Search for missing elderly woman continues; GBI issues Mattie’s Call

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The search for 84-year-old Willie Jo Greer, who has been missing since Monday, is ongoing. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has issued a Mattie’s Call for Greer, who is described as five feet five inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. She was last driving a green 2009 Kia Ronda.

Maj. Dwayne Jones, of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, explained that a Mattie’s Call is similar to a Levi’s Call, which is issued for missing children.

“(Mattie’s Call) is for elderly patients, and in this case, she’s 84-years-old and has dementia,” Jones said. “From what I understand, she has been diagnosed with dementia, but I don’t know how advanced it may be.”

Family members reported Greer missing when she did not arrive home after being out Monday.

“The last time anyone heard from her was Monday and that was by telephone. We don’t have an exact location for where she was last seen. All we had was she called someone and said she was about 10 minutes from home,” Jones said. “The last phone ping that we were able to obtain had her in Lincolnton, Ga., which is over near Augusta, so we’ve obviously alerted the authorities over there. That’s close to South Carolina, so we’ve contacted authorities there, as well.”

However, authorities are no longer able to utilize her cell phone in their search.

“When you call her phone number, it goes directly into voice mail which typically indicates the phone has been powered down or the battery is dead,” Jones explained.
Jones said no additional information has been derived from monitoring her financial records.

“There’s been no activity on her bank card or any credit cards. There’s been no financial activity at all,” he said, adding that all possible steps are being taken to locate the missing woman. “She’s been entered into GCIC as being missing, and her car and tag number have been entered. We’re doing everything we possibly can, with the assistance of the GBI, to locate her.”

This is not the first time Greer has been missing.

“According to her family, she has a history of doing this on at least two other occasions, where she became disoriented and ended up in other cities,” Jones said. “There’s no indication of any foul play being involved. There’s nothing to lead us to believe that’s occurred at this point.”

Officials ask anyone who believes they may have seen Greer or her vehicle to contact their local authorities.

“We’re certainly concerned about her welfare and would like to locate her. She has family members who are concerned. They’re who contacted us. Anytime we hear of something like this, we’re concerned and just want to make sure they’re safe,” Jones said. “If she’s spotted, obviously notify law enforcement. If she contacts someone, we would certainly appreciate hearing from them. We just want to ensure she’s safe and well.”