NorthwestJanuary 28, 1996

GRANGEVILLE A rumor that a boy who disappeared from a dairy farm near here in 1982 has been found is false, said Idaho County Sheriff R.E. (Gene) Meinen.

Both the sheriff's office and the Lewiston Tribune have received calls from people who thought they have heard that Ricky Barnett, reported missing since August 31, 1982, has been seen in Texas with his father.

Meinen said the first reports came from people who said they saw the report on a program about missing children on CNN. The sheriff's office called an executive producer at CNN who could not verify any such report or any mention of Ricky Barnett in recent broadcasts.

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Ricky Barnett was 2 years old when he disappeared from Hillcrest Farms where he was visiting his grandparents, Martha and Waldo McChoard.

A massive search failed to turn up a clue about the boy's disappearance.

Through the years there have been numerous reported sightings of the boy, but none has been found to be valid.

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