Father and son still missing; truck found

Authorities have located and recovered the bodies of Brian Floyd, 33, (left) and Harper Floyd, 10 months (right), who were reported missing Friday, July 25, 2014, in the Ouachita Mountains near Blue Mountain Lake in Yell County.
Authorities have located and recovered the bodies of Brian Floyd, 33, (left) and Harper Floyd, 10 months (right), who were reported missing Friday, July 25, 2014, in the Ouachita Mountains near Blue Mountain Lake in Yell County.

Authorities released new details Monday regarding a father and his infant son who went missing last week in the Ouachita Mountains near Blue Mountain Lake.

At a 3 p.m. news conference in Danville, Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey said deputies had found the truck Brian Floyd, 33, was driving with his 10-month-old son, Harper, inside before the pair went missing Thursday. Gilkey said the truck was found Monday afternoon off road, blocked in by trees, but authorities did not find Brian or Harper Floyd in the car. However, after interviewing Brian Floyd’s family and learning that he is an experienced outdoorsman, Gilkey said he is confident there will be a "happy ending" to this story.

When asked by a reporter, Gilkey refused to comment on Brian Floyd’s purported history of mental illness.

Brook Floyd, 21, who was with her husband and son before they disappeared, separated from them Thursday night for reasons still unknown, according to the incident report. Gilkey said that because she had been with the child earlier and then separated from him, authorities considered her actions to be a form of neglect.

Brook Floyd was arrested Sunday and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, a Class D felony carrying a maximum prison term of six years and up to a $10,000 fine, and hindering apprehension or prosecution, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $2,500, according to her arrest report. While she's still being interviewed by deputies, she's no longer in custody at this time, Gilkey said.

Gilkey commented that Brook Floyd had been helpful to investigators, and without her they may not have been able to find the truck so quickly.

Gilkey said the circumstances of the disappearance did not warrant an AMBER Alert, but he didn't elaborate.

The sheriff’s office along with the FBI, Arkansas State Police and the U.S. Forest Service are still searching the area south of Mount Magazine and urges the public to continue to avoid that area so the agencies can focus solely on the search. Gilkey said he would update the public again soon with another news conference.

Any possible sightings of Brian or Harper Floyd can be reported to (479) 495-4881.

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