A sad discovery has been made in Cass County, Texas. The bodies of three young girls were uncovered in a pond near their home. The bodies belonged to Temari Oliver, age 5; Amiyah Hughes, age 8; and Zi'Ariel Oliver, age 9.
On Friday, July 29, 2022, at around 11 p.m., a family friend who was babysitting the girls while their mother was at work reported the girls missing from their home. The girls' house is located on state Highway 77 outside of Atlanta, Texas. A team quickly began searching for the girls to no avail.
The search led to the pond. Shawn Hervey, a Texas game warden, told Fox 13, “We located items of clothing around a pond and in a pond. So, we centered the search around that small body of water, and with the use of divers we were able to recover three victims at approximately 2 a.m. this morning.” The bodies were discovered on Saturday, July 30, 2022.
Much is still unclear at this time. It is not known why the girls were out and at the pond. Larry Rowe, Cass County sheriff, stated to the Texarkana Gazette, "We have no idea what the girls were doing there.”
It is also unknown if the girls were familiar with the pond or if they could swim. Lieutenant Game Warden Jason Jones told Fox 13, “That is unknown, whether they were swimmers or not. None of them had life jackets on, so I don’t know how strong of swimmers they were or if they were swimmers at all.”
The investigation has been turned over to the Department of Public Safety's Texas Rangers. Jones also stated that autopsies will be performed on the girls' bodies. It is hoped that this will help get answers to the many questions remaining.
No charges have been filed. The investigation is still ongoing. At this time, there is no immediate suspicion of foul play. Rowe told Texarkana Gazette, "Nobody has been accused of anything."
