“We are still seeking opportunities to locate Mary,” said Commissioner of Police Mark Payne, more than two years after the elderly woman was reported missing in Montserrat.
Seventy-four-year-old Mary Bruno, who lived at the Lookout warden-supported units, was last seen on the morning of 23 October, 2022, wearing a green blouse and blue skirt.
A week after she went missing, Charles Thompson, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Montserrat Police Service, said extensive searches had been carried out in the immediate areas.
“We do appreciate she has some health issues and every ticking second that passes means its time out there and we need to get her back safety,” he said at the time.
Six months late, in April, 2023, the police service said in a statement that it continued to “vigorously investigate” the disappearance of the missing woman.
Officers carried out further searches with the help of the Montserrat Fire and Rescue Service, the Royal Montserrat Defence Force and the Disaster Management Coordination Agency.
That month, the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office also sourced help from the Police National Search Centre through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
The centre deployed Chief Inspector Mark Sweeney and Sergeant Mike Spencer to Montserrat to assist in the operation through further searches and the use of drones.
Montserrat’s then police chief Nick Caveney said he was committed to enlist the highest level of specialism and support to help resolve the difficult case.
In December, 2023, the police service reached out to the public again for information on Mary Bruno.
Speaking on ZJB Radio on 13 February, Commissioner Payne said: “We did, as a result of that, have some additional lines of inquiry which we have worked to bottom out.”
He added that “sadly, this now has been a very long standing missing person” case but stressed that the force is still looking for opportunities to locate her.
Anyone with information can call police on (664) 491-2555 or 491-2556.
