Monday, January 1, 2007
Missing sibling worries family
Police 'have no idea' how woman vanished
By CHRIS A. COUROGEN
When state police searched Elaine Pierson's Perry County home, they found no signs of anything missing -- except for the woman.
Pierson, 48, who lived alone in a large house on a 5-acre wooded lot off Trout Lane in Rye Twp., was last heard from Wednesday night, when she had a cell phone conversation with an acquaintance.
State police say they are treating the case as a missing person and not a crime, but family and friends are worried.
"She had things on her schedule she intended to do," said her brother, Doug Pierson, who characterized his sister's failure to keep appointments as "unexpected" and "bizarre."
Friends and family said it was unlike Pierson to fail to show without calling ahead of time. It is also out of character for her to not be in touch with them.
Pierson's wallet, the keys to her Lexus and her pickup truck, and the cell phone that was usually glued to her hip were still in the house, they said.
"We don't know a lot," said Trooper Douglas Woodcock, a criminal investigator at the state police's Newport station. "We have no idea what happened."
Pierson is described as 5 feet 5 inches, with a medium, athletic build, dark brown hair and brown eyes. She was reported missing by family members who went to her home after she failed to show up for a Thursday morning hair appointment.
A neighbor who asked not to be identified reported noticing nothing unusual Wednesday afternoon or evening.
Woodcock said police have also talked to a contractor who was building a pond in Pierson's backyard. The contractor also did not notice anything.
"It's odd. She is just missing. We don't know how she left or if she left with someone else," Woodcock said. "Nothing indicates that she was suicidal or anything like that."
Police found nothing out of the ordinary at Pierson's home. There were no signs of forced entry or a struggle, they said.
"Everything looks like it was left behind," Woodcock said.
Among the things left behind was Radcliffe, Pierson's German shepherd, who friends said was her best friend and was fiercely protective of Pierson. Neighbors and friends find it difficult to imagine strangers entering the house with the dog there.
"If a stranger came to the house, he would put the fear of God into you. His bark was ferocious," said Sharon Henry of Marysville.
Henry, Pierson's friend, helped put together fliers that have been distributed in the Marysville area appealing for help in finding Pierson.
More than two dozen people have assisted in the effort to locate Pierson, distributing fliers door to door in areas around her home. They have also visited local businesses and have posted the fliers at trail heads and around the state game lands. Friends said Pierson is an outdoors enthusiast who enjoys hiking, kayaking and bicycling.
Henry said the family has consulted psychics in their efforts to find Pierson.
"They have been all over the board, but there were several areas of convergence," said Henry, who would not elaborate on what those areas might entail.
CHRIS A. COUROGEN: 255-8112 or ccourogen@patriot-news.com
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