A search for a 3-year-old girl in Bryan has shifted to a murder investigation, as police Saturday confirmed finding remains in the newly-tilled garden of the mother’s home.

“This is a very tragic outcome and not what we hoped for,” Bryan police chief Eric Buske said at a press conference Saturday.

Police searched all last week for Rayven Shields after her mother refused to cooperate when Child Protective Services and authorities began asking for the child’ whereabouts. Initially, police said Virginia Adams, 35, might have placed her daughter with someone else.

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As the investigation proceeded and Adams was arrested Wednesday for interfering in the search by refusing to cooperate, a cadaver dog was brought to the home and indicated remains in an area of the property converted into a garden. Buske said investigators Friday evening found remains “consistent with the size of a young child.”

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A definitive identification could take time, but police have already classified the case a homicide investigation.

“We believe the suspect had to be someone close to Rayven,” Buske said.

Though it will take further study to say how long the remains might have been present in the garden, Buske said it was his belief the girl likely had not been seen since mid-June, debunking an earlier belief that Shields went missing in late July.

Adams remains jailed on the earlier interference charges and police have not made any other arrests.

The case drew widespread attention as police searched for Shields, though officials said a lack of information led them to never issue an Amber Alert.

“An Amber Alert is used when there is specific information,” Buske said, citing officials never had a suspect vehicle of person tied to Shield’s disappearnance. “Putting a 3 year olds name up there wouldn’t really help.”

dug.begley@chron.com

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