By Erica Solvig and Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PERRY TWP. - Police are in Brown County farmland digging out the concrete floor of a pole barn, searching for a body this evening. They would not confirm that they believe it is the body of Carrie Culberson, last seen in 1996.

The digging began into the concrete floor of the 30-foot-by-40-foot barn late Thursday, and authorities returned this morning with heavier equipment. Authorities obtained a search warrant after a cadaver dog reacted at the scene, said Brown County Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger.

The family of Culberson, who has been presumed dead for years, awaits at the Fayetteville-Blanchester Road site.

"I'm just doing what I do best, just waiting," Culberson's mother, Debbie Culberson said as she stood in the rain and watched police swarm the property. "If it turns out to be Carrie, then that's what we want. But if it isn't, we'll wait some more."

Culberson and her attorney, Al Gerhardstein, had been on their way to a memorial dedication in her daughter's hometown of Blanchester when a friend called to tell her police were digging for a body.

Officers from Clermont, Clinton and Brown counties as well as the FBI are on site at 21962 Fayetteville-Blanchester Road, where Jarrod Messer reportedly had lived before being arrested on drug charges. The property is owned by Jeanette G. Spangler, but local authorities said they didn't have any information about her.

There also is a house and a number of junk cars on the property.

Messer is believed to be a friend of Culberson's boyfriend, Vincent Doan, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering her. The 22-year-old Culberson disappeared in August 1996, but her body was never found. Doan has repeatedly refused to answer questions about where Culberson's body might be. Doan is serving a life prison term.

The search warrant was issued Wednesday by Municipal Judge Thomas Zachman, but has been sealed, according to Sgt. Tammy Dillinger with the Brown County Sheriff's Office. Wenninger said he couldn't elaborate on what led authorities to the property.

"A lot of information has been gathered and we do act on tips that come about," he said.

James Turgal, Special Agent in charge of the FBI's Cincinnati office, said federal agents were there "with a number of tools and with expertise."

Authorities said they will continue digging Saturday if needed.

Doan's father, Lawrence Baker, was acquitted of allegedly helping the cover-up. But Tracey Baker, Doan's half-brother and another of Baker's sons, is serving an eight-year sentence for helping cover up the crime.

Blanchester police have been criticized for not securing the area around a pond owned by Doan's family, where it was suspected that Doan put Culberson's body before removing her. Search dogs had indicated a body could be there in September 1996.

Former Blanchester Police Chief Richard Payton has denied he waited to drain the pond so Doan's relatives could remove the body. Payton was convicted of a misdemeanor for hampering the investigation.The memorial dedication in Carrie Culberson's honor that was planned this afternoon in her hometown of Blanchester has been canceled.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com and jprendergast@enquirer.com