By  Seamus McGraw

September 26, 2006

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LEESBURG, Fla. (Crime Library) —  Investigators probing the disappearance of toddler Trenton Duckett came up empty again Monday after scouring portions of the Ocala National Forest for the 2-year-old's remains.

Authorities told reporters they returned to the forest after receiving several new tips, generated by a segment on the case that aired over the weekend on the popular television show "America's Most Wanted." Last week, authorities wrapped up a portion of the search after spending several fruitless days searching for Trenton. They had honed in on the forest because the boy's mother, Melinda Duckett, had claimed that she spent hours with him there before his Aug. 27 disappearance.

Melinda Duckett, who committed suicide on Sept. 8 after taping a contentious television interview with CNN and Court TV personality Nancy Grace, has been identified as the prime suspect in Trenton's disappearance. But so far, the investigation has not yielded a smoking gun conclusively linking her to the case, nor has it turned up information about Trenton's fate or whereabouts.

Authorities have acknowledged that they may never find Trenton, according to a report published in the Orlando Sentinel, and have scaled back the investigation, cutting by half the number of investigators assigned to the case.

But that has not dulled the public interest in the case.

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Contact Seamus McGraw at seamusm@ptd.net

Seamus McGraw

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