Loved Ones Searched for Missing Woman

"Now we don’t know if we are looking for Laurie alive or did she meet some ill fate?" said Shelby Kennedy.

33-year-old Laurie Flowers was last seen on January 4th at her trailer on Glendale Avenue in Zanesville.  Her husband Jim said Laurie is an outgoing, loving mother of three children, and it’s unlike her to just disappear.

"Sleepless nights just worrying about her and where she’s at, same with the kids, they’re wondering where their mom is at, and I tell them she’ll be home soon," said Jim Flowers.  "It’s been a nightmare."

Laurie’s aunt and sister took action and organized a search party at the Salvation Army on Putnam Avenue.

"We printed off a large map of Zanesville and surrounding areas, and we asked everybody to choose a section that they’re familiar with," said Misty Eveland.

"It says a lot about our community and her family and friends, because there’s a lot of people here, and we really appreciate it," said Shane Weaver.

Eleven days with few leads have brought frustration to concerned loved ones.

"It’s been very nervewracking to say the least, because we all feel at this point that our hands are tied," said Kennedy.  "Everybody has looked everywhere, called every friend she has, and we have looked at all of her favorite spots where she would go even as a child, and we’re still not turning up anything."

After about four hours of searching, family members lost what little hope they had of finding Laurie alive.

"At about one o’clock this afternoon we recovered the body of 33-year-old Laurie Flowers of Zanesville, who had been missing from her residence for about a week and a half," said Detective Sergeant Ric Roush of the Zanesville Police Department.

Roush said the Licking County Coroner’s Office will perform an autopsy as part of the investigation.

"She was found in a garage of a family member," said Roush.  "This garage is a detached garage, and it’s not used at all basically.  Her vehicle was found in the garage also."

The garage is located on McIntire Avenue, and Roush said no obvious signs of foul play are evident in this case.  For those who knew and loved Laurie, a sense of closure is bittersweet.