PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Monday, Dec. 4 marks the one-year anniversary since the disappearance of Wood County woman Gretchen Fleming.
Fleming, a native of Vienna, was last seen alive leaving the My Way Lounge & Restaurant on Juliana Street in downtown Parkersburg during the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2022. She was reported missing a week after that once family members said they could not find her.
There have been mass search efforts for Fleming over the course of this year. Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board said they are not letting up in their search for Fleming.
“This is not a circumstance where it’s been put on a shelf or forgotten about,” Chief Board said. “It’s being actively pursued as it was from the beginning.”
Fleming recently moved back to the area to live with her grandparents from North Carolina. She was 27 at the time of her disappearance. Fleming will turn 29 on Christmas Eve this year.
Board spoke to the anniversary Monday. He offered a reminder to people in the community and those that are concerned with finding Fleming that the Parkersburg Police Department and detectives in the case are continuing to let the evidence that they have collected move them forward. Board said they have been in contact with multiple other law enforcement agencies ever since last December.
“A change in the strategy at this point would be acting on nothing more than impulse or emotion to try and basically shove a square peg into a round hole,” said the chief.
Chief Board said they remain hopeful in the case. Investigators remain in contact with the family at least a few times each week.
“They’re a tremendous family and we are keeping that line of communication open. They are a family in need and we recognize that.” Board said.
“The bottom line is we have to focus on the integrity of the case,” said Board.
A reward of at least $100,000 is being offered to anyone who provides information about the case that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Parkersburg Police Department at 304-424-8444 or through their Facebook page.
“I would really like to see this weigh on someone’s heart if they feel like they have information that we need to know,” Board said.