Putnam County Woman Missing After House Fire

The community is helping by sharing information and posting flyers.

Putnam County Fire — Source: Ryan Hedrick / WIBC Radio

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind — Authorities are searching for Britney Gard, 46, who went missing last week after a fire at her Bainbridge home. Family and volunteers are asking for help and information.

Gard was last seen on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The following evening, firefighters responded to a smoke report at her home just before 8 p.m. While crews put out the fire, no one was found inside. Gard’s vehicle and purse were still at the scene.

Her sister, Stephanie Bowen, says the situation is deeply troubling.

“I’m definitely frustrated,” Bowen said Monday. “My sister doesn’t just go missing. It’s like she vanished. Disappeared. There’s no clue.”

Bowen said Gard’s teenage daughter, an eighth grader, had just finished volleyball practice and was expecting her mom to pick her up. When Gard didn’t arrive, her daughter got a ride from a friend — only to return home and find emergency crews at the house.

“She showed up at the house and the fire department was there,” Bowen said. “I don’t know what could’ve happened to her.”

Authorities are treating the fire as suspicious, and investigators are processing the scene and following leads.

Bowen said the family had planned to visit Gard that weekend and had been in touch just days before her disappearance.

“The last time we texted was about getting together this coming weekend,” she said. “We’d already planned to come to town with my kid.”

The community is helping by sharing information and posting flyers. A local pizza shop in Bainbridge has even been placing them on delivery boxes.

“People around here have been helping. Everyone’s trying to do what they can,” Bowen said. “But I think it’s really up to the public — check your cameras, make a call, report anything.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at (765) 653-3211.

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