A sheriff told the Texarkana Gazette that assistance has been called because the investigation “needs priority.”
The bodies of three sisters were found in a private pond in Texas on the early morning of July 30 and investigators are working to figure out what happened.
Temari Oliver, 5, Amiyah Hughes, 8, and Zi’Ariel Oliver, 9, were reported missing from their family's house on State Highway 77, outside of Atlanta, TX, at around 11 p.m. on July 29, according to the Texarkana Gazette.
Deputies, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Cass County Emergency Services District No. 2 responded to the call made by who authorities believe is a friend of the girls’ mother and searched the area, the Texarkana Gazette wrote.
According to the newspaper, searchers discovered evidence that directed attention to a body of water on nearby property, roughly 200 yards from the girls' home.
"A pair of shoes was found at the edge of the pond, leading investigators to search the water," Sheriff Larry Rowe told the Texarkana Gazette.
A dive team was called in and the three children’s bodies were found around 3 a.m. on July 30.
"We have no idea what the girls were doing there," Rowe told the newspaper.
The sheriff told the Texarkana Gazette that assistance has been called because the investigation “needs priority.”
According to investigators, the newspaper reported, the cause of the siblings' deaths remains unknown.
No criminal charges have been filed as of yet.
