By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
EPES, Ala. — A search for a missing Mississippi woman and her young daughter has ended in heartbreak after both were found dead in Alabama’s Tombigbee River.
The body of Shardee McGill, 32, was discovered Thursday morning in shallow water near Epes in Sumter County, according to Coroner Sonya Jemison. On Friday afternoon, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said a child’s body was also recovered from the river. Officials have not yet confirmed the identity, but McGill’s 3-year-old daughter, Janae, remains listed as missing.
Capt. Jeremy Burkett of ALEA said the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences will make the official identifications.
Reported Missing
The mother and daughter were reported missing Tuesday by Johnathan McGill, Shardee’s husband and Janae’s father. He told Jackson police that his wife and child left home Sunday night and had not been heard from since.
A massive search began, involving Jackson police, the FBI, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and Alabama’s State Bureau of Investigation. Shardee’s black Chevy Equinox was later located in Epes, unoccupied.
Johnathan McGill was detained and questioned in Alabama but was later released.
‘Suspicious Circumstances’
Interim Jackson Police Chief and Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones described the case as “definitely suspicious,” but said it is too early to identify suspects.
Jackson police spokesman Tommie Brown said, “Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family of the victim, and we ask you to join us in praying for the rapid and safe recovery of Janae.”
Call for Information
Anyone with information is urged to contact Jackson Police at 601-960-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).