Post by LadyBlue on Jul 14, 2007 15:43:40 GMT -5
Concern is growing for a missing mother and daughter in Jackson County.
It's been nearly 3 weeks since anyone has seen or heard from Kim Whitton and her 11-year-old daughter, Haleigh Culwell.
Investigators say the last known person to see Kim and Haleigh is Kim's husband, Barry Whitton.
That's the same Barry Whitton whose wife, Michelle Whitton, was reported missing and later found murdered nearly 10-years-ago.
He was a suspect, but the case was never solved.
Fast-forward to 2007.
"We want her back at work. We miss her," said an anonymous co-worker.
Kim Whitton is a nurse at Cloverdale Manor in Scottsboro. She was there June 21st.
"I saw Kim getting into her vehicle. I was in the front lobby and just saw her from a distance. I didn't get to speak to her or anything. And that's the last time we've seen her. That morning when she left," said an anonymous co-worker.
It was actually Kim's co-workers who reported her missing.
Deputies stopped by the Whitton residence on Jackson County Road 38 to check on them. They weren't there, but Kim's husband, Barry Whitton, was.
He told investigators he didn't report his wife and step-daughter missing because he thought nothing was wrong.
Chief Deputy Doyle York said Whitton has told investigators his wife had intended to leave him, and may have gone to Montana.
He said Kim and Haleigh had decided to leave him on June 21st.
But besides Barry Whitton's statements, investigators have yet to pinpoint the last time 11-year-old Haleigh Culwell was seen.
Her principal at Macedonia School says she's a bright girl that everyone loves.
He says they're all praying she'll back for her first day of the 6th grade.
"It come to as a shock and we're just hoping to hear good news in the near future," said Principal Steven Paradise.
Investigators say they have no evidence of foul play in Kim and Haleigh's disappearance. They also have no suspects.
If you have any information on their whereabouts, give the Jackson County Sheriff's Office a call at 256-574-2610.
www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=6777057