SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Police searched a stretch of the Jordan River for clues in the disappearance of a Salt Lake City woman 12 years ago.
The ground and air search was conducted Friday in the Salt Lake City area for evidence related to Aletha Jo Williams, who was 25 years old and six months pregnant when family members reported her missing in May 2002.
Salt Lake City police Detective Cody Lougy said several credible tips led investigators to reopen the case and focus on the Jordan River, but he declined to elaborate.
Divers earlier searched the river for clues in February, police said, but they did not find any.
“We’re using this time right now because the river is low, and hopefully that will improve visibility on the shore,” Lougy said. “Anything they see in the chopper, they’ll relay that information to the officers on the ground for further investigation.”
It’s not uncommon for informants to offer tips about crimes after years of silence, Lougy said.
“As time passes, their allegiance changes, their hearts are softened,” he said. “They feel bad about what they know or what they’ve seen … so they tend to do the right thing and step forward.”
Family members joined police at the river Friday and pleaded for the public’s help in the case.
“I just ask that anybody who knows anything (to) come forward, whether good or bad,” Williams’ sister, Lovoina Ortega, said. “Give us some closure so that we might be able to get past this, bring her home, bury her.”
Williams was last seen March 6, 2002, when she dropped off her belongings at a relative’s house and promised to return.
Williams is described as a black woman about 5 feet 3 inches tall and 140 pounds, with the name “Shawn” tattooed on her wrist.
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