Missing Charlotte woman’s SUV found near Linville Falls as search continues
The SUV of a missing 67-year-old woman from south Charlotte was found Monday in Burke County, according to news reports.
Frances Collett Apperson has not been seen since she left her home on North Course Drive on May 17, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a news release.
Her SUV, a silver Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, was found in a Linville Gorge parking area, WSOC reported.
Avery County deputies found the SUV, said Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant told the Morganton News Herald.
Apperson is 5-foot-2, weighs 130 pounds, and has brown shoulder-length hair and brown eyes, the CMPD release said.
Because Apperson is deaf, communication may be difficult, police said. She was believed to be traveling in or to the Burke County area, possibly near Hawksbill Mountain, according to police.
Her brother, Tod Collett, told WSOC that he had hiked down to the Linville River to look for his sister.
“We have a lot of family close by, so we had looked everywhere,” he said. “We just didn’t come to this spot.”
Burke County Search and Rescue searched for clues on Apperson’s whereabouts in the Linville Falls parking area off of Old N.C. 105 on Tuesday, the squad said in a Facebook post.
The squad and other Burke County agencies used a drone to search secluded areas along the falls, the post said. Ground crews covered Plunge Basin trail as well as all the overlooks and beyond, according to the squad.
Search efforts continued Wednesday on the northern side of the highway, the squad said in an update Wednesday evening.
“Most of the visitors who come here stick to the main trails. They’re somewhat easy to navigate but if you get off these main trails it gets very easy to get lost,” Wes Taylor with the Burke Rescue Squad told WSOC-TV.
Anyone who was in the area of Linville Falls or Linville Information Cabin on May 17, or has any general information on Apperson’s whereabouts, can call 911 or 828-437-1911.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 5:10 PM.
