A mother of four went missing on Mother’s Day and her family has increased the reward to $7,000 for any information that can lead to her whereabouts.
Echo Lloyd, 47, has been missing since May 10 when her 28-year-old daughter, Kelsey Smith, went to her home in Edwards, Missouri, to deliver a card and flowers but found no one there.
Her mother didn’t answer the door and her car wasn’t in the driveway, so Smith left the card and flowers on the doorstep with another note telling her mother to call when she was home.
The next morning, Smith’s calls to her mother went straight to voice mail.
Things Looked Out of Place in the House
“It was just odd,” she told CNN. “It was not like her not to answer the phone.”
Smith said she went back to her mother’s home, yelled her name from outside and eventually broke in through a window.
“It didn’t look like it had been broken into, no broken glass or ransacked closets, but my mom … has specific ways she likes things to look,” she said. “Things just looked out of place. There was moldy food laying out in the kitchen.”
Smith said she knew her mother was in trouble when she walked into the bedroom.
“Her purse was there, under her nightstand, and her wallet, ID, and cash were all there,” she said. “The only things missing were her keys, her medications, her pistol, and her cellphone.”
Smith called the police and the case was opened.
The Family Fears Foul Play
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office told CNN it continues to investigate the case but could not disclose further details.
“She wouldn’t just walk away from her family,” Smith said. “She loves her kids and her grandbabies and she would never leave us.”
With no leads or answers, Smith and her family say they fear that foul play was involved.
“My mom is a ‘follow the rules’ kind of gal. She has never been in trouble for anything, if she knew the cops were looking for her, she would be here,” Smith said.
The $7,000 reward consists of private donations from Lloyd’s friends and total strangers.
Anyone with information on Lloyd’s whereabouts should contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse at (573) 526-6178 or the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at (660) 438-6135.
By Marika Gerken
