Guilford County Family Desperate For Answers In Search For Woman Missing Since Aug. 9
GUILFORD COUNTY, NC — 62-year-old Gwen Jenell Collins was last seen Friday, Aug. 9, in Gibsonville. Her family tirelessly seeks answers, hope, and their loved one.
GCSO issued a Silver Alert the next day. Gwen’s daughter, Rhonda Collins, and her husband, Ronald Collins, said Gwen suffers from schizophrenia and has cataracts in her eyes. The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) and Collins’s family said she walked away from her home barefoot, in a pink nightgown, nearly nine days ago and hasn’t been seen since.
Ronald said he got home from work and took a quick nap before mowing the lawn that afternoon. ” We go out to eat every Friday, so I told her I’m gonna go mow the yard, and I’ll be right back. My daughter, she was at work.”
He said she walked away at some point during a 30-minute window when Ronald went to mow the lawn, and Rhonda was set to get home from work.
“I came home, and I saw the door was open. So, I already knew something was up because she never has that door open. So, when I went in there, I went to her room because she always stays back there. I didn’t see her there,” Rhonda Collins said.
On Thursday (Aug. 15), the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference to update the public on the ongoing search for Gwen Collins, who was last seen on Aug. 9 on Bellflower Road in Gibsonville.
Although her disappearance occurred over one week ago, the search continues, according to Sheriff Danny Rogers, who thanked the various agencies for helping them find Collins.
“This collaboration is a testament to the strength and unity of our community in times of crisis,” Rogers said.
“This is a tragic time for everybody, in addition to the family,” Sergeant Wright of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said.
Wright said that people in the community have reported seeing Collins in the area, which has impacted their search area. The levels and flow of the Haw River have also impacted the extensive search. They’re searching several acres around Bellflower Lane and the Haw River, which feeds into Jordan Lake.
Searchers were worried she may have slipped and fallen into the Reedy Fork Tributary due to her vision being impaired by cataracts, and high water levels in the area impeded their early searches.
Search crews are putting in nearly 10 hours daily. The search area extends from near Gwen’s Gibsonville home to Northeast Park and Jordan Lake near Raleigh.
“If anyone has information regarding Mrs. Collins’s whereabouts, please do not hesitate to call us,” Rogers said.
The sheriff’s office says at this time, nothing suggests there was criminal activity that led to Gwen’s disappearance.
If you’ve seen Gwen, call GCSO Detective D. Duncan at (336) 641-5968 or Guilford County Crime Stoppers at (336) 373-1000.
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