Missing mom’s house catches fire after no-showing daughter’s game, IN reports say

UPDATE: Britney Gard, an Indiana mother missing for more than a week, was found alive Oct. 8, authorities said.

The 46-year-old woman was found “in a wooded area 2.5 miles from her residence,” according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

She is receiving medical treatment following her discovery, deputies said.

Family members told WTWO “it’s a relief” Gard was found, adding that “no one knows how she got there (or) ... what happened.”

“I was just in shock. Excited, hopeful. When we confirmed it, it made us all feel relieved,” Stephanie Bowen, Gard’s sister, told WXIN.

The original story is below.

A mother has been reported missing after her home caught fire under “suspicious” circumstances, Indiana authorities say.

Britney Gard, a 46-year-old woman from Bainbridge, was last seen Sept. 30 — one day before her home was reporting as showing smoke, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

There was no sign of Gard in the home, and investigators said the house fire was “suspicious in nature.”

“She was supposed to be at her daughter’s volleyball game. Wasn’t there. And then there’s a fire,” Gard’s sister, Stephanie Bowen, told WRTV. “Her car is at home, her purse is at home. She’s nowhere to be found, and the house is on fire. It makes no sense.”

Gard is described as being 5 feet, 9 inches, 140 pounds and has long black hair, deputies said.

Investigators said they are using “technology based investigative tools and programs” in their search for the missing mom.

Gard’s sister called her a “loving person” who goes “out of her way to make you feel special,” according to WTWO.

She told the station family is “frantically” searching for Gard and calling everyone they know.

“Who took her? How does someone just go missing these days? It doesn’t make any sense,” Bowen told WRTV.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 765-653-5115.

“We continue to investigate this case around the clock and are involved with her family to find Britney,” the sheriff’s office said.

Bainbridge is about a 45-mile drive west from Indianapolis.

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Missing mom’s house catches fire after no-showing daughter’s game, IN reports say."