Missing girl's dad: Kidnap suspect "obsessed" with her
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. -- The father of a missing Tennessee girl says her uncle, suspected of abducting her, was "obsessed" with the child.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 9-year-old Carlie Marie Trent of Rogersville was reported missing May 4 after a non-custodial uncle, Gary Simpson, signed her out of school under false pretenses.
Officials say they believe the girl could be in danger.
The girl had previously been in the custody of Simpson and his wife, who both lived near the girl's biological father, said Josh DeVine, a spokesman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. However the father regained custody of her back in 2015, said DeVine. It is not clear why Carlie was living with the uncle or why she was returned to the father. Rob Johnson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, said in an email that he could not provide any details because of confidentiality laws.
"He had access to her every day -- he was obsessed with her," the girl's father, James Trent, told CBS affiliate WVLT. "He wanted her and he wanted her all to himself, and that's a scary thing to think about."
On Tuesday, law enforcement officials said Simpson bought a little girl's bathing suit, a pack of underwear, two bottles of nail polish, two tubes of women's colored lip gloss, and other items, before he fled with the child. Video surveillance released Tuesday shows the girl with her uncle in a checkout line at a Save-A-Lot store. Simpson can be seen purchasing large quantities of toilet paper, food and other items.
DeVine said that based on the way he was stocking up, Simpson has no intention of bringing her home anytime soon.
The TBI has issued an Amber Alert and received about 600 tips that involve possible sightings of the girl in 11 different states, DeVine said, but none of the sightings have been confirmed.
The Cooper County, Missouri, Sherriff's office also issued an Amber Alert for the girl on Tuesday after a possible sighting Monday on the Lamine River in Clifton, according to the sheriff's office Facebook page. Law enforcement swarmed the area with boats, aircraft and manpower, but the van spotted was not the same one that belongs to Simpson, officials said.
Officials believe Simpson may have taken the girl to a campsite or isolated area.
On Thursday, officials announced that Simpson had been added to the TBI's "ten most wanted" list, WVLT reported.
"Let me be abundantly clear, he had no intention to help this girl. We have specific and credible information that Carlie is in imminent danger of seriously bodily harm or death," DeVine told the station.
"Trust me, anyone who may be harboring Gary Simpson will be prosecuted to the fullest, and I do mean fullest, extent of the law."
Carlie is 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 75 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Simpson is balding, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 157 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. He often wears a hat. Both are white.
The reward for information in connection to the case now exceeds $40,000. If you have any information, you are asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.