WHITEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities were working Sunday to identify two bodies found at a Mississippi residence associated with a man suspected of abducting a woman and her three young daughters.
The FBI has said two bodies were found over the weekend at a home connected to 35-year-old Adam Mayes in Guntown, Miss., but agents have released few other details. Authorities believe that Mayes abducted the woman, Jo Ann Bain, and her three daughters, ages 8 to 14.
On Sunday, forensic scientists with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation searched the garage and backyard at the Hardeman County, Tenn. home where Bain, her husband and their children lived.
An Associated Press reporter saw the agents searching before being told to leave the street where the home was located. Bain's husband declined to comment Sunday.
Meanwhile, a Bain family friend said Sunday that the woman and her daughters were moving to Arizona because two of the girls had asthma.
Linda Kirkland, a cook at the Country Cafe in Whiteville, Tenn., said that the Bains and their daughters were back in the Whiteville area taking care of some business after a death in the family.
Tennessee authorities said the family had not yet moved.
Bain had frequented the restaurant and never indicated anything was wrong.
"She seemed so happy," Kirkland said.
"Jo Ann and the kids, everyone loves them. We're just hoping to hear that they're safe."
Bain's daughters are 14-year-old Adrienne, 12-year-old Alexandria and 8-year-old Kyliyah. An Amber Alert has been issued for the girls, and Mayes is charged with kidnapping in Tennessee.
FBI spokesman Joel Siskovic said Sunday that efforts to identify the bodies continued on Sunday. He would not say if they were children. They were found late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
The Bains were last seen April 27 in Hardeman County, Tenn., which is about 70 miles east of Memphis. The woman's husband reported her missing, and her vehicle was found abandoned.
Authorities said Mayes was at the family's home on the night that Jo Ann Bain went missing late last month. They were trying to determine if Jo Ann Bain went with Mayes willingly.
Mayes was last seen Tuesday in Guntown, Miss., about 80 miles southeast of the Bains' Tennessee home. He'd been described as a family friend.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service announced Saturday a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the location of the missing victims and the arrest of Mayes.
Siskovic said 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. Siskovic said the bodies were found in Guntown.
Siskovic said authorities talked to Mayes early on in the investigation, but he fled when they tried to contact him again. The FBI says agents were not immediately aware of Mayes having a criminal record.
Melvin Herron, 42, lives next door to the Bain family in Tennessee. He recalled seeing the girls playing outside, running and going down water slides.
Herron said he had met Mayes on several occasions, and that the man apparently "thought the world of those little girls." Mayes often played softball and kickball with the children, Herron said.
Herron said he hoped the bodies found in Mississippi were not the girls or their mother.
"I'm praying to God it's not those little girls," he said.
Authorities had said that Mayes could be in Mississippi but that he has ties to Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
Authorities described Adrienne as a white girl with brown hair and eyes. She's 5 feet 4 inches tall and 129 pounds. Alexandria has brown hair and hazel eyes and is 5 feet tall and 105 pounds. Kyliyah has blonde hair and brown eyes and is 4 feet tall and 57 pounds.
Mayes has brown hair and blue eyes and is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds.
Authorities said Mayes may have cut his hair, as well as cut and dyed the girls' hair to disguise their identities.
Anyone with information is asked to call 601-987-1353 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.
___
Associated Press reporters Travis Loller in Nashville and Holbrook Mohr in Jackson, Miss., contributed to this report.