Her abandoned car was found on I-77, but search continues for missing woman in SC
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said it’s doing everything it can to find a missing woman, and now is asking for the public’s help.
Sabrina Heinz, 49, hasn’t been seen for a week, and the sheriff’s department said it’s concerned for her safety.
On Jan. 30, deputies were told by Heinz’s boss that she had not shown up for work, which they learned was out of character for her, the sheriff’s department said Tuesday in a news release.
Heinz’s employer activated the GPS monitoring on her company vehicle, and it was located on the shoulder of I-77 in the Blythewood area, according to the release. Deputies found the abandoned vehicle with Heinz’s personal belongings still inside, the sheriff’s department said.
Heinz was last seen Jan. 28 at about 10 p.m., according to the release. She was at the Shell gas station on S.C. 200 in Winnsboro, the sheriff’s department said. That’s about 20 miles north of where the abandoned vehicle was discovered.
When the vehicle was located members of the sheriff department’s Missing Persons Unit were notified. Those investigators conducted an extensive search of the wooded area surrounding both sides of I-77, the sheriff’s department said.
The search party included more than a dozen investigators, a sheriff’s department K-9, a drone as well as an airplane, according to the release.
Heinz’s photo was shared with the public and after working late into Friday night, investigators had to stop before returning the area Sunday following a winter storm, the sheriff’s department said.
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There was no word if Heinz was alone when she was last seen. The sheriff’s department did not say if foul play was suspected in her ongoing disappearance.
The sheriff’s department described Heinz as a 5-foot-2, 160-pound woman who was last seen wearing a red-colored, short sleeve collared shirt with a black long sleeve shirt underneath and black pants.
Anyone who has seen Heinz, or has information about the missing woman, is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 803-576-3000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
In the case of an emergency, always call 911.
“Investigators are tracking down every lead that is reported in reference to Sabrina Heinz’s whereabouts,” the sheriff’s department said in the release.
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