Police examine new video, search for witnesses

Police examine new video, search for witnesses

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By KOMO Staff

TACOMA, Wash. -- Two people were seen at a bus stop near the home of 12-year-old Zina Linnik around the time she disappeared, according to Tacoma police.

Spokesperson Mark Fulghum said the two were seen at the bus stop at 25th and South 'J' Street before and after the time the girl disappeared. Police are now trying to find the two people in hopes they may have new clues that could aid the investigation.

Police said they've also obtained video footage that may lend a clue.

"Now we have video to review from neighborhood cameras that may show the suspect or the vehicle for us," Fulghum said, "so everything is still moving forward in a positive way."

On Wednesday, police issued an Amber Alert for Zina, who may have been taken by a man driving a gray van near her home.

Police said Zina was walking in an alley behind her family's home Wednesday night in the 2500 block of South J Street when someone heard the girl scream. The witness told investigators that he looked in the alley and saw a man get into an older gray van and drive away.

Zina's sister, Svetlana Linnik, said the man who heard the screams was her dad.

"First he drove past my sister's and he came this way, and my sister was here yelling because she was scared because of fireworks," she said. "I didn't hear the yell, but my dad said he heard it and he came out here, and he just saw the van speed off."

The license plate of the van contains the numbers 1677, but a complete license number was not available.

A professional search and rescue team, as well as numerous volunteers have been combing Zina's neighborhood since her disappearance. Nearly 60 people have been looking for the missing girl.

Carol and Tawny Snyder volunteered to go door to door and pass out fliers in Tacoma's tough hilltop neighborhood.

"I grew up on these streets. I know what these streets are like, and I don't want any other child to go through what I went through as a child," Tawny Snyder said. "It's going to be up to us as a community to keep an eye out and look for her."

The searchers have been scouring greenbelts along side roadways, as well as overgrown lots and abandoned buildings.

"Something that's under the blue tarp in the back yard, or go out and its not secured or is not used," Fulghum said. "Anything unusual, give us a call, we can work on as many- actually all the leads we can get."

Some of Zina's seven brothers and sisters initially believed the suspect was the young man whose mother lived just a few doors down. Police said they did not issue an Amber Alert immediately because they knew where to find him.

"Eventually we were able to locate him, but through talking with him for a couple of hours he and his van were eliminated," said police spokesman Mark Fulghum. "So we had to go back and redevelop some information so we had enough to put out."

Twelve hours after the disappearance, the Amber Alert was issued. Since no one actually saw the girl get pulled into the van, tracking dogs and searchers are checking the neighborhood in case she left or was taken by foot. Police are looking for tire tracks that the van might have left and also searching all suspicious vehicles.

Raymond Dinger was one of the men police approached. Dinger said police questioned him and searched his two vehicles."

"Everybody who's living in motor homes and stuff like that, living on the streets are under suspicion and I can't blame the authorities for doing their job," he said.

Early Thursday, bloodhounds tracked her scent to an empty door just a few doors away, but there was no sign of Zina.

Police said they have little to go on.

"Just the scream, the van driving out of the area we don't have anything else other than that. The family has no reason to think that they would take the girl or who would take the girl. She's not, (from) what we can tell, a runaway risk. So not a lot to go on," Fulghum said.

Late Friday night, police searched an area home after three different bloodhounds picked up a scent at the home. A thorough search, however, did not turn up anything suspicious or any signs of Zina, police said.

"It's really actually tough. Hopefully everything goes fine and everything is... somebody finds her or something," Stan said.

Zina is 4 feet 10 inches tall, with blond hair and weighs about 80 pounds. She had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a pink T-shirt with pink and orange capri pants and red flip-flop sandals.

The person driving the van was described only as an Asian male.

Anyone who sees Zina or the van is asked to contact police at (253) 830-6508. In the meantime, The Washington State Patrol Troopers Association is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Zina. The Tacoma Police Department and the FBI are together offering an additional $10,000 reward.

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