KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Efforts to locate Wanda Dyer, a missing 74-year-old woman, span from Lawrence, Kansas, to Kansas City, Missouri.
Wanda Dyer's family says she set out on foot on March 21, and the Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department suspects she made it to Eudora, Kansas, that evening. Both LKPD and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation say it's possible she was heading as far east as Kansas City.
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Wanda Dyer deals with confusion and memory issues, her family says.
"She left a note saying she was going to go pay an AT&T bill, and the note was timed at 8:33 (a.m.)," said David Dyer, Wanda's husband. "She used to leave me notes."
David and Wanda have been married for 46 years. She was last seen three days before their anniversary.
"It's like a nightmare that doesn't end," he said. "It's frightening. I worry about her because, like I said, she has dementia."
The Dyers live near 5th and California streets in Lawrence. Her family says she set out on foot on the morning of March 21.
That same day, she was pictured at the Bank of America at 9th and Ohio streets in Lawrence.
The clothing she was wearing at the Bank of America matches a photo taken in Eudora on the evening of March 21. A spokesperson for LKPD says the department suspects the photo is of Wanda Dyer.
Police are "fairly certain" she walked from Eudora to Lawrence.
"She's a very good walker and walks fast for her age," David Dyer said.
Wanda's daughter, Phoenix Dyer, last saw her the day before she went missing.
"I miss my mom a lot," she said. "I talked with her three times a day if I didn't see her."
Phoenix said the most difficult thing about her mother's disappearance is that she can't say "hi" or tell her that she loves her.
"We need to find her," she said. "Eventually, we will. It's just scary right now because we don't know where she's at."
Community-led searches have been organized, and LKPD is actively investigating the missing person case.
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Wanda Dyer's family believes she was heading east to Kansas City, where both she and her family have a history of residing. She grew up in the 3500 block of Askew Avenue, worked at the downtown branch of the Kansas City Public Library, and attended Redemptorist School in Kansas City's Midtown before it closed, according to David Dyer.
“She used to load that (a shopping cart) up and say she was going to go (to Kansas City to) see her mom or her aunt or her cousin — who all three are deceased — but she couldn’t remember they’re deceased, so I would remind her that they weren’t around anymore, and she’d give up the pursuit," he said.
LKPD says it's possible she made it to the Kansas City metro area. The department is working with local, Douglas County agencies and surrounding jurisdictions, according to Laura McCabe, LKPD public information officer.
"We've utilized our drones and K9s as warranted," McCabe said in an email to KSHB 41 News. "Our city cameras have also been useful in investigating leads."
McCabe said the amount of incoming tips has gone down as time progresses. She said the citizen search efforts and the public's assistance in keeping Wanda Dyer's picture circulating have been helpful.
Jill Ihde, an organizer of the community-led searches and administrator of the Bring Wanda Home Facebook group, said identifying more recent sightings of Wanda Dyer can help narrow down their search. Ihde asks surrounding Eudora businesses and homeowners to check their security footage or Ring doorbell videos.
McCabe said LKPD's investigations unit passed along a picture of Wanda to hospitals in the Kansas City area.
David Dyer said he appreciates both the work LKPD and the Lawrence community have done to help bring his wife home.
"I just can't figure out where she's at and how she's doing," he said. "It's terrifying."
Wanda is Black with brown eyes and gray hair. She is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds.
The public can help with locating Wanda Dyer. If you see her, LKPD asks you to approach her, ask her what her name is, and talk with her while calling 911.
LKPD's non-emergency dispatch number is 785-843-2050. Police say Wanda Dyer is not dangerous.
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