Despite a helicopter’s discovery of additional clothing belonging to the missing Idaho woman, Gwen Brunelle, near the location of her abandoned car, authorities have yet to locate her. The latest development in the investigation, which involved a t-shirt found on a barbed wire fence, provides some clues but has not led to any significant breakthroughs. The search for Brunelle continues as her family and friends remain hopeful for her safe return.
According to Sheriff Travis Johnson of Malheur County in Oregon, Brunelle’s boots and socks were found roughly one and a half miles away from where her car was discovered on June 28.
Johnson, in a statement to the Malheur Enterprise, expressed disappointment as they were unable to locate her. “Unfortunately, we didn’t find her,” Johnson said.
During a search on September 10th, her t-shirt was discovered entangled in barbed wire about one mile away from where her car was originally found.
When Brunelle, who is 27 years old, left her house in Boise on June 26, she told her loved ones that she was driving to California to meet with a show judge to get some training for her rabbits. However, the judge later revealed that he had no knowledge of any such meeting with Brunelle.
According to witnesses and receipts, the last known sighting of her was at a gas station in Jordan Valley, Oregon on June 27th at noon. She had stopped to refuel and purchased some snacks. The authorities later found her 2008 Honda Element on June 28th, abandoned on a gravel overlook in a rangeland 17 miles north of Jordan Valley.
On June 30, a sheriff’s deputy inspected her vehicle and discovered her bathrobe, 11 show rabbits, and a partially consumed jug of water. However, there were no indications of her presence beyond these items.
On September 10th, a search for her was organized by her father, Andy Brunelle, who rallied 50 family members and friends to assist in the search efforts.
In an email sent to the Malheur Enterprise, Andy shared that they decided to explore areas on foot that had not been searched before. One of those areas was the Jeep trail located south of Gwen’s car. Although the trail had been driven on before to transport searchers to different areas for foot search, Andy and the team believed that not many people had actually walked along the trail and thoroughly searched for any possible clues that Gwen may have dropped, such as clothing or personal items like aviator sunglasses or a cell phone. They understood that these could have been easily missed by vehicle drivers or passengers, hence the need for a meticulous foot search.
According to the email, there were also three individuals on horseback in the vicinity of Succor Creek Road and Mahogany Gap Road. Additionally, a group of three individuals on ATVs ventured through multiple miles of road and trails in that area, as well as east of Highway 95.
During the weekend, a subsequent search was conducted with the help of dogs, horses, and a helicopter that spotted the missing person’s boots and socks. This search was initiated after a previous search on September 10th led to the discovery of her t-shirt.
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