A 40-year-old Fort Wayne woman who was critically injured Sunday night when her car struck a tree has been identified.The Fort Wayne Police Department said that just before 8:30 p.m., Tammy J.A man was being held for questioning after police called off a search for a missing Whitley County woman Wednesday.
Sheriff’s deputies said Debra Houser, 49, who lives at 4041 Old Trail Road, Columbia City, was reported missing just before noon. She was still missing Wednesday night.
A search for Houser was initiated at her home, near County Road 400 West, just west of Columbia City, and called off about 4 p.m. Sheriff’s deputies, Indiana State Police and state conservation officers took part in the search.
“We feel it’s a severe situation,” Whitley County Sheriff Mark Hodges said.
The missing-person report was made by an acquaintance of Houser who walked into the sheriff’s department. That man told officials he was concerned about Houser’s welfare, Hodges said.
“We’ve covered a wide area that has been given to us as an area to look,” Hodges said, adding that the area was a two-mile radius from Houser’s home. That area consists mostly of farmland, including cornfields.
A man was being held at the sheriff’s department so police could interview him about Houser’s disappearance. Hodges declined to say who that man is or whether he is the same man who reported her missing. The man being held for questioning has not been charged, Hodges said.
Whitley County Prosecutor Matt Rentschler was at Houser’s home Wednesday but declined to comment on the case. A Silver Alert, which is a missing person alert for adults, was not issued for Houser on Wednesday night.
Sheriff’s deputies also searched Houser’s one-story home and a tan Chevrolet pickup truck in her driveway. They carried bags of evidence from inside both areas to their police cruisers, but Hodges declined to comment on the nature of the evidence.
Hodges said the search surrounding Houser’s property was completed and that deputies did not plan to return there today.
Houser’s 10-year-old son, who resides with her, was picked up from school by relatives and will stay with them while the search for his mother continues, Hodges said.
In the meantime, detectives are following up on additional leads as to the woman’s whereabouts. Hodges declined to comment on whether other sites would be searched or what those leads were.
