Dozens of officers combed the Concord Turnpike area Monday afternoon near the industrial area where officers found the wrecked and abandoned car of a missing Lynchburg teenager.
Jamisha Monique Gilbert, 18, last was seen by friends early Friday morning but disappeared under what investigators are calling “suspicious circumstances.”
Her wrecked burgundy 2002 Honda Accord was found near the intersection of Concord Turnpike and Winston Ridge Road a few hours after she was last seen.
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Officers used a state police helicopter, tracking canines and boats to search the James River for clues to find Gilbert on Monday evening. The search stretched from Garnet Street to U.S. 460, through industrial areas, woods, a train yard and the river.
Gilbert was reported missing on Sunday by her mother, Norma Gilbert-Eldridge.
Monday, the Lynchburg Police Department issued a missing person alert as they searched the area.
“We are concerned for her welfare and her safety,” Lynchburg police Lt. Dave Gearhart said. However, he said he did not think there was a threat to the public.
Gilbert-Eldridge is holding out hope that her daughter will return home soon.
“It’s stressful. It’s hard. It’s unbelievable. … It just doesn’t seem real,” she said from her College Hill home Monday evening. “I’m just going to keep hope alive.”
She spoke of her daughter with pride, saying Gilbert was an honor roll student every semester at Heritage High School, where she graduated in May.
Gilbert enjoys poetry and has been playing piano since she was 5 years old, her mother said.
The teenager has been living near Lynchburg College where she was caring for an ill relative. She planned to go to Central Virginia Community College in the spring, before continuing on to the University of Maryland to earn her bachelor’s degree on her way to becoming a lawyer, her mother said.
In a video posted to YouTube in February, Gilbert expressed her happiness at being accepted into the University of Maryland and proudly displayed her acceptance letter.
Investigators have released little information about the search for Gilbert. Gearhart declined to answer questions about evidence gathered during Monday’s search, the condition of her car, where she may have been heading or whether investigators believe any crimes have been committed.
When asked whether they suspect foul play, the lieutenant said only that officers with the department’s Criminal Investigations Division have classified her disappearance as “suspicious,” and do not believe Gilbert is a runaway.
Investigators have found no evidence linking Gilbert’s disappearance to that of Alexis Murphy, the 17-year-old reported missing from Nelson County in August. Murphy has not yet been found. Randy Taylor of Lovingston has been arrested and charged with abduction in connection with her disappearance.
He remains in jail awaiting trial.
In a news conference late Monday, Gearhart said officials still were deciding how the search for Gilbert would continue in the coming
days.
Until then, he asked that anyone who may have information about her disappearance come forward.
She is described as a black woman of medium complexion, standing 5 feet 5 inches and weighing about 140 pounds. She has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing a white shirt, black jacket and brown
boots.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lynchburg Police Department at 434-455-6054.
