Investigation into Death of Teen Moves to 'New Place'

Phylicia Barnes, the North Carolina teen who has been missing since December, has been found but the circumstances of her death continue to elude detectives.

City and Maryland State Police confirmed that one of two bodies pulled from the Susquehanna River about four miles south of the Conowingo Damn and 10 miles north of Havre de Grace was that of Barnes. The second body, that of a black man, remains unidentified.

"We're now at stage one of a new place in the investigation," Baltimore City Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, said during a Thursday night news conference at Maryland State Police headquarters in Pikesville.

Barnes and the unidentified man were pulled from the water within four miles of each other. Neither was wearing clothes at the time their bodies were found. Barnes was positively identified by her dental records.

Investigators will now focus their efforts on answering lingering questions about the last days of Barnes' life after she disappeared on Dec. 28.

“We’re going to continue to work as hard now, as we worked all those days since Dec. 28," Bealefeld said. "Our goal is to simply bring closure to Phylicia Barnes's family and figure out what happened and hold those responsible accountable.”

So far, there is no known cause of death for Barnes.

There were no indications of overt wounds Barnes body, according to medical examiners.

Police will also attempt to identify the man pulled from the water on the same day. Neither Bealefeld nor Maryland State Police Superintendent Terrence B. Sheridan would say definitively that the two bodies were connected beyond being found within hours of each other.

Also unknown is how long Barnes and the unidentified male had been in the water.

Sheridan said, according to medical examiners, "“it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility” both could have been in the water since December with the cold temperatures slowing decomposition.

Under such conditions, the bodies would "stay intact for a long time," Sheridan said.

Neither Bealefeld nor Sheridan would speculate on persons of interest or whether or not foul play was involved.

Investigators will return to the area where the bodies were found to begin the search for evidence, Bealefeld said. However, the scope of the investigation is being conducted at a national level as well.

Both bodies have been scanned for fingerprints, which are currently being process through the state's Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and also through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Center.

“Homicide investigators have notified police throughout the region about the recovered bodies," Sheridan said."We’re now working with the Baltimore Police Department homicide detectives and the ongoing investigation they had with Phylicia Barnes."

Barnes was from Monroe, NC, and was visiting her half-sister when she went missing from Northwest Baltimore three days after Christmas. Police have had few clues to work with.

The discovery of Barnes' body brings to an end a nearly four-month search that involved local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and covered areas outside the city including  search of Patapsco Valley State Park.

'We didn't limit the scope of our efforts to Baltimore City," Bealefeld said.

Bealefeld said he spoke to Barnes parents prior to the news conference.

"All of us prayed for a different outcome of  this case," Bealefeld said.

"It's horrible," he said. "It’s the worst possible news you could give to any mother and it’s the last bit of news that they’d ever want to hear. It’s a very difficult situation for everyone and horrible for that family.”