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4xchampncountin
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VAUGHAN, Miss. (Feb. 20) - Bloodhounds, aircraft and the FBI scoured a wooded area of rural Mississippi Friday for a family of three missing since they disappeared Valentine's Day.
Vaughan, a small, tight-knit community about 40 miles north of Jackson, is the kind of place where residents generally don't take big-city safety precautions. Residents say they have been jarred by the disappearance of Michael and Rebecca Hargon and their young son, James Patrick.
"We don't worry about locking our doors," said Jewel Moore, who lives about a mile up the road from the Hargon family's modest brown brick home.
Rebecca Hargon's father, Bill Hirtz of Poplar Bluff, Mo., fought back tears as he stood outside the Hargons' house waiting for answers.
He said his 29-year-old daughter, a physical therapist's assistant, and her 27-year-old husband, a construction worker, have been married six years. James recently celebrated his fourth birthday.
Authorities have said little about the current investigation.
They are still treating the disappearances as missing person cases, although evidence points to something more: In the Hargons' house investigators found dried blood droplets, bullet holes and shell casings.
But there was no sign of robbery or forced entry. Rebecca Hargon's wedding and engagement rings were left behind. The family's three vehicles have been accounted for.
Now, searchers are combing roadsides and wooded areas for even the smallest of clues.
Ten years ago, Michael Hargon's father was slain on the same property, when it was a convenience store. Three men are serving prison sentences for that crime.
On Friday, experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ran bloodhounds out from the house. The dogs sniffed pieces of clothing, then moved south on the asphalt road, suggesting the family left the home in that direction, said dog handler Joe Canfield.
Relatives have offered a $25,000 reward for the Hargons' safe return, and Hirtz and others have appeared on national television to talk about the case.
02/20/04 20:38 EST
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This is the first I have heard about this story. Any of you heard anything else about this bizarre story?
Vaughan, a small, tight-knit community about 40 miles north of Jackson, is the kind of place where residents generally don't take big-city safety precautions. Residents say they have been jarred by the disappearance of Michael and Rebecca Hargon and their young son, James Patrick.
"We don't worry about locking our doors," said Jewel Moore, who lives about a mile up the road from the Hargon family's modest brown brick home.
Rebecca Hargon's father, Bill Hirtz of Poplar Bluff, Mo., fought back tears as he stood outside the Hargons' house waiting for answers.
He said his 29-year-old daughter, a physical therapist's assistant, and her 27-year-old husband, a construction worker, have been married six years. James recently celebrated his fourth birthday.
Authorities have said little about the current investigation.
They are still treating the disappearances as missing person cases, although evidence points to something more: In the Hargons' house investigators found dried blood droplets, bullet holes and shell casings.
But there was no sign of robbery or forced entry. Rebecca Hargon's wedding and engagement rings were left behind. The family's three vehicles have been accounted for.
Now, searchers are combing roadsides and wooded areas for even the smallest of clues.
Ten years ago, Michael Hargon's father was slain on the same property, when it was a convenience store. Three men are serving prison sentences for that crime.
On Friday, experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ran bloodhounds out from the house. The dogs sniffed pieces of clothing, then moved south on the asphalt road, suggesting the family left the home in that direction, said dog handler Joe Canfield.
Relatives have offered a $25,000 reward for the Hargons' safe return, and Hirtz and others have appeared on national television to talk about the case.
02/20/04 20:38 EST
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This is the first I have heard about this story. Any of you heard anything else about this bizarre story?