Dad to go to trial in abduction/disappearance of infant daughter (Mason County, Michigan)

Dad SEAN PHILLIPS will be going to trial for the "disappearance" of his infant daughter. They baby went "missing" after Daddy abducted her.

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news/61632-trial-date-set-for-sean-phillips-new-search-nearly-completed?newsgroup_id=

Trial date set for Sean Phillips, new search nearly completed

Jennifer Linn Hartley - Staff Writer

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Four months after infant Katherine “Kate” Phillips was reported missing by her mother, a trial date for the baby’s father, who is accused of kidnapping her, was set and police are saying they are in the process of completing another land and water search related to the case. Sean Phillips, 21, of Scottville is scheduled to stand trial for charges of parental kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment Jan. 17-20 in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court.

Land and water search

Police again searched an area west of U.S. 31 south of railroad tracks between the highway and First Street that includes a small lake.

Barnett said the area had originally been searched with dogs during the summer, but local law enforcement officers wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to search the area with Ottawa County’s Remotely Operated Vessel, a device equipped with sonar video equipment that can search underwater. It has some ability to retrieve items located in the water.

Police searched the area Oct. 26 and continued Nov. 1. Barnett said about 5 percent of the water remains to be searched and expects that search to be completed by Friday.

Officers with the mounted division searched land area around that lake, Barnett said.

The search wasn’t conducted based on any new information.

“Basically it was the same thing (tip) that made us search it the first time,” Barnett said

About the case

Baby Kate was reported missing June 29 by her mother, Ariel Courtland, who has told police she last saw the baby in Sean’s car outside of her Tinkham Avenue apartment around 1 p.m. that day. Police located Sean several hours later at his parents’ Millerton Road home but Kate was not with him.

Information sought

Investigators are preparing for trial but are continuing to look for information on Sean Phillips’ whereabouts between 1 and 4 p.m. June 29. Additionally, Barnett asks that anyone who may have had discussions with anybody close to the case who may have information on Kate’s whereabouts to contact the Ludington Police Department at 843-3425 or Silent Observer at 888-STOP-CRIME to provide information anonymously.