AURORA, Colo. – A missing 6-year-old girl, who police say may have been dead for over a year, was reported missing less than two hours after a social worker visited her father's home last week, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Catholic Charities President Jim Mauck confirmed the Nov. 14 visit, but refused to provide details. The annual visit was to help determine if the family remained eligible for financial assistance, the Rocky Mountain News reported.
Aarone Thompson's father reported her missing that same day, telling authorities she had run away after an upsetting event.
Police said they called off their search for the child after three days following a tip from "a person with very close ties to the family" that led them to believe she was dead.
Interim Police Chief Terry Jones has said the girl may have been killed as long as 18 months ago. Her seventh birthday would be Nov. 30, but she hasn't been enrolled in school, and police said they didn't find photos of her in the home beyond about the age of 4 1/2.
Her father, Aaron Thompson, and his girlfriend have been described as "persons of interest."
Sam Riddle, a family spokesman, said Thompson denies any role in his daughter's disappearance.
On Wednesday, investigators searched Thompson's home for false walls or concealed spaces where a body might be hidden. They have also interviewed other children who lived in the home and searched the property with cadaver dogs for any sign of the little girl.
About 100 volunteers, led by members of The Alie Foundation, which helps in missing children cases, planned to renew the search for Aarone on Friday.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox