fbi.gov
Jo Ann, Adrienne Bain, Alexandria and Kyliyah Bain
By Jim Gold, msnbc.com staff
Two bodies have been found in Mississippi during the search for a missing Tennessee woman and her three children “in extreme danger,” authorities said Saturday.
The bodies were found as federal search warrants were carried out at Mississippi residences associated with Adam Mayes, 35, charged with abducting Jo Ann Bain and her children, FBI spokesman Joel Siskovic told The Associated Press.
The missing Bain girls are Kyliyah, 8, Alexandria, 12, and Adrienne, 14. They were last seen April 27 in Hardeman County, Tenn. The woman's husband reported her missing and her car was found abandoned, the FBI said.
Miss. Dept. Of Public Safety / AP
Adam Mayes, wanted in the disappearance of Jo Ann Bain and her three daughters, is considered "armed and extremely dangerous," officials say.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the location of the missing victims and the arrest of Mayes.
"Information has been developed during the investigation that the children may be in extreme danger,” the Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said Saturday.
The FBI said arrest warrants were issued for Mayes, who "is considered armed and extremely dangerous," according to state officials.
Authorities were not able to positively identify the bodies, Siskovic told the AP.
NBC station WTVA of Tupelo said the bodies were found in Union County, in the Alpine community, northwest of Tupelo.
Mayes was last seen Tuesday in Guntown, north of Tupelo, the FBI said. He had been described as a family friend.
Authorities are trying to determine if Jo Ann Bain went with Mayes willingly, Siskovic said.
Officials contacted Mayes early in the investigation, but he later fled when authorities tried to contact him again, the FBI said in a statement.
Mayes may have changed his and the Bains’ appearances by cutting his hair and cutting and dying the girls’ hair, the FBI said.
Siskovic told the AP that the bodies were found in a residence, but it wasn't clear if it was a house, mobile home or apartment. He also wasn't sure if the residence belonged to Mayes or an acquaintance.
Authorities had said that Mayes could be in Mississippi but that he has ties to Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert on Saturday morning, and Tennessee authorities had also issued an alert.
Authorities asked anyone with information on the case to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
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