Media Links Only.. The Beginning

[Pauli]

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0806/356726.html (http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0806/356726.html)

Pine Bluff Mother Cries Out Over Missing Daughter

Tuesday August 29, 2006 8:52pm
Reporter: Michelle Rupp Posted By: Talisa Austin

(Melinda Crowder, mother of missing girl))"Casey you know how much we love you and how hard we're trying to find you and we're going to find you. And we love you very much."

A mother cries out as her only daughter vanishes along Highway 65 early Sunday morning. Police believe 17-year-old Casey Crowder disappeared somewhere near Dumas early Sunday morning. Crews continue to search and they're hoping for a safe return.

Casey Crowder just began her senior year at Watson Chapel last week. Tuesday her mother says she feels empty with her only daughter missing.

(Melinda)"I feel very empty inside. And I just want them to find her."

Melinda Crowder clings to her family while authorities combed the fields in and around Dumas, checking every place imaginable hoping to find 17-year-old Casey Crowder.

Police say Crowder left her boyfriends house early Sunday morning. She is believed to have been headed home to Pine Bluff when she ran out of gas along Highway 65 North, near Dumas. She called her mom around 5:30 Sunday morning and that was the last time the two spoke.

Crowder's car was found along the highway but both Crowder and her purse were missing. Melinda Crowder is trying to remain optimistic under the circumstances.

(Melinda)"It's like a nightmare and I want to wake up. I can't believe its happening I expect her to come home. I want to hear my cell phone ring and it be Casey."

If you have any information you're asked to call either the Dumas Police Department at 870-382-5511 or the Desha County Sheriff's Department at 870-877-2327.

[Pauli]

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0806/356436.html (http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0806/356436.html)

Morgan Nick Amber Alert Issued

Monday August 28, 2006 10:26pm Posted By: Amanda Manatt

Dumas - A level two Morgan Nick Alert was issued Monday night for a 17-year-old girl returning home from Dumas.

Casey Crowder of Pine Bluff last talked to her mother around 5:30 Sunday morning by phone after running out of gas. Crowder says she was going to the service station but was never heard from or seen again.

Her car was found on Highway 65 just inside the city limits of Dumas. Her doors were locked with emergency flashers on.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of this girl, please contact police.

[Pauli]

http://www.pr.com/upload/pressrelease_3718_1156826188.jpg
http://www.pr.com/press-release/16704 (http://www.pr.com/press-release/16704)

Arkansas Morgan Nick Amber Alert Issued for Dumas Girl (Casey Crowder - 17)

Springfield, IL, August 29, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- The Arkansas State Police has been requested by the Desha County Sheriff's Department at Dumas to issue a Level II, Morgan Nick Amber Alert in connection with the disappearance of Casey Crowder.

Casey was last seen at 5:30 AM, Sunday August 27th, 2006 near 105 Wilbrun Brake in the community of Pickens, south of Dumas.

A description of the clothing worn by Casey at the time of her disappearance is not available, however it is believed she had a white purse.

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Casey Crowder is asked to contact the Desha County Sheriff's Department at (870) 877-2327

[Pauli]

Amber Alert: Casey Crowder - AR - 08/27/06

Endangered Missing

CASEY CROWDER
DOB: Feb 24, 1989
Missing: Aug 27, 2006
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Green
Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
Weight: 105 lbs (48 kg)
Missing From:
DUMAS
AR
United States

Casey was last known to be on Highway 65 near Dumas, Arkansas, the morning of August 27, 2006. She called a relative and said her car ran out of gas. The car has been located, but Casey has not been heard from since. Casey's navel is pierced.

Desha County Sheriff's Office (Arkansas) - 1-870-877-2327

Print a poster: http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US (http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US)

[Pauli]

TEEN VANISHES IN EARLY HOURS

By Patty Wooten/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 10:16 AM CDT

Casey Bess Crowder left a friend’s Pickens home early Sunday morning headed home to Pine Bluff. She never made it.

The 17-year-old Watson Chapel High School senior apparently ran out of gas on U.S. 65, about 200 yards south of the new Dumas hospital where her car was found locked with the emergency flashers on.

Police say Crowder called her mother at 5:47 a.m. Sunday to tell her she was on her way home but about 20 minutes later, Crowder’s mother received a second call from her daughter saying she was out of gas.

“Her mother asked her if she needed to come get her but Casey said she’d call a friend. If she needed her she’d call her back,” said Desha County Sheriff Don Smith.

That was the last time anyone spoke with the blond-haired, green-eyed, softball player, though she did call and leave a message for her boyfriend’s brother, asking him to tell her boyfriend she needed him to bring her some gas, Smith said.

“He was at work and he left his cell phone at home so he didn’t get her message until Sunday afternoon,” Smith said.

Police began searching for Crowder around 1 a.m. Monday and issued a Morgan Nick alert Monday night.

Dozens of law enforcement officers and volunteers conducted a ground and air search of the area between Pickens, a farming community south of Dumas, and U.S. 65, where her car was found, before turning their attention to the farmland, breaks, and bayou between Pickens and Lincoln County.

Meanwhile, investigators conducted interviews and followed up on leads, 10th Judicial District Prosecutor Thomas Deen prepared subpoenas for certain records, and the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children helped prepare and distribute flyers and get information about Crowder into various databases.

Police say they didn’t find any evidence of foul play in Crowder’s car.

“Her cell phone and purse were gone but everything else — her softball bat, glove — was in there,” Smith said.

“She didn’t have a GPS tracking device on her cell phone but we know the cell phone is either turned off or destroyed because every time we dial her number it goes straight to her voice mail. It doesn’t ring.”

State Police Special Agent Scott Woodward, one of the investigators conducting interviews, said police have received a number of calls from people saying they think they saw someone matching Crowder’s description.

“But nothing panned out,” he added.

Deen, the prosecutor, said it’s unlikely Crowder would have voluntarily got into a vehicle with someone she didn’t know.

“From what her friends and family say, she would be very reluctant to get into a car with a stranger,” Deen said.

Crowder is described as a blond-haired, green-eyed, 17-year-old white female, about 5’1” in height, weighing about 105 pounds. Anyone with information about Crowders disappearance is asked to contact the Desha County Sheriffs Department at (870) 877-2327.

http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2006/.../news/news2.txt (http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2006/08/30/news/news2.txt)

[Pauli]

The following is from the Arkansas State Police.

Casey Crowder

17 year old - missing from Dumas

The Arkansas State Police has been requested by the Desha County Sheriff's Department at Dumas to issue a Level II, Morgan Nick Amber Alert in connection with the disappearance of Casey Crowder, who was last seen about 5:30 Sunday morning (August 27th, 2006) near 105 Wilburn Brake in the community of Pickens, south of Dumas.

A description of the clothing worn by Casey at the time of her disappearance is not available, however it is believed she had a white purse. Casey is described as a white female with shoulder length blonde hair, medium complexion, green eyes, 5'1" tall, weighing approximately 105 pounds.

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Casey Crowder is asked to contact the Desha County Sheriff's Department at (870) 877-2327.

http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/mnaa.html (http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/mnaa.html)

The Arkansas alert system is named in honor of Morgan Nick, a six-year-old girl, who was abducted on June 9th, 1995 while she played at an Alma, Arkansas baseball field. Although Morgan has not been located, from the search for this child grew a spirit of dedication from state and community leaders, law enforcement agencies across the state and Colleen Nick, Morgan's mother, to insure Arkansas parents and law enforcement have a means to quickly spread the word when a child is abducted. Relying on the cooperation of the Arkansas radio and television broadcasting industry, the Arkansas State Police has the technical means to interrupt local programming and alert the public of a child's disappearance. A copy of the state's Amber Alert policy can be obtained below in Adobe PDF format.

http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/pdf/...anual_2005.pdf (http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/pdf/...anual_2005.pdf)

[Pauli]

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/trist...33-AC2D612F0B1B (http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/tristate/story.aspx?content_id=11F2BBF5-DA77-4782-9A33-AC2D612F0B1B)

Police: No Obvious Sign Of Trouble As Teen Disappears Near Dumas

Posted: 8/30/2006 6:54:12 PM

Investigators aren't sure if foul play was involved in the disappearance of a Pine Bluff teenager after she called her mother from Highway 65 south of Dumas and said her car was out of gasoline.

Seventeen-year-old Casey Bess Crowder called her mother Sunday morning to say she was on her way home after visiting a friend's home in Pickens. Twenty minutes later, she called again and said she had run out of gasoline. She hasn't been heard from since.

Crowder is a senior at Watson Chapel High School. Authorities began searching early Monday after being notified the girl was gone. Her car was found locked with the emergency flashers on. The flashers apparently had dimmed out when the battery died. The girl's cell phone and purse were gone but a softball bat and glove were left in the car. No one answers the cell phone now.

Dozens of law officers and volunteers have conducted a ground and air search between Pickens and Dumas. Desha County Sheriff Don Smith says his investigators have found no evidence to suggest foul play or lead them from that conclusion either.

[Pauli]

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/165134/ (http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/165134/)

Search for PB teen continues 2nd day

BY RICHARD MASSEY

Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006

DUMAS — Authorities expanded their search Wednesday for a Pine Bluff teenager who was reported missing from Dumas three days earlier, but bloodhounds, mounted police and an army of volunteers riding all-terrain and four-wheel-drive vehicles were unable to locate Casey Crowder.

“We’re right where we were Tuesday,” said Desha County Sheriff Don Smith, who plans to call off the ground search for the girl this evening.

Investigators reported having no suspects and no concrete leads about what happened to, or the whereabouts of, the 17-yearold Watson Chapel High School senior.

Family and friends distributed fliers throughout Dumas containing Casey’s photograph and personal information. She is 5 feet 1, about 105 pounds, with shoulderlength blond hair, green eyes and a medium complexion.

The two-day search has encompassed about 150 square miles, said Desha County Deputy and Sheriff-elect Jim Snyder.

Casey was driving to Pine Bluff from her boyfriend’s house in Pickens on Sunday morning when she ran out of gas on U. S. 65 in south Dumas. She reportedly called her mother, Melinda Crowder, at 5: 47 a. m. to say she was on her way home, and again at 6: 08 to say she was stranded but intended to walk to a nearby Exxon station to buy fuel. Pickens is just south of Dumas.

Authorities learned Casey was missing about 1 a. m. Monday — roughly 19 hours after she reportedly phoned her mother — when her parents called the Dumas Police Department. Melinda Crowder and her husband, Marty, had gone to Dumas, found the blue Dodge Durango their daughter was driving and called police for help moving the vehicle, Snyder said.

The Arkansas State Police issued a Level II, Morgan Nick AMBER Alert about 6 p. m. Monday, publicizing the disappearance at the request of the Desha County sheriff’s office. The Level II alert also instructed law enforcement agencies in Arkansas and nationwide to list Casey Crowder as a missing child. If someone sees the girl and a possible abductor, the alert can be raised to Level I, which calls for the state police to interrupt TV and radio broadcasts to announce the sighting, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

[Pauli]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211670,00.html (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211670,00.html)

FBI Joins Search for Missing Arkansas Teen

Friday, September 01, 2006

DUMAS, Ark. — The FBI on Thursday joined perplexed investigators from Arkansas in the search for a Pine Bluff teenager who disappeared along a busy federal highway after running out of gasoline last weekend.

Agents put out a notice nationally seeking information about Casey Crowder, a senior at Watson Chapel High School. Crowder, traveling back from a friend's house in Pickens on Sunday morning, telephoned her mother to say she had run out of gas and would walk to a gas station.

She was never heard from again.

Searchers have failed to turn up any sign of the girl. Her car was found along U.S. 65 south of Dumas, with her purse and cell phone gone but a softball bat and glove left behind. The car was out of gas, and its emergency flashers apparently had run the battery down.

"I don't know if it's foul play," Desha County Sheriff Don Smith said. "We have found no evidence to suggest foul play or lead us from it, either one."

Dozens of law officers and volunteers have conducted a ground and air search between Pickens and Dumas. Prosecutor Thomas Deen says it was unlikely that Crowder would have voluntarily climbed into a vehicle with a stranger.

U.S. 65 is a major route — mostly two-lane — between Little Rock and Natchez, Miss.

Crowder has blonde hair, green eyes, is 5-1 and weighs about 105 pounds. She also has a pierced navel.

[Pauli]

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0906/357533.html (http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0906/357533.html)

Desha County Sheriff: Search for PB Teen Scaled Back

Friday September 01, 2006 12:38pm

Dumas (AP) - Desha County Sheriff Don Smith says he's scaled back the search for a Pine Bluff teenager who disappeared after her car ran out of gas south of Dumas. Authorities say 17-year-old Casey Crowder has been missing since early Sunday, and a search has been under way since Monday.

Yesterday, more than 100 searchers failed to find a single cluet o the girl's whereabouts. The Watson Chapel High School student failed to return home Sunday morning after visiting a friend's home at Pickens, just south of Dumas. Her abandoned vehicle was found on U.S. 65 in south Dumas sometime after she called her mother to tell her she had run out ofgas.

When the vehicle was discovered, it had no gas in the tank,the doors were locked and the emergency flashers had been turned on, but had apparently exhausted the battery. Smith said searchers covered farmland north and east of Dumas yesterday before going back over areas they searched earlier this week. Crowder is described as a blond-haired and green-eyed, about five-foot-one, weighing about 105 pounds.

[Pauli]

http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5...18&nav=1kgl (http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5359618&nav=1kgl)

Teenager found dead near Dumas

DUMAS, Ark. An Arkansas teenager missing for a week has been found dead east of Dumas (DOO-mus).

State police spokesman Bill Sadler says a body found is that of 17-year-old Casey Crowder of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Crowder, a senior at Watson Chapel High School, was traveling back from a friend's house last Sunday when she telephoned her mother to say she had run out of gas. Crowder told her mother she would walk to a gas station and she was never heard from again.

Crowder's car was found along Highway 65 south of Dumas, with her purse and cell phone gone but a softball bat and glove left behind. The car was out of gas, and its emergency flashers apparently had run the battery down.

Volunteers searched surrounding farmland, including the farm where the girl's boyfriend lives.

[Pauli]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211956,00.html (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211956,00.html)

Arkansas Cops ID Body as That of Missing Teen

Saturday, September 02, 2006

DUMAS, Ark. — A Pine Bluff teenager missing for a week was found dead Saturday east of Dumas, a state police spokesman said.

The body of Casey Crowder, 17, was found, although state police spokesman Bill Sadler referred other questions about the case to Desha County Sheriff Don Smith or Sheriff-elect Jim Snyder. Sadler said he was providing the information only because he was getting ready to cancel a state police Morgan Nick Alert issued when Arkansas children go missing.

The sheriff's office would not confirm that Crowder's body was found.

"We do not know that for sure. Positive ID has not been made at this time," Snyder said.

The sheriff-elect would say only that the body of a female was found by ground search crews about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in a rural area near Dumas. He would not describe the condition of the body, but said investigators couldn't tell how old the person was.

He said the body was turned over to the state medical examiner for positive identification.

The Crowder investigation was continuing, he said, and authorities were seeking any information that might be helpful to the case. He said the toll-free number 1-888-688-8549 was set up to receive calls about her disappearance.

Crowder, a senior at Watson Chapel High School, was traveling back from a friend's house in Pickens on Aug. 27 when she telephoned her mother to say she had run out of gas. Crowder told her mother she would walk to a gas station. She was never heard from again.

Crowder's car was found along U.S. 65 south of Dumas, with her purse and cell phone gone but a softball bat and glove left behind. The car was out of gas, and its emergency flashers apparently had run the battery down.

Volunteers searched farmland around Dumas including the Pickens farm where Crowder's boyfriend lives. The search was conducted by ground and air. Several people rode horseback or walked roads, ditches and canals hoping to find evidence of Crowder.

Highway 65 is a major route, mostly two-lane, between Little Rock and Natchez, Miss.

[Pauli]

http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5...18&nav=1kgl (http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5359618&nav=1kgl)

Teenager found dead near Dumas

DUMAS, Ark. An Arkansas teenager missing for a week has been found dead east of Dumas (DOO-mus).

State police spokesman Bill Sadler says a body found is that of 17-year-old Casey Crowder of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Crowder, a senior at Watson Chapel High School, was traveling back from a friend's house last Sunday when she telephoned her mother to say she had run out of gas. Crowder told her mother she would walk to a gas station and she was never heard from again.

Crowder's car was found along Highway 65 south of Dumas, with her purse and cell phone gone but a softball bat and glove left behind. The car was out of gas, and its emergency flashers apparently had run the battery down.

Volunteers searched surrounding farmland, including the farm where the girl's boyfriend lives.

[Pauli]

http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2006/...r/d8jtr1pg0.txt (http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2006/09/04/ap-state-ar/d8jtr1pg0.txt)

Parents asking public to help criminal investigators

Monday, September 4, 2006 12:46 AM CDT

DUMAS, Ark. - The parents of a teenage girl who called home a week ago to say she was walking to a gas station after her car ran out of gas are urging the public to help authorities find the person responsible for their daughter's death.

Marty and Melinda Crowder of Pine Bluff said in an interview Sunday with KLRT television station that they would not want anyone else to go through what they did when their daughter, 17-year-old Casey Crowder, disappeared Aug. 27 on her way home from visiting her boyfriend in Pickens.

Volunteers searched for clues to her disappearance and National Guard members found the body of a female Saturday afternoon in woods east of Dumas, about six miles from where the Crowders found Casey's car the day after she called home.

Before canceling a missing person's alert, state police said Casey's body was found. But Desha County Sheriff-elect Jim Snyder said the body has not yet been positively identified.

"I talked to the medical examiner's office today, and they said it would possibly be Tuesday afternoon before we had an ID and cause of death," Snyder said Sunday.

Snyder said the investigation into the girl's disappearance, though, has turned into a criminal investigation. And the girl's father called for the death penalty for the person responsible.

"I know that my daughter's dead, 17, just starting out," Marty Crowder said. "They need to be executed."

Snyder said authorities have no suspects.

Casey Crowder, a senior at Watson Chapel High School, told her mother in the 6:08 a.m. call Aug. 27 that she ran out of gas and would call a friend to help her. She was traveling on U.S. 65. Her vehicle was found on the highway within walking distance of a gas station. According to police, the gas tank was empty. Her purse and cell phone were gone but a softball bat and glove were in the car.

Searchers including a number of volunteers and officers from other law enforcement agencies spent six days looking for Crowder before finding the body.

[Pauli]

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0906/358176.html (http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0906/358176.html)

Mother of Missing Teen Believes her Daughter was Killed

Monday September 04, 2006 5:29pm Reporter: Michelle Rupp Posted By: Cassie Cummings

Dumas - (Melinda Crowder, Mother) "If anyone knows anything they think may help bring this person to justice please call the hotline number so we can get them off the streets."

The mother of a missing Pine Bluff teenager believes her daughter was killed, and is now pleading for help in finding the person responsible.

Search crews found a female body late Saturday afternoon. Although authorities are waiting on positive identification, the family of Casey Crowder believes it’s their daughter.

Authorities continue to develop a suspect in this criminal investigation. Right now they’re waiting for key information from the crime lab and they are hopeful those details will be available on Tuesday.

Meantime, the Crowder family is now searching for answers.

The softball field where Casey Crowder grew up playing ball is now the backdrop for her family who is forced to cope with her possible death.

(Melinda Crowder, Mother) "My biggest fear came true."

Melinda Crowder says although she has not been asked to identify what is believed to be her daughter, she says deep down she knows it’s Casey.

17-year-old Casey Crowder disappeared a week ago. She ran out of gas along Highway 65 near Dumas.

Hundreds of people searched every day last week looking for any signs of Casey. Saturday afternoon a female’s body was discovered not far from where Crowder’s car was last seen.

Melinda Crowder says life for her is difficult every day.

(Crowder) "It feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest and I don't know what to do with it."

If you have information that could lead authorities to a suspect, you can call the hotline at 1-888-288-8549.

[Pauli]

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0906/358845.html (http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0906/358845.html)

Person of Interest in Crowder Case

Wednesday September 06, 2006 8:21pm Reporter: Michelle Rupp Posted By: Amanda Manatt

Dumas - There have been new developments in the death of Casey Crowder. Authorities now have a person of interest in the case, stopping short of calling the person a suspect. Tuesday the medical examiner's office positively identified Crowder's body, but police have not released how she died.

Police say the owner of a Toyota pick-up truck that had been seen in the area on the morning of Crowder’s disappearance is the person of interest. Investigators are hopeful inside truck they will find clues as to what happened the morning of Casey Crowder’s death.

(Sheriff-Elect Jim Snyder) "We maybe looking at some other people, this is our primary interest at this time."

Little information is being released about the driver of the truck, but Snyder did say the person is from the Dumas area.

(Snyder) "DNA is also going to be a big plus. However, those are the things we will not be able to divulge at this time because they are sensitive to the investigation."

When asked when an arrest might be made, all Snyder would say is they are still investigating and are in no hurry to make an arrest. They are also waiting to determine if this person of interest could become a suspect.

[Pauli]

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/trist...9C-9A2F9051768C (http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/tristate/story.aspx?content_id=B3ADE5BA-92B4-4624-8A9C-9A2F9051768C)

Police Finish With Truck In Casey Crowder Case

Posted: 9/15/2006 4:11:26 PM

Authorities say the state Crime Laboratory has finished processing a pickup truck for evidence in the abduction and murder case of Casey Crowder. She was a 17-year-old girl who was killed after running out of gas on U.S. 65.

Desha County Sheriff-elect Jim Snyder said the truck has been released to the owner and that he does not know whether the search of the truck advanced the search for the killer.

Casey disappeared during the early morning hours of August 27th after running out of gas at Dumas while returning home to Pine Bluff from her boyfriend's house at Pickens. Her body was found September second in a wooded area in eastern Desha County.

Snyder would not identify the owner of the truck. He said investigators believe they may know why Casey was killed but Snyder declined to disclose the possible motive.

Casey was a senior at Watson Chapel High School.

[Pauli]

http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2007/.../news/news3.txt (http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2007/02/25/news/news3.txt)

CROWDER BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, February 24, 2007 10:49 PM CST

Heavy rains and high winds didn’t deter dozens of friends and family of a slain Pine Bluff girl from honoring her memory Saturday afternoon.

Casey Crowder would have celebrated her 18th birthday Saturday, and a large group gathered on the parking lot of Watson Chapel High School to launch dozens of balloons, then sing “Happy Birthday” before heading back to their vehicles.

“We’re going to write messages on the balloons and then we’re going to let them float up to heaven so she gets the message,” said Tiffany Rambo, 18, who described herself as one of Crowder’s best friends.

“We’re pretty much going to have fun like we would if she were here with us,” Rambo said. “We did everything together and she was a great person.”

Crowder reportedly ran out of gas on her way home to Pine Bluff from Pickens, a small farming community south of Dumas on Aug. 27.

On Saturday, students and adults alike tried to stay dry under a pavilion at the high school until the weather finally broke enough to allow for the balloons to be released.

“We want everyone to remember Casey and we thought this would be a nice way to do it,” Casey’s mother, Melinda Crowder said. “They’re writing messages on the balloons and hopefully they’re going to fly up to her.

“I think she’s watching us and knowing what we’re doing but we really just want to keep her name out in the public and let everyone know how special she was so that this won’t happen to anyone else,” Melinda Crowder said.

Crowder’s body was found Aug. 2 near a drainage canal east of Dumas and authorities said the girl was strangled with a plastic tie.

Kenneth Ray Osborn, 46, a widowed truck driver from Dumas was arrested and has been charged with kidnapping and capital murder in the case and Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Deen has said he will seek the death penalty.

Though Saturday was devoted to remembering Casey, Melinda Crowder also had her mind on Osborn.

“March 8 is the next hearing that we have and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be continued,” she said. “I’m looking forward to it at least being the beginning of the end.”