Pat O'Hagan, Grandmother of Nine, 'Suspiciously' Vanishes

Pat O'Hagan, 78, Hasn't Been Since For a Week

ByABC News
September 17, 2010, 10:58 AM

Sept. 17, 2010 — -- A missing grandmother of nine who spent her free time doing crafts and was once the president of her town's historical society has been abducted from her home in Sheffield, Vermont, police say.

Pat O'Hagan, 78, was last seen on Friday, Sept. 10, but was reported missing the following Sunday, when she failed to show up for a rug hooking class she never missed.

Now police say that her disappearance is "suspicious" and that foul play is likely involved.

"Based on the investigation and her known activities and the fact that she is very physically active and mentally sound, there is no reason to believe that she has wandered off on her own," said Vermont State Police Det. Sgt. Jason Letourneau in a statement to the press.

"I will not get into the details as to why we came to the conclusion that she left her residence against her will, but all indicators point in this direction," he said.

The FBI has joined the search for O'Hagan, and authorities have spent days combing fields, wooded areas and abandoned buildings searching for clues in the grandmother's disappearance. The police department is offering a $5,000 reward for information in the case.

Also searching for O'Hagan are her five children, all of whom have traveled to Sheffield to help in the search.

Terry O'Hagan, 47, described his missing mother to ABC News as "not your typical 78-year-old retired woman."

"She is extremely active, she camps, kayaks, and volunteers at the library," he said. "We get exhausted reading the list of activities she's involved with."

Terry O'Hagan said his mother is extremely healthy for a woman of her age, and takes no medication.

Sheffield is a town of fewer than 1,000 residents and spans just 32 square miles.

Matt O'Hagan, another son, said that he and his siblings have been working with police to search different areas that may not have been covered.

"We're out on back roads, we're out knocking on doors, we've got flyers, we're talking to people," he said. "There's somebody out there that knows something or has seen something."

"We know she's been abducted against her will, and we know that she's out there, and somebody has some information, and please call it in, we need something," he said.