Missing 11-year-old Alabama girl found dead

Amberly Barnett was last seen on Friday around 6 p.m. in the Mt. Vernon community in northeast Alabama, and searchers found her body at about 6:30 a.m. the next day. The location wasn't disclosed.

The sheriff did not release the cause of her death or any other information because of the ongoing investigation.

"I can tell you we are diligently, diligently pursuing different avenues, and Lord willing, we will have answers in the upcoming days," Weldon, who declined to take questions from reporters, said at a brief press conference.

A Mt. Vernon resident told CNN affiliate WAAY31 crime of this kind rarely, if ever, happens in the area, which is about 25 miles northeast of the city of Gadsden, Alabama.

"It was shocking. You don't hear nothing about that around here," Terry Clanton told WAAY31, describing Mt. Vernon as a close-knit community.

"I want to say directly from the heart, being in this career, in this job, the way we do it is 100% from the heart," Sheriff Welden said. "And my heart is shattered this day, here in DeKalb County, Alabama."

CNN's Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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