Report: Arrest Warrant Issued In Sherrill Case

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INDIANAPOLIS -- An arrest warrant has been issued in the 1986 disappearance of a 6-year-old girl, just days after a woman contacted the girl's parents and said she might be their daughter, The Lebanon Reporter reported Wednesday.

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The newspaper, citing a source close to the investigation, reported the warrant was issued Tuesday.

Boone County Sheriff Dennis Brannon confirmed to RTV6's Vicki Duncan that an arrest warrant had been issued.

He said the warrant was sealed because police don't want the person's name released so they can make an arrest.

"I do believe it's a female, but other than that, I don't know," Brannon said.

Indiana State Police scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The issuance of a warrant comes after authorities sought DNA tests to determine whether the woman was Shannon Marie Sherrill, who vanished while playing outside her mother's Thorntown home.

Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer told the newspaper that Boone Superior Court Judge Matthew Kincaid heard information at a probable cause hearing late Tuesday afternoon.

Meyer said he could not yet comment on the specifics of the case and that the hearing and the records involved were not open to the public.

A message seeking comment was left Wednesday by The Associated Press at Meyer's office. State police and FBI officials would not confirm any developments in the case Wednesday.

Police are not releasing much information about the case, but police in Virginia Beach, Va., told an affiliate station of RTV6, WVEC in Norfolk, that they have been investigating whether a missing Indiana girl grew up in that area. Virginia Beach police said their probe, which started at the request of the Indiana State Police and included address checks, found nothing conclusive, WVEC reported.

Missing Girl's Father Hopes Woman Is His Daughter

The investigation gained steam Saturday when Mike Sherrill's estranged wife, Dorothy, received a call from a woman who said she may be their missing daughter. Mike Sherrill, too, spoke to the woman over the phone.

Mike Sherrill, who runs a Tipton gas station, told RTV6's Vicki Duncan about the call.

"I had a million questions for her, but when I finally talked to her, I went blank. (I) couldn't think of anything to say," he said. "I'm ready to meet my daughter."

Shannon Sherrill's 23rd birthday would be Aug. 12.

A massive search was conducted when she disappeared 17 years ago, but no trace of her was found.

Four years ago, police released a picture of what Shannon might have looked at the age of 19 (pictured, above).

Police have called a 2 p.m. news conference. Watch it live on RTV6 or here on TheIndyChannel.com.