Sighting of missing Perryville children false alarm

~ The two had reportedly been seen Wednesday at Skinny's Diner in Miner, Mo.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Police now say the latest sighting of two missing Perryville children was a false alarm.

Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said Saturday that after investigating a report that Brandon Lundmark, 14, had been seen in Skinny's Diner in Miner, Mo., Wednesday, the lead turned out to be a dead end.

Police say Brandon took his father's pickup truck, cash and an ATM card about midnight Monday and then left the area after picking up his 12-year-old girlfriend, Brianna Williams.

Schaaf said he believes that the image of boy captured on a New Madrid, Mo., truck stop security tape Wednesday is that of Brandon.

The Perry County Sheriff's Department has come under fire from the parents of the children who say it hasn't done enough to find them.

Brian Williams, Brianna's father, and Sheila Williams, her aunt, both say an Amber Alert should be issued.

Amber Alerts are used to notify the public that a confirmed child abduction has occurred.

Schaaf said until there is proof of an abduction, he can't issue an Amber Alert.

"There are no exceptions" to the rule, Schaaf said.

Schaaf said he does not think Brandon is a threat to Brianna or that he kidnapped the girl from her bedroom early Tuesday morning.

Perryville residents Saturday voiced their support of police efforts so far, and most believe the children ran off of their own accord.

"The police are probably doing all they can, but what do you do?" asked Denise Bohnert. "It's a big country."

Bohnert, mother of a 13-year-old boy, said the $600 police say the children obtained using the ATM card would seem like a lot of money to children their age.

"I resent the parents criticizing the police," said Sarah Miget. "They wanted an Amber Alert ... there isn't much they can do."

Tammy Hildebrand said she suspects there is a third party involved.

"It seems likely they would be found by now if they were on their own," she said. "It shouldn't be too hard for the highway patrol to spot them. If they're staying with somebody, they could lay low."

Hildebrand also said she thinks police are doing everything possible.

"Maybe they should have been found by now," said Harold Davis. "But they could be on the back roads and hard to find. I'm sure police are doing what they can. What scares me is that they have a gun in the car."

The fact there is a gun involved scares Brianna's aunt, Sheila Williams, too. Lundmark's father, Jerod Lundmark, reportedly kept a handgun under the seat of the truck and his son knows it is there.

"It's very stressful," Sheila Williams, of Bloomfield, Mo. said Saturday of how Brianna's family is handling her disappearance.

She said family members are calling police, state officials and even Gov. Matt Blunt for help. So far, the family has not been satisfied with the results of those efforts.

Sheila Williams said the last time she saw Brianna was March 17, in her home for a family dinner. She said Brianna was happy and that there were no problems between her and her parents.

carel@semissourian.com

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