HARRISON TWP. — A woman missing since the night after more than a dozen tornadoes swept through the Miami Valley still hasn’t been spotted.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and neighbors have launched multiple searches for 71-year-old Catherine Clayburn, but it’s proving to be difficult with all the storm debris.
Sheriff Rob Streck said deputies began searching for her a few hours before the tornadoes hit.
They never stopped searching and, in fact, are hoping to have the Ohio State High Patrol helicopters join the search later today.
Sheriff’s investigators started searching for Clayburn around 5:30 p.m. on Memorial Day, about five hours before tornadoes hit the area.
They’ve continued to gather information and follow leads, conducting a large search Thursday in the neighborhood around her Floyd Avenue home.
Clayburn does have some early onset dementia, according to the sheriff.
Family members said she occasionally became confused and had trouble returning home after walking around the neighborhood.
Streck said the biggest problems in the search for Clayburn have been downed power lines and trees and hope they can get a helicopter in the air today.
The sheriff’s office said they continue to expand the search because they’ve not been able to place Clayburn on video in any particular place before the tornadoes hit.
News Center 7 is asking investigators what property owners can do to help search for Clayburn and what possibilities they’re checking in with her disappearance.
