Arkansas State Police (ASP) are searching for two missing siblings, last seen on Saturday.

A missing/endangered children advisory was shared by ASP late Sunday on social media for Marcus Epps Jr. and Armonii Epps. Marcus is described as an 11-year-old Black male with brown eyes and black hair. Armoni is a seven-year-old Black female, with black hair and brown eyes also.

The pair were reportedly last seen at their grandfather’s residence in Camden, Ouachita County at around midnight on Saturday, when their mother, Keibreana Mitchell, removed them from the home.

Police said Mitchell does not have custodial rights to the siblings, and her whereabouts are unknown.

A warrant was issued for the mother’s arrest on two counts of kidnapping.

ASP has urged anyone who sees the children or has knowledge of their whereabouts to contact the Camden Polic Department at (870) 836-5755.

Newsweek has contacted Arkansas State Police for comment and additional information via email.

Last month, an AMBER Alert in Arkansas was cancelled after a missing teen was safely located following reports she had travelled to Texas with a 30-year-old man whom police said she met online.

16-year-old Autumn Nicole Lyon was believed to have been travelling with Adrian Garces, 30. He was taken into custody in Texas and charged with Interference with Custody.

A separate AMBER Alert in Arkansas for a missing three-year-old boy was also cancelled last month. Believed to have wandered off alone, the infant was safely located.

Approximately 664,776 people went missing on average in the U.S. between 2007 and 2020, according to the federally funded National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUS) database. That translates to around 6.5 missing persons for every 100,000.

According to NamUS, there are currently 25,127 missing cases open across America. NamUS say this in not reflective of the true number – only those that have been voluntarily reported.

Each day, around 2,300 Americans are reported missing.

“In general, there is no federal requirement for reporting missing persons cases to NamUS. So, without mandatory reporting by law enforcement, the number of actual missing persons in each state is actually much higher than reported,” Jesse Goliath, a Mississippi professor who launched a missing persons repository separate from NamUS previously told Newsweek.

Newsweek has previously mapped missing persons cases by state.

NamUS data at the time showed that Oklahoma had the largest percentage of missing persons cases, with 16 missing per 100,000. Arizona was next, with 14.2. Arkansas had 11.6.

The state with the lowest percentage was Massachusetts, with just 2.7 per 100,000.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this case? Do you have any questions about missing persons statistics? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com

Before we constructed railroads, paved roads and built highways, we traveled and transported goods along the existing channels that still flow through our state today — rivers. Arkansas is blessed to not only have beautiful natural waterways that provide recreational opportunities and scenic backdrops for its residents, but also to have five commercially navigable rivers that offer safe, efficient, cost-effective, global transportation for businesses across the state and nation.

The United States has nearly 12,000 miles of commercially active inland and intracoastal waterways, including the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Arkansas is one of only 24 states with inland waterways and ranks third in the country for the number of inland waterway miles, boasting more than 1,800 miles along the state’s commercially navigable rivers: the Arkansas, Mississippi, Ouachita, Red and White.

Waterborne transportation is essential for numerous industries in Arkansas, including agriculture, manufacturing, construction and forestry. The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System plays a vital role by providing a navigable route from the state’s western border to the Mississippi River. Each year, millions of tons of commodities, such as rice, chemical fertilizers, steel and sand, are transported on these rivers.

Why is waterborne transportation so important? This mode reduces fuel and transportation costs for businesses, moving products and resources to their destinations more safely and efficiently than other freight transportation modes, such as rail or truck. A single 15-barge tow is equivalent to about 225 jumbo rail cars or 870 tractor-trailer trucks.

Barge transportation is the most cost-effective mode of transportation, with lower fuel consumption, minimal pollution and economy of scale. Access to waterborne transportation helps to decrease rail and truck freight rates, leading to more efficient distribution of products and lower raw material costs for businesses. In addition, barge transportation is the safest method for moving chemicals and toxic materials.

Water transportation produces no noise pollution or traffic congestion, decreases costs associated with highway maintenance, and results in improved highway safety. Other positive impacts on the natural environment include flood mitigation, hydroelectric power generation, water supply for agriculture, industry and communities, fish and wildlife habitats, parks and recreational areas.

Furthermore, waterborne transportation supports thousands of jobs in Arkansas, particularly in industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and energy. In addition to creating employment opportunities, cost savings from barge transportation allow these industries to invest more in their employees, often providing higher than average wages and benefits.

At the Arkansas Waterways Commission, our mission is to develop, promote and protect waterborne transportation on these navigable rivers.

Cassandra Caldwell is the director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission, the state agency responsible for developing, promoting and protecting waterborne transportation in Arkansas. The commission also promotes economic development for ports on the five commercially navigable rivers of the state.

Arkansas Razorbacks ranking: 29/134

[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 12th in SEC (+25000 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Kentucky (28), Wisconsin (27), Miami (26), Iowa State (25), Iowa (24)
Teams behind them: North Carolina State (30), Nebraska (31), SMU (32), Maryland (33), Texas Tech (34)

[Arkansas 2024 schedule]

RJ’s take: Nobody wants to be head coach at Arkansas more than Sam Pittman. I know this because he followed up a disappointing 2023 season by going back to one of the most successful and controversial figures in Razorback sports history in hiring former UA head coach and play-caller extraordinaire Bobby Petrino to run his offense.

On the plus side: Petrino is one of the best offensive coordinators the sport has seen. Proof is not just what he did at UA, including leading the program to its first and only BCS berth in 2010, featuring in the Sugar and Cotton Bowl and finishing 11-2 with No. 3 ranking the final 2011 AP poll, but that he’s also the only active head coach to develop a Heisman winner, who became an NFL MVP at quarterback in Lamar Jackson when Petrino was head coach at Louisville, where he went 41-9.

On the negative side: Well, you’ve seen his infamous neck brace picture open at the chest of his Razorback fleece? A face full of roadrash and a Sugar Bowl hat that looked like it came fresh out of its cellophane? Then you’ve got it.

Now Petrino’s coming over from calling plays for Texas A&M, and this will be his third SEC West spot as an OC, but there’s no hiding this is a high-risk, high-reward play for Pittman. Adding to the risk? Taylen Green is slated to start Week 1. He’s 6-foot-6 and has all the tools, but Arkansas’ only gimme on the schedule is the opener against UAPB. They’re gonna be in for a fistfight Week 2 against OSU.

Arkansas Razorbacks’ Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-110) Under 4.5 (-110)

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