Police Searching for Missing 18-Year-Old in Ellington

Update: 9:30 p.m.

Rescue officials have pulled the majority of the volunteers searching for Heather Smith out of the woods for the evening.

Trooper 1, the state police helicopter, will be returning to the area later Sunday night to use infrared technology in hopes of finding the girl, who has been missing since Sunday morning. The infrared, similar to what was used in Boston during the manhunt for the marathon bombing suspects, detects heat emanating from a person's body.

Other rescue personnel will continue searching the roadways in the area using all-terrain vehicles throughout the night.

Officials have asked volunteers searching on the ground to return at 6 a.m. Monday.

Update, 8:20 p.m.

State Police Sgt. Patrick Sweeney said Heather Smith, daughter of Ellington firefighter Bob Smith, had been involved in an auto accident earlier in the day near Timber Lane and Tree Top Road, then fled the scene.

"We don't know the extent of her injuries or how serious the crash was," Sweeney said. "We are concerned for her safety based on the unknowns we have."

More than a hundred volunteers are combing the area looking for the missing girl.

Original Story

State and local law enforcement officials are searching for a missing 18-year-old Ellington woman in the area of Kibbe Road off Route 83.

Connecticut State Police issued a silver alert for Heather Smith earlier today. The search could spill over into the Soapstone Mountain property, according to a law enforcement source.

According to state police, Smith was last seen earlier Sunday wearing a pink Aeropostale t-shirt and black leggings with the word "pink" on the back. She is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 90 pounds, and she has brown hair and hazel eyes.

If you have any information on her whereabouts, please contact state police at 860-896-3200. Check back with Patch for more details as they become available.