Missing Bainbridge woman found

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at 8:08 PM

By Paul Gable

As the search for a missing Putnam County woman entered the one week mark, Putnam County Sheriff Jerrod Baugh declared Wednesday night Britney Gard had been located.

In a social media post, the Putnam County Sheriff's Department stated Gard was located two and a half miles from her residence in a wooded area and was being checked by medics.

Gard had last been seen on Sept. 30, and one day later, her Putnam County home was the scene of a structure fire. Gard, 46, was not home at the time of the fire and no one has seen or heard from her over the last week.

According to Baugh, the fire location in the home was investigated by the Avon Fire Department investigators and preliminary indications are that the fire is suspicious in nature.

"No further information will be released in reference to the fire as an active investigation into the circumstances of the fire continues and the final determination of investigators is still pending," Baugh said Wednesday morning.

Baugh said his department worked actively with members of Gard's family to make contact with her, and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department had gotten help from local, state and federal investigative assets. Recently, the Civil Air Patrol and Putnam County CERT searched crop fields and wooded areas near the residence, including 75 acres of corn row by row. In addition, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources conducted searches of ponds at the residence and in surrounding areas.

Baugh noted detectives with the sheriff's department also worked with the FBI's Cellular Analysis Survey Team and the Indiana State Police to look into leads of current and past locations of any all devices that could give a location of Gard.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new details emerge.