PUTNAM COUNTY — Where is Britney Gard? The 46-year-old mother of two is considered missing and endangered.
Among the tall ears of corn off County Road 600 North, there are more questions than answers.
“Who took her? How does someone just go missing these days? It doesn’t make any sense," Gard's sister Stephanie Bowen said.
Bowen, her sisters, and dozens of others searched through the cornfields and wooded areas adjacent to Gard’s property on Monday.
Bowen describes Gard as a loving mother and her kids' biggest cheerleader. So when she didn’t show up at her daughter’s volleyball game on Wednesday, the family knew something was wrong.
“She was supposed to be at her daughter's volleyball game. Wasn’t there. And then there’s a fire. Her car is at home, her purse is at home. She’s nowhere to be found, and the house is on fire. It makes no sense," Bowen said.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Gard was last seen on Tuesday, September 30.
The next day, her house 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.
Three fire investigators were called 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.
“I feel like there’s something here bigger that we don’t know and someone knows something," Bowen said.
The search for Gard continues.
Fliers with her picture and a physical description can be seen across town, outside businesses, in gas stations, and even taped to pizza boxes.
“Be vigilant. Look around. Search your brain. If you have a camera on your house or something, go back and look at it and see if you saw something different that night," Bowen said. “Britney, we love you. We hope to see you safely return home.”
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about Gard's current location to contact the 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.
