Police have launched a plea for information after a mother of two went missing the day before a “suspicious” fire broke out at her home.
Britney Gard, 46, from Putnam County, Indiana, was last seen on 30 September. The next evening, the fire department was called and put out a fire in her house, which they said was “suspicious in nature”.
No individuals were found in the fire-damaged home, and Gard has not been located, but her car and purse were still on the property.
Family and friends have not had contact with her since the fire.
“Who took her? How does someone just go missing these days? It doesn’t make any sense,” Gard’s sister Stephanie Bowen said in an interview with WRTV.
The family, along with numerous volunteers, conducted a large-scale search of nearby fields but were unable to find her.
Bowen said the alarm was raised when Gard failed to attend her daughter’s volleyball game, describing her as her kids’ biggest cheerleader and a loving parent.
“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.
“I feel like there’s something here – bigger – that we don’t know and someone knows something,” she added. On her Facebook page, Gard regularly posts about her daughter’s volleyball games. On that profile, the missing woman refers to herself a “digital creator.” She is a native of Marshal, Illinois.
In a separate interview with My Wabash Valley, Stephanie Bowen described her sister as “someone you can always count on.”
“ She’s a very giving person. Loving person. She will go out of her way to like make you feel special … she just like doesn’t like to sit still. Let’s go play outside. She’s always trying to make memories with my kids. take pictures. … I’m at a loss,” she added.
On Facebook, in response to a question about whether or not Gard had “runaway” or was the victim of a “kidnapping,” a relative wrote: “Definiely not a runaway.”
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said, “Fire investigators advise that they believe the fire that started in the house is suspicious in nature. Full findings will be relayed to criminal investigators as the fire investigation continues.”
“The night of the fire, a drone was used to assist search efforts in the area throughout the evening. The Putnam County Community Emergency Response Team continued search efforts in the area the following day. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources was contacted regarding searches of the pond on the property. Britney Gard could not be located.”
The force said detectives are working on the case “round the clock” and using “technology-based investigative tools and programs” to attempt to locate Gard. Her loved ones have set up a Find Britney Gard Facebook page.
“Any information about her current location is needed. We ask that if anyone has information about the current location of Britney, please contact the Putnam County Emergency Operations Center and 911 Dispatch at 765-653-5115 extension zero. To leave an anonymous tip, please call our TIP line at 765-653-3211 extension 699.
