08-17-2012, 05:28 AM
WQOW
Burnett County Sheriff Dean Roland says Reena was discovered wandering in Danbury about 12 blocks from home on Tuesday. A neighbor found her and brought her to her parent's house. Hours later, she disappeared and was never seen alive again. Investigators say the girl's father was the last one to see her. He said she was playing outside, and he yelled out a window for her to get away from the water. Sometime after that, he couldn't find her and asked a nearby fisherman if he had seen the girl.
When the angler suggested that police should be called, the father allegedly said, "We don't need any cops," and walked away. The fisherman then notified authorities, prompting the search.
Hundreds of volunteers joined in that search. On Thursday, WQOW News 18 learned the girl's parents did not take part. Instead, they were at the nearby casino, which had offered them a free room after the sheriff's department took over their home during the investigation.
There was also a delay on Wednesday in announcing the girl's death because the sheriff's department couldn't locate Reena's mother to notify her. Sheriff Roland says she was in Siren shopping for shoes and a cell phone. Roland says he thought that was "kind of bizarre, but says people grieve in different ways."