Children's Safety Zone
Mikelle Biggs Story Index
Contact The Mesa Police Department immediately with any new information!
Mesa Police, Criminal Investigations 480-644-4078, Sgt. Steven Stahl, steven_stahl@mesa.ci.mesa.az.us
When a Jeep owner told Mesa police he had nothing to do with the disappearance of Mikelle Biggs, they didn't automatically take his word for it.
Investigators collected hairs and other fibers from the man's vehicle and compared them to DNA material culled from Mikelle's belongings before they eliminated him as a suspect this week.
As the mysterious disappearance of the 11-year-old Mesa girl heads toward the fourth week without a break - and tips slow to a trickle - authorities are resorting more to ruling out leads than zeroing in on potential suspects. And they are using DNA testing for much of that process of elimination.
"We currently have a DNA profile of Mikelle. We are comparing that evidence to other evidence found at the (potential) scenes," said Joyce Lee, supervisory criminalist of the Mesa Police crime lab, on Friday.
Police won't say how they put together Mikelle's DNA profile, but said DNA can be obtained from personal items such as clothing or a hair brush.
Among the items examined was the bicycle that Mikelle borrowed from her younger sister the evening of Jan. 2, when she vanished as she waited by her house for an ice cream truck. Her own bike had a flat tire.
The DNA profile also could figure prominently in a worst-case scenario, which police and others fear is probable. Authorities say there is a 95 percent chance a missing child is dead if not found after 72 hours.
Mikelle's DNA could be used to identify and help convict a suspect, Lee said. Or should Mikelle be killed and her body found, DNA material of the suspect could be collected at the crime scene and be compared to a nationwide databank for identification purposes, Lee added.
Police say they hope the girl's disappearance will persuade parents to have their children fingerprinted, as well as to take plenty of photos, make lots of videotapes and save hair samples for potential DNA testing.
"Identification of our children is very important," said Detective Jose Martinez, a police spokesman.
Martinez said 50 detectives remain on the case, aided by three Mesa criminalists and two lab technicians. About two-thirds of about 5,000 tips have been eliminated or ruled overly vague.
The Jeep and its driver had been one of investigators' most promising leads. Witnesses described seeing a copper-colored Jeep with a white top around the time Mikelle vanished.
Authorities found the owner of the brown Jeep - police say the lighting may have led witnesses to think it was copper-colored - Tuesday night when they re-canvassed Mikelle's neighborhood near Southern Avenue and Gilbert Road. Police cleared the man Thursday.
Police have also assigned a victim's assistance counselor to the Biggs family on a daily basis. Part of the counselor's job is to prepare the family for bad news, Martinez said.
Michael Darien Biggs, the girl's father, has said family members are "hoping for the best and preparing for the worst."
As are investigators.
"We're going to find Mikelle Biggs. We know that," Martinez said.
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Reproduced with permission from: The Arizona Republic Written by: Jim Walsh ©Copyright 1999 Arizona Republic |
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