Geneva AtkinsThe search for a missing Hamilton County woman is entering its second week with still no sign or clue to her whereabouts.
Geneva Atkins, 83, has been missing since April 16.
During a news conference Monday, Lt. Chris Harvey with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office criminal investigation division said she was last seen heading north on Highway 58 near Central High School.
Her husband, Willie Atkins Sr., told authorities he met her earlier that evening at her place of employment on Shaw Avenue in Chattanooga. From there, they planned to caravan to the family farm on Garfield Road in Harrison with her son, Willie Atkins Jr., leading the way. The son rode ahead to make sure the gate was open. When his father arrived at the farm, he waited at the gate for his wife to arrive. But she never did.
He said he lost sight of her in traffic on Highway 58 near the high school.
She was last seen driving a 1999 grey GMC Sierra with a dent in the right front fender and a matching grey bed cover. She was wearing a hooded jacket and blue jeans.
Geneva Atkins was last seen driving a 1999 grey GMC Sierra with a dent in the right front fender and a matching grey bed cover.Atkins, who has dementia and suffers severely from diabetes, is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. She is a black woman with black hair and brown eyes.
Harvey said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation brought in a plane Sunday to fly over the area for about two hours but did not spot anything. The sheriff's office drones are also being used in the search.
He said law enforcement officials and volunteers are continuing the search on foot and by vehicle, as well as checking all area boat ramps where the vehicle may have gone into the water.
Terry Hanner, Geneva Atkins' grandson, said she had three-quarters of a tank of gas and $50 or less in cash on her. He said that amount of gas could take her about 350-400 miles.
He said she didn't drive often, and when she did, it was always with a caravan and they always had the same route and routine.
"We just want her back. She's the sweetest lady you ever met," he said, choking back tears.
"During the times when we were playing sports, she was like the mother of everybody," he added.
Harvey said recent rainy weather has hampered search efforts but that they will "leave no stone unturned."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office at 423-622-0022
Geneva Atkins, 83, has been missing since Tuesday, April 16, 2019.