Police are seeking information about a vehicle that may be linked to the disappearance of a woman last seen leaving a West Virginia bar with an older man, NBC News reports.
Gretchen Fleming, 28, vanished on December 4 after she left the My Way Lounge & Restaurant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, around 3 a.m.
While authorities are scrutinizing a person of interest – a man who allegedly left the bar with Fleming and gave her a ride – that man reportedly has provided inconsistent accounts of what happened that evening.
Police are seeking to gather additional evidence, including information about what they say appears to be a black Nissan Rogue that was seen driving toward the person of interest’s residence.
The SUV had no license plate but did have a Pittsburgh Penguins plate frame. An “OBX” sticker may be on the upper-right side of the rear window, while Darth Vader stickers may be on the left and right sides of the car.
Police are asking the public to review any security camera footage between the early morning hours of December 4 through the evening of December 5 to check whether a vehicle like the one described appears in the Parkersburg area.
“Whether it be at a business or residence, whether it’s close to the downtown area or not,” the police want to see the footage, Parkersburg Police Chief Matt Board told NBC’s Dateline.
Authorities are also asking that anyone who was at the My Way Lounge in the early morning of December 4 or regularly visits the establishment to share any information they may have that might be relevant.
So far, investigators are focusing on the person of interest who was seen leaving the lounge with Fleming.
“We have a person of interest that we believe has information in regard to this case pertaining to Gretchen,” Board told Dateline. “This person, we know, was at the My Way Lounge the evening that Gretchen was there, and we have cause to believe Gretchen left with this person.”
The person of interest allegedly told investigators that he gave Fleming a ride after they left the bar and then she “departed at an unknown location,” WTAP-TV reports. Board told the television station the person of interest has provided an “inconsistent” story of the evening, and other surveillance footage indicates he may have taken Fleming to his residence.
Security camera footage from the bar does not show the man or Fleming getting into his vehicle because of where the vehicle was parked and the location of the camera, Parkersburg Police Lt. James Stalnaker told Fox News. But other surveillance camera footage shows the man’s car traveling toward his home, where law enforcement has executed warrants to search his property, vehicle and digital devices.
Up to $15,000 is being offered for information about the case. A $7,500 reward is for any information that leads to the location and return of Fleming. A separate $7,500 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for her disappearance.
Fleming is about 5-foot-1 and weighs between 100 and 120 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair.
To report information that may help locate her, call Detective J.M. Zimmerman of the Parkersburg Police Department at 304-424-1072.
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[Featured image: Family Handout via Jake Grim]
