Missing Perry woman found

PERRY, Ga. — After a multiple-day search involving GSP helicopters, blood hounds and grid searches, 78-year-old Gloria Giles has been found. According to Major Heath Dykes, she may have spent up to 36 hours trapped in a drainage ditch. She’s reported to be in good health, although scraped, bruised and dehydrated.

Giles was reported missing on Tuesday, after having last been seen at church on Sunday, April 16. Her daughter called her home, but did not receive an answer; concerned, she visited Giles’ address, but could not find her. Afterwards, she called 911.

Perry Police gathered information they could from Giles daughter and began canvassing the neighborhood. Neighbors in the area reported they may have seen her walking the streets, but were unsure. Dykes reported that at this point, PPD began organizing a search of the area, and pinging Giles phone to find a location.

“After searching that area, we couldn’t find any evidence of her, her whereabouts, we couldn’t find her phone,” Dykes said. “We got the helicopter up with GSP and started flying with a flare. Once we got through doing that, we got the bloodhounds in with the DOC; they came in and we searched the area some more, until we finally called it about 1:30 Wednesday morning.”

After responders regrouped Monday morning, they began conducting grid searches where Giles phone initially pinged, to no avail.

“As a last ditch resort we went back into the neighborhood searching each house, their backyards, ditches — things like that. We located her in a drainage ditch where two property lines and two fences came down, where there was a drop-off. She was down in it,” Dykes said.

After being found, Giles was transported to the hospital, but was found to be alive and safe.

“We were happy to find her, especially to find her alive,” Dykes said. “She had some medical issues, we were concerned about her safety, needing her medicine.”

“It was a good ending.”

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