An Indiana woman was reported missing last week after a “suspicious” fire at her home, authorities said.
Britney Gard, 46, was last seen the night of Sept. 30, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. He is considered an endangered person “due to his whereabouts unknown,” the sheriff’s office saying.
Authorities responded to his home on Oct. 1, following a 911 call for a fire at his home in Bainbridge, located about 40 miles west of Indianapolis, the sheriff’s office said. Smoke was reported coming from the residence around 7:40 p.m., the office said.
Britney Gard is seen in undated photos released by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
Fire crews extinguished the fire, which investigators believe is “suspicious in nature,” Putnam County Sheriff Jerrod Baugh said in a statement Friday.
No one was found in the fire-damaged home, and attempts to contact Gard were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office said. It was not located after a drone-assisted search of the area and is searching for a pond on the property after the fire, the sheriff’s office said.
Gard was supposed to attend her daughter’s volleyball game on Oct. 1, but she didn’t show up, her sister, Stephanie Bowen, told ABC Indianapolis Affiliate. WRTV.
“Her car is at home, her purse is at home. She’s nowhere to be found and the house is on fire. It doesn’t make sense,” Bowen told WRTV.
“I feel like there’s something bigger here that we don’t know,” he said.
Britney Gard was last seen on September 30, 2025, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
The search continued this week for the mother of two, with dozens of people, including her sisters, looking through corn fields and wooded areas near Gard’s property on Monday, WRTV reported.
Detectives asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the sheriff’s office.
“We continue to investigate this case around the clock and are involved with her family to find Britney,” Baugh said. “Since this is an active investigation and we continue to gather information on an hourly basis, we will not discuss any more particular evidence or information until we are able to complete this effort and find Britney Gard.”
Bowen urged people to be “vigilant” and check their home security cameras.
“Britney, we love you,” he told WRTV. “We look forward to seeing you safely return home.”
