Heartbreak: Naomi Jones found deceased

Kevin Robinson | Pensacola News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Volunteers flood streets in search of Naomi Jones Community volunteers poured through the Ferry Pass area Saturday, June 6, 2017, searching for any trace of Naomi Jones, a 12-year-old girl who went missing May 31, 2017.

The search for missing 12-year-old Naomi Jones ended in heartbreak Monday when the child’s body was found by fishermen Monday afternoon.

The investigation immediately shifted into a homicide investigation, said Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan, and persons of interest have been identified.

Naomi's body was found in Eight Mile Creek just before 4 p.m. by two men on their way home from work who stopped to scout out a fishing spot. The creek is four miles from Naomi's home and a mile outside the main search and rescue area.

Naomi had been missing since just after noon on Wednesday afternoon, when she was last seen publicly near her home at Aspen Village Apartments on East Johnson Avenue.

“We have reason to believe through all the activities that have occurred over the last five days that we now have sufficient information to pursue some individuals who are persons of interest, who may be involved not only in the disappearance of Naomi, but quite possibly may be involved with her homicide,” Morgan said.

Morgan would not confirm if the persons of interest are in custody or why they suspect Naomi was murdered.

When asked about motive, Morgan was visibly upset.

"I don't care why, you killed one of my citizens, that’s all I care about,” Morgan said Monday. “I will leave the why to the psychologists and the scriptwriters.

ECSO investigators are working with the FBI on a more definitive timeline of when she left her home. The last communication anyone had with Naomi was 12:21 p.m. in a cell phone call to a friend.

“We want to solve this crime and bring to justice the person who took Naomi’s life,” Morgan said.

Law enforcement officials followed up on more than 200 tips and scoured a three-mile radius in the search for Naomi that went around the clock, conducting more than 300 interviews and executing 30 search warrants, according to ECSO Chief Deputy Chip Simmons.

The FBI had 20-25 agents on the case, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement engaged its entire regional operation, numerous other local and regional agencies were assisting, including more than 200 community volunteers from all over the country, including tracking and cadaver dogs.

As of Sunday afternoon, the cadaver dogs had not hit on any triggers, Morgan said.

Naomi was set to enroll in Ferry Pass Middle School in the fall, and her mother described her as a witty, fun-loving, charismatic child.

In a press conference Monday morning, before the tragic discovery was made, Morgan called her an all-American girl who anyone would have been happy to have in their home.

“That’s the bright face you’d look at across the breakfast table every morning and give a kiss to before she goes to school,” he said. “To tell you these cases are heartbreaking is to state it in the minimum.”

Original story:

Law enforcement officials have followed up on more than 200 tips and scoured a three-mile radius in the search for a missing Pensacola 12-year-old, but are still no closer to locating her, Escambia County Sheriff's Office leadership said in a press conference Monday morning.

The search for Naomi Jones has been going around the clock since Wednesday, when the soon-to-be sixth-grader was last seen publicly near her home at Aspen Village Apartments on East Johnson Avenue.

In the days since, 200 law enforcement officers have conducted more than 300 interviews, executed 30 search warrants, searched a three-mile radius around Naomi's last known location and followed up on 200 community tips, according to ECSO Chief Deputy Chip Simmons.

More: Community can help in search for missing Naomi Jones

Despite the expanse of the search, investigators have run mostly into dead ends.

"What has happened is we have literally exhausted all of those (leads)," Sheriff David Morgan said during the press conference.

Morgan said as the search efforts stretch on, wearing down participating agencies' resources and stamina, at some point officials will have to make the difficult decision to start scaling back their efforts.

More: $20K reward offered for info on Naomi Jones' whereabouts

Simmons said the FBI has 20-25 agents on the case, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has engaged its entire regional operation, numerous other local and regional agencies were assisting, and community volunteers encompassed more than 200 personnel from all over the country, to include tracking and cadaver dogs.

"We are still acting as if this is a missing person, but at this point we really don't know what happened," Simmons said. "We are investigating this as if anything could have taken place."

Morgan said the Sheriff's Office had investigated the "obvious," checking with friends, neighbors and acquaintances. The search radius also included waterways, tree lines, culverts, ponds and other places where Naomi could have been injured, trapped or hidden.

On Monday, law enforcement maintained a heavy presence around Aspen Village Apartments. Deputies set up check points around the complex, stopping vehicles and asking motorists if they knew Naomi or were aware she was missing.

They sent each driver off with a flyer to keep on their dashboard.

More: Police search for missing Escambia County 12-year-old girl

Morgan said as local locations and leads were triple-checked, the search was expanding to surrounding communities.

"We're now at a juncture where, do we assess this case and say 'we're dealing with a no kidding abduction'?" Morgan said.

Simmons said the best thing the community could do to help was to keep spreading Naomi's photo and sharing information on her disappearance.

"We have not ruled out anything, so I think it's important to say to Naomi, 'If you're out there, please come home,'" Simmons said. "Naomi, if you're out there, if you're with Naomi, if you know where Naomi is, please give us a call and let us know, because her parents would sure like to see her come home, and so would we."

Naomi is a 5-foot-1-inch black female weighing approximately 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing a red tank top and American flag denim shorts. Her hair is black with pink strands.

The FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are each offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Naomi and the identification, arrest and conviction of the people responsible for her disappearance.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call 911, even if the information seems minor.