Investigation Into Missing Woman Still Ongoing
STOCKTON, Calif. (CBS13) -- A person of interest in the disappearance of a Stockton woman said Thursday he hopes she returns home safely, even as investigators spent the day searching a section of the Calaveras River.
Jason Gilley, 25, briefly spoke to reporters outside his home Thursday afternoon and said he had nothing to do with 23-year-old Dalene Carlson's disappearance earlier this month.
"I wish Dalene a safe return home," Gilley said. "I hope [authorities] find the person responsible."
Stockton police officers and San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies carefully combed a section of the Calaveras River, just a few blocks from Gilley's house, after investigators developed information that made it "pertinent to search this area," according to Stockton Police Officer Pete Smith.
"The longer this investigation grinds on, we have to more and more suspect that there might have been foul play and look to recover what would be her deceased body," Smith added.
Posts from relatives on a Facebook page dedicated to the search for Dalene said searchers found one of the flip-flops the missing woman was wearing the night she disappeared, but authorities would not confirm or deny the claim.
Carlson was last seen with Gilley at a Stockton cocktail lounge and supermarket early in the morning on August 7. Gilley was arrested and detained for a few days, but prosecutors declined to file charges against him due to a lack of evidence.
The search on the Calaveras River ended Thursday without any significant developments in the investigation, authorities.
Gilley remains a person of interest in Carlson's disappearance but authorities are also questioning others in the case.
