Search suspended for 6-month-old California girl; dad named person of interest

FILE: This undated Graham family photo shows 6-month-old Ember Skye Graham. The search for the missing baby is in its fifth day in Northern California, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said. (Steven Graham/Record Searchlight via AP)

The search for a missing 6-month-old girl is being suspended Wednesday after six days because authorities in Northern California reportedly said inconsistent stories from her father have hurt the search effort.

About 60 family members, volunteers and search teams from several law enforcement agencies continued their search for 6-month-old Ember Skye Graham of the community of Happy Valley, which is south of Redding, Shasta County Sheriff officials said.

The focus is on the baby's father, Matthew Ryan Graham, who's in jail on an unrelated probation violation stemming from driving under the influence and a forgery conviction, the Shasta Sheriff's Department said in a news release Monday.

"Matthew showed very little remorse for the disappearance of his daughter," Sgt. Pat Kropholler said, according to The Los Angeles Times. "At no time during the eight-plus hours that he was with detectives did he ever inquire what was being done to find her."

Graham, 24, reported the baby missing the morning of July 2, saying he last saw her in her crib the night before.

He became a person of interest in his daughter's disappearance after giving inconsistent statements to investigators.

"He is not telling us exactly where he was," Sheriff's Lt. Dave Kent told reporters.

Graham has been uncooperative and hasn't made any efforts to clear his name. He hasn't been charged in the baby's disappearance, the sheriff's office said in a news release Monday.

The baby suffers from a seizure disorder and needs medication for her condition. The office is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who could provide information on Ember's whereabouts, the sheriff's office said.

Authorities also are asking for anyone who may have seen Graham's dark blue pickup truck parked or driving in the area July 1 to come forward.

The infant's mother, Jamie Graham, told the Record Searchlight she's focused on finding the girl and has seen no evidence her husband did anything wrong.

"We're not looking for a body," Jamie Lee Graham said. "We're looking for anything that can hint where she's at."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.