The Muskegon County sheriff said Tuesday that despite reports, a person arrested in connection to an attempted abduction in his county is not linked to the case of Jessica Heeringa, who has been missing for more than three years.
Heeringa, a gas station clerk, went missing April 26, 2013 right before she was set to close the Exxon Mobile station on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores, near Muskegon.
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According to a report Tuesday from WOODTV, a 16-year-old girl's description of an attempted abduction on April 16 this year involved a silver minivan which matches the description of the vehicle seen in the area when Heeringa went missing back in 2013. Moreover, the teen's description of the minivan's driver matched the one provided by police in the Heeringa investigation: a white male between 30 and 40 years old.
WOODTV reported the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed a suspect was taken into custody for the April 16 incident on West River Road near Green Creek Road, north of Muskegon. Sheriff Dean Roesler said Tuesday afternoon that this person is not connected to the Heeringa case, despite the earlier reports that investigators might be linking the cases.
Back in 2013, police said Heeringa, 25, may have known her abductor because there was no sign of a struggle. However, tests done on blood droplets found at the gas station came back positive for Heeringa's blood.
Listen back: Driver calls 911 after finding gas station unattended
A man called 911 when he arrived at the Exxon Mobile station and found it unattended.
"It's very suspicious that there's nobody here," he said. "I hollered, 'Hey!' you know, walked around the building. It's just, I don't know, I mean, they're supposed to be open ... the cashier is supposed to be there, but I don't see anybody."
Police were sorting through more than 2,000 tips in the case. But it's been three years and there is no sign of Heeringa or a possible suspect in the case. The investigation into Heeringa's case continues, Roesler said Tuesday.
Here is a surveillance image police released of what might be a suspect's vehicle in the case -- the silver minivan:
Watch: Surveillance video from bar which shows minivan
Police also released a sketch of a man who was considered a person of interest in Heeringa's case. Here is that sketch, which was released back in April 2013:
