Delaware County Daily Times - Aug 20, 1999 Article

Katelyn search suspended

Delaware County Daily Times (Primos - Upper Darby, PA) - Friday, August 20, 1999

Author: SETH AGULNICK and MARLENE DiGIACOMO ; Of the Times Staff

Authorities in Elkton, Md., yesterday suspended their search for 20-month-old Katelyn Selena Rivera-Helton -- without finding a trace of the missing Upper Chichester toddler.

The two-day search, which included divers coming through the Elk River, turned up no clues. Officers on Wednesday brought in dogs trained to find dead bodies along with dogs trained to rescue live victims.

The FBI, the state Department of Natural Resources, the Cecil County Sheriff's Office and Pennsylvania police joined in the search earlier this week.

There were no other developments yesterday in the search.

She's been missing since Aug. 10, when police say her father kidnapped her from a babysitter's house. Robert N. Rivera turned himself in the next day, but told police he had given his 20-month-old daughter away to strangers at Longwood Gardens.

She hasn't been seen since, and no one has come forward to say that they saw her at Longwood Gardens that night.

While authorities continue to hunt for the girl, her father made a brief appearance in court yesterday before Judge Maureen Fitzpatrick on a protection from abuse matter.

Dressed in red prison garb, Rivera remained somber-faced as his lawyers, David DiPasqa and Albert M. Greto, flanked him. A continuance in yesterday's hearing was granted until Oct. 7 after a motion was filed by the county District Attorney's office.

Deputy District Attorney John Reilly Jr. said the civil matter was put on hold because of a possibility of double jeopardy in the criminal case which Rivera faces. He is in jail after being unable to post $100,000 cash bail on the criminal charges of assaulting his estranged girlfriend and kidnapping the girl.

While the civil matter was postponed, the defense attorneys complained that a detective with the county criminal investigation division had been questioning Rivera without his lawyers present.

The attorneys urged the court to issue cautionary instructions that authorities are ""not to go near our client.'' Fitzpatrick said that was a matter for criminal court and out of her hands.

District Attorney Patrick Meehan said later there was no validity to that allegation. He declined further comment since there is an ongoing investigation.