The amount of land searched on Lower Miamisburg Road by authorities seeking clues into the disappearance of a missing Miamisburg woman has grown well beyond her last-known address.
At least three properties – including the 551 address where Chelsey Coe lived — have been searched by federal, state and local authorities this week. Miamisburg police said they have a person of interest in the case involving Coe, who was 25 when she was reported missing in September 2017.
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The search began Tuesday as the FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Miamisburg police used underground radar, backhoes and jackhammers at Coe’s former residence during a 14-hour effort.
On Thursday, authorities also dug up ground at 565 Lower Miamisburg and inspected land at 587 Lower Miamisburg after neighbors who live just east and west of Coe’s former address said they granted police access.
Those landowners — Rex Boomershine and Michael Shade, respectively — “have been extremely generous and cooperative,” said Miamisburg Police Chief John Sedlak, “which is greatly appreciated by the investigators involved with this case and by me.”
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Shade, a longtime Lower Miamisburg resident, said he and his wife allowed authorities to establish a base of operations on his 4-plus acre property.
“We wanted to be as cooperative as we could,” he said.
Shade said law enforcement was “looking for disturbed ground….for burials” but only found digging done by animals.
Authorities did excavate some of Boomershine’s property. They dug up some land near a pole barn on the site, but Thursday’s findings did not yield “anything of real evidentiary value,” Sedlak said.
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Authorities did not give specifics on what evidence they uncovered at the Lower Miamisburg sites this week. But Sedlak said in an email Friday: “we will be analyzing and evaluating the items seized during the searches….to determine where that may lead us. It is too early to determine that at this time.”
“With investigations like this,” Sedlak said Thursday night, “and the type of evidence you generally collect, it takes a little bit of time…so, I can’t really give you that kind of guess at this point, but we’ll determine that over the days and perhaps months to come.”
A person of interest has been identified only a male who has “not specifically” been cooperative with authorities, Sedlak said.
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Coe lived at the Lower Miamisburg address for several months, according to Miamisburg Sgt. Jeff Muncy, before being reported missing by her mother, Shula Woodworth of Adams County.
At that time, Coe was described as 5-foot-7, 150 pounds with blue eyes, blonde hair with a “Love” tattoo on her hip, and one of stars on her lower back, according to police.
Sedlak said: “We’re still very hopeful that she’s alright and will be found, and will make herself known, you know, in the days ahead, but nonetheless, without any contact, at this point, we’re doing our due diligence.”
Anyone with any information in the case is asked to call Muncy at 937-847-6617.
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