09/25/2011: Weston, WV Toddler Still Missing - Where Is Aliayah Lunsford?

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09/25/2011 - Weston, West Virginia: As dive teams from multiple counties slowly search the water near her home, Aliyah Lunsford's family is still waiting for word of the missing three-year-old, and are now reaching out to the community for help.

"Around 9 or 9:30, I went back in to wake her up and she was gone," said Lena Lunsford, Aliayah's mother.

Three-year-old Aliayah Lunsford went missing from her Bendale home Saturday morning, and ever since, search teams have turned her typically quiet neighborhood upside down in hopes of bringing her home.

"We've done a foot canvas of the neghborhood, used k-9s, now we have divers in the water. We've entered her in as missing," said Sgt. Michael Posey of the Lewis County Sheriff's Department.

Family members say Aliayah is a shy child. They say she never talks to strangers and would never have wandered off alone.

"She never leaves the house unless an adult is with her. She wouldn't have come out in the yard, or the road for that matter, without her mother," said Joann Evans, Aliayah's Grandmother.

Saturday, K-9 units from Lumberport and the South Charleston State police Detachment combed through the surrounding area and picked up a trail just down the road. A search that started int he Dennison Street home has lead crews to the banks of the West Fork River, but police say they're still unsure if the river holds the answers to Aliayah's disappearance. Police say they've dealt with missing persons cases in the past, but Aliyah's is unlike any other.

"Right now there are no clues leading us anywhere. No clues. It's like she's just disappeared," Posey said.

And as family members wait out the search, they say all they can do is ask for your help...

"They are doing everything that they possibly can, but the more people we can get to help, the better chances of bringing her home," Lunsford said.

...and pray for answers.

"We love her. We miss her," Evans said.

"We want her home," Lunsford said.

ORIGINAL STORY (9/24/11)

The search continues in Lewis County for a missing 3-year-old girl who seems to have vanished from her home.

Emergency crews spent nearly 12 hours Sunday searching for Aliayah Lunsford, and they say they plan to continue the search until they can find answers for her family.

Police began searching for Aliayah around 11:30 a.m. Sunday after her family reported her missing from her south Weston home. K-9 units from both Lumberport and the South Charleston State Police Detachment combed the area for any sign of the 3-year-old, and police say one dog lead them down the street and near the banks of the West Fork River.

A professional dive team was called in and searched the water for hours. The crew ceased searching around 11 p.m. Saturday evening, and will resume Sunday morning.

Aliayah is about 3' and weights about 30 pounds. She has long brown hair with curls on the end and brown eyes. She is missing her four front teeth. She was last seen wearing purple Dora pajama bottoms and a pink princess sweatshirt.

If you have any information on her whereabouts, call the Lewis County Dispatch at 304-269-8241.

SOURCE: http://wdtv.com/

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• missing
• vanished
• endangered
• abducted
• kidnapped
• toddler
• girl
• weston
• west_virginia
• aliayah
• lunsford
• three-year-old