STILL NO SIGN OF MISSING ETOWAH CO. TEEN

The 15-year-old has been missing more than three weeks.

Stone is featured on national Web sites for missing children. A special investigative unit from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been in contact with the Etowah County Sheriffs Department about assisting with a special investigative team, said Jeff Hopper, one of the investigators at the Etowah County Sheriffs Department working on the case.

Investigators have checked possible sightings and none have panned out.

In the stores where he was reported to have been spotted, investigators have looked at surveillance video and investigators do not believe the sightings are of Stone.

About 100 people helped with an intensive ground search on April 3 but nothing was found to lead to Stones whereabouts.

His home is in a rural area, with thick brush, briars and undergrowth, and the terrain has steep hills, caves and ravines. The search was in an area of about a 3-mile radius around Stones home.

It is believed Stone took no money or food with him when he left.

There has been no sign of Stone since he left his home on Littleton Cutoff Road about 12:30 p.m. March 24. He was reported missing by his stepmother, Lynn Stone.

Lynn Stone told authorities that he left walking about 12:30 p.m. when he became upset after she asked him to clean his room. His dogs were following him but they since have returned home.

She told authorities he has left home before but usually returned a short time later.

Stones parents have offered a reward for information.

Stone, a student at Sardis High School, has blue eyes and blond hair. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. He was wearing a light T-shirt under a plaid, long-sleeve shirt. He had on a light-brown Carhartt jacket, black shoes with red trim around the soles and a baseball cap. He has a pierced left ear and a scar on his left knee.