Sheriff's office appeals to public to keep eyes open for 79-year-old Ormond Beach woman missing now two days

Missing: Rose Bruce, 79, of Ormond BeachMissing Ormond Beach woman's carA silver alert has been issued for this elderly woman, Rose Bruce of Ormond Beach, reported missing Tuesday. If you see her or her blue 1997 Honda Accord with a Florida license tag, K383JA, please call 9-1-1 immediately.

ORMOND BEACH -- The search for a missing 79-year-old Rose Bruce of Ormond Beach is now in its second day and with an increasing likelihood that she may have been driving around in a lost or confused state, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office is renewing its appeal for the public's help in locating her.

Bruce was reported missing at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and at the time, "family members indicated that Bruce has never gone missing before and hasn't been diagnosed with any type of cognitive impairment," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said this morning. 

"However, investigators have since learned that the victim has shown recent signs of forgetfulness, leading them to believe that Bruce being lost in her car is the most likely explanation for her disappearance."

While nothing is being ruled out, the investigation hasn't turned up any signs of foul play, Davidson was quick to point out. Patrol deputies along with K-9 units and a Sheriff's Office helicopter scoured the areas on Tuesday surrounding the San Marco apartment complex where Bruce lives, and the search is continuing today.

Sheriff's investigators also continue to canvass the neighborhood and talk to Bruce's friends, relatives and co-workers to try to figure out where she may have gone.

Deputies have also contacted local hospitals, issued missing persons alerts to law enforcement agencies throughout Florida and the eastern United States and distributed flyers to business and residents in the area where Bruce went missing.

Based on information developed in the investigation, the case met the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's criteria for the issuance of a "Silver Alert," which went out Tuesday night.

Bruce was last seen wearing beige slacks, a blue Walmart shirt and white tennis shoes. Anyone who spots Bruce or her blue, 1997 Honda Accord with a Florida license tag, K383JA, is asked to immediately call 9-1-1.