Federal and state agents searched a Cartersville motel Wednesday hoping to find any trace of Heather McDonald – or the person connected to her disappearance.
A tip lead the Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials to believe McDonald was last seen in the Courtesy Inn’s parking lot along Highway 411 before her Sept. 18 disappearance, Channel 2 Action News reported. The FBI is also assisting with the case.
“When you see 15 to 20 police officers surround the motel you’re thinking something bad must be happening,” McDonald’s husband Stefan said. “You’re worried she might have been there.”
Police searched the hotel on a tip that a man connected to McDonald’s disappearance may have been there, but the man in question was not found, Channel 2 reported. His name was not released.
McDonald was staying with a friend in Acworth before she went missing, Channel 2 reported. The next night, police found 27-year-old mother of three’s SUV in the motel parking lot with the doors wide open and her keys on the ground.
McDonald’s ID and cellphone were missing.
Investigators have been trying to retrieve her cell phone data before and after her disappearance, Channel 2 reported.
“I just feel like somebody has her,” mother Lisa Chatman said, “I honestly think someone has her. Her phone would not be off for this long.”
Stefan McDonald said he is doing everything he can to comfort the couple’s three daughters.
“Stuff like that just helps me keep my mind off of it,” he told Channel 2, “So, I try to stay busy and it helps.”
McDonald’s family has organized a search team and is offering a $4,000 reward. Anyone with information is also asked to call Cartersville Police at 770-382-2526.
“I don’t know where to look anymore,” sister Madison Chatman told Channel 2, “We just keep looking and (there are) no leads. Nothing.”
