Savannah Frances-Lee Leckie was a 16-year-old girl with high functioning autism from Theodosia, Missouri in Ozark County, Missouri.

Savannah Leckie is home-schooled and does not have any friends or family in the immediate area other than her parents.

Savannah has high functioning autism. Her mother is Rebecca Ruud. ^[4]

"Most people would not know that she has autism from looking at her or having a conversation with her," he said.

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Savannah is a 16-year-old White / Caucasian female. She is 5-foot 2-inches tall, weighs approximately 115 to 120 pounds and has long brown hair. Leckie also goes by the nicknames Mouse and Andy. She was last seen in a t-shirt and jeans, and may have a computer bag with coloring books, a pillow and a blanket ^[5]Savannah's hair is usually unkept and her complexion is described as a fair to that of a "farmer's tan." ^[2]

On July 20, 2017 Savannah went missing and may be headed to Minnesota where she has friends and family or to Hollister, Missouri where her biological father lives. Leckie's mother Rebecca Ruud said her daughter was home when she went to sleep around 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, but when she awoke at 8 a.m. Thursday, July 20, the girl was gone. Ruud and a neighbor searched the family's farm and property off County Road 905 but could not find the girl. Ruud contacted authorities around 10 a.m., and dozens of people responded to the scene. ^[0]

On Tuesday July 18, 2017 Ruud said she and her family were doing a brush fire on their farm when the fire got “out of hand” and Ruud was burned.

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“I got massive second-degree burns from my wrist to my shoulder,” Ruud said.

She freaked out and I think that’s why she ran.

She feels guilty.”

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Searchers believe Savannah was on foot, Ruud said.

“She never did learn how to drive,” Ruud said.

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Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed reported that Savannah was entered into the National Crime Information Center's Missing Person database on Thursday July 20, 2017. ^[0]

Reed said the search crew included several officers from both the Ozark County Sheriff's Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol, along with volunteers from Pontiac, Missouri, Theodosia, Missouri, Caney Mountain and Lick Creek VFDs. The group dispersed in a variety of methods including on foot, on all-terrain vehicles and Sport Utility Vehicles and by patrol car on the area's roadways. Reed said an Ozark County reserve deputy flew his private plane over the area all afternoon, and the Baxter County Sheriff's Office aided in the search with their helicopter until dark Thursday evening. ^[0]

Although there was no trace of Leckie found, Reed said Ozark County deputy Nick Jones found a vehicle that seemed to be hidden back in a wooded area about a mile from Leckie's home.

Officers ran the VIN number through their database, and the vehicle had been flagged as stolen out of Barry County, MI. ^[0]

"At this point, we don't know if this stolen vehicle is related to Leckie's disappearance or not," Reed said.

"But it was just a mile from her home, so we're looking closely at it."

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Leckie took a large number of items with her when she left, Reed said, including her favorite blanket and pillow from her room, clothing and other personal items.

Reed said he doubts she would be able to carry all of the items while on foot; therefore his office believes Leckie may have had a vehicle waiting for her when she left in the middle of the night.

Reed said Leckie has family and friends in Minnesota, and authorities in that state are also looking for the girl. Ruud said her daughter may also be seeking out relatives of her deceased father, Donald Pluff Jr., in the Hollister, Missouri area. ^[0]

"We're continuing ground searches today, but considering that she was carrying so much with her we believe she may be out of the area at this point," Reed said.

Anyone with any information on Leckie's whereabouts is asked to call the Ozark County Sheriff's Department at 417-679-4633 or dial 911.

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On August 4, 2017, her body was discovered on her Rebecca Ruud's farm. ^[10]