Story Created:
Nov 9, 2007 at 8:04 PM CST
Story Updated:
Nov 10, 2007 at 12:34 AM CST
Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland, in a press conference Friday night, said two arrests have been made in the case of 9-year-old Rowan Ford who was found dead Friday morning in McDonald County after being missing for 7 days.
One of the arrests occured in Barry County after one man turned himself in. The father of that man told KSPR that his son turned himself in earlier this evening. Copeland said another man was waiting in the Newton County Jail to be picked up by Barry County deputies. The Associated Press reported that one of the men is 24 years old, the other is "about the same age."
Copeland had said earlier that authorities were still determining how the Ford died.
"We know we have a homicide," Copeland said, declining to elaborate.
The McDonald County deputy who found the body had searched the area on his way to work after recalling that there was a cavern there, Copeland said. The FBI was gathering the evidence at the scene.
Copeland said evidence indicated that Ford was killed in Barry County just across the McDonald county line where her body was found near Powell earlier this morning.
Prosecutors have about a day before they are required by law to charge someone arrested for a felony. That means, charges could be filed as late as tomorrow afternoon. Because investigators say she was killed in Barry County, the prosecutor there will likely take the lead in the next phase of the case.
Investigators said the focus of the investigation changed rapidly this afternoon after police interviewed several individuals. An autopsy on Ford will be performed in Springfield on Saturday.
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