Search teams spread across more than 2,000 acres of woods, cranberry bogs and ponds in West Barnstable are still looking for Clare Fearon, a 76-year-old woman with dementia who vanished near Pine Street nearly a week ago. Police say there's no indication her disappearance is suspicious, but the scale of the operation — drones, dive teams, K9 units and a regional SWAT team — underscores just how difficult the search has become.
Fearon was last seen walking near Pine Street at approximately 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, according to WCVB. She was reported missing from 310 Pine St. around 3:40 p.m. that same day, police told MassLive. Police said she suffers from dementia, and when she was last seen she was wearing black leggings, a long-sleeved blue shirt and black shoes, according to CBS Boston.
A Search That Keeps Growing
The effort started small and has snowballed. Law enforcement began with 60 searchers divided into 10 teams, the MassLive report states. From there, crews brought in drones, K9 teams, divers and ATVs, with dive teams checking cranberry bogs and ponds over the weekend, per a Yahoo News report drawing on the same coverage.
Just how much ground has been covered depends on which account you read. WCVB reported that 1,500 acres had been searched on foot and 850 acres by drone, while the same MassLive report put the figures at approximately 1,513 acres on foot and 849 acres by drone. Either way, the search area now stretches well past 2,000 acres combined.
Monday's Focus: The Woods of West Barnstable
On Monday, search teams focused on wooded areas in West Barnstable, using drones, ATVs and foot patrols, according to a Sunday update from CapeCod.com that detailed plans for the coming days. Members of the Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team joined that push through the wooded terrain. Police had said the search was expected to continue into the new week, per the earlier MassLive report.
Boston 25 News, which first reported on the ongoing search Monday, described the effort as a developing story and noted that the search for Fearon remains underway according to police.
No Sign of Foul Play, Police Say
Investigators have been careful to stress what they haven't found. Police said there is no information to suggest that Fearon's disappearance is suspicious in nature, and no reason to believe there is any danger to the public, according to the same CapeCod.com update.
That reassurance hasn't stopped investigators from casting a wide net for tips. Police asked residents and business owners to review surveillance and security camera footage recorded between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Nov. 5, per CapeCod.com's reporting. The Barnstable Police Department also posted on Facebook seeking help looking for Fearon, age 76, in a message that has circulated among local residents online.
Anyone with information about Fearon's whereabouts is asked to call Barnstable Police at 508-778-3874, WCVB reported. With the search now stretching into its sixth day and no confirmed sightings since Thursday morning, Cape Cod police continue to lean on the community for the lead that could bring Fearon home.
