BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. — This week, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are conducting a massive search two hours south of St. Louis in Bollinger County, Missouri.
It's happening in a dense, wooded area on a piece of property.
Crews are digging in the area, but agencies will not confirm what they are looking for.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed to 5 On Your Side that they are assisting the Missouri State Highway Patrol with court-authorized investigative activity.
"Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no further comment will be made at this time," the spokesperson said.
5 On Your Side spoke to the property owner Wednesday evening. He's been the owner for the last 15 years or so. He was surprised to hear about the digging on his land and was upset.
The owner claims he was never served a search warrant and would only allow them to go onto his property when he was present.
He said an FBI agent called him three weeks ago and they said they were looking for remains because someone in prison might've admitted information about this site.
The area is so vast that drone video hovered over to capture their work.
A Bollinger County Sheriff's Office tent was set up with more than a dozen cars and digging equipment.
A neighbor told 5 On Your Side they saw two cars from the coroner's office drive by on Wednesday.
The connection could be to 13-year-old Gina Dawn Brooks, who disappeared in August 1989 while riding her bike late at night in Fredericktown, just miles away from the search site.
After coming from her brother's baseball game, Brooks said she was going for a ride on her bike.
Witnesses said Brooks was seen standing near her church when a car with Missouri license plates pulled up and the driver spoke to her. She got back on her bike.
But Brooks never went back home and her bike was found abandoned on High Street just blocks away.
Three men were implicated in her disappearance, but no one was convicted due to lack of evidence.
In 1999, Nathan "Danny" Williams was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty. In 2003, his murder charge was dropped. However, he is currently incarcerated for rape and sodomy serving a life sentence.
Williams was also charged for the murder of another young girl's case but that charge was also dropped. Williams is also a suspect in another 12-year-old's disappearance case in 1979.
Bryant Squires allegedly made a deathbed statement saying he worked with Williams to abduct Brooks.
Timothy Bellew, who was friends with Squires and Williams, admitted lying about the location of Brooks' remains. He was charged with second-degree murder in this case, which was eventually dropped.
Bellew pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and had a sentence of 30 months.
For reaction to the search's possible connection with Brooks' disappearance, 5 On Your Side spoke to Theda Wilson, founder of the nonprofit Looking for an Angel.
It was created after her son Christian Ferguson disappeared and was murdered. The organization works to increase awareness of missing persons and help families navigate the missing person process.
Wilson talked about hearing news of potential searches puts families on edge, as they desperately for answers.
Wilson added, "It's imperative that individuals not forget about the fact that just because a case is old, it does not mean that it cannot get justice."