A family in northeast Alabama barely uttered a word after learning that Amberly Alexis Barnett was never coming home, the Gadsden Times reports. The 11-year-old, who vanished from rural Collinsville Friday evening, was found dead by searchers at about 6:30am Saturday. "She thought she looked like a princess in that dress" was all a family member could say, about a photo of Amberly released during the search. Now the media glare turns to the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department: "I can tell you we are diligently, diligently pursuing different avenues, and Lord willing, we will have answers in the upcoming days," said Sheriff Nick Welden in a short presser where he took no questions, per CNN.
The story hit social media Friday when Amberly's mother, Jonie Barnett, posted on Facebook that "SOMEONE GOT MY DAUGHTER FROM MY SISTERS [sic] HOME" while the sister was out. "My sis had went to the store while her brother in law ... was outside working," she writes, adding that Amberly uncharacteristically left her cell phone behind and "a green SUV was seen leaving the driveway." Now a GoFundMe page has raised over $3,600 as a community grapples with the loss, AL.com reports. "I want to say this from the heart, being in this career, this job, the way we do it is 100% from the heart, and my heart is shattered this day in DeKalb County, Alabama," said Welden. Amberly had an Instagram page where her profile read, "Life is so fragile," per Heavy.com. (More murder stories.)
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