Vedic City woman missing since Friday

MAHARISHI VEDIC CITY — Residents of Maharishi Vedic City in Jefferson County have been asked to search their property for any signs of a woman who has been missing since the night of Friday, March 6.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported that 75-year-old Mary Anne Falk was last seen just before 10 p.m. that day, having left her residence in the 1700 block of Jupiter Avenue in Maharishi Vedic City to check the mail. Her husband notified authorities of her absence. A news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office indicated that Falk would be on foot, and she had an “unknown direction of travel.” She is 5-foot 2-inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, and was last wearing yellow pants, a white T-shirt, and purple/pink shoes.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jerry Marcellus told The Union that as soon as law enforcement learned Falk was missing, officials from the sheriff’s office, Fairfield Police Department and Fairfield Fire Department began searching for her that night on foot.

“We checked the whole neighborhood, and the next morning, we were back out there, canvassing the whole area,” Marcellus said.

Other agencies that have assisted in the search are Henry County EMA and Wapello County EMA. Marcellus said law enforcement officers have used a K-9 unit and drones to search for Falk, too.

Jupiter Avenue is the last street in a major section of Maharishi Vedic City, with a heavily wooded area immediately to the west. Marcellus said there are also ponds in the area, and authorities have searched those, to no avail. He said authorities inquired with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources about using sonar, though the DNR reported that such equipment is better suited for rivers, and not so much small ponds.

Many of Falk’s friends, acquaintances and even perfect strangers shared the news of her absence over the weekend, and an unofficial search party of volunteers was put together on Sunday. However, just as volunteers began searching the area that day, they learned at 12:30 p.m. from law enforcement that they needed to stay in their vehicles because the Iowa State Patrol would soon fly over in a plane equipped with a thermal imaging camera that senses body heat. Marcellus said the plane flew over for about two hours but did not find anything.

Sgt. Nick Ellison of the Iowa State Patrol informed The Union that the plane, which had flown in from Des Moines, came back to search for Falk again on Monday, but did not find anything after searching for 1.5-2 hours.

Marcellus said law enforcement met Monday morning to discuss next steps, and planned to continue the search in the afternoon. He said there is no plan at the moment to organize a search party for members of the public, but he and his fellow officers appreciate the public’s help and concern.

“A lot of people are out looking, a lot of friends and neighbors, who have taken it upon themselves to look,” Marcellus said. “We’d like to encourage everyone, if they live in the area, to search their own yards, buildings, vehicles, anywhere someone might have gotten into. That effort alone would be very helpful.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com