Missing Putnam County woman found alive more than a week after suspicious fire

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – A Putnam County woman who disappeared a week ago has been found alive just a couple miles from her home.

Britney Gard, 46, is currently receiving medical treatment following her disappearance.

The circumstances were bizarre. Local departments responded to a fire at her home on East County Road 600 North in Putnam County on Oct. 1. She was not home at the time, but her car was in the driveway and her purse was inside.

Investigators deemed the fire suspicious in nature. Her family said Sept. 30 was the last time anyone had seen her. No one was able to contact her.

Her disappearance led to a large search, with rescuers looking through about 75 acres of corn and checking ponds for any trace of her. Drones were also deployed in the search.

Law enforcement tracked her phone as Indiana State Police and the FBI provided assistance in the case. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office revealed on Wednesday that Gard had been found alive in a wooded area about 2.5 miles away from her home.

Authorities didn’t provide any additional details about the circumstances leading to her disappearance.

Family members expressed relief at the outcome.

“We had some alerts set up so that if Britney’s phone did become available that it would start squawking and it did,” said Kenny Bowen, Gard’s brother-in-law.

“[The investigator] just said, ‘Kenny, I’ve got her. I’m getting her out of the woods,’” Bowen said. “It was just an amazing and helpful call.”

The family is still trying to come to terms with what happened.

“Panic, is it really her?” said Stephanie Bowen, Gard’s sister, of her initial reaction. “I was just in shock. Excited, hopeful. When we confirmed it, it made us all feel relieved.”

The family thanked local law enforcement and the community for assisting in the search and getting the word out about Gard’s disappearance.

Family members don’t know where Gard has been for the last eight days and weren’t sure if she was in the woods the entire time.

Investigators haven’t said if anyone else was involved in her disappearance. When asked about the possibility, the family deferred to the sheriff’s office.