Although officials said Jones sounded intoxicated on the phone, Slape said she was not on any kind of psychiatric medication.
Slape said that when a deputy and ambulance arrived there some 20 minutes later, no one was there.
They did find a note that appeared to be a suicide note, Slape said. The backpack Jones carried with her was missing. In addition, the .380-caliber pistol she carried in that backpack was missing.
Slape said Jones was last seen that day when a friend gave her a ride home because her truck broke down. She was apparently wearing a bright blue shirt and denim overalls.
Sheriff Charles Raulston said Jones is a nurse who was working in a Kansas City hospital, going there for a specified period of time and returning home to Newton County. He said she lived alone.
A Baxter County Sheriff's Office helicopter flew over the area Friday, but bright fall foliage is still so thick that Raulston said it was almost useless.
Slape said Saturday that officials are calling in other search crews and preparing to "start over." He said that often a missing person is overlooked when lost in a rugged, remote location unless a rescuer stumbles on them.
Ironically, Jones went missing almost a year to the day when two other men were last seen in Newton County.
Timothy Ray Eddings, then 38, and Tilton Housden, then 22, both of Jasper, were last seen Oct. 19, 2005, after they had finished roofing a house in the Shiloh Mountain area.
Eddings' 2001 Dodge Ram pickup was found abandoned off of Highway 21 about three miles south of Fallsville on Nov. 7.
At the time, Raulston said the vehicle was undamaged and there were no apparent signs of foul play inside or near the vehicle. However, Eddings' key chain was missing and only a single key was left in the ignition. The keys to his house, ATV and motorcycle were removed from the key ring and are missing, Raulston said.
And another man reported missing almost two years ago still hasn't been heard from, authorities say.
Josh Middleton, 21 at the time, of Mt. Judea was reported missing Jan. 21, 2005. A $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to his whereabouts.
Slape said Jones is described as five feet, eight inches tall, about 150 pounds with blonde hair and blues eyes.
He said the search for the woman will include going over ground already searched and numerous outbuildings in the remote area.
|
|
