Hundreds of people – maybe even a thousand – are expected to answer a West Virginia police department's call for volunteers to help in a "large-scale" search this weekend for Gretchen Fleming, who's been missing for two months after leaving a bar with a man.
Fleming, 28, was reported missing by her family on Dec. 12, but she hasn't been seen since she left the Parkersburg bar My Way Lounge with a man during the overnight hours of Dec. 3 into Dec. 4.
Parkersburg police said on Facebook that it needs "able-bodied volunteers" to assist in the search, which is scheduled for Saturday between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Among the volunteers will be West Virginia resident Jennifer Ballard, who's been following the case as administrator of the nonprofit group True Crime Replay that's dedicated to helping crime survivors and finding missing persons.
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Missing poster for Gretchen Fleming who disappeared Dec. 4 in Parkersburg, West Virginia. (Parkersburg Police Department)
Ballard told Fox News Digital on Thursday that she anticipates hundreds of people to show up Saturday and "wouldn't be surprised" if there are over 1,000 volunteers.
"This is in my backyard," she said. "When Gretchen went missing, I felt this tug. It was close to Christmastime, and a lot of us in the area felt like we had to do something and be boots on the ground to find her."
Ballard doesn't know the exact areas that she'll be searching, and Parkersburg police are keeping that information close to the vest.
The suburban town of Parkersburg is a "typical Ohio River town," Ballard said. The topography is spacious, rural and flat with some mountains.
"It's a large geographical area, so police must have information that narrows it down," Ballard said.
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Gretchen Fleming has been missing since leaving the My Way Lounge Dec. 4 with a man that police have deemed a person of interest in the investigation. Interior of lounge shown. (Facebook/Google Maps)
Parkersburg police issued the call for help on its page Wednesday.
"We have received several questions about bringing, k9's, horses, and 4-wheelers/side by sides. At this time we only need bodies to assist with the search. We appreciate everyone's responses and willingness to assist," Parkersburg police wrote on Facebook.
"Participation will involve strenuous work in rugged, wooded terrain and possibly cold and wet weather," police said on Facebook.
Fleming lived with her grandmother in Vienna, West Virginia before her disappearance. Their home is about a 15-minute drive from the bar where she was last seen.
But Fleming doesn't drive and came to My Way Lounge earlier in the night on Dec. 3 with a different person, police said, but she left without her purse, which contained her phone, debit and credit cards, but she never returned to retrieve her belongings.
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Gretchen Fleming, of West Virginia, vanished Dec. 4 after leaving the My Way Lounge. (Facebook/Google Maps)
Parkersburg Police Lt. James Stalnaker told Fox News Digital in a late December interview that the man who left the bar with Fleming has given police "inconsistent" statements.
The man, who police haven't publically named, is a person of interest.
Additional surveillance footage that police pieced together from various cameras shows that the man's car traveled toward his home about two miles from the bar. Police have executed search warrants on his house, his car and electronic devices.
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Anyone with information is urged to contact lead detective James Zimmerman at 304-424-1072 or the Parkersburg Police Department at 304-424-8444 and reference case #P2207164.
Police are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who communicated with Fleming between the evening of Dec. 3 and the early-morning hours of Dec. 4.
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