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Missing woman found safe
Charlene Moss Hopkins, 47, was found safe Saturday, Dec. 29, approximately nine miles from the family-owned lake where she disappeared Thursday. According to a spokesperson for the Washington County Sheriff's Department, Hopkins apparently got lost while trimming and cleaning up around the dam near the 6-acre lake. When family members reported her missing Thursday evening, her pickup truck was found parked near the lake with her belongings and all the tools she had taken with her, with the exception of a pair of trimmers. A fishing pole was found on a small pier. Rescue squad members and volunteers from area fire departments, along with local law enforcement personnel, at first focused their search around the pier, dragging the pond in an attempt to determine whether or not Hopkins had drowned. They called off the effort around 1:30 a.m., Friday and decided to return and resume the search at first light. A family member opened a valve at the bottom of the lake so that it would drain some. Later in the day on Friday, the water level had dropped enough for searchers to walk the entire lake. Sheriff Richard Stringer had inmates brought to the scene. "They were locked together and instructed to comb the entire lake," said the sheriff.
Those participating in the search Friday, were disbanded around 2 p.m. and a missing person bulletin was issued by the sheriff's office. A photo and description of what Hopkins was wearing at the time of her disappearance was distributed to all local media. According to Sheriff Stringer, Saturday morning around 10 a.m., the Rev. David Moore discovered Hopkins at the Silas Pentecostal Church where he serves as pastor. "She apparently had gone into the church seeking shelter and food," he said. "Rev. Moore discovered her inside the church wrapped in a blanket and eating some food she had found there."
In addition to the Washington County Sheriff Department and the Jackson Rescue Squad, agencies participating in the search included Millry Police, Millry Fire Department, Chatom Fire Department, McIntosh Rescue Squad and emergency responders from Choctaw County.
Hopkins, a native of the Millry area, is a resident of Berryville, Va. She visits her homeplace in the Millry area during the holidays.
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