SULLIVAN, Mo. — Tonya Tolliver said her mother Betty Alexander lived a very quiet life inside her Sullivan apartment. So when Tolliver went to pick up her mother on Sunday and did not see her, she began to worry. Alexander’s glasses were on her chair; her purse and all of its contents were in her closet.
"She never even goes out to check the mail without her glasses, so I knew something was wrong,” Tolliver said.
Tolliver called police. Over the weekend, officers searched all over Sullivan.
“The police had a grid search, going door to door, they had the helicopter out, five teams of search dogs,” Tolliver said.
The family also searched, handing out thousands of flyers and displaying them at local businesses. Tolliver is worried because her mother has no cell phone, no way to track her. Alexander is also in the early stages of dementia.
“Not anything that would make her up and walk away,” Tolliver said.
Tolliver said neighbors and workers in the area last saw Alexander on Thursday, near her apartment.
Tolliver also started a Facebook page called Bring Betty Home, which has more than a thousand followers. Tolliver reads through every comment and message, looking for any tips and clues. Tolliver said she and her family have searched surrounding towns and are even going through Alexander’s old notebooks for clues.
“We've felt helpless, not knowing where to look,” she said.
Tolliver said she is still hopeful her mom will come home.
“Just trying to do everything I can, anything I can think of,” she said.
Tolliver is organizing a search this weekend. You can find details here.
If you have any information call Sullivan Police at 573-468-8001.
The family is offering a $2,000 reward for information on her whereabouts.