Search halted for missing 2-year-old

Eva Guerra, whose 2-year-old daughter is missing, breaks out in tears as she looks for the girl Monday afternoon.

Smyrna police are investigating whether Analyce Guerra wandered away from her home or is the victim of a crime. A regional Amber Alert was issued for the girl.

The toddler disappeared from her family’s apartment sometime between 11:30 p.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday, when her mother said she awoke and couldn’t find the girl. The other four children, all older than Analyce, were unharmed and at home.

Investigators have questioned the mother, Eva Guerra, relatives and neighbors but haven’t found any suspects in the case.

“We are no longer doing any active searching,” Sgt. Ken Hampton said.

Guerra said she discovered the front door to the apartment was unlocked when she began looking for the girl.

“She’s gotten out before, but she doesn’t go very far. I don’t think she would wander in the dark,” Guerra said.

“It’s very suspicious,” Hampton said, pointing out that investigators have found no traces of the child and no witnesses who saw her. “That concerns us.”

The mother was taken to the hospital Tuesday. Family members said she collapsed from the stress over her missing daughter.

The girl’s father, Nehemias Guerra, has been separated from Analyce’s mother for 18 months. He said he last saw his daughter two or three weekends ago.

“I know she is still alive,” the father said. “We’re going to find the baby.”

The child is described as 3 feet tall and 35 pounds. She was last seen wearing an overall denim dress with sunflowers and beads, and her shoulder-length hair was in a ponytail. She understands both English and Spanish, the family said.

Police said many potential witnesses in the apartment complex speak only Spanish, slowing the interviews because the force has a limited number of bilingual officers.

Nashville Police and the Tennessee Highway Patrol performed several helicopter searches of the area Monday.

Officers with dogs and some 80 volunteers searched a 2-square-mile area five times, including fields and drainage basins. Searchers also looked along the banks of a creek about 500 yards from the complex.

Tom Harmon was one of the volunteers who asked police if he could help after seeing a TV report about the girl’s disappearance.

“This was a lot more important than going to work this morning,” said Harmon, who is self-employed and a graduate of the Citizens Police Academy offered by Smyrna law enforcement.

“We’ve had a whole lot of volunteers and boy, do we appreciate that, but right now, the difficulty is finding new places to search,? Sgt. Scott Byers said.