Myra Lewis
To draw some leads in the mysterious disappearance of a 2-year-old girl in Mississippi, the FBI is offering $20,000 for information leading to the return of Myra Lewis.
Last seen at 11 a.m. on March 1 playing with her sister outside their home in Madison County, Myra vanished without a trace, wearing a turquoise sweater adorned with a bear and pink tennis shoes. The little girl is 37 inches tall and weighs 27 pounds. She had butterfly barrettes in her hair and usually carried a big grin on her adorable face.
Investigators conducted a massive weeklong air and ground search around and beyond her family’s home, but found no new clues about the toddler’s whereabouts.
“What we know now is we don’t know where she is,” FBI Special Agent In Charge Daniel McMullen told the media at a news conference at the sheriff’s department in Canton, with Sheriff Randy Tucker at his side.
“Obviously we believe that there is someone out there that has information as to where little Myra is and we certainly hope that by offering this reward that we’ll receive that information and bring her home,” McMullen said.
Sheriff Tucker said he believes Myra is still alive.
“I don’t have any reason to suggest otherwise and I’m an optimistic person.”
The sheriff said they have given up searching around Myra’s home on Mount Pilgrim Road in the Camden community.
“We’re pretty confident we’ve covered that area pretty well,” Tucker said. “If we get more leads we’ll be more than happy to go back out there again.”
Myra’s mom, Ericka Lewis, is behind bars at the Madison county jail, arrested for an unrelated probation violation.
When reporters asked the sheriff whether investigators think she has something to do with her daughter’s disappearance, Tucker said, “I’m not gonna answer that.”
But Myra’s grandmother, Martha Sander, believes her daughter’s arrest was uncalled for.
“I think they should have waited, considering she is a good mother,” Sander said.
Tucker addressed the rumor that had been spreading about Myra possibly being run over in front of the house by an SUV.
“One of the scenarios was that Myra was possibly run over by that vehicle. Obviously following my pledge to follow every lead, we impounded that vehicle. It is not charged with anything related to the child at this point,” Tucker said.
