Dogs Focus On Same Spot In Culberson Search
Water At Dig Site Slows Excavation
BLANCHESTER -- Day five of the search for the body of a woman missing for eight years has not yielded new results, but there are encouraging signs that her remains may be found.
Heavy rain delayed the search Sunday for Carrie Culberson's body, and crews in Brown County had to pump water out of the hole dug underneath the concrete floor of a pole barn on Fayetteville-Blanchester Road before the FBI and sheriff's deputies resumed searching Monday, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's John London reported.
On Monday, a second cadaver dog was brought in, and it hit the same spot as the first dog, bringing the total number of hits in that spot to four.
New Slideshow: Search Continues Monday
Police officials said there is "definitely something down there," London reported.So far, the hole in which crews are digging is 8 feet deep. Investigators believe the body could as deep as 22 feet below ground level, WLWT reported.Digging is scheduled to end Monday at about 7 p.m., and it will resume Tuesday morning. Investigators believe they will be 22 feet into the excavation by noon Tuesday.The digging began last week when investigators received a tip that Culberson's body was buried underneath the floor.Television trucks lined the road, while Culberson friends and family members waited for word of a find. At one point, Debbie Culberson climbed on top of one of the vans with binoculars to get a better view of the excavation, hoping that it will result in some closure on her daughter's death.Also in attendance were Carrie's younger sister, Christina, and two of Carrie's friends.
Slideshow: Carrie Culberson & Vincent Doan
It's been hard on Christina and I told her this is what we really want," Debbie Culberson said of the search. "We hope that this is Carrie."A heightened sense of expectation in the air only increased when a specially trained cadaver dog was brought in to try to pinpoint an area to excavate, London reported.Culberson's former boyfriend, Vincent Doan, was convicted in 1997 on charges of kidnapping and aggravated murder and is serving a life prison sentence, although her body was never found.Culberson's 1996 disappearance case ripped apart the small village of Blanchester. Doan's half-brother, Tracey Baker, was convicted of obstructing justice and is serving an eight-year sentence.The village agreed to pay Culberson's family $2 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the village and former police Chief Richard Payton of bungling the investigation.
A jury ruled that Payton erred when he decided not to search a junkyard pond on Sept. 3, 1996, after police dogs indicated they had picked up the woman's scent. Sheriff's deputies drained the pond the next day and found no evidence of the body.Payton pleaded no contest to two charges of dereliction of duty in connection with the investigation of Culberson's disappearance.Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and refresh this ChannelCincinnati.com page for updates to this story as they become available.
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Search Continues 8 Years Later|
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New Slideshow: Search Continues Monday Police officials said there is "definitely something down there," London reported.So far, the hole in which crews are digging is 8 feet deep. Investigators believe the body could as deep as 22 feet below ground level, WLWT reported.Digging is scheduled to end Monday at about 7 p.m., and it will resume Tuesday morning. Investigators believe they will be 22 feet into the excavation by noon Tuesday.The digging began last week when investigators received a tip that Culberson's body was buried underneath the floor.Television trucks lined the road, while Culberson friends and family members waited for word of a find. At one point, Debbie Culberson climbed on top of one of the vans with binoculars to get a better view of the excavation, hoping that it will result in some closure on her daughter's death.Also in attendance were Carrie's younger sister, Christina, and two of Carrie's friends.
Slideshow: Carrie Culberson & Vincent Doan It's been hard on Christina and I told her this is what we really want," Debbie Culberson said of the search. "We hope that this is Carrie."A heightened sense of expectation in the air only increased when a specially trained cadaver dog was brought in to try to pinpoint an area to excavate, London reported.Culberson's former boyfriend, Vincent Doan, was convicted in 1997 on charges of kidnapping and aggravated murder and is serving a life prison sentence, although her body was never found.Culberson's 1996 disappearance case ripped apart the small village of Blanchester. Doan's half-brother, Tracey Baker, was convicted of obstructing justice and is serving an eight-year sentence.The village agreed to pay Culberson's family $2 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the village and former police Chief Richard Payton of bungling the investigation.
A jury ruled that Payton erred when he decided not to search a junkyard pond on Sept. 3, 1996, after police dogs indicated they had picked up the woman's scent. Sheriff's deputies drained the pond the next day and found no evidence of the body.Payton pleaded no contest to two charges of dereliction of duty in connection with the investigation of Culberson's disappearance.Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and refresh this ChannelCincinnati.com page for updates to this story as they become available. Previous Story:
- May 3, 2004: Culberson Search Resumes Monday
- May 3, 2004: Property Searched For Carrie Culberson's Body
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