Volunteers, dogs join search for missing soldier

Pfc. Kelli Bordeaux was last seen early on April 14 leaving Froggy Bottoms on Ramsey Street in Fayetteville. Officials at Fort Bragg reported her missing to Fayetteville police two days later when she didn't show up for duty.

Since then, police have questioned those who might have seen her at the bar, and her family has made several pleas for information through the media. Both efforts continued Saturday.

Volunteers began the day at Bordeaux's apartment and searched, using cadaver dogs, many of the locations already covered by the Fayetteville Police Department.

Although Police Chief Tom Bergamine said the search is at square one without any solid leads, none of the parties was ready to give up.

"We will continue until we find Kelli," said searcher Chris Sayre. "Most of us are military, prior military or military spouses. We are very driven to find one of our own."

Bergamine said that detectives are still treating Bordeaux's disappearance as an active missing person's case but that they have "grave concerns" about her well-being.

A man who told police that he gave Bordeaux a ride home from the bar was arrested Friday on a charge of failing to provide his new address to Cumberland County authorities because he is a registered sex offender.

Police haven't said whether they suspect the man, Nicholas Holbert, had something to do with her disappearance. 

Matt Henson said Friday that he was frustrated by the slow progress in the case but was confident that investigators were doing all they could to find his sister.

"It's so unimaginable to wake up every day and this is the reality," he said. "It's a horrible thing, but now you just hope that she's being held hostage somewhere."

Bordeaux is a combat medic with the 44th Medical Brigade.

Police have set up a hotline, at 910-433-1114, for people to provide leads in Kelli Bordeaux's disappearance to investigators.