A Quiet Afternoon Turned Into a Nightmare
Mary Catherine Green, affectionately known as Kathy, disappeared from her home in Richwood, West Virginia, on June 18th. The circumstances of her disappearance are as baffling as they are heartbreaking. The family farm is situated in a remote area where the house sits in Nicholas County but the driveway is in Greenbrier County. On that rainy Tuesday, Kathy’s husband was inside cooking chili while Kathy was nearby. In the few minutes his back was turned, she simply walked out the door and vanished into the wooded terrain. Because Kathy suffers from a bad knee and health issues, her family initially believed they would find her quickly since she cannot move very fast.
“He was like ‘Cooking chili, I was watching your mom, she walked out the door and I can’t find her.'”
The Grueling Search Through the Wilderness
The search for Kathy has been incredibly extensive, involving over 50 specialized canines, including search and rescue dogs and human remains dogs. Rescuers also deployed drones and utilized the Caltopo app to track every inch of the search grid. Kathy’s health makes the situation even more dire, as she was diagnosed with dementia within the last year and suffers from severe diabetes that is difficult to control. Despite the massive effort, the trail went cold near a local creek where the dogs lost her scent. Volunteers and family members have spent weeks scouring the area, looking under rocks and checking every possible hiding spot, but so far, no sign of her clothing or jewelry has been found.
“Don’t look for anything big because that’s how you’re going to miss it. Look for a camouflage bowling ball.”
A Pillar of the Community
To her neighbors and former students, Kathy is much more than a missing person’s report. She was a longtime science teacher known for her authoritarian yet funny personality and her signature “Kathy Green cackle”. She and her husband were high school sweethearts who had been together for nearly 50 years, and the loss has left him devastated. At the time she went missing, Kathy was wearing a cream colored sweater, gray sweatpants, and rubber “ballerina” style Crocs. She is 62 years old, 5 foot 3, with reddish brown hair and green eyes. Her family continues to hold out hope that someone in the hunting community or a neighbor with a trail camera might have captured the clue they need to bring her home.
“That taking care of mom was something he took pride in and that was his best friend and he’s lost in this world.”
Want to hear the full story from Kathy’s daughter and see the maps of the search area? Check out the original investigative video below to see how you can help this family in their time of need.
