Cops search wooded area for Kopetsky

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The search of a wooded area in south Kansas City did not lead to any new information in the disappearance of Kara Kopetsky.

On Wednesday morning, more than 220 officers with several different police agencies convened in the area.

Bridget Patton, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City field office of the FBI, says the 400-acre area, near 155th and US 71 Highway, has been searched before.

"This area has been looked at before, however not as thoroughly as it is being looked at today," Patton said. "The weather outside leads to us being able to conduct a more thorough search of the area."

Kara’s mother, Rhonda Beckford, says police told her they are not working a new tip, but instead trying to rule out a connection between the area and Kara’s disappearance.

“I’ll go on like I have been for the last three years,” said Beckford. “I’ll take it day by day and stay busy raising more reward money and keeping Kara’s name in the news.”

Disappointment is nothing new for Beckford.

"Information has developed in the process of an investigation," Patton said. "This is not new information we’re following up on."

But another family member says she has learned in the last few days that the area is where the last ping on Kara’s cell phone was recorded.

Patton said the search began around 9 a.m. and would last all day and go in to Thursday if they were not able to complete the search. Officers from the Kansas City Police Department, Belton Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office and United States Marine Corps, are helping in the search.

An official close to the investigation says though the FBI has been involved in the case behind the scenes for a while, this is the first time the FBI has become publicly involved in the search.

Kara was 17 when she was last seen by surveillance cameras leaving Belton High School on May 4, 2007. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Her parents say her cell phone and bank account have not been used since her disappearance.

There is a $30,000 reward offered for her safe return.

Donations to the 'Find Kara Fund' can be made at:

Bank of Belton, 204 Main Street,
Belton, MO 64012 (816) 331-4888

On Sunday, May 2, there will be a Walk of Remembrance for Kara.

It begins at 2 p.m. at the Cedar Tree Shopping Center in Belton, Mo. Participants will walk from 58th Highway to Y Highway in Kara’s honor.