ROCKINGHAM — Rewards are being offered in two local missing persons cases, one of whom hasn’t been seen since October.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced on Jan. 22 that Richmond County Crime Stoppers is putting up a $1,500 reward each for information leading to the location of 77-year-old Linda Ann McCuiston and 67-year-old Dennis Wayne Bailey.
Sheriff Mark Gulledge has pledged to match the rewards, and Bailey’s family had already established a $1,500 reward. This brings to the total reward in Bailey's case to $4,500.
McCuiston reportedly was last seen at her home on Country Canyon Drive near Cordova on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. The sheriff’s office announced that evening that deputies and investigators had launched a search to find her.
The wooded areas around her home were searched by deputies and search and rescue teams, as well as with a drone, on Sunday, Oct. 13, according to the sheriff’s office.
Those searches were not successful.
The alert with the N.C. Center for Missing Persons automatically cancels after 90 days, however McCuiston has yet to be found.
McCuiston stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds, according to a post from the N.C. Center for Missing Persons. However, a missing poster describes her as being 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing 115 pounds.
She has shoulder-length black and gray hair and brown eyes and was reportedly last seen wearing a black shirt and dark pants, as well as a black toboggan on her head.
Bailey was last seen on Dec. 28, however he wasn’t reported missing until Jan. 2, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bailey is described as being tall and slender and investigators say he may be wearing a black and red puffy jacket.
First responders from Richmond and Scotland counties helped in a search for Bailey after he was reported missing.
Investigators say Bailey does not have a vehicle and is known for walking around the Mizpah Road area southeast of Rockingham.
The Rockingham Police Department announced earlier on Wednesday that a 15-year-old girl who hadn’t been seen in two weeks was found unharmed. The day before, police had announced a $4,500 reward for information leading to her location. Click here to read that story.
Anyone with information on the cases involving McCuiston or Bailey is encouraged to call 911 or use the P3 Tips app.
