Authorities seek help from Colorado officials in search

Sunday, April 9th 2006, 11:42 am

By: News On 6

WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) _ With little experience in searching for a missing person, Woodward County authorities have tapped Colorado law enforcement officers for their expertise.

Searchers are scheduled to resume looking for the body of Logan Tucker at the Woodward County Landfill on Monday. High winds last week destroyed several tents at the search site and made digging through the area dangerous, officials said.

Logan Tucker's mother, Katherine Pollard, was arrested February 23 at her Washington County home and has been charged with first-degree murder.

Logan Tucker, then 6, was reported missing in July 2002, about the same time officials in Mesa County, Colorado, shifted their search for an Oklahoma native and her 6-year-old child.

A massive search was launched for Ardmore, Oklahoma, native Jennifer Blagg and her daughter, Abby, after Blagg's husband, Michael, reported the pair missing in 2001.

The search eventually centered on a landfill in Grand Junction, Colorado, Mesa County Sheriff's Lt. Dick Dillon told the Woodward News.

``We set a goal when we started digging to move 7,000 tons of debris and search through the tons of trash in the landfill,'' Dillon said. ``After we found the adult female our hopes were very high we would find her daughter but we never did, and after we searched through our goal amount we just had to walk away.''

Jennifer Blagg's body was discovered June 4, 2002, and officials ended their search for Abby Blagg on July 24, 2002. She is presumed dead.

``We in all actuality could still be out there looking for Abby with nothing still yet to show,'' Dillon said. ``We had to walk away, which never set well with us but there was a time we finally had to quit and move on because of the time and man hours we needed to be spending on other matters.''

Prosecutors charged Michael Blagg, a Persian Gulf War veteran, with first-degree murder in his wife's death. A jury convicted him in 2004 and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Woodward County Sheriff Les Morton said Mesa County officials provided advice, information and a videotape of their search.

``We plan to go as long as it takes,'' Morton said. ``We have searched so long and done so many searches that if we have to dig to China we will. We want to take our time and do a thorough search in order to give us the best chance of finding Logan.''

Test hole digging is expected to resume Monday to narrow down the search area in the 80-acre landfill, officials said.

Aerial photograph taken of the landfill in 2002 will be used to aid in the search.