SUNSET HILLS, Mo. – The search continues for a
after her car was found in south St. Louis on Thursday. Linda McLaughlin, 57, was last seen Monday night around 7 p.m. and was reported missing the next morning.
Police told NewsChannel 5 they searched 40 acres of family owned property in Gerald, Missouri on Wednesday and then returned for a more thorough search on Friday, this time with 50 officers from both the St. Louis County and Franklin County Sheriffs Departments and a cadaver dog. At this point police have found nothing and the search for McLaughlin remains a missing persons case.
McLaughlin and her husband are in the midst of a divorce. The two were scheduled for a divorce settlement conference Thursday morning, but the conference has been rescheduled for August.
McLaughlin's husband's attorney was at the scheduled meeting, but did not have a comment about the disappearance.
Linda's son, John McLaughlin, released the following statement late Thursday regarding the divorce proceedings:
"My parents were going through a divorce which tends to be messy. To my knowledge, the divorce proceedings were getting better as of late. They were coming to compromises on things and had most recently come to a significant agreement.
Divorce records have been recently brought to our attention and are being reported on which portray their relationship inaccurately. Their relationship was not violent. Some of the statements in the records that you are addressing have been severely overblown for the purpose of guiding divorce rulings in certain direction.
The police are conducting a thorough investigation which we believe will lead us to her. The nature of any investigation relies on keeping information confidential. I would like to urge the public/media to keep from spreading rumors and rushing to judgment based on these rumors and the limited information that is currently publicly available. We have seen many comments on social media which are flat out inaccurate.
Again, we are still desperately searching for my mom. If anyone has any information regarding her whereabouts please contact the St. Louis County Police Department. She was last seen driving her brown Buick Enclave and wearing a white blouse with a long flowing sweater and pants, she has short blonde hair."
St. Louis County Police say the divorce is a factor in the investigation, but not the only factor.
"That's just one part. There's many parts of this, and it's irresponsible of a police department to say, 'Well, this is it, we've got a suspect.' That's not the way it works. It's all circumstantial at this point. But again, yes that's a factor, but there are many factors at play here," said St. Louis County Police Sgt. Brian Schellman.
Police also say they're following new leads they are receiving from the public. Anyone with information should call (314) 889-2341.
As the searches continued on Friday, family and friends of McLaughlin gathered for a vigil in front of her home.
Her loved ones shared stories at the vigil about McLaughlin's caring nature. They described her as a great person.
Rodger Sexton, her father, said he has been praying every day for her safe return.
"You don't want anything to happen to your little girl," he said.
McLaughlin's neighbor, Pat Alster, says they were best friends. Alster says she's praying for a miracle.
"I'm still in shock," Alster said. "I'm still hoping she comes home to us. We're religious people who are hoping for a miracle."
Neighbors tied a yellow ribbon to a light pole in front of McLaughlin's house in honor of her kindness and compassion. They say she was good at tying ribbons and making bows. She would make her bows for gifts the neighbors have to charities.
Neighbors also say she was known for organizing parties and other gatherings for her friends and family. Her loved ones say they will continue to support each other through this difficult time.
On the one week anniversary of her disappearance, family and friends held a candle-light vigil. The Monday night service was held outside her house.
