From the Associated Press-
Police in Arizona say they now believe the body of missing 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley was discarded in a Tempe dumpster and may be in a local landfill.
"We believe Jhessye Shockley's body was placed in a trash receptacle located in the city of Tempe prior to the report of Jhessye's disappearance," said Glendale Police Officer Tracey Breeden. "Our investigators know that trash from this location is removed to a transfer station and ultimately taken to the Butterfield Landfill located south of the valley."
Breeden said authorities have suspected for the past few weeks that Jhessye could be at the landfill and have been trying to determine the viability of a landfill search.
"That includes conducting analysis to determine the likelihood of success of recovering Jhessye's body. The decision whether to search will be finalized in the coming weeks," Breeden said.
Jhessye was reported missing on Oct. 11. The girl's mother, Jerice Hunter, 38, told authorities she left the little girl in the care of her other children while she ran some errands. She said the girl wandered away from her siblings and was missing when she arrived home.
Jhessye Shockley, 5, went missing on Oct. 11, 2011. On Dec. 21, police said the case is a homicide and added that they believe the girl's body was dumped in a Tempe trash receptacle days before her disappearance was reported
