly jumped with Acacia into the river in a botched murder/suicide attempt. Following her arrest Monday, Lodmell told investigators that she jumped into the river and "held the baby tight under water and then let her go," according to court documents.
Family members familiar with Lodmell's history of mental illness, however, question the accuracy of that account.
"The police are going off the testimony of someone who is mentally ill," Acacia's father, Adam Bishop, told the Deseret News. "She has lied to everyone from the beginning. Anything is still possible."
Later that morning Bishop and Acacia's mother, Casey Lodmell, made an emotional plea for more search efforts to a group of reporters gathered on the banks of the Snake River.
"I'll walk the end of the world for her until I find her," a tearful Casey Lodmell said. "We want the community involved. We're not giving up until we have her body or her."
While additional divers and search dogs continued to join the river search, family members fanned out across town, pasting fliers on trees and lampposts and recruiting search volunteers.
"I think that there needs to be more community awareness," Bishop said, adding that family members have passed out fliers to local residents who were under the impression that Acacia's body had already been recovered.
"We don't have Acacia, that's the main point," Bishop said. "How can the assumption be made that she is deceased and in the river?"
Idaho Falls Police Sgt. Steve Hunt re-emphasized Wednesday morning his belief that Acacia's body was in the river somewhere but said his department's investigation went beyond what people could easily see.
"The river is where the center of attention seems to be, but the investigation is occurring within the walls of the police station," Hunt said.
He also said an increased search effort, with community members combing the riverbank, may do more harm than good. Extra bodies will distract the search dogs and may affect their ability to pick up the child's scent, Hunt said.
A grandmother of the missing girl said there were already about 15 family members searching for Acacia and that another three carloads of people were expected to arrive Wednesday. During their emotional plea for more volunteers, Acacia's parents also lashed out at the system that they say failed to care for an increasingly disturbed Kelley Lodmell.
She had already taken Acacia about one year ago. The child was found unharmed about 30 minutes later in a basement. A report was filed with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, although no charges were pressed against Kelley Lodmell. However, during a recent stay in the Salt Lake County Jail, Bishop said Kelley Lodmell indicated she would take the girl again, given the chance.
"We have proof that she told people in jail that she would do it again," Bishop said.
As part of the search for Acacia, family members were also planning a candlelight vigil to be held at dusk in the same Idaho Falls park where Acacia is believed to have been taken into the river.
Meanwhile, search efforts continued with two new dive teams arriving Wednesday to join the methodical underwater search for Acacia's remains. Three scent dogs from Utah-based Rocky Mountain Rescue also joined the search with dogs from Wyoming, Montan and Idaho. The dogs are able to pick up human scent, which can come up through the water, said Charlie Bird of Rocky Mountain Rescue. At least seven dogs were taken out in a variety of boats to search the river for any sign of the missing girl. At least three more dogs were also deployed on the banks of the river.
Divers Wednesday morning also moved directly into the swift-moving river after completing a search of a 150-yard channel or raceway that runs parallel to the Snake River and next to Idaho Falls Power. That is the spot Lodmell apparently jumped in the water with the baby. Search dogs were also used to scan a mile-long stretch of the banks of the river.
Meanwhile, Kelley Lodmell was charged Tuesday in Idaho's 7th District Court with one count each of kidnapping and murder by aggravated battery and/or kidnapping, both first-degree felonies. Lodmell could
face the death penalty.
Prosecutors believe Lodmell, who has a history of mental illness, kidnapped Acacia on Sunday in Salt Lake County and drove to Idaho Falls, where she jumped in the Snake River with the baby just before noon Monday.
"We have reason to believe that she intentionally jumped in the river to commit suicide and kill the baby as well," Hunt said.
Lodmell decided not to jump off the heavily traveled Broadway Street bridge over the Snake River "because of too many people," court documents state. Instead she told investigators she moved a short distance away from the bridge and jumped into the water while holding the girl, according to court documents.
Lodmell could also be facing federal kidnapping charges because she apparently crossed state lines with the child. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah is working with Idaho prosecutors to determine how charges will be handled at the federal level.
"We would anticipate that they would at least do the homicide, but we can still do the federal kidnapping if we choose to," said Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah. "We'll continue to work with them and see what makes the most sense."
Lodmell made an initial court appearance in Idaho Falls on Tuesday afternoon before a judge via closed-circuit television. Wearing a tan jumpsuit and with her hands shackled in front of her, Lodmell gave short, matter-of-fact answers to the judge's questions when asked her name and if she needed a public defender. Lodmell was also quick to correct the judge's pronunciation of the child's name.
Biting her bottom lip and shifting in her seat several times, Lodmell appeared to be on the brink of tears during the short arraignment. The judge appointed her a public defender and set her next court hearing for June 10. She is being held without bail at the Bonneville County Jail.
Police and prosecutors Tuesday were tight-lipped about what information Lodmell had given them. They did not have answers as to her motivation or why she drove to Idaho Falls.
"We just suspect that there was premeditation involved in the attempted homicide/suicide, but as far as the intention to come to this particular park in Idaho Falls, I can't tell you about that," Hunt said.
Bonneville County prosecutor Dane Watkins said there was both physical evidence that had been collected as well as statements given that enabled authorities to file a murder charge.
Some evidence was collected from Lodmell's car, recovered in the parking lot of the Red Lion Hotel in Idaho Falls, where both Lodmell and the baby stayed Sunday night, Hunt said. He declined to discuss the evidence in detail.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the site where divers had been searching for two days, Bishop's parents tried to blend in with the crowd to listen but rushed away after photographers spotted them. On Wednesday, Adam Bishop described the ordeal as a "nightmare."
The area Lodmell is alleged to have jumped into with the child is very murky, with visibility down to just an inch in some spots, investigators said.
"There's a lot of hand work, feeling through the water," said Bonneville County Sheriff's Capt. Paul Wilde, the dive coordinator for the searchers.
Lodmell originally said she and the baby had slipped into the water while dipping their feet.
Searchers are able to dive only for a limited amount of time in the cold water. Wilde said the fatigue and physical strain make the search tough.
"They know what they're looking for. It's an emotional drain on them," he said.
Despite earlier statements, divers now say they have not set a time limit for calling off the search. Wilde said they will "play it by ear" and re-evaluate each day where the search is and if more can be done.
A helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety, as well as canoes and small power boats, assisted in the search Tuesday.
"We have people working the river banks looking for remains or any items of clothing," Hunt said.
During their emotional plea to reporters Wednesday morning, Acacia's parents also criticized the speed with which the AMBER Alert was activated. Acacia disappeared Sunday about 6 p.m., but the alert wasn't started until Monday morning before 6 a.m.
The alert was issued after police learned her grandmother was mentally ill, Salt Lake County Sheriff's deputy Peggy Faulkner said. The alert is not typically used in custodial disputes, but when authorities learned of the grandmother's history of schizophrenia they decided the AMBER Alert was appropriate.
"Once we got to that bottom line that she was as mentally ill as she was, we said, 'You know, let's just do it,' " Faulkner said.
The Utah Attorney General's Office AMBER Alert Advisory Committee met Tuesday for a preliminary review of how the system was activated in this case. They plan a formal review sometime next week, attorney general spokesman Paul Murphy said.
"We set it up that each law-enforcement officer has to make that tough call. I think the toughest choice is trying to make that decision whether or not a child is in imminent danger," Murphy said. "That's a tough decision to make. We set it up so it's not up to a broadcaster to make that decision. It's up to a law enforcement officer who's investigating the scenario to decide if that child is in danger."
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