Overland Park woman still missing after three weeks, as search slows
The search for a missing Overland Park woman is slowing down after no trace of her has been found after three weeks, authorities said.
Jerry McConnell, 81, has been missing since May 14. Her car was found empty two weeks ago on a ranch in Cowley County, Kansas, about three hours south of Overland Park.
Cowley County Sheriff David Falletti said his department is no longer actively searching the area around the ranch for signs of Jerry McConnell. Last week, divers searched ponds in the area and did not find anything.
The department has also used both cadaver and human K-9 dogs to try to find Jerry McConnell, as well as helicopters and boats. Despite these efforts, there has been no trace of McConnell.
“We have done everything we could do to find her,” Falletti said in an email.
Falletti said that the department will act on any new information it receives.
Timeline of McConnell’s disappearance
Rick McConnell, Jerry McConnell’s son, said his mom visited multiple places in Kansas and Missouri just before she went missing.
The morning of her disappearance, Jerry McConnell went to a doctor’s appointment, he said. Rick McConnell said his mother also got Starbucks and went to a fruit stand that day, because an empty cup and fresh fruit were found in her abandoned car. She also went to a pawn shop in Mission, Kansas, where she reportedly bought a ring.
Rick McConnell said that Jerry McConnell asked the employee at the pawn shop for directions to the Prairie Village shopping center. He said that she didn’t buy anything at the shopping center, though, so it’s unknown if she made it there.
Rick McConnell said his mom was supposed to get lunch with her friends, a regular activity for her, at 11 a.m., but she didn’t show.
Jerry McConnell’s next known location was at a barbecue restaurant in Harrisonville, Missouri, around 5 p.m., about a 40-minute drive south of Overland Park. According to Rick McConnell, the owner of the restaurant wrote down directions to help her get back to her retirement community in Overland Park.
Jerry McConnell then got gas in Kansas City, but eventually headed south instead of heading home.
The next day, she purchased gas in Severy, Kansas. Rick McConnell said video footage shows two men helping her pump the gas.
Her car was later found abandoned in Cowley County, an hour drive southwest of Severy.
Rick McConnell said he had bought Apple AirTags for Jerry McConnell’s keys, wallet and car to help her keep track of them. However, the AirTags last pinged while Jerry McConnell was driving on US-160, he said.
‘Don’t think any of this was part of a plan’
Rick McConnell said Jerry McConnell is not diagnosed with dementia and that their family has no history of dementia. However, he said she has recently had problems with short-term memory loss, which could be an early sign of dementia.
He thinks she got lost while driving and didn’t have a plan.
“I don’t think any of this was part of a plan,” Rick McConnell said.
Rick McConnell also said his mother has gotten lost while driving before, but she was usually able to get back using navigation apps on her phone. This time, though, her phone was dead. The charger that Rick McConnell bought for his mom’s car was found in her apartment.
Despite reportedly asking the pawn shop employee and barbecue restaurant owner for directions, Jerry McConnell did not make it back home.
“There were a lot of opportunities where, if my mom had seemed like she was in a little more distress, I think people would have stepped up and helped her more than they did,” Rick McConnell said.
Rick McConnell said that everyone he talked to who saw her that day said she was talkative and lucid. Rick McConnell said that a man who helped Jerry McConnell pump gas in Severy, Kansas, told authorities that she said she wasn’t feeling well but refused help. Rick McConnell said that this sounds like his mom, who is stubborn.
Rick McConnell said he is frustrated at the lack of evidence, but grateful to the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office for their work.
“The logical side of me says my mom is probably no longer with us, but there’s this little 1% side that says maybe, maybe, maybe she’s still out there,” Rick McConnell said.
A social butterfly
As the family searches for clues to her whereabouts, they’re also remembering the woman they love.
Rick McConnell said his mother is “still a bit of a social butterfly.” He said she always makes sure she looks presentable before going anywhere, and has always had good taste.
He said she is outgoing and extroverted “sometimes to a fault.” He said he was told she was chatting up other customers at the pawn shop, which he said is exactly like his mother.
Jerry McConnell lives in an apartment in the Tallgrass Creek Senior Living Community. A statement from Tallgrass Creek reiterated Rick McConnell’s characterization.
“A social butterfly, she often attends community events with friends and neighbors and walks her dog through the community, making time for friendly chats along the way,” the email statement read.
Jerry McConnell’s dog is currently with her son Rick McConnell, and he said she is getting lots of love.
Anyone with information about Jerry McConnell’s case is urged to contact Lieutenant Tommy Scott with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office at (620) 221-5444.
The Star’s Kendrick Calfee contributed reporting.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 10:49 AM.
