IDAHO FALLS — Evidence gathered from the car and hotel room of a woman charged with kidnapping her granddaughter and drowning her in the Snake River shows the toddler was still alive before she is believed to have entered the water.
"We were able to recover evidence from the car and evidence that was located in the hotel room, but it wasn't evidence that indicated the baby was dead — it was evidence that indicated the baby had been with her," Idaho Falls Police Sgt. Steve Hunt said.
Police found no traces of blood or similar clues that would indicate 19-month-old Acacia Patience Bishop was harmed before she was apparently drowned by her grandmother Kelley Jean Lodmell. However, Hunt declined to discuss what items were removed from Lodmell's car or room at the Red Lion Hotel.
Divers and dog teams resumed their search for Acacia this morning, concentrating most of their efforts now on an area about a mile down the Snake River from where she reportedly was put in the water by Lodmell.
Although the search area was more spread-out today, Hunt said it was not winding down.
"If we don't find anything today we'll still continue the search, but a lot of it will be boat work and Jet Skis work," he said. "We don't have a time frame when we'll say we're done searching."
Crews also planned today to pull debris from the grates of two power plants downstream from the power plant where Lodmell and Acacia allegedly entered the water.
Five search-dog teams, boats and Jet Skis entered the river this morning. Because the Snake River is so wide and deep, a grid search with divers is impossible, Hunt said. Divers will check areas where the search dogs hit on a scent.
At dusk Wednesday, almost 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil on a deck overlooking the spot on the Snake River where Acacia is believed to have disappeared.
Clutching a large color photo of their daughter, Acacia's parents expressed their thanks to supporters and their continued belief that Acacia would soon be found.
"We will continue searching for her," Acacia's mother, Casey Lodmell, said. "She's out there. We're going to find her."
A couple of dozen family members hugged and cried together throughout the vigil. Acacia's father also offered a prayer for the girl's safe return.
Following the brief vigil, Idaho Falls resident Carol Dodge led the attendees in a prayer circle.
"My heart just aches for these people," said Dodge, whose 18-year-old daughter, Angie Dodge, was murdered seven years ago in Idaho Falls near the banks of the Snake River. "You just know how bad their hearts ache."
Since Sunday when Acacia disappeared, four witnesses have reported seeing the girl and her grandmother together in the Idaho Falls area, Hunt said.
Two witnesses saw Acacia and her grandmother at the Red Lion Hotel. Another witness saw them at the park where Lodmell told investigators she jumped into the water with Acacia, and a fourth witness spotted them somewhere between the hotel and park, Hunt said.
Family members were busy the past two days posting fliers all over city. The fliers ask for residents to be on the lookout for Acacia, noting that "she may still be alive."
Red and yellow balloons were hung on the bridge overlooking the river where Lodmell allegedly jumped in with Acacia. Family members said red was Acacia's favorite color and yellow was similar to yellow ribbons symbolic of wanting a loved one to return home.
Searchers have determined a control area where they believe Acacia's body may be located between the power plant where she was reported missing and two other plants located one mile and two miles from the alleged drowning site, Bonneville Sheriff's Capt. Paul Wilde said.
Someone reported seeing a body floating in the river Wednesday afternoon, but divers determined it was debris.
"At this point, we haven't located anything that is associated with Acacia," Hunt said.
Even without a body, police remain confident that other evidence will bolster the murder charges filed against Lodmell.
"Yes, we think we have enough evidence on this case to pursue a homicide charge with or without a body," Hunt said, declining to elaborate.
Lodmell's public defender Neal Randall said the lack of a body could be one possible defense at a trial, but it is too early to say how much impact it could have on the case.
"I would not be surprised if they bound her over for trial after a preliminary hearing without a body because the standard is so low," Randall said.
Lodmell is scheduled for a June 10 preliminary hearing where a judge will decide if there is sufficient evidence for a trial. At a preliminary hearing, however, prosecutors' burden of proof is considerably lower than at trial.
Randall also said it was too early to know if Lodmell's mental competency could be an issue in the prosecution.
"In just talking with her, I can't say yes," Randall said.
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 kidnapped Acacia Sunday in Salt Lake County and drove to Idaho Falls, where she jumped in the Snake River with the baby just before noon Monday.
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.
Though it remains an option, federal prosecutors in Utah will not file any charges in the case in the immediate future.
Richard Lambert, criminal division chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah, said Wednesday that his office has put on hold any decisions about a federal kidnapping prosecution, pending the outcome of the Idaho charges.
Also Wednesday, Acacia's parents criticized the speed with which the AMBER Alert was activated. Acacia disappeared Sunday about 6 p.m., but the alert wasn't started until 6 a.m. Monday.
Ed Smart, who championed the AMBER Alert system following the kidnapping of his own daughter nearly a year ago, says that if there's doubt about whether to issue an alert, he would rather err on the side of taking action — even though there's always the danger that the alert will be used so frequently that people will stop paying attention.
"If there's a question mark of whether they should put the AMBER Alert out, I would rather put the alert out," he said Wednesday.
Stressing that he was not judging the decisions of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office to delay issuing the alert for nearly 12 hours following Acacia's disappearance, Smart said it's crucial that law enforcement be trained about the AMBER Alert criteria. One criterion, he noted, is whether the kidnapper might have a mental illness.
The alert system "absolutely works. The way it worked with the Minnesota girl was a textbook case," said Smart, referring to the rescue of 11-year-old Cindy Jeanette Bruno near Heber City earlier this month.
Smart said several of his children saw the AMBER Alert for the kidnapped Utah toddler as they drove on the freeway on Memorial Day.
Contributing: Elaine Jarvik, Angie Welling
E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com; djensen@desnews.com