Sunday to mark 1-year anniversary of Northfield 6-year-old’s disappearance
Elle Ragin, 6. Credit: Northfield Police Department
Sunday marks one year since 6-year-old Elle Ragin went missing, the Northfield Police Department announced.
RELATED: Northfield police asking for help finding missing 6-year-old
Despite following up on many tips and doing both ground and water searches around the state, the girl has not been found.
Northfield police are still asking for the public’s help in finding Ragin. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 507-645-4477 or submit a tip anonymously through CrimeStoppers.
The original call
Northfield police were called to a home in the 600 block of Maple Brook Court by an extended family member. They found 39-year-old Lisa Wade dead from an apparent suicide but couldn’t find her daughter, Elle.
Officers searched the home and surrounding area using K9 teams, drones and a helicopter but didn’t find the girl or any evidence outside the home.
In the initial investigation, police believed that Wade may have been involved in her daughter’s disappearance before taking her own life.
The timeline revealed in the investigation
June 19, 2022: The last time Elle was seen.
June 21, 2022: Cellphone records revealed that Wade drove from her home in Northfield to Mississippi River Park in Stearns County. Her cellphone turned off at around 3 p.m. and hasn’t turned on since.
June 23, 2022: A Stearns County deputy spoke with Wade in the park. She was alone and said she lost her phone and keys while hiking. The deputy helped her arrange a tow for the vehicle to a dealership in St. Cloud to get a new key made.
The week of June 25, 2022: Wade had contact with family members and seemed distressed.
July 2, 2022: Wade’s body is found in her home with no sign of Elle.
The search
When police learned that Wade had been at Mississippi River Park, teams of K9s, drones, dive teams, boats, underwater search drones and public safety search teams searched the park and the river.
Authorities found Elle’s cellphone on land, and Wade’s cellphone, purse and computer in the river. No other evidence was found during this search.
RELATED: Sheriff: Park search ends, public asked to watch shoreline for missing 6-year-old Northfield girl
Investigators have found videos of Wade between June 23 and July 2 at various locations, but Elle was not seen with her.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension crime lab analyzed evidence, but this hasn’t led to additional evidence to find Elle.