Sheriff’s Department Searches Winfield
Pond For Missing Mother
Although local authorities are unsure of the whether or not she is alive or dead, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department and the Scott County Rescue Squad spent most of the day on Tuesday searching the depths of a one-acre pond located on a former mining site off E. Isham Road in Winfield for Christina Bussell, the missing mother of two last seen in the Winfield area on September 28, 2011.
“There’s been a lot of talk about an individual claiming that she is in that pond,” commented Scott County Sheriff Mike Cross. Cross, along with Detective Tommy Silcox of the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, patiently waited on the banks of the small pond, as Scott County Rescue Squad members David Brewster, Laura Cannon, and C.J. Webb systematically crisscrossed the pond. According to squad member Mike Chambers, who coordinated the effort from the shore, the trio was utilizing an underwater imaging camera to closely examine the floor of the pond, which was reportedly 10 to 15 feet deep. “The water was relatively clear,” commented Brewster.
The search effort wasn’t limited to above the surface. Squad member Michael Blaker, who is also a patrolman for the Oneida Police Department, donned scuba gear and dove into the bitterly cold water to take a closer look at objects of interest.
At the end of the day, authorities didn’t find anything associated with Bussell.
“We’ve followed up on a bunch of tips that we’ve found to be false leads,” commented Cross. Since Bussell went missing last September, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, along with other nearby law enforcement agencies, has spent hundreds of manpower hours trying to solve the mystery surrounding her disappearance.
Anyone with information pertinent to the case should contact the Scott County Sheriff’s Department at (423) 663-3111.