As Janice’s sister, Mary Engelbrecht, told CNN, she remembered that she and her sister had been arguing that day. She said, “My sister and I had been bickering over something stupid — a toothbrush, I think,” Engelbrecht said. So their mother was glad to let Janice bike outside to burn some energy.
After about a half-hour, Pockett’s mom and sister grew worried about her whereabouts and started searching for her. They found her bike near the house, but there was no sign of little Janice. As Forensics Colleges reports, her sister, Mary Engelbrecht, called out her name over and over, but there was no answer.
A huge search party covered the surrounding area, searching nearby roads and fields. But there was no evidence, clothing, or DNA to be found (via Journal Inquirer). That didn’t stop locals from trying to find her. The search spanned weeks, with more than 800 people pitching in to canvass the area. As CNN reports, police searched for her on horseback in order to spot any bike or tire tracks that might have been left behind.
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