Authorities in Prince George, Highland counties look for missing Disputanta mom, daughter

Bill Atkinson, The Progress-Index
·2 min read
This Facebook post by Prince George Police asks for the whereabouts of Martha and Mary Bates, a mother and daughter from the county who went missing while on a road trip to West Virginia over the weekend.
This Facebook post by Prince George Police asks for the whereabouts of Martha and Mary Bates, a mother and daughter from the county who went missing while on a road trip to West Virginia over the weekend.

PRINCE GEORGE — "It's just so out of character for her."

That is how Austin Cecil sums up not knowing where her longtime friend Martha Bates is located. Cecil said Bates always stayed in touch with family and friends whenever she is traveling.

"The last ping of her cell phone was in Monterey," Cecil told The Progress-Index Tuesday afternoon. "It appears to be off now because when you call it, it just goes straight to voice mail."

Monterey, a town in Virginia's Highland County, is about 45 miles from the destination where Bates, 42, and her 15-year-old daughter Mary were headed when they were reported missing. The pair left their Prince George County home over the weekend bound for a faith-based children's camp in West Virginia.

Her cell phone ping was recorded Sunday in Monterey.

The mother and daughter were driving a silver 2015 Nissan Rogue with Virginia license plates UVL-9169. So far, there has been no trace of the car or the two people.

Martha Bates is described as a white female, 5-feet-3 and weighing 345 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and she wears glasses.

Mary Bates is also white, standing 5 feet tall and weighing 110 pounds. She, too, has brown hair and brown eyes.

The Bates family lives in Disputanta. In addition to Martha and Mary, there also is Michael Bates, Martha's husband and Mary's father. The couple also has a young son.

Cecil said Michael Bates has traveled to Monterey to work with the Highland County Sheriff's Office on the search.

Martha and Mary were heading to Camp Carlo, located in the small West Virginia town of Huttonsville. Huttonsville is about 63 miles northwest of Staunton, Virginia.

Cecil described the entire Bates family as "very kind" people. "They'd give you the shirt right off their backs," she said.

Anyone who may have information about Martha and Mary Bates’ whereabouts is asked to contact Prince George Police at (804) 733-2773 or Crime Solvers at (804) 733-2777. That information can also be shared through the P3Tips app on a mobile device or by email to police@princegeorgecountyva.gov.

This is a developing story.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Prince George mother and daughter reported missing