Missing Chisholm girl's photo updated

With an enhanced picture, authorities are seeking help to find a Chisholm girl missing for three years.

By Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune

Last update: June 13, 2006 - 9:54 PM

Authorities investigating the 2003 disappearance of 5-year-old LeeAnna Warner from her hometown of Chisholm, Minn., released an age-enhanced image of the girl Tuesday in hopes that it will help investigators solve the mystery of what happened to her.

The image -- of a 7-year-old LeeAnna -- was released by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to regional media on the eve of the third anniversary of LeeAnna's disappearance. The same image has been posted since last June on the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to Steve Loftin, an age progression artist with the center. She would now be 8.

"People just need to realize that we are now looking for a girl that is a little older" and looks different, said Chisholm Police Chief Scott Erickson.

LeeAnna, nicknamed "Beaner," disappeared on the afternoon of June 14, 2003. Police said she was last seen about 5:15 p.m. that day knocking on the door of a friend's house in the Iron Range community of 5,000 about 215 miles north of the Twin Cities.

Over the past three years, authorities have pursued more than 1,500 leads in the case but have not found LeeAnna or made an arrest.

Dave Bjerga, special agent in charge of northern Minnesota for the BCA, said Tuesday that the number of leads has dwindled to two or three a month over the past year. Nevertheless, Bjerga said, the investigation remains active.

"If somebody out there knows something about this case, we don't want them assuming we must know about it or have talked to somebody about it," Erickson said. "If somebody knows something and hasn't personally talked to a law enforcement officer, we want to talk with them."

Erickson said anyone with information about LeeAnna's disappearance should call Chisholm police at 1-218-254-7916 or their local police department.

Richard Meryhew • 612-673-4425

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