ORANGE PARK, Fla. A daylong search for a missing 7-year-old North Florida girl who vanished on her way home from school Monday has produced more than 150 leads, but the child remained missing Tuesday afternoon and officials said they suspect foul play.
More than 100 Clay County deputies, law enforcement officers from neighboring counties, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement scoured a residential Orange Park neighborhood looking for Somer Thompson.
Sgt. Dan Mahla, a Clay County detective, said horses, dogs, divers and helicopters have been used in the search, which began Monday afternoon when the child failed to return home from school.
Officials have no idea what happened to her.
"She is an endangered missing child. We do suspect foul play," Mahla said. "We believe it is foul play because she did not come home," he said.
The second-grader is white, 3-foot-5 and 65 pounds. She had brown hair tied in a pony tail with a red bow and was carrying a purple Hannah Montana backpack and lunch box.
Somer was last seen about 2:45 p.m. Monday heading home from Grove Park Elementary School. She was walking with her sister and some friends, but ran ahead of them after they had a spat, detectives said.
The Amber Alert was issued at 9 a.m. Tuesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The alert was not immediately issued for Somer because her disappearance wasn't witnessed and there was no description of a vehicle.
Law officers are working 12-hour shifts so they can search for the girl around the clock.
