Update, 7:38 p.m. Friday, April 11:
Search for missing Lawrence woman canceled; no confirmed sightings since March 21
Original post:
Wanda Dyer, 74, has now been missing from her Lawrence home for almost three weeks. A community-organized search is coming up in the area where Wanda was last photographed.
Wanda is 5-foot-2 and 117 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black coat with pink lining and blue, patterned pants. She was carrying a black backpack.
Wanda has stayed in good shape, and she loves to walk. But “She’s suffering from dementia. It’s suddenly gotten a lot worse over the last couple of months,” Dave Dyer, her husband of 46 years, said last month. (Read more about Wanda in the articles linked below.)
Dozens of people have shown up to community searches over the last couple of weekends, first at Centennial Park in Lawrence and, this past Saturday and Sunday, in De Soto. Wanda grew up in Kansas City, and she has made comments about wanting to go visit family there, so those searching for her have been concerned she might have headed further east.
However, the last confirmed sighting of Wanda with photo proof was around 7:15 p.m. Friday, March 21 in Eudora. She may have been seen as recently as Friday, March 28, also in Eudora.
The next search will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 12 at Lucy Kaegi Park, 1638 Elm St. in Eudora.
If you see Wanda Dyer, call 911 immediately.
Other info can be reported to dispatch:
785-843-0250.
Organizers say folks should bring snacks and drinks for themselves and dress appropriately for a wooded search. They also recommend bringing bug spray.
Those who come to help in the search should be 18 or older and carry a valid ID.
Saturday’s forecast, as of Tuesday evening, was for sunny skies with a high of 74°.
Search organizers are working with EquuSearch Midwest, a group of volunteer specialists who work with law enforcement and communities to find missing people, to coordinate the searches.
Organizers are using a “Bring Wanda home” Facebook group to keep the community updated. It has grown to almost 1,600 members since it was launched on March 27.
If you see Wanda, call 911 immediately.
If you have other information about Wanda’s location, call the nonemergency dispatch line at 785-843-0250.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Related coverage:
Latest Lawrence news:
Tricia Masenthin/Lawrence Times
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
