CLAY COUNTY, W.Va. — West Virginia State Police were at a property in Clay County Tuesday to serve a search warrant in connection with a Braxton County woman’s disappearance from 2019.
Chandice Cochran was last seen on Aug. 20, 2019.
Members of the West Virginia State Police Crime Scene Unit were in the area of the 9100 block of Widen-Dille Road, according to one of the lead investigators in the case Sgt. Douglas Gordon. Gordon has not confirmed if anything was discovered during the search of a home and surrounding property there. Gordon said the property currently belongs to Jonas Shafer, but he does not reside there.
Investigators say Kristopher Speas, of Gilmer County, picked Cochran up in the afternoon of that day from Cochran’s home. Troopers believed the two went to the Birch River area of Nicholas County and were selling drugs.
The two ended up at the home of Sam Kelly. Investigators say it’s still unknown what happened after the two got to Kelly’s house.
Speas did have outstanding warrants for failing to register as a sex offender. He has since been arrested on charges unrelated to Cochran’s disappearance. Speas has been convicted in multiple counties including Nicholas counties for grand larceny, attempt to commit grand larceny and failure to register as a sex offender.
There’s still no proof that Cochran is alive or dead. Anyone with information relating to Cochran’s disappearance is asked to contact West Virginia State Police in Sutton at 304-765-2101.