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Frustrated Spotsylvania County officials continued today what so far has been a futile search for clues about two missing county girls.
Capt. Pat Sullins of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office said detectives will again be out in force talking to anyone who can provide even the slightest hint of what happened to sisters Kristin and Kati Lisk.
"It's been frustrating so far, but we're going to keep doing everything we can think of," Sullins said. "We can't just sit around and do nothing."
Police fear the girls may have been abducted.
A ground search was called off yesterday after officials determined there was almost no way the girls could be in the rural area near their home. Sullins said officials conferred with the girls' parents, Ronald and Patricia, before making the decision.
Kristin, 15, and Kati, 12, disappeared Thursday afternoon between 3 and 4. Both girls had apparently gone inside their home on Blockhouse Road after getting off separate county school buses.
Since Ronald Lisk called police about 5 p.m. Thursday and said his daughters were missing, nearly 1,500 people from numerous localities have been involved in one of the most intense searches ever in Virginia.
Over the past few days, searchers have covered practically every inch of a 12-mile radius around the girls' home, which is about a half-mile off Brock Road and not far from Spotsylvania Courthouse.
Hundreds of items were found and turned over to police, including surgical gloves, candy wrappers and even a Töshirt with blood on it. But so far, nothing has been even remotely connected to the Lisk girls.
"If we have anything significant, we don't know it at this point," Sullins said.
The most significant discovery over the weekend were the clothes Kristin wore to school Thursday. Since Kristin's book bag was found in the yard, police initially thought she may have never gotten inside.
Her clothes, however, were in her room and police have no idea what she changed into.
The fact that Kristin's book bag was in the yard is about the only suspicious sign left behind, Sullins said. But police aren't yet sure how suspicious it really is.
"While that was an unusual place for her book bag, it was not unusual for the girls to sit outside and do their homework on a nice day," Sullins said.
Some rumors making the rounds over the weekend turned out to be false, such as the one which had the Lisks' alarm sounding when Ronald Lisk got home. The alarm had been properly deactivated as usual, police said.
Another story getting widespread attention was that the Lisks' family dog is also missing. Police said later that there is no family dog.
The weekend searchers were aided by an outpouring of support from people and businesses in the community. Donated food and drinks were plentiful at the Spotsylvania Courthouse firehouse.
Patricia West, the state secretary of Public Safety, came to Spotsylvania Saturday morning to offer any available state resources. And prayers for the Lisks were spoken in many area churches yesterday.
Patricia Lisk's sister was at the morning service at Goshen Baptist Church, where the family regularly attends services. The Washington Post reported that she held back tears as she described how thankful the family was for the community's support.
"My family covets your prayers and support," she told the congregation packed into the church. "We are so grateful for Spotsylvania County. Their outpouring of love has sustained us. ... We're pulling upon the Lord through His scripture."
Ronald and Patricia Lisk have not spoken to reporters.
The ordeal took its toll on volunteers such as Jessica Stapleton, a 15-year-old friend of Kristin Lisk.
"I cried all day [Friday]," said Jessica, who searched along State Route 606 for three or four hours Saturday. "It was hard because you didn't know what you were going to find."
