PUTNAM CO. — A Putnam County mother hasn't been seen or heard from since police responded to her burning home and found no one inside, and investigators now believe the fire was suspicious.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Britney Gard was last seen on Tuesday, September 30. The next day, her house on County Road 600 North was reported showing smoke at 7:39 p.m.
Local fire departments extinguished the blaze, but no one was found in the fire-damaged home. Gard has not been located, and family and friends have not had contact with her since the fire.
Three fire investigators were summoned to the scene and are still compiling evidence. Fire investigators said they believe the house fire is suspicious in nature and will relay their full findings to criminal investigators.
The night of the fire, deputies used a drone to assist search efforts throughout the evening. The Putnam County Community Emergency Response Team continued search efforts the following day.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources was contacted to search a pond on the property, but Gard could not be located.
Detectives are working with other law enforcement agencies and using technology-based investigative tools to try to locate Gard.
According to her social media accounts, Gard is a volleyball mom at North Putnam Middle School and frequently posts about her children.
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about Gard's current location to contact Putnam County Emergency Operations Center and 911 Dispatch at 765-653-5115 extension zero. Anonymous tips can be made to the tip line at 765-653-3211 extension 699.
