The search for a missing three-year-old girl in North Carolina was set back on Wednesday, when a potential lead in the case was thrown out.
Late Tuesday, the FBI released three pictures of a woman walking through a Morehead City, North Carolina Walmart on Monday – with a toddler who looked like missing Mariah Woods.
But on Wednesday, authorities said they have confirmed that the child in the picture is not Mariah and that the woman has no connection to her disappearance.
Mariah was reported missing around 6am Monday morning, when her mother went into her bedroom to wake her up and found she was gone.
An investigator in a Hazmat suit was seen searching under Mariah Woods’ home on Wednesday, as the search for the missing three-year-old girl entered its third day
NCIS Marines from nearby Camp Lejeune helped in the search for the girl on Wednesday
The FBI’s child abduction team has been brought in to lead the search for the girl
Some investigators were focused on what appears to be a nearby abandoned house on Wednesday
Mariah Woods was reported missing early Monday morning when her mother went to wake her up and found her missing from her bed
The last time her mother, Kristy Woods, saw her was at 11pm the previous night, when she tucked her in for the night.
She says the last person to see her daughter was her live-in boyfriend, Earl Kimrey, who says he told the girl to go back to bed when she came out of her room around midnight.
Police went to see the girl’s biological father, Alex Woods, who said she was not with him.
On Tuesday, Alex told WCTI reporters that he first learned his daughter was missing when the Amber Alert was issued on Monday.
The FBI released these images late Tuesday, showing a woman they want to question in the disappearance of three-year-old Mariah Woods. The picture has since been debunked and authorities say the toddler in the picture is not Mariah
He said the last time he had seen Mariah and her two brothers was about a year ago, when he got custody for a month while Child Protective Services investigated an incident.
He said he’s not convinced that Mariah was abducted.
On Wednesday, law enforcement stepped up the search around the house and in neighboring woods.
Dozens of NCIS marines from nearby Camp Lejeune congregated at the trailer park and were seen walking up and down the road in a uniform manner.
An investigator was also seen donning a Hazmat suit to search under the house.
Meanwhile, other investigators were focused on a nearby body of water and abandoned house.
The FBI’s child abduction team is working with local authorities and the NCIS to investigate the disappearance.
Authorities plan to release more information on the search for the girl at an afternoon press conference.
Mariah’s biological father, Alex Woods (right), said he didn’t learn about his daughter’s disappearance until the Amber Alert was issued on Monday. He hasn’t had custody of her for a year. He’s pictured above with his girlfriend
In a tearful address to reporters on Monday, the girl’s mother seemed to believe someone had abducted her girl.
‘Please, bring her back … She’s my baby, she’s my everything,’ the mother of three said. ‘Just to be able to touch her and hold her and not let her go again. I’d give anything.’
Kristy Woods says that her daughter usually wears orthopedic braces on both of her legs and has trouble walking without them.
On Monday, Mariah’s mother Kristy Woods issued a tearful statement to reporters, asking whoever is responsible for her daughter’s disappearance to return the girl
Woods’ live-in boyfriend Earl Kimrey (left, with Woods) was the last to see the girl alive
Kimrey and Woods are pictured above with Woods’ three children (including Mariah, being held by Woods)
She says she calls Mariah ‘an angel’ because she unexpectedly got pregnant with her after she got her tubes tied.
‘This is my world, this is my angel,’ said Woods. ‘She was sent to me for a reason. This is my everything besides my boys, the love that I have for this girl. The bond that I have ..is my life. please, just don’t take that.’
Woods’ boyfriend has not been officially identified, but her Facebook profile says she’s in a relationship with a man named Earl Kimrey.
A photo on his profile shows him posing with his girlfriend and her children. The profile also says they started dating in July 2015.
On Monday, police searched the woods surrounding the couple’s home in a mobile home park.
They say there was no sign of a forced entry, but the back door of the home was left unlocked overnight.
Kristy Woods says she last saw her daughter Sunday night at 11pm, when she tucked her into bed at the home she lives in with her boyfriend and children
Kristy Woods said her boyfriend saw the girl once more, at midnight, when she came out of her room and he told her to go back to bed. Above, search crews on Monday
Mariah was officially reported missing Monday morning around 6am, when her mother went into the room and saw she was gone
Investigators searched the home, the family’s car and the woods around the home on Monday. Above, an investigator packages evidence on Monday
Sheriff Hans Miller says it’s too soon to know what happened to the girl
Law enforcement officials also searched the home and the family’s car for evidence.
They say they found some items of interest in the woods behind the home, but are unsure if it’s connected to the girl’s disappearance yet.
The FBI is now assisting local and state law enforcement in the case.
Mariah is described as a white female with brown hair and blue eyes. She stands at about two-feet-nine and weighs 30 pounds.
Sheriff Hans Miller said his officers are ‘working everything that can be worked to find this little girl.’
‘We don’t know what happened. It’s entirely premature to try to determine what happened,’ Sheriff Miller said.
Anyone with information on Mariah’s disappearance are being asked to call the Onslow County Sheriff at 910-455-3113 or 911 locally.
Anyone with information on Mariah’s disappearance are being asked to call the Onslow County Sheriff at 910-455-3113 or 911 locally