Police Make 'Significant' Find in Hunt for Missing Tennessee Woman

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- Volunteers searching for Holly Bobo, the Tennessee woman who was apparently snatched from her home and led into the woods by a camouflage-wearing stranger, have found a "significant" item, the Decatur County sheriff said.

Officials said they could not disclose what it was that was recovered because doing so would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.

However, the discovery has fueled their search in Northern Decatur County and was based on a telephone tip, the sheriff said.

Investigators believe Bobo's abductor lives in or near the 20-year-old college student's town of Parsons, Tenn.  They have asked Bobo's neighbors to report any unusual activity or a break in peoples' routines they might have noticed in recent days.

"The person responsible for Holly's disappearance lives in the area," said Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. "Because of the terrain, you have to know where you're going, entrances and exits. We feel the person is in the community.”

Police have collected several pieces of evidence in the woods near Bobo's home, but Gwyn said it could be days before those objects could be analyzed and positively linked to Bobo.

In the meantime, the only evidence police have found and made public is Bobo's lunch purse and some blood.

Gwyn said it is possible Bobo's abductor led the woman to a vehicle parked left on a road accessible through the woods, and drove away.

He said investigators still believe Bobo is in the state, but the FBI would get involved if there was evidence to suggest otherwise.

More than a thousand people have volunteered to help search the dense woods for any sign of Holly Bobo. The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever abducted her is up to $80,000, including $50,000 from the state.

Investigators have not ruled anyone out as a suspect in Bobo's disappearance and are in the midst of analyzing key evidence, although police had earlier said that Bobo's brother -- the last person to see her -- and boyfriend are not suspects.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Country Star Whitney Duncan Defends Holly Bobo's Brother

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- Country singing star Whitney Duncan, cousin of missing Tennessee woman Holly Bobo, told bloggers Tuesday to "shut up" about rumors that Bobo's brother may have been involved in the abduction.

"My cousin, Clint, Holly's brother, is not a suspect and I'm sick of people saying that he is. He has been cleared for good reason," Duncan tweeted. "Shut up."

Clint Bobo, 25, saw a man dressed in camouflage lead his sister, Holly, into the woods near the family's Parsons, Tenn., home last Wednesday. Bobo's brother wasn't worried because he thought the man was his sister's boyfriend, who is an avid hunter, police have said. Clint Bobo became alarmed, however, when he spotted blood in the driveway and called 911.

Police previously said that Clint Bobo and the missing woman's boyfriend were not suspects, but on Monday police said that no one had been ruled out in the 20-year-old woman's disappearance.

A reward of $75,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever kidnapped the missing nursing student.

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Holly Bobo Reward Tripled by Tennessee Governor to $75,000

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- The governor of Tennessee on Monday tripled the reward to $75,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever abducted missing Tennessee woman Holly Bobo, who was snatched from her home and led into the woods by a shadowy stranger five days ago.

Gov. Bill Haslam approved a $50,000 reward from the state, in addition to a $25,000 reward already offered by Bobo's community.

Investigators believe Bobo's abductor lives in or near the 20-year-old college student's town of Parsons, Tenn., and have asked her neighbors to report any unusual activity or a break in people's routine they noticed in recent days.

"The person responsible for Holly's disappearance lives in the area," said Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. "Because of the terrain, you have to know where you're going, entrances and exits. We feel the person is in the community. We're asking the community if you know someone who has changed their routine, please let us know."

Gwyn said signs of suspicious activity include calling in sick to work over the past week, excessively cleaning a car or all-terrain vehicle, or unexpectedly selling a vehicle.

He said there is no person of interest in the case, but said police are following more than 250 leads.

Police have collected several pieces of evidence in the woods near Bobo's home, but Gwyn said it could be days before those objects could be analyzed and positively linked to Bobo.

In the meantime, the only evidence police have found and made public were Bobo's lunch purse and some blood.

Gwyn said it is possible Bobo's abductor led the woman to a vehicle left on a road, accessible through the woods, and drove away.

He said investigators still believe Bobo is in the state, but the FBI would get involved if there was evidence to suggest otherwise.

The search for Bobo entered a fifth day Monday, with police interviewing neighbors, boats searching local waterways and volunteers extending their search of the Natchez Trace, a national hiking trail.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Holly Bobo Search: Country Star Pleads for Cousin's Return

ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Country singing star Whitney Duncan, cousin of missing Tennessee woman Holly Bobo, made a tearful plea Monday for the nursing student's safe return.

"We just want her back.  If anybody knows anything...any details, anything weird that they've seen that might possibly lead to finding her, I hope they come forward with that," Duncan told ABC News.

Duncan said that she and her family members have been unable to sleep since last Wednesday when Bobo's 25-year-old brother saw a man dressed in camouflage lead Bobo into the woods.  Bobo's brother wasn't alarmed until he spotted blood in the driveway.

"The family right now is trying to be strong...it doesn't seem real.  That's the last phone call we ever expect to get...It's a close family, so we're just trying to hold it together," Duncan said.

Duncan described her missing cousin as a homebody and said that she and Bobo are as close as sisters.

"Holly is, she is beautiful, she is sweet, she is a good Christian girl...kind of shy, quiet until you get to know her.  She is funny and sweet and amazing," Duncan said through tears.

Prayer and the tight knit community of Parsons, Tennessee, are the only things getting the family through this tough time, Duncan said.

Investigators have not ruled anyone out as a suspect in Bobo's disappearance and are in the midst of analyzing key evidence, although police had earlier said that Bobo's brother and boyfriend are not suspects.

"We have over 250 leads that we're running...the next analysis of a piece of evidence could be a key in solving this particular incident," said Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.  "I can tell you that we have not eliminated anyone from this case."

Some of that key evidence includes the 20-year-old nursing student's lunch box found miles from her home.  The other evidence being analyzed was found in the woman's driveway and includes blood on the ground and duct tape with blond hair stuck to it.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Search Continues for Abducted Tennessee Student

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- Hundreds of police and volunteers combed the woods in three Tennessee counties Sunday, searching for Holly Bobo, the 20-year-old college student abducted outside her home Wednesday.

"We got lots of volunteers and we're continuing to do searches throughout the county in other areas and looking (for) any type of leads that could help us in bringing Holly back," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent John Mehr said.

A reward of $25,000 for information leading to Bobo's return and the arrest of her kidnapper was announced Saturday evening.

Investigators said that contrary to initial reports, Bobo was not dragged by a camouflaged kidnapper, as there were no drag marks. She was confronted Wednesday by a man in hunting camouflage who forced her to go with him into the woods, Mehr said.

Bobo's 25-year-old brother Clint watched from inside the home, but did not believe she was being abducted until later. He saw the stranger from behind and believed it was his sister's boyfriend.

The officer said that neither Bobo's brother nor her boyfriend were suspects. "We are confident of that," he said.

Authorities on Sunday say they had no leads on the identity of Bobo's abductor.

Bobo's father said Thursday that he believed the man may have been someone who knew the young nursing student and knew the family's routines.

"It might have been somebody close, somebody that kind of knew our routine and when I left and when she left [his wife] and when my daughter left to go to school, is what I got in my mind," Dana Bobo said. "But I don't know what for sure."

Police said they are considering the same theory.

Bobo is five-feet-three and weighs 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Clues Emerge in Tennessee Abduction

Federal Bureau of Investigation(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- As the search continues for Holly Bobo, a Tennessee college student abducted outside her home as she was leaving for class, investigators are saying that contrary to initial reports, Bobo was not dragged by a camouflaged kidnapper into a nearby woods but was instead led there because she was "in fear of her life."

Holly Bobo, 20, was confronted Wednesday by a man in hunting camouflage who forced her to go with him into the woods, said John Mehr, spokesman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

"What we believe, and I'll tell you he actually had an arm holding her and so we feel that she knew that she was in fear of her life so she was complying with his commands," he told a news conference.

Mehr said investigators "did not see drag marks." He added she was "not forcefully dragged and she's like any other victim, maybe complying with her attacker, but she walked into the woods" outside her Pasrons, Tenn. home.

Bobo's 25-year-old brother Clint watched from inside the home, but did not believe she was being abducted until later. He saw the stranger from behind and believed it was his sister's boyfriend. Her brother, said Mehr, "had reasons to believe [the man] was not an attacker," and did not call 911 until he saw blood outside.

The officer said that neither Bobo's brother nor her boyfriend were suspects. Police have no leads to the identity of Bobo's abductor.

Investigators said they had found new pieces of evidence, including what Mehr called Bobo's "lunch purse," but but would not specify where it was found. Authorities said they believed they were on a trail that was still warm.

The community is offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to Holly Bobo's safe return. "If there's anybody that can help, just come on and help us please," said Natalie Bobo, Holly Bobo's cousin.

Bobo is 5-feet-3 and weighs 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans.

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Kidnapped Woman's Father Thinks Suspect Knew Their Family

Comstock/Thinkstock(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- The father of a Tennessee woman who was kidnapped from outside her home and led into the woods, believes the shadowy figure who abducted Holly Bobo was someone who knew the college student and her family's routines.

"It might have been somebody close, somebody that kind of knew our routine and when I left and when she left [his wife] and when my daughter left to go to school, is what I got in my mind," said Dana Bobo. "But I don't know what for sure."

The 20-year-old woman's brother saw the abduction on Wednesday from inside the family's home in Parsons, Tenn. Her brother called 911 and said a man wearing camouflage led the woman from the carport of her family home toward the woods.

"It's very possible that he could have known her, could have known her daily routine. We're following up on everything we possibly can," said Decatur County Sheriff Roy Wyatt.

Thunderstorms and a tornado warning hampered a massive manhunt early Friday morning, but the search resumed just after noon.

Bobo is a cousin of Whitney Duncan, a country music singer and a finalist on the television talent show Nashville Star. She recently tweeted, "Lord have mercy. I feel like I'm walking in a nightmare."

The community is offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to Holly's safe return. "If there's anybody that can help, just come on and help us please," said Natalie Bobo, Holly's cousin.

Police have requested 200 more volunteers to help with the search.

Investigators initially believed the young woman may have been abducted from her house in a home invasion, but John Mehr, spokesman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told ABCNews.com that "the suspect was never inside."

Bobo is 5-feet-3 and weighs 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio 

Weather Hampers Search for Missing Tennessee Woman

Goodshoot RF/Thinkstock(PARSONS, Tenn.) -- Bad weather is hampering search efforts to find Holly Bobo, the Tennessee woman dragged into the woods by a man dressed in camouflage.

Thunderstorms and tornado warnings are slowing down investigators and community members searching the dense west Tennessee woodlands Friday.

"We're waiting right now to see when this weather pattern will pass through. When it passes through, then we will be back out in the field searching again," Decatur County Sheriff Roy Wyatt said.

The 20-year-old woman's brother saw the abduction on Wednesday from inside the family's home in Parsons, Tenn. Her brother called 911 and said a man wearing camouflage dragged the woman from the carport of her family home toward the woods.

"It's very possible that he could have known her, could have known her daily routine. We're following up on everything we possibly can," Wyatt said.

Bobo is a cousin of Whitney Duncan, a country music singer and a finalist on the television talent show Nashville Star.

Almost 400 volunteers searched for the nursing student on foot, on horseback and using ATVs on Thursday. Pink ribbons and pictures of Holly Bobo are posted all over the close knit community of 2,500 people. The community is offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to her safe return.

Bobo is five-foot-three and weighs 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans.

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