PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Parkersburg Police said they have identified a person of interest in connection with the case of a young woman who went missing earlier this month.
Gretchen Fleming, 28, of Vienna, was last seen leaving the My Way Lounge & Restaurant in Parkersburg in the early morning hours of Dec. 4. Her family reported her missing on Dec. 12.
“We were able to identify a person of interest that we know was at the lounge that evening with Gretchen or at the same time as Gretchen. We have cause to believe Gretchen left with, so we are actively investigating that,” Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board told MetroNews Thursday.
Police have not released the name of the person of interest.
Board said it’s been a joint effort with investigators and the community to get to this point.
“People that have seen things, heard things or just think that something might help, they have not hesitated to reach out. There’s also been around the clock work for detectives to go through those leads,” he said.
Board said the case is alarming.
“You have a young girl that no body has heard from, no body has seen, no social media activity. Things of that nature are very concerning,” he said.
The case has gained nationwide attention and was even featured on NBC’s “Dateline” this week.
Gretchen Fleming was last seen in the early morning hours of December 4, 2022 in Parkersburg, West Virginia. She was reported missing on December 12. Do you know something that can help find Gretchen? https://t.co/9sULnM1H05 pic.twitter.com/dMYqLnF6Pq
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) December 26, 2022
A few weeks ago, the community held a vigil in Parkersburg. Board said he believes that’s because Parkersburg truly cares about its people.
“It’s a good community and the community cares about its citizens, so when something like this happens, the community rallies around it, it gets attention and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Board said the case remains very active.
“Finding Gretchen is paramount to anything else,” he said. “That’s what we’re focused on.”
Gretchen Fleming is between 5′ and 5’2″ tall and weighs 100-120 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She is now 28 years old. Her birthday was on Christmas Eve.
Anyone with information is asked to contact lead Detective James Zimmerman at 304-424-1072 or the Parkersburg Police Department at 304-424-8444.