Katie 
Lincoln County, Oregon: On Thursday, March 10, assistant attorney general Kurt W. Miller, currently acting as special deputy district attorney, filed motions in Lincoln County Circuit Court to dismiss the cases against 29-year-old Shawna Browning and 34-year-old Lauren Harrison "because the matter is under further investigation, and it would be in the furtherance of justice to dismiss at this point."
Both women had been charged with aggravated murder after the remains of a young girl, found in December 2020, were positively identified as being those of 9-year-old Haley Mae Coblentz.
It wasn't until November 30, 2021 that Browning, Haley's mother, and Harrison, Browning's girlfriend, were located and arrested in Detroit, Michigan.
A judge granted the dismissal on Friday, March 11.
The Oregonian spoke with Kristina Edmunson with the Department of Justice for further information. In an e-mail statement she explained that "Upon review of the investigation to date, we determined that additional investigation was warranted before proceeding to present the case to the grand jury."
New charges may be filed against Browning and Harrison in the future pending further investigation.
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