Hannah Brim was five months pregnant when she went missing in January, according to a Gainesville Police incident report.
It’s been about three weeks since her disappearance, and police believe Brim, 23, may be dead.
“We have forensic evidence that leads us to believe with very little doubt that she is no longer alive,” said GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias.
On Thursday, about 150 officers from seven departments searched for Brim in the woods of Orange Heights, according to a press release from GPD and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. GPD handled the criminal portion of the investigation, Tobias said, and the sheriff’s office coordinated the search.
“Any time that, you know, we have reason to believe that other departments have some skills they could lend us, then we’ll do that, especially in a case like this, where we believe we’re looking for a body,” Tobias said.
As of press time, Brim has not been found. Apart from undisclosed evidence, the only lead police have is Nelson Armas, 28, who authorities believe was the last to see Brim, Tobias said. While Armas is not a suspect, police have questioned him. He is currently in the Alachua County Jail on an unrelated charge of domestic battery.
“We’re calling Mr. Armas a person of interest,” Tobias said.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
