Volunteers plan search for missing woman

A group of volunteers is forming a search party to help look for a missing Sedalia woman, or for clues to her disappearance.

At the same time, Sedalia police are checking to see if a skull and teeth found Saturday in Miller County near Eldon could be the remains of Dana Bruce, a Sedalia woman who disappeared about three months ago.

Sedalia Detective Sgt. Adam Hendricks said he found out about the discovery of the remains Tuesday, and had contacted authorities handling the case and the Boone County Medical Examiners Office. Hendricks said officers have access to a DNA profile and Bruce’s dental records.

“We are going to compare and work with them,” he said.

It could take a couple weeks to determine the age, gender and identity of the remains.

Hendricks said police would not turn down the chance at any help volunteers could give in looking for Bruce.

“I am all for the community helping,” he said.

A group of strangers — who mostly met and planned the search in The Democrat’s online comments section and forum — is meeting at 9 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the former Woods property at South Ohio Avenue and Broadway Boulevard.

“All the commenters agreed, it’s time to take action,” said Sara Bass, of Sedalia, who is helping organize the search.

Bass said she thinks at least 10 people will participate in the search.

“I’m hoping to have a lot more,” she said. “The more people we can get, the easier it’s going to be.”

Volunteers have suggested about 10 possible search sites, but a final search list has yet to be completed.

“They’re just sites that we feel would be possible to hide something,” Bass said.

The police are doing a good job in the investigation, and the search is just an attempt to help, Bass said.

“Let me stress also that we are by no means saying the Police Department isn’t doing their job,” she said. “Just maybe we can help by getting out there and providing manpower to search for clues.”

Bass, who has never met Bruce and has no connection with her family, describes herself as “just a concerned citizen.”

“It’s just scary to think something like this could happen around here,” she said. “You don’t really hear about it happening a lot in Sedalia. I don’t know what happened, but just the fact that someone’s missing is fear enough.”

Bass said she, and others, are trying to do whatever they can to help find Bruce and give her family and friends answers.

“I think the only way to get answers ... is to just get out and look and see, and maybe if we ran into something,” she said.

Searchers are asked to dress warmly and leave children at home.

“We ask specifically that no children be present due to the nature of what we are searching for,” Bass said.

For more information, contact Bass at 660-221-8378.