Parents of Girl Found Dead in Baltimore Offer Sketch

Woman Might Have Been With Teen

The parents of a Fairfax County girl found dead in Baltimore in November continued to press for leads in the case yesterday, releasing a sketch of a woman who might have been with their daughter shortly before her death and accusing Fairfax school officials of not cooperating with the investigation.

Annie McCann, 16, left a note Oct. 31 telling her parents that she had run away from their Groveton home. Her body was discovered in Baltimore two days later. Last month, the Maryland medical examiner ruled that Annie had died from swallowing the liquid antiseptic Bactine.

Annie's parents, Dan and Mary Jane McCann, have hired private investigators to assist the probe. They said a sketch artist they hired, a former Maryland homicide detective, created the drawing from an interview with a witness in Baltimore. The witness told them that she saw Annie with a young woman either Oct. 31 or Nov. 1.

The woman in the sketch is described as white with a dark complexion, about 18 to 23, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10 and weighing 120 to 130 pounds. The witness said the woman had dark-brown straight hair past her shoulders and dark-brown eyes with heavy makeup -- eye liner, mascara and foundation makeup to cover dark circles under her eyes. She also wore unusual yellow or brown nail polish, according to a news release issued by the family, and was wearing a navy blue hooded sweat shirt and tight faded blue jeans with artificial rips in the knees.

The McCanns said they released the sketch with the approval of Baltimore police, who are investigating the case.

Anyone who might have seen the woman in the sketch was asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 866-7LOCKUP (866-756-2587). A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to a conviction.

The McCanns said they had hoped to show the sketch to students at West Potomac High School, where Annie was a junior, before releasing it to the public. But Fairfax school officials declined to allow investigators access to the school or students.

Paul Regnier, the Fairfax schools spokesman, said school administrators and students have cooperated at great length with the Baltimore police investigation. He said that the incident did not happen at the school or appear related to the school and that allowing the McCanns to distribute fliers or broadcast something over the intercom system would set a difficult precedent for parents pursuing other causes.