The search for Margit Prichard, 76, a missing Piercy woman, began May 18 night and after a week of searching, resources are being pulled and returned to their normal duties, according to family and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
For Margit’s husband, Paul Prichard, the search won’t end until his wife is found. Margit Prichard suffers from Alzheimer’s and it’s the key to her disappearance according toher husband, but he said she was having a good day May 18.
“I really want you to understand that there are good days and there are bad days,” Paul Prichard said Thursday. “Most days she functions pretty damn well and Friday was one of those days when she was not confused.”
Paul Prichard said his wife was aware of the onset of Alzheimer’s and it affected her deeply.
“Margit realized she was slipping into Alzheimer’s because of family history,” he said. “She was absolutely miserable seeing her life taken from her.” He then added, “we believed she had a number of years of functioning well ahead of her.”
The lack of clues as to Margit Prichard’s whereabouts has frustrated her family and search-and-rescue personnel who have used a bloodhound, helicopters and on-the-ground search teams to no avail.
“There are no clues; there is nothing that shows what happened to Margit,” he said. “Margit just disappeared, it doesn’t make sense.”
Paul Prichard realized his wife was missing May 18 after he awoke from a nap and he immediately began to search their property, particularly favorite spots of Margit’s.
He said Margit Prichard hasn’t driven since last December and that “she would never leave home without appropriate clothing and she would never leave without her purse, ever.”
He said he initially searched the property, then drove around on local roads, and then made contact with neighbors in search of any clue as to Margit Prichard’s whereabouts.
Finding none, he called 911.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office responded May 18 around 7:30 p.m. and a Silver Alert was issued across the region and down into the San Francisco Bay Area where Margit Prichard used to live. Search-and-rescue personnel from neighboring counties including Humboldt County took part in the search effort.
“They were fast, they were here immediately as soon as they realized she was missing,” Paul Prichard said. “They had a tracking bloodhound out here on Friday evening and by Saturday it was absolutely amazing how many counties responded to the call for help.”
He said since the search-and-rescue teams have been on scene, he has remained at home in case Margit makes her way home. He also said, “I wanted to stay out of everybody’s way and they said I should stay here in case she wandered home.”
Alzheimer’s can lead to short-term memory loss, confusion, loss of a sense of direction and wandering away from home is common, s according to Hannah HagQuist, the Alzheimer’s services coordinator at the Humboldt Senior Resource Center.
“So with Alzheimer’s in the mix, it takes a stressful situation it makes it immensely worse,” HagQuist said Thursday. “They may not remember where home is and finding a way back can be hard. Alzheimer’s patients can also be very paranoid and suspicious of others, so she might shy away if someone made contact and the sense of direction can be very off.”
Paul Prichard said his family has been very supportive and his two sons arrived from Southern California about three days ago. They are devastated by Margit Prichard’s disappearance.
Search-and-rescue operations rely on clues and so far no clues have been found.
“There are several factors at play but one thing searchers rely upon is finding some clues,” said Lt. Shannon Barney of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. “We were unable to tie anything to her. We have scaled back search-and-rescue, but we’ll have CHP and local units in the area keeping an eye out and who will be available to follow up on any leads. We do have a few interviews underway.”
Meanwhile, Paul Prichard said he will continue to search.
“I don’t want Margit to just disappear,” he said.
Dan Squier can be reached at 707-441-0528.