Search intensifies for missing Oak Cliff woman last seen on June 8
DALLAS - A community has spent days looking for any trace of a missing Oak Cliff woman.
Search teams have been looking for 88-year-old Myrtle Polk, who was last seen June 8. Her family and friends say they are holding onto hope that she will be found safe.
It’s been 16 days since anyone has seen Philip Polk’s mother, a longtime Oak Cliff area resident.
"My gut tells me she’s waiting to be found," Philip said.
Myrtle’s vehicle is also missing: a 2004 Lexus ES 330 sedan.
Myrtle’s son and daughter-in-law came in from Atlanta to coordinate the efforts of dozens of volunteers while manning communication from her Singing Hills neighborhood home. They are also assisting the missing person’s investigation by Dallas police.
"The last video capture of her car I believe was on Friday the 7th were of her up the street coming back to her home. That’s the last time we know her car was sighted," Philip said.
Myrtle has lived in her community for decades and has a village of friends, neighbors and church members who routinely check in on her, bring her meals and stay in close communication as she is challenged by memory issues and early-stage dementia.
Saturday, June 8, workers were at her home doing yard work. Neighbors saw Myrtle sitting outside in a lawn chair.
The following day, Myrtle didn’t make it to church, prompting concern among some close friends and church members who have keys to her house.
"They’ll just come in and kind of check on her," Philip said. "So when they didn’t see her on Sunday, they came by, and it’s not uncommon for her to be gone to Walmart. So they didn’t think much about it."
By Monday, friends discovered Myrtle’s car was not in the garage late at night. That’s when they contacted Philip. Soon afterward, a Silver Alert was in place.
"That alert is nationwide and on the freeways. The hospitals are also tied into that alert," Philip said.
Myrtle’s cell phone is still at her home, and her son says there’s been no activity with her bank accounts.
"She doesn’t use credit cards. She does keep cash on her," Philip said. "So if she needed gas, she would have the ability to go and get gas. We do have targets on her bank accounts. So if she goes to the bank, they know to alert us."
For now, a strong faith and diligence are fueling the village that is searching for Myrtle.
"I’m aware that there are many possibilities that could exist and not all of them are good," Philip admitted. "I simply choose to focus on the next lead and finding her."