Ivy Dawn Merck, 24, Missing Since Thursday, August 23, 2012

Police search for missing girl

Published: Friday, August 31, 2012 10:13 AM EDT
Kim Olson-Upshaw
kim@tribune-georgian.com


Ivy Dawn Merck

The Camden County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case of a 24-year-old woman missing since Thursday, Aug. 23. Ivy Dawn Merck has been listed with the National Crime Information Center, Georgia Crime Information Center and Florida Crime Information Center as a missing/endangered person, according to CCSO spokesman Deputy William Terrell.

Merck, a Camden native and University of Georgia graduate, was listed as missing after her father, Steven Merck, told police in Athens that his daughter never arrived home in Kingsland last Thursday.

Merck's vehicle, a dark green 2008 Honda CRV, was found in the town of Deerfield Beach, Fla. after being entered into law enforcement's statewide computer system earlier this week, Terrell said.

According to the missing persons report filed with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Merck told her roommate and supervisor at the Good Hands Vet Clinic, where she worked as a vet tech, on Tuesday, Aug. 21, that she was leaving Athens to drive home to Kingsland.

Read more:

http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2012/08/31/news/top_stories/1topstory8.31.txt

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Authorities find missing woman's car

Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:01 AM CDT
Updated: Aug 31, 2012 10:05 AM CDT
By Alex Bender


Ivy Dawn Merck (Source: Camden County Sheriff's Office)

CAMDEN CO., GA (WTOC) - Ivy Dawn Merck, 24, a Camden County native but recently of Athens, Ga., has been missing since Aug. 23.

Authorities located Merck's car in Deerfield Beach, Fla. in Broward County on Aug. 30.

The Camden County Sheriff's Office, the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the Kingsland Police Department and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department are working together to find Merck.

Merck is a white female, 5'1" 115 lbs with brown eyes and dark blonde to brown hair.

Contact the Camden County Sheriff's Office at 912.729.1442 or Sgt. Brad Collinsworth of Athens-Clarke County Police Department at 706.613.3337 with any information.

http://www.wtoc.com/story/19427747/authorities-find-ivy-mercks-car-in-florida

Missing Georgia woman may be in South Florida

6:29 p.m. EST, August 30, 2012|By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel

Broward Sheriff's Office missing persons detectives are helping Georgia law enforcement look for a missing woman whose vehicle was found Wednesday night in Deerfield Beach.

Ivy Dawn Merck, 24, was last seen Aug. 23 in Kingsland, Ga., detectives said.

Merck's dark green 2008 Honda CRV was found around 10 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a Marshalls store at 3850 W. Hillsboro Blvd., in Deerfield Beach.

Merck is 5-foot-1 and weighs 115 pounds. She has brown eyes and light brown hair.

Investigators are urging anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact Detective Chris Blankenship, who is working with the Kingsland, Ga. Police Department, at 954-321-4268 or anonymously report information to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at 954-493-8477 or online at http://www.browardcrimestoppers.org.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-30/news/fl-missing-georgia-woman-20120830_1_missing-georgia-woman-marshalls-store-detectives

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Missing Georgia Woman Believed to be in South Florida

Date posted: August 30, 2012

~Snipped~

Merck is a vet tech at the Good Hands Vet Clinic when she had told her roommate and boss on Tuesday, Aug. 21 that she was leaving Athens to drive home to Kingsland.

On Aug. 23, the Good Hands Clinic received a text from Merck and a request for copies of her dog’s medical records from the clinic where Merck boarded the dog until Thursday, Aug. 30.

Capt. Clarence Holman, director of the ACPD criminal investigations division (Albemarle County Police Department) said Merck’s cell phone has since pinged off a tower in Boca Raton, Fl., though Camden County Sheriff’s Office detectives are still investigating the case.

http://coralspringstalk.com/missing-georgia-woman-believed-to-be-in-south-florida-3382

Missing Georgia Woman May Be Near Boca Raton

By BocaNewsNow.com Staff

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — BocaNewsNow.com has learned that a woman missing from Georgia — 24 year old Ivy Dawn Merck — may be in or near Deerfield Beach. Friends of the young woman emailed us to share local news reports that her cell phone reportedly pinged off a tower in Boca Raton.

She was last seen August 23rd in Kingsland, Georgia, which is roughly 30 miles north of Jacksonville.

For readers joining us from Georgia who are unfamiliar with the area, Deerfield Beach is at the northern end of Broward County, and essentially a neighbor to Boca Raton which is in Palm Beach County. A cell phone in Deerfield Beach could easily hit a tower in Boca Raton and vice versa.

Read more:

http://bocanewsnow.com/2012/08/30/missing-georgia-woman-may-be-near-boca-raton/

Woman's disappearance remains a mystery

24-year-old Kingsland woman last seen at animal clinic Aug. 23

Published On: Aug 31 2012 05:13:57 PM EDT Updated On: Aug 31 2012 11:12:13 PM EDT

(VIDEO)

KINGSLAND, Ga. - Investigators and the family of a missing 24-year-old Kingsland woman are very concerned that she hasn't been seen or heard from in eight days.

Ivy Merck didn't show up for work in Athens on Aug. 23, and her family says it's unlike her to just disappear.

Camden County deputies said Merck was last seen in Kingsland at Laurel Oaks Animal Hospital near Interstate 95. Her car was found in South Florida two days ago, but there was no sign of her.

At least four different agencies in two states are trying to solve the mystery and bring Merck home safe.

Read more:

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Woman-s-disappearance-remains-a-mystery/-/475880/16445796/-/o9wbdqz/-/index.html

Police continue search for Merck

By Kim Olson-Upshaw
Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 10:19 AM EDT

Sheriff's office investigators do not yet suspect foul play in the case of missing 24-year-old Camden native Ivy Dawn Merck.

Detectives are now trying to determine Merck's frame of mind as they trace her route from Athens, where she lived and worked as a vet tech, to Deerfield Beach, Fla., where her Honda CRV was discovered late last week, according to sheriff's office spokesman Deputy William Terrell.

"There is no evidence that a crime has been committed," Terrell said on Tuesday. "At this point we know she is gone and we know how, she traveled to Florida and her car was left there. Why that happened is one of the things we are trying to determine."

Read more:

http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2012/09/05/news/top_stories/1topstory9.5.txt

Camden County woman remains missing

Posted: Sep 05, 2012 5:07 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 05, 2012 5:07 PM CDT

CAMDEN CO., GA (WTOC) - A woman from Camden County who has not been seen since Thursday remains missing.

Ivy Dawn Merck, 24, is from Camden County native and is a recent resident of Athens and has been listed as missing/endangered, according to the Camden County Sheriff's Office.

Merck's car was found in Deerfield Beach, Fla., in Broward County. There are indications that Merck may still be in Broward County, according to the sheriff's office.

Family, friends and co-workers were interviewed so investigators can try to determine the events leading up to Merck's disappearance. The sheriff's office said every reported sighting of Merck is being investigated, but so far none of the sightings have been verified.

There is no indication that any crime has been committed but investigators cannot rule out foul play.

Read more:

http://www.wtoc.com/story/19466369/investigators-follow-leads-in-case-of-missing-camden-co-woman

Jane Velez Mitchell

Missing woman's car found 350 miles away

By Annette Smith
updated 10:40 AM EDT, Fri September 07, 2012



Two weeks ago, 24-year-old Ivy Merck made the 350-mile drive from where she lives in Athens, Georgia to Kingsland, Georgia. She was there supposedly to visit her family. Merck dropped her dog Huxley off at the veterinarian in Kingsland on August 23rd and said she would be back in a week. But no one saw Ivy again. Her father reported her missing five days later.

Ivy’s car was found in the parking lot of a strip mall in Deerfield Beach, Florida a week after she was last seen. Police say some of her belongings were inside. They are investigating several unconfirmed sightings of Ivy but so far none of these have turned up any solid new information.

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/09/06/jvm-ivy-merck

Missing Athens woman left notes in car found in Florida

By Joe Johnson
updated Thursday, September 6, 2012 - 11:43pm

~Snipped~

The University of Georgia graduate who lived on Inglewood Avenue left notes in the car for her parents and roommate that described personal problems she needed to work out, authorities said.

Merck did not appear to be suicidal in the notes, according to Deputy William Terrell, spokesman for the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.
“The notes she left in her car are a bit vague and open to in
terpretation, but there was no direct implication that she intended to hurt herself,” Terrell said.

~Snipped~

“On the one hand, there’s no indication thus far that any crime has been committed, but on the other hand, her car was abandoned at a place she had never been to before, somewhere she didn’t know anyone,” Terrell said.

Read more:

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-09-06/missing-athens-woman-left-notes-car-found-florida

Merck left notes for parents, roommate; police still searching

Published: Friday, September 7, 2012 10:47 AM EDT
Kim Olson-Upshaw

Two notes were found inside Ivy Dawn Merck's car when the Honda CRV was located Aug. 30 in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Merck, 24, has been missing since Thursday, Aug. 23, and was last seen in Kingsland.

The notes were to her parents and roommate, Camden County Sheriff's Office Deputy William Terrell said.

"Neither was more than a page long," he said. "It was basically her apologizing for leaving and saying that she had a lot of stuff going on in her life and that she needed to get away for a while."

There are more specifics in the notes but, citing an ongoing investigation, Terrell said CCSO would not release any further information at this time.

http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2012/09/07/news/top_stories/1topstory9.7.txt

Authorities to meet with profilers in missing woman case

Posted: Sep 11, 2012 4:48 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 11, 2012 4:48 PM CDT

CAMDEN CO., GA (WTOC) - Camden County Sheriff's Office investigators will be meeting this week with criminal profilers to discuss the case of a missing Georgia woman.

Ivy Dawn Merck, 24, has not been seen since Aug. 30. She's a Camden County native and is a recent resident of Athens.

~Snipped~

The Camden County Sheriff's Office said it has made progress in the case, but said it could not discuss the details.

Read more:

http://www.wtoc.com/story/19516829/profilers-join-case-of-missing-camden-county-woman

Police shifting focus in Merck case

By Kim Olson-Upshaw
Published: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 10:13 AM EDT

Sheriff's office investigators are taking the search for Ivy Merck in a new direction.

Merck, 24, has been missing since Aug. 23, but notes to her family and roommate found inside her vehicle, abandoned in Deerfield Beach, Fla., stated she "needed to get away for a while," according to sheriff's office spokesman Deputy William Terrell.

Now, detectives are meeting with criminal profilers to discuss the case and get their opinions, Terrell said.

On Thursday, Sept. 6, Merck's parents, Steven and Sally Merck of Kingsland, gave interviews to several Jacksonville, Fla., television stations as well as CNN in an attempt to reach out to their daughter, but the story didn't generate the level of activity Camden investigators had hoped for.

Read more:

http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2012/09/12/news/top_stories/1topstory9.12.txt

Family hopeful for missing Ga. woman's return

Posted: Sep 14, 2012 5:09 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 14, 2012 7:02 PM CDT

Ivy Dawn Merck who was most recently from Athens, Ga., but is a native of Camden County has been missing since last month. Merck's 25th birthday is Friday.

Investigators from the Camden County Sheriff's Office and Kingsland Police Dept. met on Thursday with criminal profilers to discuss the case.

Video obtained from a coffee/snack shop near where Merck's car was discovered in Deerfield Beach, Fla. that was taken on Aug. 24 shows a woman who is believed to be Merck. Investigators are awaiting confirmation of her identity from the video when they're able to get a clearer version of it.

Investigators have determined that there is a high probability Merck may have intended to harm herself, according to the sheriff's office.

http://www.wtoc.com/story/19549082/family-hopeful-for-missing-camden-co-womans-return

Family of missing UGA grad braced for grim outcome

By Joe Johnson | Updated Friday, September 14, 2012 - 10:33pm

Authorities have braced the family of a missing Athens woman for the possibility of a tragic outcome.

The case of 25-year-old Ivy Dawn Merck was recently presented to a group of criminal profilers, who concluded there was a “high probability” that Merck intentionally disappeared with plans to harm herself, according to Deputy William Terrell, spokesman for the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.

~Snipped~

After running down numerous dead-ends, the detectives on Thursday brought Merck’s file to Forsyth, where investigators from around the world gathered for a criminal profiling seminar at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

“Everything was discussed. Nothing was left off the table,” Terrell said. “What the profilers told us was an affirmation of what we suspected.”

Investigators met with Merck’s parents on Thursday to explain the profilers’ conclusions and prepare them for the worst.

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-09-14/family-missing-uga-grad-braced-grim-outcome

The family has set up a Facebook page:

Find Ivy Dawn Merck

https://www.facebook.com/FindIvyDawnMerck

Police: Missing Camden woman may have harmed herself

12:32 AM, Sep 14, 2012

CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. -- Camden County Sheriff's Detectives and Kingsland Police are now saying missing 24-year-old Ivy Merck may have intended to harm herself.

Investigators met with a group of criminal profilers from around the world Thursday morning to discuss Merck's disappearance. That's according to the Camden County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

"After exhausting every available lead, examining all the available evidence and consulting with profilers, investigators have determined that there is a high probability Ivy may have intended to harm herself," the post said.

"Everyone involved hopes Ivy can be brought home safely but the likelihood of that happening greatly diminishes every day."

Friday, September 14th, is Merck's 25th birthday. Investigators are asking friends and family to post a birthday message on her Facebook wall.

Read more:

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/273459/483/Police-missing-Camden-woman-may-have-harmed-herself

Missing UGA grad found alive and well

By Joe Johnson
updated Saturday, September 15, 2012 - 11:25pm

A 25-year-old Athens woman who had been missing for nearly a month was found alive and well in Florida, authorities reported late Saturday afternoon.

Ivy Dawn Merck turned up in Miami, where she has been reunited with her parents, according to message that was posted about 6:30 p.m. on the Facebook page of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office in southeast Georgia.

Read more:

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-09-15/missing-uga-grad-found-alive-and-well