Police search for missing Leesburg woman

LEESBURG, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Leesburg police officers continue their search for an 84-year-old woman who has been missing for more than a week.  There are two crime scenes.  Technicians left one of the two location just before 10 p.m Thursday where they spent hours wading in Lake Harris.

Bernadine Montgomery has lived alone in an older, established neighborhood on Palmora Avenue for years.
Ski Beach on Lake Harris is just a couple blocks away from Montgomery's home, and that's where investigators had been all day.

"When we initially responded to the house, officers did go inside," exlained Leesburg Lt. Joe Iozzi.  "A possibility of foul play did exist."

Lt. Iozzi said a neighbor alerted police on Wednesday evening to the fact Montgomery had not been seen since June 15.  That neighbor and others told detectives that they had seen three to five men and women coming and going from her home over the past few weeks. Then, this past week, they saw only them and not her.  They also saw the people driving Montgomery's 2005 blue Chevrolet four-door.

Neighbor Bob Frazer lives right behind Montgomery's house. "They really seemed to be in her house a lot., doing all sorts of things," said Frazer.  "Being that she lived alone, it was disconcerting, so I let them know."

Police said they found the car a few hours after receiving the call, abandoned on Ski Beach.  Lt. Iozzi said, "In the event this has a sad outcome, we are prepared for that."

Police said they have tracked down some of those persons of interest.  They are all from Lake County, though not necessarily Leesburg.  They said a few were living very close to Montgomery.

Montgomery does not have any family in town, according to police.