TOPSHAM, Maine — Update for Sunday, Feb 26:
Kimberly Pushard and Angela Bussell were found safe Sunday afternoon after they had been missing for five days, the Topsham Police Department announced on its Facebook page.
The two women from Topsham were found near Nicatous Lake in East Hancock near Greenbush.
The Facebook post stated the two women were getting medical treatment, and more information was expected to be released when it becomes available.
Update for Saturday, Feb. 25:
The search continues for two women with intellectual disabilities who reportedly attempted unsuccessfully to drive to the Maine Mall on Tuesday but have not yet returned home to Topsham. Their last known sightings, caught on camera, have been in the area of Lincoln and Springfield in northern Maine.
The Topsham Police Department shared an update on their Facebook page Saturday afternoon noting that the last sighting was at the Marden's in Lincoln at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and they reportedly traveled in the direction of Enfield afterward.
An air search was underway Saturday in the area of Lincoln, the post stated. Maine Game Wardens were using two fixed-wing airplanes, and the Maine Forest Service were using a helicopter.
Police ask that anyone with any possible sightings of the women or their vehicle call 9-1-1 to notify local law enforcement, or people can share any other information to with the Topsham Police Department 207-725-4337.
Original story:
Topsham Police Chief Marc Hagan held a press conference Friday to provide updates on two missing women from Topsham who have not arrived home after mistakenly ending up in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Kimberly Pushard, 51, and Angela Bussell, 50, were reported missing by Topsham police shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Their last known location was at a gas station in Springfield, Maine around 10 a.m. Wednesday, where Pushard was seen on surveillance video.
Topsham police issued a Silver Alert for the women around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Their families told police they are intellectually disabled, easily disoriented, have trouble processing information, and are prone to being confused by directions. Both of their phones are believed to be dead.
Hagan said Friday that both women also take medication for high blood pressure, and they don’t have their medication with them.
Pushard has a valid Maine driver's license, and the two women are believed to be traveling in a vehicle that is registered to her, according to Hagan. He said they are legally free to travel together or separately.
Below is a photo of a red 2012 Jeep Compass, the type of vehicle in which the women are believed to be traveling. Their vehicle has Maine license plates 1960VC.
Police described Pushard as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 164 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Police described Bussell as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 213 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Their families told police they were attempting to drive to the Maine Mall on Tuesday, possibly to go bowling, but they got lost and ended up in Massachusetts, where they called family members Tuesday evening.
Later on Tuesday, they ended up in Exeter, New Hampshire. Exeter police and other agencies interacted with the women and gave them directions home, but the directions did not work, according to police.
Their last known location was at the Irving gas station on Route 6 in Springfield, Maine around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Hagan said they went to the gas station, got about $25 in gas, and asked the clerk for directions. The clerk gave them directions to get back to Interstate 95 southbound, but they haven't been seen since.
Prior to being seen in Springfield, the women ran out of gas in Lincoln, according to Hagan. Someone stopped to help them and brought them to a gas station, Hagan said, before they continued on to Springfield, where they also stopped for gas.
Though they've made contact with law enforcement and civilians since they mistakenly ended up in Massachusetts, Hagan said the women may not understand their situation.
“I don’t think they understand the level of danger, perhaps, that they were in," Hagan said Friday. "Because they would ask people for directions, but at no time do we know of them ever asking for anybody to call the police.”
“From the video where they’re in the gas station, there doesn’t seem to be a level of anxiety or concern that’s noted. The people that have all run into them haven’t noted a level of anxiety to the point where they felt it was important to call law enforcement immediately,” Hagan added.
"The two women could be in the [Springfield] area due to possibly confusing Topsfield and Topsham," Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in an update Friday. "They may be trying to return home by way of the Interstate or Route 1."
Hagan said Maine Game Wardens are assessing the weather to see if they can get a plane up in the sky to begin an aerial search. He said all Maine law enforcement agencies have been made aware to look out for the women and their vehicle, but no active search on foot is underway at this time.
“This [search] is very unique because of the mobility and because of the intellectual disabilities that we’re dealing with," Hagan explained. "We’re very concerned. And obviously, we had the snowstorm yesterday, the temperatures have dropped. At this point, our level of anxiety is high in the search. We need to get to them as soon as possible.”
Hagan added that the families of both women are very concerned. When asked if the women have been known to go on trips together before, Hagan said no.
“This is completely out of the ordinary," he said.
Hagan also said police in Indian Township would be checking their territory just east of Springfield to see if the women could have ended up somewhere in that area.
“We’ve been trying to work with the banks to get information off any debit cards that they may have used," Hagan added. "We’ve been putting everything that we have out on social media, hoping that somebody will recognize them and see them.”
When asked if the women could have ended up in Canada, Hagan said he does not know if the women possess passports.
Hagan told NEWS CENTER Maine Saturday afternoon that wardens and forest rangers were searching by air in the areas of Lincoln and Springfield.
Police ask that anyone who may have information about the women's whereabouts call 911 immediately and stay with the women until law enforcement officials arrive.
The Topsham Police Department can be contacted via Sagadahoc Communications at 207-443-9711.