GIBSONVILLE, N.C. — For nearly a week, deputies have been combing through Guilford County, searching for 62-year-old Gwen Collins. She disappeared from her Gibsonville home on Aug. 9 between 5 and 6 p.m.
Family members came home, saw the door was open, and knew something was wrong. The search has brought more questions and few answers for the family.
The search has expanded beyond Gibsonville, stretching through Alamance County and reaching into Durham County. Deputies say they’re focusing the search on the area around her home on Bellflower Lane. The agency has drones, planes, dive teams, and officers on foot turning over every leaf. They’re concentrating on the woods, cornfields, and Reedy Fork River, which feeds all the way to Durham County.
"Boats and dive teams from various agencies have continued to search the river, starting from Northeast Park off of High Rock Road to Highway 87 in Alamance County," said Major Crimes Sgt. J. Wright, with the Guilford County Sheriff's Office. "These air assets have continued to help us search the river and surrounding areas from Northeast Park to Jordan Lake in Durham County."
Deputies tell us they will continue searching for Gwen until they believe they’ve followed every lead. The Guilford County Sheriff's Office says law enforcement is out here every day for a dozen hours with one goal in mind: reuniting Collins with her family.
"This is a tragic time for everybody. They're worried, concerned just as we are and we're doing everything we can to bring her home and give the family some answers," Wright said.
Mrs. Collins was wearing a pink nightgown when she went missing and is believed to be barefoot. Her family says she has cognitive issues. A silver alert was issued for her.
They are asking anyone with information on her whereabouts to call Detective Shanks at 336-641-5966.
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