Gretchen Fleming is still missing after she vanished over two months ago. The 28-year-old musician was last seen at the My Way lounge in Parkersburg, West Virginia on December 4, 2022 — and she hasn’t been in contact with her loved ones since then. There is at least one person of interest in the young woman’s disappearance, and a man’s home has been searched more than once. Still, Gretchen remains missing with very little info making its way to media headlines in quite a while. Is this case in danger of going cold?
When Gretchen Fleming disappeared in December, her case attracted immediate attention due to the nature of the circumstances that surrounded it. She was last seen partying and having a good time at a local bar, and was reportedly seen in the company of an older man several times before she disappeared. That man’s, according to police, is Preston Pierce, a former law enforcement officer with a shady past and a legal name change. Authorities have investigated this character over the course of the search for Gretchen but nothing has come out about whether or not any evidence has tied him to her disappearance. Meanwhile, a vehicle that might have been seen leaving Pierce’s home on the night of Gretchen’s disappearance is being sought by investigators. It’s been more than two months, however, and it doesn’t seem that this vehicle has ever been located.
With the way this investigation is moving, it’s hard not to worry that the disappearance of Gretchen Fleming might become a cold case. Sadly this is something that is all-too-common when it comes to cases of missing people, which is why there are so many databases that archive the unsolved cases of missing people. Fortunately, it’s far too early to call this disappearance a cold case. In order for a case to accurately be declared cold, more than a year must pass without any investigative movement. Cases such as the unsolved disappearances of Lauren Spierer, Michelle Parker and Madeleine McCann can be considered cold cases.
Even though it’s far too early to declare the disappearance of Gretchen Fleming a cold case, the lack of updates in the search for her are troubling. Why haven’t investigators shared any findings they’ve made — if any — over the course of the two months that have passed? Why haven’t polygraph tests been administered among those who were last to see this missing woman? There are just so many things that could be utilized in the search for this missing woman, but police are keeping the details of their investigation close to their chests. Hopefully there’s a really good reason for that, while we enter the third month that Gretchen’s been missing.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
