Have you seen 2-year-old Myra Lewis?
The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the return of the Black toddler who has been missing for more than a week. Myra was last seen playing with her sister outside of their Madison County, Mississippi home the morning of Saturday, March 1.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Myra is 37 inches tall and weighs about 27 pounds.
- She was wearing a turquoise sweater with a bear on the front, white or khaki pants and pink tennis shoes.
- She had butterfly barrettes in her hair and usually wears a big smile.
Extensive air and ground searches have been underway for a week around and beyond the family’s home, but no clues have surfaced. Significant resources have been dedicated to this investigation, including the utilization of specially trained search teams, according to the FBI Office in Jackson, Miss.
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“What we know now is we don’t know where she is,” said FBI Special Agent In Charge Daniel McMullen at a news conference.
“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 Randy Tucker of Canton, Miss., who has been involved in the search, told the media that they have stop searching around the home, but are “more than happy” to return if they get more leads.
Tucker also said he believes Myra is still alive.
“I don’t have any reason to suggest otherwise and I’m an optimistic person,” Tucker said.
A rumor has been circulating about Myra possibly having been struck down by an SUV in front of her home.
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The sheriff addressed the speculation, saying: “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.”
Regarding Myra’s family, authorities recently arrested and detained her mother, Ericka Lewis, for an unrelated probation violation, but have not revealed whether she has anything to do with Myra’s disappearance. Myra’s grandmother Martha Sander believes that her daughter’s arrest was unnecessary and distracted investigators from the search.
“I think they should have waited, considering she is a good mother,” Sander said.
The sheriff’s department is reportedly compiling a timeline of when Myra vanished. Meanwhile, Myra’s family members have said they do not know why the search is taking so long.
Anyone with information concerning the disappearance of Myra Lewis is encouraged to call the FBI at (601) 948-5000, or the Madison County Sheriff’s Department at (601) 859-2345.
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