Fears grow as search for missing woman intensifies

CONCERN for the safety of an elderly grandmother who went missing from a Co Wicklow nursing home on St Stephen’s Day has intensified after another major search failed to uncover any clue as to her whereabouts.

Dozens of volunteers assisted gardaí yesterday in a search of the area around Bray for 76-year-old Maura Reynolds.

The great-grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer of the spine, was reported missing from the Tara nursing home in Putland Road, Bray, last Monday.

It is believed Ms Reynolds left the building in the middle of the night after a key was mistakenly left in a kitchen door of the nursing home.

Staff first noticed that she had gone missing at around 6.30am on St Stephen’s Day.

Gardaí yesterday appealed to people returning from home from the Christmas holidays to check their properties, including gardens and outhouses, for any trace of Ms Reynolds.

However, Detective Inspector Frank Keenahan, who is leading the investigation, said he was “reasonably happy” that she had not been given a lift out of the area.

In particular, gardaí are anxious to talk to anyone who may have been walking on Bray seafront or towards Bray Head between 9pm and 11pm on Christmas Day and seen someone matching Ms Reynolds’ description.

Her family have expressed concern about her welfare due to the extremely cold weather of recent nights, combined with their mother’s illnesses.

Her son George also appealed to residents and landowners in the Bray area to search their property for any sign of his mother to “end this nightmare.”

Mr Reynolds said he did not believe she could have travelled very far from the nursing home without being given a lift.

He described how his mother had, in spite of her dementia, been in good spirits after spending Christmas Day with relatives. Mr Reynolds said his mother could be easily confused because of her condition but stressed that she was not suffering from any type of depression.

It is believed Ms Reynolds was wearing a purple trouser suit at the time of her disappearance. She is described as approximately 5ft 4ins tall and of thin build with white hair. She also walks with a distinctive stoop.

Mr Reynolds yesterday said the lack of information about his mother’s disappearance was “a horrible mystery.”