JOHN DAY, Ore. (AP) — A “sociable” couple whose remote house burned to the ground last week in Oregon remained missing Wednesday and police said there has been no sign of them on their phones or social media.
Authorities have stopped short of calling the disappearance of Terry and Sharon Smith suspicious, but Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said Tuesday, “we’d like to know where they are at, whether it’s good or bad.”
The Smiths, both in their 60s, have not been heard from since July 18, when their home south of John Day went up in flames.
They normally split their time between the Eastern Oregon residence and Hawaii, and had arrived back in Oregon a few weeks ago, the Register Guard reported Wednesday. They visited family in Springfield after their return.
Cadaver dogs have not picked up the scent of any human remains in the ruins of the burned home on 80 acres off a remote road, he said.
Their truck — a silver or gray 2006 Toyota Tacoma with Oregon license plate 714 EGG — is also missing.
“It’s very frustrating, because it’s not like them to just take off and not let someone know where they’re at,” nephew Josh Smith of Springfield said.
A neighbor called 911 around midnight on the night of the blaze to report what was thought to be a forest fire in the distance. Responding crews found the house burning.
Josh Smith and his wife, Amy, went to the John Day area Tuesday to help search for the couple.
Other friends and family members also have tried to find the couple and search the area, but to no avail. The Smiths are believed to have been at home earlier on the evening of the fire.
“Our phone has been ringing off the hook with family and friends,” Palmer said. “They’re a very personable, social couple. It’s just blown a lot of people away that they’re not on social media or their phones.”
