Search continues for missing at-risk Petaluma woman
Virginia Fuquay, 68, was seen about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday leaving a home in the 1400 block of Mountain View Avenue, Petaluma police said.
PETALUMA, Calif. - As temperatures continue to dip across the region, authorities said Wednesday they have distributed hundreds of fliers and are using a K-9 tracking dog, thermal imaging by aircraft, and drones to search for an at-risk Petaluma woman missing since Tuesday.
Virginia Fuquay, 68, was seen about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday leaving a home in the 1400 block of Mountain View Avenue, Petaluma police said.
She was wearing a red short-sleeved blouse without a jacket, black pants and orange slip-on shoes. Fuquay may have dementia, and is described as Filipino, 5 feet tall, weighing about 90 pounds, with gray/brown hair. Authorities don't think she is carrying a mobile phone or purse.
Petaluma police are asking residents to check cars, sheds and garages where she may have sought shelter.
A resident told authorities they spoke to Fuquay about 5 p.m. Tuesday on Mountain View Avenue, near Cochrane Way. Fuquay apparently asked how to find a bus to Suisun City.
Investigators also found surveillance video of Fuquay on Petaluma Boulevard South, near H Street, at 5:45 p.m. She was walking by herself northbound on the west side of the road.
Police have checked all bus stops and contacted bus companies looking for leads. There was a report that a woman matching her description was seen on McNear Avenue at Mission Drive around 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Virginia Fuquay, 68, was seen about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday leaving a home in the 1400 block of Mountain View Avenue, Petaluma police said.
The California Highway Patrol airplane used a thermal imaging device in the search, and the Petaluma Fire Department used its rescue boat to search the Petaluma River, near Petaluma Blvd South, police said.
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Search teams have searched large areas of southwest Petaluma and a possible second residence for Fuquay in San Rafael.
The police department has issued a Silver Alert, distributed hundreds of fliers in downtown Petaluma, and sent out missing person bulletins to allied law enforcement agencies.
About 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team began a coordinated search starting in the 1400 block of Mountain View Avenue, and the sheriff also provided its drone and dual-purpose motorcycle teams.
Police urge anyone who sees Fuquay to contact Petaluma Police Department Dispatch center at (707) 778-4372.