Search continues for missing 66-year-old woman in Ocala National Forest

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The search continues for 66-year-old Theresa Hartley, who went missing nearly a month ago and was last seen in the area of Ocala National Forest, near Lake Delancy.

On Saturday, a regional search and rescue group, as well as strangers, searched the area for Hartley.

Her disappearance has left her family members, like her niece Cara Hartley, worried and desperate for answers.

“When I go to sleep, it’s all my dreams are about, just trying to figure out what happened, where she is,” Cara Hartley said.

According to the report, Hartley was with a friend in the woods to collect wood when their truck got stuck. The two started walking in a wooded area for help, but the friend eventually told Hartley to stay with the truck while he went to get help. He continued to walk for an unknown amount of time, then called his sister who picked him up.

The truck was found two days later, but Hartley wasn’t in it when they arrived, and nobody had heard from her.

“It’s been really stressful and overwhelming, nerve-wracking,” Cara Hartley said. “It’s hard for me to imagine her going off the road or wandering in the woods.”

The report also said the friend was unclear as to why he didn’t immediately call for help when the two first started walking but told police at the time they were under the influence of both drugs and alcohol.

“Even if it does come out that she was using drugs or under the influence, I don’t think that would be...I just can’t see being messed up enough to leave someone in the woods,” Cara Hartley said.

It should be noted that the niece told reporters that she’s never known her aunt to do hard drugs and said she didn’t drink much.

Hartley has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but police say it is possible she may have a mental condition. The report said neighbors have said she seems to be experiencing some memory problems.

If you have any information about Theresa Hartley’s whereabouts, please call 911. The search will continue until she is found, the search group stated.

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