THE heartbroken grandmother of a missing woman who vanished after a night out has shared an emotional update on her granddaughter's disappearance.
Gretchen Fleming, 28, left the My Way Lounge in Parkersburg, West Virginia, with an older man on December 4 and has not been seen or heard from since.
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Yesterday marked two months since she vanished - prompting hundreds of volunteers to join police in a ramped-up community search.
“Due to the large area that we’ll be checking, we thought it would be beneficial to have as many people as we could to help with the search,” said Detective J.M. Zimmerman of Parkersburg Police.
Authorities directed several people to travel to Mountwood Park to sign up for the search.
Officials said they were prepared to accolade a maximum of 300 people, however, nearly double that showed up to help.
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“We initially called for three hundred. Just for concerns of the safety of the searchers,” Parkersburg Police Chief Matt Board told WTAP.
“But we were able to facilitate enough group leaders through the help of the community with that as well and covering a few areas as well. So, it was tremendous.”
According to Gretchen’s grandma, Louise Fleming, approximately 500 people were in attendance.
“There are no adequate words to express our family's heartfelt thanks,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
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“The love, prayers, and concern shown by your actions brings joy to our heart. We love our state and our wonderful community!
“I would not live anywhere else. Our Mountaineers are something else! THANK YOU!”
Louise said she trusts the police in how they’ve gone about the case and is hopeful that they’ll find her granddaughter.
“I just think it shows how good they really are. People’s quick in this day and age to criticize but there’s no reason to criticize anyone in this town,” she said.
“They’re doing the best they can with what we’ve got and, you know, I wouldn’t want anyone else. They know what they’re doing, and I believe they’ll find her.”
Gretchen’s father, David Fleming, had been asking for a large-scale search since his daughter was reported missing.
“You know, this might be our first point,” he said. “But, this is probably the first of many searches that we’re going to do. And we’re going to find her.”
Some volunteers even came from out of state, said David as one of his cousins flew in from Georgia to help out.
“I know people from Ohio that have drove. And the messages that I’ve gotten, it’s – like I said – overwhelming the amount of help that everyone wants to be involved in trying to find some closure to this.”
PERSON OF INTEREST
The man who Gretchen was seen leaving with is considered to be a person of interest after he told cops Gretchen had been in his car that night.
The man, who is in his 50s, has not, however, been named as a formal suspect and investigators have so far kept his identity under wraps, Eyewitness News reports.
Cops have since, however, obtained search warrants for the man's car, home, electronics, and other homes he might rent or own.
According to Eyewitness News, he is a former law enforcement officer at multiple departments in West Virginia.
He is said to have had a law enforcement career that spanned about 12 years and ended with a stint at the Belington Police Department in Barbour County.
The person of interest has not been charged with any crime in connection to Gretchen's case.
Gretchen was 27 when she disappeared and turned 28 on Christmas Eve.
And in a heartbreaking plea, her dad, David Fleming, told WTAP: “She is an amazing little girl. She’s very independent. You know, she’s my little girl.
"Everybody that came in sight with her loved her.
"She was unique and personable and had a great personality and she’s just a great kid."
He added: “I’m hoping for the best. And I love my little girl. I just want her home.”
Multiple search warrants have now been executed in connection with the investigation but remain sealed in court.
Police are also asking all residents in the area to review home surveillance footage for a vehicle that has been connected to Fleming's disappearance.
They believe the vehicle may have traveled through the Parkersburg area between the early morning hours of December 4 to noon on December 5.
Fleming had recently accepted a job at a nearby H&M and lived with her grandmother in a nearby home.
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She stands near 5-feet, 2-inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair.
Police are asking anyone with more information on her location to call Detective J.M. Zimmerman at 304-424-1072.
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