Missing local children still sought
Aug. 19—GOSHEN — Three people apparently remain in police custody in Marshall County while the search for a missing baby, Mercedes Lain, is still underway.
This comes as a Nappanee teenager is also still missing after disappearing early Tuesday morning. Indiana Silver Alerts remain active in both cases.
Justin Miller, 37, apparently of Starke County, was found in Starke County, according to a South Bend Tribune report, and arrested early Monday morning after the Silver Alert went up Sunday, asking for help to locate him and 11-month old Mercedes Lain. The girl's mother, Tiffany Coburn, and father, Kenneth Lain, were also arrested as part of the case.
Mercedes Lain was last seen around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in Mishawaka, the FBI office in Indianapolis posted to Twitter on Wednesday after the agency became involved in the investigation. The tweet updated information that was originally released in the Silver Alert, which said Lain was last seen Aug. 12. The post also showed Lain was last seen wearing a white onesie with pink trim.
She's described as white, 2-feet tall and 19 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes. The FBI is working with Plymouth police, along with the Marshall County Sheriff's Office and the Indiana State Police in locating Lain.
Miller and the girl's parents were reportedly arrested on preliminary accusations of child neglect. Formal charges were apparently not filed in the case by Wednesday evening, according to court information online. The three are said to be in custody in Marshall County.
The Tribune report showed Kenneth Lain had placed the child in Miller's care as a babysitter, with Miller described as a family friend.
While the search for Lain remains underway, the FBI's Twitter account, the Silver Alert and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children all urge people to call either 9-1-1 or the Plymouth Police Department at 547-936-2126 if they have information on the girl's whereabouts.
At the same time, a Silver Alert also remains active in the search for Sara Shapland of Nappanee.
The 14-year-old was last seen around 3 a.m. Tuesday in the Nappanee area while wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, Nike sneakers and a multicolored backpack.
Shapland is described as white, standing 5'4" and weighing 140 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.
The Elkhart County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation into her disappearance, and she's believed to be in extreme danger.
Anyone with information on Shapland's whereabouts should call the sheriff's office at 574-533-4151 or 9-1-1 as well.
Shapland's case comes approximately four months after the disappearance of another teenager, 14-year-old Aalyiah Ramirez of Syracuse.
Ramirez's case will be profiled on the Investigation Discovery show "In Pursuit with John Walsh" at 10 p.m. tonight. The show is streamed at https://www.investigationdiscovery.com.
Ramirez went missing from Syracuse April 27, and a Silver Alert remains active as part of the search. The alert, issued, in April indicated Ramirez could have possibly been attempting to travel to Marion or toward Palm Beach County, Florida.
She is described as white, standing 5'9"and weighing 138 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Ramirez was last seen wearing a black zip-up jacket, gray and white sweatpants and a purple Nike backpack.
Aimee Ambrose can be reached at aimee.ambrose@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240316. Follow her on Twitter at @aambrose_TGN.
