Missing 80-year-old Kokomo woman found dead in Howard County
UPDATE: The Howard County Coroner believes she died from drowning. Foul play is not suspected and the final ruling will be made following a toxicology test.
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — A missing 80-year-old Kokomo woman was found deceased in a Howard County ditch on Sunday, three days after she disappeared, the Howard County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Police issued an Indiana Silver Alert for Betty Stroup on Thursday after Stroup, who had dementia, went missing that morning while carrying her black Shih Tzu dog. The Silver Alert for Stroup was canceled Sunday.
Stroup and the dog were found Sunday night in a ditch in the 1700 block of North Reed Road, just a few hundred feet away from the Kokomo Event and Conference Center, according to Capt. Jordan Buckley, patrol commander with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy Tuesday will help investigators determine how and why Stroup died.
“The Howard County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest condolences to the family and would like to thank the members of the community for their efforts in trying to locate Betty,” Buckley said.
Anyone with information on Stroup’s disappearance or death was asked to call Det. Rod Shaffer at 765-614-3475.