Found alive: Nurse Gwen Wright

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Lorain County woman found
Investigators say Gwen Wright is safe.

By Ken Robinson, Newsradio WTAM 1100 Thursday, October 14, 2010

(Wellington) - It appears a Lorain County woman is no longer missing, and the search for her has been called off.

Wellington Police report that 38 year old Gwen Wright is safe and sound. A dispatcher telling Newsradio WTAM 1100 this morning, they know where she is, and she is O-K.

Investigators say Wright was spotted in southwestern Ohio, and told several people that her husband died of cancer, she lost her job, and her house, and all she wanted to do was go to the beach. Police say it appears Wright left on her own, and is not in distress.

According to Wellington Police Chief Steve Rollins, witnesses in the West Union area of southern Ohio explained that Wright was not abducted, though she is alone.

Missing Lorain County woman found in Chillicothe






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CHILLICOTHE -- A woman believed to be missing from her northern Ohio home, then reported safe and out of danger was found in Chillicothe this morning.

Adena Regional Medical Center reported Gwen Wright was brought to their emergency room before 8 a.m. this morning.

Wright is listed in stable condition and Adena Communications Director Sybil Miller said family had arrived at the hospital to be with her.

Miller said she spoke with Wright, who wanted those who were worried about her to know she was safe.

According to Public Information Officer C.A. "Bud" Lytle, Chillicothe Police received a call at about 6:28 a.m. and found Wright face down and unresponsive at Columbia and Riverside streets, in the area of the floodwall bike path.

She was taken by a Chillicothe Fire Department squad to Adena hospital.

The discovery capped a bizarre chain of events which started Oct. 6.

Police said Wright -- who lives near Wellington in Lorain County -- was reported missing on that day after renting a movie from a Walmart store in Oberlin at about 11:40 p.m.

Officials said Wright, who works as a nurse, was spotted early on the morning of Oct. 7, withdrawing money from an ATM in Knox County. Video surveillance showed Wright taking out $500 from a Mount Vernon bank, about 72 miles from the Walmart store.

A week ago, police found Wright's 2002 Dodge Neon in Adams County with her purse and her cell phone inside.

Wellington Police said Thursday they were calling off the search for Wright after she told workers at a pharmacy in West Union that she had lost her job and her house and that her husband had died.

She tried to rent a hotel room under the name of Jenny May from Decanter, Ill., but was denied because she did not have an identification, police said.

Wow. "Not in distress" my ass.

Gwen Wright hadn’t been seen or heard from in eight days when she was found lying facedown and unresponsive on a bike path in Chillicothe yesterday morning.

Chillicothe police found Gwen Wright, 38, at 6:28 a.m. She was taken to the Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe and was released yesterday afternoon.

Her husband, Dwayne Wright, was at home yesterday sorting through all of the information and emotions he has been trying to process for the last week.

“My whole life right now has been a typhoon. Everything is going every which way,” he said.

Dwayne Wright, 30, received a phone call at 7:30 a.m. yesterday. One he had been waiting days for.

Gwen Wright gave the hospital his phone number, but when he answered the call, the man on the other line asked, “Are you Shon?”

Shon Simon is Gwen’s first husband, Dwayne Wright said.

Simon and Gwen Wright were married Oct. 16, 1993, in Mahoning, according to public records. Dwayne Wright wasn’t sure when the two divorced, but said Gwen left Simon a note, took off and hours later called her family.

Before Dwayne Wright left for work Oct. 6, Gwen insisted the two go out to dinner, something the couple rarely does, he said. Before Gwen would let Dwayne leave the house, she insisted he kiss her.

“It was almost like that was goodbye,” Dwayne Wright said.

Gwen and Simon were having problems before she left, Dwayne Wright said.

The couple had only one real argument during their three years of marriage, Dwayne Wright said. The argument was resolved in a matter of hours.

It appears, however, Gwen Wright might have been planning to leave since August.

Officers analyzing Gwen Wright’s home computer found that, sometime in August, she did an Internet search for Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

At 1:37 a.m. on Oct. 7, she was recorded withdrawing $500 from a First Knox National Bank ATM in Mt. Vernon.

Five days after she was reported missing, her 2002 Dodge Neon was found parked near the service center at Bob Malcolm Chrysler Dodge dealership in Peebles, about 200 miles from her Wellington home. She left behind her purse, cell phone and the movie she rented from a Red Box at the Oberlin Walmart on Oct. 6.

As soon as Dwayne Wright got word, he and his family made the trip to Peebles to look for his wife. There were no signs of foul play. The car looked to be undisturbed. There was still gas in the tank.

When police found Gwen Wright’s cell phone, they noted it hadn’t been turned off or died like they thought. Gwen Wright switched the phone into “airplane mode,” meaning she couldn’t receive calls. In Gwen’s purse, Dwayne said he found a credit card, in his name, that he never knew about.

Dwayne Wright also recovered the movie she rented, “Remember Me.”

“To me, the title of the movie says she was actually trying to get away,” Dwayne Wright said. “Basically, in a roundabout way, she’s saying, ‘Remember me.’”

The movie, as of yesterday afternoon, was unreturned, sitting on Dwayne Wright’s dining room table.

While Dwayne Wright was on his way to work Oct. 6, he wanted to tell Gwen to be careful while running errands. He called her at 10:05 p.m.

“You’re too cute,” Gwen Wright told her husband. “You’re worried about me.”

It was the last time the two spoke.

Gwen Wright was seen entering the Oberlin Walmart on U.S. 20 at 11:39 p.m., renting the movie and leaving the store at 11:48 p.m. After putting her items in her car, she went back to the store, used the restroom, got a drink of water and was seen leaving the parking lot, headed eastbound on U.S. 20, at 11:54 p.m.

Police were initially concerned that Gwen Wright, a diabetic, was missing and did not have her medication. It was later determined that the type of medication she takes is available without a prescription.

After withdrawing the money from the Mt. Vernon ATM, Gwen Wright’s whereabouts were unknown for days. It wasn’t until after her car was reported to police Monday did the investigation yield new information.

In Peebles, Dwayne Wright, family members and the Adams County Sheriff’s Department looked for Gwen Wright. Deputies searched the wooded area near the dealership. They were on hands and knees digging through fresh dirt mounds, and sent out a helicopter and K-9 units to look for her, Dwayne Wright said.

Deputies also went to hotels looking for potential witnesses.

Wednesday night, Wellington police released a statement saying they were ending their investigation after determining Gwen Wright left home voluntarily. With information from witnesses, police determined she was alone and did not appear to be in distress.

Witnesses told police Gwen Wright said her husband died of cancer, she lost her job and house and all she wanted was to go to the beach.

One witness directed Gwen Wright to the Country Nights Inn in West Union where she later tried to rent a room as Jenny May, of Decanter, Ill. Without identification, she was denied a room.

According to Dwayne Wright, Jenny May is one of Gwen Wright’s co-workers at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Lorain where Gwen Wright is a cardiac nurse.

Now, Dwayne Wright is left to sort through the pieces of information.

“At this point, with her, I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said. “I’m obviously thanking God she’s alive and well and will be with her family, but I just don’t know that I can trust her again. It’s terrible.”

As of last night, Dwayne Wright hadn’t spoken to his wife. He said he would probably go to his mother-in-law’s house to see her, to finally talk to her.

“Oh my God, there are so many things going through my mind,” he said.

Still, he can’t get past one thing, “Why?”

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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of morningjournal.com.

whammy wrote on Oct 16, 2010 5:10 AM:
" This woman has issues, not physical health issues, more along the lines of mental health. She actually made up a facebook under the name of "Jenny May" and then blogged about her own dissapearance. She knew what she was doing! I just don't understand why she didn't tell her husband she was leaving or try to contact friends/family who were obviously thinking the worst...that she had been abducted. It's sad that several law enforcement agencies have wasted their time and tax payer's money. It's also sad that many people in the community attended a prayer vigil for her out of true concern, taking them away from their own family or activity for that day/evening. Although I don't think she has violated any laws regarding her nursing license, she is apparently emotionally and mentally unstable...wouldn't want her to be my nurse! "

Dan wrote on Oct 16, 2010 7:20 AM:
" Gewn, thanks for stirring up an entire state and making us think a rabbid, viscious kidnapper is on the loose. "

suznkp wrote on Oct 16, 2010 9:11 AM:
" I hope she gets a bill to recover some of the funds our law enforcement has spent on her! "

Z wrote on Oct 16, 2010 10:50 AM:
" Soon to be a made for TV movie. "

outofmyrightmind wrote on Oct 16, 2010 1:19 PM:
" Please send her a bill to recover our tax dollars that have been spent on law enforcement trying to locate her. "

clogger wrote on Oct 16, 2010 5:22 PM:
" I was just going through yesterday's Chronicle and saw a foreclosure for Gwen L. Simon at 960 Hollis in Elyria. As you know from today's paper, that was her married name before she was Gwen L. Wright.

I searched the name and found this on Peoplefinder:

Gwen Lynn Simon
(Age 38)
Associated Names:
Gwen Lynn Virag
Owen Simon
Elyria, OH
Orangevale, CA
Hoffman Estates, IL
Pasadena, CA
Ravenna, OH
Youngstown, OH
Sacramento, CA
Painesville, OH
Boardman, OH

Where does the name "Owen" fit into things here. Is that the husband she left in California?

On the Lorain County Auditor website I do not see that the "Wright's" own any property. So, maybe she was telling the truth when she said she lost her home.

What in the heck is this all about? She is losing my sympathy. "

Gwen Wright, Wellington Woman, Missing Since Wednesday (Updated)
Posted by Kyle Swenson on Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 12:03 PM

Update: Gwen Wright has been located and shipped off to a hospital, the Morning Journal reports. The runaway nurse was found facedown and unresponsive on a bike trail in Chillicothe. Authorities say she's in stable condition and will be released today. Wright has been missing since last Wednesday, when she made a late night stop at the Oberlin Walmart and became distressed after learning the Red Box's copy of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was out. No, we made that up. Too soon? Sorry, it's just that this state-wide wig-out has cost a lot of time, money, and emotional energy, particularly for Wright's suffering husband Dwayne. Anyone who's watched these videos
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Whackadoo.