The search for a missing student has been narrowed down to one stretch of the Mississippi River after search dogs alerted handlers to the same area twice in one day.
Louisiana State University freshman Kori Gauthier, 18, has been missing since Tuesday 6, April, when her car was found abandoned on the Mississippi bridge on Baton Rouge after another motorist crashed into it.
Rescuers zeroed on the small area of the river on Saturday, but were unable to send in divers because it was considered unsafe.
A statement released by LSU on Saturday evening said: 'A K9 cadaver dog with Mercy Search & Rescue alerted twice in the same area on the river, which is 85-90 feet deep with conditions that were unsafe to deploy divers.'
Search efforts continued with Mounted Patrol 'searching the levee in both directions from Farr Park, while EBRSO, LDWF, LSUPD and BRPD will continue boat searches, including with the latest available sonar technology' on Sunday, the statement said.
'At this time, based on evidence collected during the investigation thus far, law enforcement officials suspect that no criminal activity or foul play took place'.
Search crews and police have been searching the single section of the river, around the Farr Park RV Campground, after sniffer dogs alerted handlers to the spot twice in one day
Louisiana State University freshman Kori Gauthier, 18, has been missing since Tuesday 6, April, when her car was found abandoned on the Mississippi bridge on Baton Rouge after another motorist crashed into it
Gauthier's father, Levar (left), joined the search for his daughter on Friday and attended a prayer circle to pray for her safe return that night
Gauthier's phone and wallet were recovered from her vehicle after the crash on Wednesday 7, April, which was left idling on the side of the road.
Devin Jones, who crashed into Gauthier's car, said he checked straight after the collision and there was nobody inside the car.
Officials are not dealing with her disappearance as suspicious.
Search crews and police, including drones, helicopters, and boats, have spent the last two days combing the banks of the Mississippi in the hopes of finding the missing teen.
Volunteers on foot, in cars, on ATVs, and even on horseback were seen aiding the search for Gauthier into the early hours. The United Cajun Navy have also been drafted in to assist the rescue effort.
He said he has not eaten since Wednesday and has barely slept over worry for his daughter's safety
Her uncle has offered a $10,000 (£7,275) award for her anyone who brings their daughter home.
Writing on Facebook, he said: 'Everyone I need your help! Please share this picture of my niece Kori Gauthier. She has not been seen since April 6th.
'She is a Freshman at LSU. Her vehicle was involved in an accident(currently in a junk yard) on the Mississippi River bridge at or around 1am on April 7th.
'I've checked every hospital, jail, coroners office you name it. No sign of her. I'll personally pay $10K to anyone that leads her home. I need my niece!!!!'
Gauthier's parents said they only realised she had vanished when she did not turn up for work on April 6 and repeated calls went unanswered
Gauthier's father, Levar, joined the search for his daughter on Friday and attended a prayer circle to pray for her safe return that night.
He told WAFB: 'I haven't eaten since Wednesday at work for lunch,
'I've maybe gotten four hours of sleep in the last couple of days and her mom hadn't gotten that much, I'm sure. I get a cat nap here and there but I mean we won't stop until we know something about my daughter.'
Police have been criticised for their slow response to Gauthier's disappearance after they failed to notify the registered owner of her vehicle that it had been involved in a crash.
Gauthier's parents said they only realised she had vanished when she did not turn up for work on April 6 and repeated calls went unanswered.
Levar said he had received several unusual phone calls from Gauthier's mother who told him Kori was not answering her phone, prompting further unsuccessful efforts to contact her.
Search crews and police, including drones, helicopters, and boats, have spent the last two days combing the banks of the Mississippi in the hopes of finding the missing teen. The United Cajun Navy have also been drafted in to help search
Police said they were unable to deploy divers in the area identified twice by sniffer dogs, because it was unsafe. But, rescue crews using the latest available sonar technology have been deployed to help the search
On Friday, the Baton Rouge police department said in a statement: 'On April 7, 2020 shortly after midnight we responded to the Horace Wilkinson Bridge (also known as the Mississippi River Bridge) regarding a reported accident involving a stalled vehicle.
'Upon arrival the officer observed the stalled vehicle was unoccupied. The officer acted quickly to have the vehicle removed from the roadway to prevent any other crashes.
'The registered owner of the unoccupied vehicle was not contacted, but this investigation remained ongoing.'
According to LSU, Kori is five feet, five inches, and weighs around 120 pounds. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is been encouraged to come forward to police.
Gauthier's family, friends, and fellow students attended a prayer circle to pray forher safe return on Friday evening
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