UPDATE
Update: Missing Georgia mother found dead nearly 2 weeks after disappearance
Initial Coverage
The family of a missing Georgia woman is pleading for answers as search efforts move into day 11.
According to the Centerville Police Department, 70-year-old Teresa Meharg was last seen July 12, at around midnight leaving work at Macon’s Blossom Healthcare and Rehabilitation off Whiteside Road.
News 41 reports that a Flock camera captured Meharg’s vehicle at 12:48 a.m. July 12, driving from Eisenhower Parkway to Interstate 75 South at 12:48 a.m. Police described the vehicle as a black Jeep Patriot SUV with Georgia license tag SAB 1703.
The route, according to family, is in the opposite direction of Meharg’s residence.
A co-worker reportedly said Meharg claimed her daughter was supposed to pick her up, but her daughter, Kelly Haynes, stated that was not true.
“We see the cameras showing her outside around 11 at night, falling asleep on the bench,” Haynes said, describing the nursing home’s security footage from July 12.
“She usually goes out there and smokes a cigarette, and she was out there for a while, on and off sleeping with her head bent down or her arm hanging down. Something is obviously wrong with her.”
The co-worker also found Meharg’s purse, cellphone and wallet on beanch outside of the rehabilitation facility.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office now believes that Meharg may have been experiencing a medical emergency. They do not believe foul play is involved.
Meanwhile, Haynes believes that the search is possibly turning into a recovery effort. Meharg has numerous medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure and a history of mini-strokes.
“Honestly, we’re not confident,” Haynes, told WGXA News. “At this point, I feel like it’s more of a recovery than a rescue.”
Meharg is described as standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing around 175 pounds. She has gray/brown hair, brown eyes and was last seen in gray medical scrubs.
Haynes said Meharg has ties to Florida, specifically Lake City and Live Oak. Meharg’s vehicle drove toward an exit that leads to Florida, but investigators have no evidence she actually crossed into the state.
“We’ve searched Pio Nono, Hartley, Sardis, Byron, Watson — all of the routes that she could have taken to get back home,” Haynes added.
Haynes clarified that Meharg is 70, despite previous reports that listed her age as 66.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 751-7500 or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
Check back for updates.
[Featured image via Centerville PD]
