Gina D. Schmidt
Two years since Centralia resident Gina Schmidt disappeared after being discharged from the hospital, authorities and her family are still looking for answers.
“We really want her home,” said Schmidt’s sister, Bobbie Vance. “I don’t know what to say anymore. Even if we can just find out something, it’s better than not knowing anything … Just something simple could mean so much to us.”
The Centralia Police Department issued a new call for information Tuesday regarding Schmidt’s disappearance.
Detective Dave Clary, of the Centralia Police Department, said he’s hoping to find people who knew Schmidt or saw her in the days leading up to her disappearance who he hasn’t yet been able to talk to.
“I’ve spoken with a number of folks that knew her and spent time with her certainly before she went missing, but it’s definitely possible I haven’t spoken with everyone who knew her,” he said. “I’d be happy to speak with anyone who might be able to give more information. Certainly if anyone had any information that they’d seen or heard from her since she went missing, I’d love to hear from them.”
Vance told The Chronicle Tuesday she was glad the police department hasn’t given up on finding her sister.
Schmidt, 48 when she disappeared, was last seen Feb. 15, 2014, in the 300 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia where she was dropped of by a taxi after being discharged from Providence Centralia Hospital.
She is described as a white female standing 5 feet, 2 inches tall, weighing about 125 pounds, with graying blond hair and blue eyes.
She was last seen wearing a long, tan and multicolored polyester coat, blue sweatpants and a long, white tube sock on her right arm.
She has a history of alcohol abuse and medical issues, including seizures, according to the Centralia Police Department. This made her particularly vulnerable, Clary said.
“Gina’s lifestyle wasn’t the safest lifestyle. She had her struggles with substance abuse and that carries with it a certain element of danger,” he said. “It’s always a concern when someone who has a high-risk lifestyle whether by their choice or not goes missing. You have to wonder what the circumstances were.”
However, Clary said Schmidt wasn’t likely to stop contacting family and friends for no reason.
“It really wasn’t like her to cut off contact with everyone,” he said. “She really was dependent on social services.”
While he couldn’t go into too many details in a still-active investigation, Clary said he interviewed people who knew and associated with Schmidt, and searched areas where she spent time for clues into her disappearance.
“We searched areas that she was known to frequent just in case she died out in these remote areas,” he said. “We didn’t come up with anything.”
While Schmidt lived in Lewis County when she disappeared, her family is mostly from Tennessee.
“I keep in contact with her family on a very regular basis,” Clary said. “They’re just devastated that they haven’t heard anything from her. - it’s very difficult for them. We’re working for Gina and we’re working for her family too.”
Any information regarding Schmidt’s whereabouts can be forwarded to the Centralia Police Department Detective Division, at (360) 330-7680, referencing case number 14A3683. People with information can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-748-9268.
