OKMULGEE, Okla. — Patretia Mathews, 71, disappeared in early August.
Now, officials said she's been found dead.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed Mathews was found dead in early September.
Several agencies searched for Matthews, who has dementia, for over a week.
Efforts to locate her included:
- Ground searches by foot, ATV, horses, and K-9 units
- 236 drone flight hours
- Boat and sonar operations
- 1,457+ man-hours on the ground (not including post-flight analysis, image review, investigative work, or daily operational planning)
Okmulgee County Emergency Management announced on Aug. 18 that it suspended the search operations for Matthews.
"Despite the suspension of active search operations, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office will continue to pursue all leads. OCEM remains hopeful that new information will emerge to bring closure and answers to Ms. Matthews’ family," OCEM said in a statement.
On the morning of Aug. 16, multiple agencies, volunteers, and family members mobilized to search rural Okmulgee County in hopes of finding her.
"We're just leaving no stone unturned, so to speak," said Jeff Moore, the Okmulgee County Emergency Manager.
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“I’ve got probably five to six different agencies out here, including Wagner County Emergency Management, Muscogee Nation Emergency Management, and several canine search and rescue teams, some coming from Oklahoma City,” Moore said. “The Mennonite Search and Rescue is also on the ground here. They are a great asset.”
K-9 units, horseback teams, and drones are assisting in the search efforts, covering areas that are difficult for human searchers to access.
“They can cover areas that we may not be able to get into,” Moore added.
Matthew was last seen on Aug. 8. Matthew’s car was found on Aug. 10, with no gasoline or Matthews, leading search teams to comb through over 700 square miles of rugged terrain.
“We’re going to search every inch we can,” Moore said.
While authorities are followed several leads in the case, none resulted in any significant findings yet.
Patretia's son, Tony Trout, expressed deep gratitude for the community's support during this distressing time.
“I’m humbled... for every boot on the ground is another eye that can bring mom home,” Trout said.
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