Lisa Wade Northfield Minnesota mom kills self as 6 year old daughter Elle Ragin goes missing as cops search for her. Cops decline to say whether child is dead or alive.
Minnesota police are frantically looking for the whereabouts of a 6 year old girl after her mother was found dead – the result of suicide over the weekend.
The body of Lisa Wade, 39, was discovered inside her, Northfield, Rice County home by police at around noon on Saturday. The woman’s young daughter, Elle Ragin, was nowhere to be found.
Authorities believe Wade’s death — which they said was self-inflicted — is connected to little Elle’s disappearance.
‘Police have reason to believe Wade may have been involved in Elle’s disappearance before taking her own life,’ the Rice County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Of note, police declined to say whether they believe Elle was dead or alive FOX9 reported.
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Investigators had not found the girl as of Monday morning.
‘Authorities are processing the home and Wade’s vehicle for clues and have conducted searches of the area with canine teams, drones and the State Patrol Helicopter with negative results,’ the sheriff’s office said.
The office released photos and a description of the girl in hopes of locating the missing child.
Elle is described as being 3 foot 6 inches tall and weighs about 45 pounds. She has brown eyes and curly brown hair, the sheriff’s office said. Ragin is a student a Prairie Creek Community School.
Elle is pictured smiling alongside Wade in two of the photos shared by the sheriff’s office. The image shows the mother-daughter duo wearing matching outfits as Wade beams lovingly at her young daughter.
In another, little Elle is smiling wide at the camera with a flower crown in her hair and a bright red tutu.
A former neighbor of Lisa Wade’s wrote in a Facebook post promoting the search for Ragin: ‘She is the sweetest little girl, and she had a wonderful family. We don’t know what to think, but have been thinking and praying for her all day.’
It remained unclear why the mother took her own life or the whereabouts of the child’s father.
‘Police are actively investigating this case and are asking for the public’s assistance,’ the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators have asked anyone who have seen Elle or Wade in the past two weeks to call Northfield Police at 507-645-4477.
The FBI Minneapolis Field Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are assisting local law enforcement with the investigation.
