The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office is currently excavating at a Cullman County home in search of evidence related to the 2009 disappearance of 29-year-old Tabitha Franklin of Cullman.

Franklin, 29, of Cullman has been missing since Aug. 8, 2009. At the time of her disappearance she had blond hair, was 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed approximately 140 pounds. Initial reports indicate Franklin was traveling to Hueytown at the time of her disappearance to meet with family, though she never arrived.

Investigators are excavating the front porch of a home on County road 1136 in search of new evidence, which stemmed from a recent break in the case. No charges have been filed against anyone at this time.

The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating the case for six years, and Sheriff Mike Rainey said some new evidence has hopefully brought investigators one step closer to determining what happened to the young mother of three.

“The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office has followed numerous leads and questioned many people in Cullman and surrounding counties in our efforts to resolve this case,” he said. “This particular lead is part of a three-month-long investigation. Investigators received new information which led to enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant for this location. Investigators are in the process of excavating the front porch of this location looking for any evidence connected to the disappearance of Tabitha Franklin. We’re hopeful we’ll be able to get some answers.”

Franklin’s family has worked tirelessly to keep the case alive and raise awareness about missing persons cases ever since the disappearance.

Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 134.