On Wednesday, police continued the search for a Virginia mother and daughter who disappeared on their way to a West Virginia summer camp.
According to CBS 6 Richmond, Martha Bates, 42, and her 15-year-old daughter, Mary Bates, left their home in Prince George County on July 9. The pair, police said, were headed around 250 miles to Camp Carlo in Huttonsville, but never made it.
At Around 4 p.m. on July 9, they were spotted in Monterey, in Martha’s silver 2015 Nissan Rogue with Virginia license plate, “UVL9169.”
“We began to look at cell phone records and determined their last ping was in the vicinity near the Virginia-West Virginia border,” Prince George County Police spokesperson Alexis Grochmal said. “The last ping that we received was in Monterey, Virginia.”
“Once the husband contacted the camp, and neither one of them arrived, he began contacting us [Monday] and we began doing a formal search. We began speaking with family members and things like that to find out their route.”
The Progress-Index reports that mom and daughter were headed to a faith-based children’s camp when they vanished.
***MISSING*** PRINCE GEORGE, VA
The Prince George County Police Department is seeking assistance locating a missing mother and daughter. Martha Bates and her daughter, Mary Bates, from Prince George, VA were last known to be in the area of Monterey, VA, on July 9th, 2023, at… pic.twitter.com/TMNATwFSoa— The AWARE Foundation (@aware_the) July 12, 2023
Martha is described as a white female who stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs around 345 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and wears glasses. Mary is described as a white female who stands 5 feet tall and weighs around 100 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.
Martha’s longtime friend, Austin Cecil, told the Post-Index that Martha always stayed in touch while traveling, adding that the silence is “out of character.”
Cecil said that the missing woman’s entire family is “kind,” which includes her husband, Michael, and a young son.
“They’d give you the shirt right off their backs,” Cecil said.
Anyone with information on the pair’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Prince George Police Department at (804) 733-2773 or Crime Solvers at (804) 733-2777. You can also send tips to “P3Tips” app or send an email to police@princegeorgecountyva.gov.
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[Feature Photo: Police Handout]
