Missing Perryville children might have been in Miner, Mo.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said Friday another possible sighting of two missing Perryville children was reported at Skinny's Diner in Miner, Mo., Wednesday.

"We're working with the highway patrol down there," he said. "Witnesses said they had seen a boy hanging around, maybe getting something to eat."

Schaaf said the witnesses, who were restaurant employees, were referring to a possible sighting of Brandon Lundmark, 14, who was reported missing early Tuesday morning along with his girlfriend, Brianna Williams, 12.

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 Brianna.

The ATM card had been used in Cape Girardeau Tuesday and police followed up on a report Wednesday morning Brandon had been seen in a New Madrid, Mo., truck-stop store.

Investigators viewed the store's surveillance tape that police think may have caught the image of Brandon.

The quality was poor, but Schaaf said there was enough there to indicate it was probably Brandon.

Brian Williams, Brianna's father, said he was frustrated with the investigation. He has called the sheriff's office daily for information but said he has received little.

In most criminal investigations, Schaaf said, the department doesn't update family members of leads unless they are significant.

"Some of the leads we get just don't pan out," he said. "I'm not going to call unless there's something to tell them."

Williams criticized the department for not issuing an Amber Alert and not showing Brandon's father the truck-stop surveillance video for identification purposes.

In the United States and Canada, Amber Alerts are public notifications through various media outlets advising that a confirmed abduction of a child has occurred.

Schaaf said Amber Alerts are only issued when children have been abducted, and everything in the case so far indicates the children left together of their own accord.

He added the videotape was not taken as evidence Wednesday. A detective viewed it at the truck-stop store.

Schaaf said photos and physical descriptions of the children were entered into the National Crime Information Center, which distributes it to law enforcement agencies nationwide.

He's worked with KFVS12 to get updates out frequently, he said, adding the television station has affiliates in southern parts of the country where reports are also being broadcast.

Brandon reportedly took his father's 2002 Z-71 Chevrolet pickup truck, which is outfitted so his father, a paraplegic, can drive it. It has a Missouri license number of 702-RG6.

Schaaf said the color of the truck would probably look more tan than the gray color it is listed as.

The truck has a camper shell on it that has equipment for getting the father's wheelchair in and out of the vehicle, Schaaf said.

carel@semissourian.com

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