Search resumes for missing Cocke County teen
June 07, 2009
COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Rescue teams plan to be back out in the morning searching for a 19 year old Cocke County teen who went missing more than five weeks ago and her car found burned.
41 year old Jeff Stock remains a person of interest in the case.
He was arrested within a day of Megan Maxwell's disappearance on charges of failing to register as a sex offender.
"It means a whole lot. The more people we have out here, the better chance we have of finding Megan," says Lisa Maxwell.
Megan Maxwell's mother holds on to hope that her 19 year old daughter will be found.
On Saturday, a bear hunting group served as a search team by land.
"A lot of areas have been covered but there are still areas that have yet to be searched and that's where we have to focus now," says Lori Roberts with the CUE Center for Missing Persons.
While a Ducks Unlimited group and the CUE Center for Missing Persons hit Douglas Lake searching rivers like the French Broad which dump into the lake for the missing teen.
"The cadaver dogs they can eliminate a large area where it's not possible to do on foot," says Eddie Elleman with the CUE Center for Missing Persons.
Lisa Maxwell feels the Netty Mountain area is a very important area to search, first because that's where person of interest Jeff Stock lives.
"Which is not real far from where the car was found burning so that's a real important area," says Maxwell.
After five weeks, the searching is getting tough for family members and those close to them but giving up is not an option.
"Because I have sixteen year old daughters, I would want someone to do it for me. Lisa would be here for me," says Teresa Moore.
And giving up is not being talked about by searchers either.
"We remain very optimistic that we will be able to locale Megan," says Roberts.
Meanwhile, Megan's family holds on to hope she will be found.
"It's tough. I mean, not knowing is the toughest part. We have to find Megan for closure," says Teresa Moore, a family friend.
"We're not giving up until she's found," says Maxwell.
A search of the Hamblen county landfill was postponed Saturday due to equipment issues.
Authorities say there were some dumpsters near the last known location of the girl that had been dumped at the landfill.
Megan's mother, Lisa Maxwell says they can always use more boaters, searchers, and kayakers to comb the French Broad River and other locations.
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