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Family pleads for missing grandmother’s safe return

Posted at 11:51 PM, Aug 04, 2012
and last updated 2012-08-04 23:51:13-04

UPDATE: Family members have just notified CBS 6 that 55-year-old Debbie Eavey has been found safe. She was located in southwest Virginia after last being seen Wednesday morning at her Hopewell home. [Read more]

HOPEWELL, Va. (WTVR) - The whereabouts of a Hopewell woman who went missing on Wednesday morning are still unknown, and now her family is pleading for help from the public.

On August 1st, 55-year old Debbie Eavey went missing from her home in Hopewell.  That morning, her daughter came over for a visit and noticed nothing unusual.  When Eavey’s husband returned home from work that afternoon, Eavey was not there.

Her car and purse were gone, but her cell phone was still at the house and none of her clothes had been taken.

Eavey, who is the mother of two grown children and grandmother to three grandchildren, is not the type of person who would leave without telling anyone, according to family members.

“She’s never left like this without letting someone know where she’s going,” says Cheryl Wright, Eavey’s sister.  “There’s five of us girls in the family, and we talk on weekends.  We tell each other if we are going on a trip or out of town or if something is bothering us.  So this is very out of the norm.”

Eavey’s family has filed a missing persons report with the Hopewell Police Department, and the Virginia State Police are helping with the investigation, according to the family.

Credit card purchases made with cards in Eavey’s name have been tracked across the commonwealth but little else is known of her whereabouts, the family says.

Eavey experiences residual effects of a brain aneurysm she suffered on July 4th twenty years ago.  Wright says her sister went through periods of both short term and long term memory loss but has been improving over the past 15 years.

“This is not like Debbie, not to reach out to someone,” says Wright.

The emotional toll on the family has been overwhelming since Eavey’s disappearance.  Eavey’s husband has not spoken since his wife went missing. 

Saturday, while sitting on Eavey’s front porch and holding back tears, Wright and family members implore anyone with information about Eavey’s location to call the local police immediately.

“We just want to make sure she’s okay,” says Wright.

The family has reached out on Facebook to garner any information they can.  Flyers have also been spread throughout Hopewell.

Eavey was last seen wearing a yellow tee shirt and white capri pants.  She’s approximately 5’9” and weights around 200 pounds.  Eavey’s car, a silver 2005 Toyota Tundra, is marked with Virginia tag number JTU 9895.

If you have seen Debbie Eavey, the family urges you to first call police, and then call (804) 868-0868.