Town festival 'not the same' with girl missing

MCCLEARY, Wash. - A little girl who vanished without a trace more than two weeks ago missed her 11th birthday this week - still with no sign of her.

The town where she lives celebrated its annual Bear Festival on Saturday - but it wasn't the same as in previous years.

Lindsey Baum is shown in a newly released photo.

Yes, there was a parade, and floats, and music - and flags waving. But there were also volunteers passing out flyers of the missing girl's photo.

"It's just getting harder and harder. I think every day that goes by, everybody just gets a little more upset," said Kim Paull, Lindsey's aunt.

John Munson of Olympia, who was there for the festival, agreed.

"It's just totally different, the atmosphere, it's just really something. It makes you want to cry," he said.

He and other visitors grabbed flyers from volunteers. "I'm gonna post them in Tumwater, Olympia and the Lacey area," he says.

That's exactly what McCleary police, the FBI and the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office want. Law enforcement personnel took advantage of the influx of visitors to familiarize people with Lindsey's plight.

"To get the word out. More people here, more people see the flyer, more people are aware of our situation here in McCleary," says the town's police chief, George Crumb.

Law enforcement was very visible on Saturday, hoping townspeople will talk to them about anything unusual.

Police also released new photos of Lindsey that were taken at a "Shop with a Cop" event last winter. They show a girl having a good time, with $100 to spend.

Her mother and this town still hold out hope, as exemplified on a sign at a local store that says simply "Hope & Pray."

"I feel her in my heart. And I know the statistics, but I know she's out there, and I know she's alive. And I want to her to know ... that I'm never going to stop looking for you," says Lindsey's mother, Melissa Baum.