HOWARD — Knox County Sheriff David Barber reported today his office has been receiving tips on the case of the four missing persons from Apple Valley.

“We appreciate the efforts of the news media to get out the information about these four people being missing and publishing their pictures,” he said. “We have received some information. Any information we are receiving is being followed up by the detectives at this time. Evidence is continuing to be collected at the site. [Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation] is not here yet this morning but they will be back later on today.”

Tina Herrmann, 32, her two children, Sarah Maynard, 13, and Kody Maynard, 11; and Stephanie Sprang, 41, have been missing since at least Thursday.

Barber said the BCI is processing the evidence they have collected to this point and the vehicles belonging to the two women. BCI will also be analyzing the blood samples collected at the site to determine if it belongs to more than one person and to see if identification can be made from DNA analysis. Barber did not have any kind of timeline on when there would be results from any of the evidence processing.

“I don’t want to speak for the BCI&I,” he said. “But they have made it a high priority case. We are hoping that the processing of all the evidence from the residence, and from the two trucks, will provide us with more information as to their disappearance.”

Barber pointed out that aircraft from the Ohio State Highway Patrol was on the case as he spoke at the scene.

“They are flying over this area with infrared scanners,” he explained. “We also have officers on quad-runners checking the areas around here.”

Barber said the continued use of airplanes and quad-runners would be “to look for any one or anything that may have gone away from the scene that might be relevant to the investigation.”

Barber said the case is still being considered a missing persons case and there should be no cause for alarm as to the safety of people in the area.

Barber did explain that although the sheriff’s office was making use of several different agencies, his office was serving as the lead investigation unit in the case.

“We are utilizing the FBI, for instance to analyze data such as credit card hits or computer-related information. The FBI has resources to check those kinds of things that we just don’t have,” he explained. “But our detectives are doing the day to day investigation. I have never been afraid to ask for help and I will partner with whoever can help us solve a case.”

Barber said some volunteer groups were searching the area around the Brown Family Environmental Center outside of Gambier where Herrmann’s truck was found Thursday night.

“That area had been thoroughly searched by law enforcement officers Thursday night,” Barber said. “We hope those folks, if they find anything unusual, back off from it and call the sheriff’s office immediately. We would also like to hear from anybody who had any kind of contact with any of the four of them on Wednesday afternoon. First we are trying to determine a time line for Wednesday, and second, we want to find out if anybody heard anything unusual from the four of them — if they had any concerns about anything they heard from them or anything about another person or family issues. If anyone has seen them or heard from them call (740) 397-3333, our dispatcher division or (740) 393-6800, our detective division.”

Barber said he is asking people to have a guarded, optimistic attitude about how this case will unfold.

After his official press conference, Barber talked exclusively with News Staff Reporter Kenesha R. Beheler.

“If they find anything unusual, such as clothing items or maybe something that looked like a sign of a struggle, with flattened down foliage — and God forbid — a body, we would not want them to touch anything. We ask they back away from the scene and immediately contact law enforcement,” said Barber.

Barber said he commends the efforts being made by the community to support the investigation but asks for caution be taken in this serious matter.

“They maybe so focused on trying to help that they are not being safe about it and fall through a hole, especially when they are going through terrain like this,” he said. “We do have a little bit of concern for them but we do appreciate the efforts.”

Mount Vernon resident Jana Wirick, two children, Bobby and Mandy, and friends, joined in Saturday’s community search effort.

“I just want to do something for the families,” Wirick said who brought food and drinks for the volunteers. “I didn’t want to be out searching but I wanted to help the people who were. I just hope they find something.”

Although she was glad to see someone in the community try to coordinate a search through Facebook and text messaging, Wirick wonders if more local residents would have been involved if law enforcement had organized the search parties.

“I cannot imagine, for one minute, anyone that I love in my life go missing, and not have everyone I know out looking,” she said. “I don’t understand why everyone wasn’t out there.”

Wirick attended Barber’s press conference earlier today and said she was surprised by some of Barber’s answers.

“He said in our everyday life we should be on alert and keep our kids guarded and not just because of what may have happened here. I want to feel safe,” she said. “I hope this doesn’t become another unsolved crime here in Knox County.”

georgeb@mountvernonnews.com