IN IN - Britney Gard, 46, Endangered, missing after suspicious house fire, car & purse left at her home, Bainbridge, 30 Sep 2025

[Onlyguessing23]

Indiana mom missing after 'suspicious' fire at home, officials say

Britney Gard, 46, was last seen on Sept. 30, according to Indiana officials.

www.nbcnews.com

From the article:

According to her brother-in-law, Kenny Bowen, Gard is a "simple person" who has been working at the local post office for nearly 25 years.
…
Kenny Bowen explained that the family was first informed of Gard's disappearance at some point after she failed to show up for the Oct. 1 volleyball game. He said that Gard's 13-year-old daughter had stayed with her dad the night of Sept. 30, and spoke to her mom at bedtime.
…

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I am confused regarding the last time she was seen. Family last saw her the evening of September 30th, and she didn’t show up to her minor daughter’s volleyball game on the afternoon of Oct 1. So where was the daughter on the morning of October 1? Was Britney seen by anyone then?

Based on the following, her daughter was most likely at her dad’s on the morning of October 1st, and Britney was last seen or heard from on September 30 th, IMO

“During the investigation, deputies learned Gard owned the home and was last seen or heard from shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30.

[SBM]

It all started when Gard's daughter had a volleyball game after school on Oct. 1.
‘She was at her dad's the night before the game, she talked to her mom, talked to Britney that evening, and was, you know, expecting mom at the game. I don't think, as far as we understand, Britney hasn't missed a game in like, two years, so it's kind of like the highlight for her,’ [Gard's brother-in-law, KB] said.”
(BBM)

'It's like she vanished' | Putnam County family pleading for help finding missing mother

It's now been a week since anyone has seen or heard from 46-year-old Britney Gard.

www.wthr.com

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Indiana mom missing after 'suspicious' fire at home, officials say

Britney Gard, 46, was last seen on Sept. 30, according to Indiana officials.

www.nbcnews.com

From the article:

According to her brother-in-law, Kenny Bowen, Gard is a "simple person" who has been working at the local post office for nearly 25 years.
…
Kenny Bowen explained that the family was first informed of Gard's disappearance at some point after she failed to show up for the Oct. 1 volleyball game. He said that Gard's 13-year-old daughter had stayed with her dad the night of Sept. 30, and spoke to her mom at bedtime.
…

Also from the article:
“[The family] have been unable to locate her on any of the shared family accounts or find her missing iPhone using the app, ‘Find my Friends.’”
(BBM)
So her phone is missing.

 

[Warwick7]

Also from the article:
“[The family] have been unable to locate her on any of the shared family accounts or find her missing iPhone using the app, ‘Find my Friends.’”
(BBM)
So her phone is missing.

So.......it could be one of a few things.

If her location services are disabled, or she's (or someone else) is not sharing her location, or could it be there is a poor internet connection, or maybe even there's a software glitch.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Britney also has a son. Based on the court documents posted upthread, he is college age. Did he live with his mom or dad? Or elsewhere? Just wondering if he may have been the last to physically see her (since her daughter was at her dad''s on Tuesday night)'.

 

[oceanverde]

FB group is reporting she was found alive?!

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Posted 10 minutes ago:
“#BREAKINGNEWS: Britney Gard has been found. We will have more details soon.”

WTWO TV

#BREAKINGNEWS: Britney Gard has been found. We will have more details soon.

www.facebook.com

 

[oceanverde]

"However, on Wednesday night her family confirmed that she was found alive and she was seeking medical treatment."

https://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/putnam-co-woman-found-alive-after-missing-for-one-week/

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Posted 2 minutes ago:
“Britney Gard has been located in a wooded area 2.5 miles from her residence.
She is being cleared by medical staff now.
No further details are available at this time.”

Putnam County Sheriffs Office Indiana

Britney Gard has been located in a wooded area 2.5 miles from her residence. She is being cleared by medical staff now. No further details are available at this time.

www.facebook.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

"However, on Wednesday night her family confirmed that she was found alive and she was seeking medical treatment."

https://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/putnam-co-woman-found-alive-after-missing-for-one-week/

Fantastic news!!
She may have gone for a walk and suffered a medical event. We may not learn exactly what happened, but so glad she has been found.

 

[GraceG]

Fantastic news!!
She may have gone for a walk and suffered a medical event. We may not learn exactly what happened, but so glad she has been found.

I think she just may have been just overwhelmed by everything that was going on in her life and perhaps just wanted to leave for a bit and it went south for her physically or mentally. I'm just so glad she is safe and getting the care she may need. The loss of her home and the investigation into that will be additional stress for her and she needs all the support she can get.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I think she just may have been just overwhelmed by everything that was going on in her life and perhaps just wanted to leave for a bit and it went south for her physically or mentally. I'm just so glad she is safe and getting the care she may need. The loss of her home and the investigation into that will be additional stress for her and she needs all the support she can get.

Could be. A week is a long time, though, and she was found in a wooded area. She would have needed food and water. The home fire is an odd (sad) detail. Perhaps she had left a candle burning or the stove was on, but it was said to be suspicious, which lends credibility to the direction of your thoughts.

 

[Johenry1922]

Her kids lives have been upended. I hope they get the support they may need.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Indiana mom who went missing for 8 days hospitalized after being found in wooded area

'It makes no sense.'

local12.com

An Indiana mother who went missing for several days was hospitalized after being found alive.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, an investigation was launched into the disappearance of Britney Gard, 46, who was last seen on September 30.

*****
It remains unclear how Gard ended up in the woods at this time.

“No one knows what happened. No one knows how she got there. No one knows what happened,” Gard's family said when speaking to WTWO, adding that they are grateful she has been found safe.

*****

 

[arielilane]

Timeline of events:

-- Sept. 30, BG is last seen at her home in Bainbridge, IN. She speaks with her daughter, who is staying at her father's house that night.

-- Oct. 1, BG does not attend her daughter's school volleyball game, which she rarely misses. Her family is concerned.
Later that evening, a 911 call reports smoke from BG residence. Local fire depart respond to a structure fire; the blaze is extinguished with damage contained to a portion of the home. no one found inside. However, BG's vehicle and handbag found at the scene. BG not found.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office (PCSO)


-- Oct. 2/Oct. 3, Family learns about the fire when BG's daughter returns home after the game and is met by police and fire officials. PCSO starts an investigation of BG as a missing endangered person. Earlier searches of the property and surrounding areas, which included cornfields yield no results. For awareness; A "Find Britney Gard" Facebook page is created.

Fire is preliminarily deemed "suspicious in nature" by investigators.


--Oct. 4 /Oct. 5, ground searches are done by PCSO. IN Dept of Natural Resources searches the pond on BG's property and nearby water bodies using divers; no sign of BG. Drones are deployed to scan wooded areas and fields around the home. Out of town family members arrive to assist in searches.


-- Oct. 6, PCSO updates confirm fire's suspicious nature, with three fire investigators compiling evidence. Detectives collaborate w/FBI's Cellular Analysis Survey Team and IN State Police to trace BG's devices (e.g., iPhone via Find My Friends app), but no leads emerge. Sheriff Jerrod Baugh urges public vigilance, including reviewing home cameras.


-- Oct. 7, Family are concerned and publicly expresses their concerns, and conveying BG's left her vehicle and handbag behind. Searches continued and expand to local ponds and wooded areas. Fliers distributed in Putnam County.


--Oct. 8, PCSO announced BG has been located alive in a wooded area approximately 2.5 miles from her residence. BG was moved to Hendricks Regional Health for medical evaluation. Of course, her family is relieved, and expressed "It feels great. It's a relief. Feel joy that she’s alive and with us."

Nothing about how BG ended up in the wooded area or any info about her injuries at this time. Investigation into the fire continues.

MSN

Missing Putnam County woman found after 'suspicious' house fire

Help locate missing woman in Bainbridge, Indiana. Britney Gard, 46, vanished before her home caught fire. Contact Putnam County Sheriff's Office with info.

www.wishtv.com

https://fox8.com/news/indiana-mom-disappears-missing-since-suspicious-house-fire-authorities/

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Posted 15 minutes ago:
“10/9/2025 Press Release
Britney Gard missing person update.

On October 8, 2025, at 5:30pm Putnam County Central Dispatch received a 911 cell phone call from Britney Gard requesting assistance finding her way out of a wooded area in Hall Woods Nature Preserve east of Bainbridge Indiana in Putnam County. Britney was quickly found by Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputies with the assistance of Indiana Conservation Officers, an Indiana State Police Detective, Bainbridge Fire Department personnel, and excellent directions from our 911 dispatchers. This location is approximately 2.5 miles from the residence of Ms. Gard.

Ms. Gard was immediately checked out by Putnam County Emergency Services paramedics at the scene and transported to an area hospital for a medical evaluation.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is not currently looking for any individuals of interest in this missing person investigation of Britney Gard. There is no current threat to the general public in this case.

It is with great relief that we were able to find Ms. Gard last evening and bring this missing person case to a close. We would like to thank her family and all of the organizations that worked with us around the clock on this missing person case. Please continue to keep Britney, her family, and all emergency personnel in your prayers. As this case is still under active investigation to verify all incident information and bring a closure to this event, we will not be releasing any further details in this case at this time.

A special thanks to our detectives and staff who continued to work tirelessly with Ms. Gard’s family to bring her home.
Respectfully, Sheriff Jerrod E. Baugh”

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[nhmemorymaker]

Posted 15 minutes ago:
“10/9/2025 Press Release
Britney Gard missing person update.

On October 8, 2025, at 5:30pm Putnam County Central Dispatch received a 911 cell phone call from Britney Gard requesting assistance finding her way out of a wooded area in Hall Woods Nature Preserve east of Bainbridge Indiana in Putnam County. Britney was quickly found by Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputies with the assistance of Indiana Conservation Officers, an Indiana State Police Detective, Bainbridge Fire Department personnel, and excellent directions from our 911 dispatchers. This location is approximately 2.5 miles from the residence of Ms. Gard.

Ms. Gard was immediately checked out by Putnam County Emergency Services paramedics at the scene and transported to an area hospital for a medical evaluation.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is not currently looking for any individuals of interest in this missing person investigation of Britney Gard. There is no current threat to the general public in this case.

It is with great relief that we were able to find Ms. Gard last evening and bring this missing person case to a close. We would like to thank her family and all of the organizations that worked with us around the clock on this missing person case. Please continue to keep Britney, her family, and all emergency personnel in your prayers. As this case is still under active investigation to verify all incident information and bring a closure to this event, we will not be releasing any further details in this case at this time.

A special thanks to our detectives and staff who continued to work tirelessly with Ms. Gard’s family to bring her home.
Respectfully, Sheriff Jerrod E. Baugh”

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I am sure we will all find this very strange...

I don't see a woman living in an isolated home opening the door to a stranger, and there were no signs of forced entry so I'm not thinking home invation. Plus her purse was left. As to the employer question - if you drill down into the last Order for the recent default judgemnt for which she was just subpeoned to appear in Dec.( I posted at 11:46 yesterday morning here) there is evidence in the interoggetaries that her wages were likely to be garnished by the USPS as the Defendent Employer. Although she and another party are named in the judgement, only her name appears on the interrogatorries with regards to the possible garnishment.

I know so many folks are finding everything so strange.... but I come back to what @GraceG posted, which is above...
I think these financial issues with a possible self-set fire are going to be the story... moo of course.

IF she was kidnapped, or attacked... I just do not think the police report of her found safe would state that there is nothing for the community to be worried about...



==

 

[TheMom77]

Wow! I was not expecting that update!

 

[steeltowngirl]

I am sure we will all find this very strange...


I know so many folks are finding everything so strange.... but I come back to what @GraceG posted, which is above...
I think these financial issues with a possible self-set fire are going to be the story... moo of course.

IF she was kidnapped, or attacked... I just do not think the police report of her found safe would state that there is nothing for the community to be worried about...



==

Glad she was found safe. Lacking more info, I am chalking it up to a mental health event. Hopefully, she will get well, and the community resources that were utilized to help locate her were considered by all to be well-spent.

JMO

 

[justtrish]

Posted 15 minutes ago:
“10/9/2025 Press Release
Britney Gard missing person update.

On October 8, 2025, at 5:30pm Putnam County Central Dispatch received a 911 cell phone call from Britney Gard requesting assistance finding her way out of a wooded area in Hall Woods Nature Preserve east of Bainbridge Indiana in Putnam County. Britney was quickly found by Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputies with the assistance of Indiana Conservation Officers, an Indiana State Police Detective, Bainbridge Fire Department personnel, and excellent directions from our 911 dispatchers. This location is approximately 2.5 miles from the residence of Ms. Gard.

Ms. Gard was immediately checked out by Putnam County Emergency Services paramedics at the scene and transported to an area hospital for a medical evaluation.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is not currently looking for any individuals of interest in this missing person investigation of Britney Gard. There is no current threat to the general public in this case.

It is with great relief that we were able to find Ms. Gard last evening and bring this missing person case to a close. We would like to thank her family and all of the organizations that worked with us around the clock on this missing person case. Please continue to keep Britney, her family, and all emergency personnel in your prayers. As this case is still under active investigation to verify all incident information and bring a closure to this event, we will not be releasing any further details in this case at this time.

A special thanks to our detectives and staff who continued to work tirelessly with Ms. Gard’s family to bring her home.
Respectfully, Sheriff Jerrod E. Baugh”

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I am glad she was found safe and it seems unharmed.

If nobody else is being looked for/at in this case, then I would assume they think she started the fire and ran off into the woods some time on Oct 1st. If they tried to ping her phone/devices and that gave them no leads, then did she turn her phone off and just hide in the woods until she decided to turn it on and call 911? Was anyone helping her during these 8 days or was she literally just alone in the woods without food and water for 8 days because that is a very long time to be without food, water, and shelter.

Was the goal to burn her house down for insurance money? Did she start the fire or was it something that happened as a result of leaving something on like the stove or a candle?

There are certainly possible criminal implications here beyond just her going missing and causing everyone to look for her. Then I think of her poor children thinking something horrific must have happened to her.