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June 29, 2010 – Volcano, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan, voice of Tim Bryan

A mysterious missing persons case in the Volcano Village area ended happily this week, when 61 year old Vera Matsuda-Brownlea disappeared on Wednesday.

From the Hawaii County Police Department:

Big Island police are searching for a 61-year-old woman reported as missing from Volcano.

Vera Matsuda-Brownlea was last seen at Cooper Center around 1 p.m. Wednesday (June 23).

She is described as Asian, 4-foot-10, 100 pounds with long black hair, brown eyes and a black spot on her right forehead.

She was last seen wearing a white blouse, a blue denim jacket, denim jeans cut slightly blow the knees, black stockings and black shoes.

Police ask that anyone with information on her whereabouts call Detective Wendall Carter at 961-2378 or the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

A few days later, good news:

Sixty-one-year-old Vera Matsuda-Brownlea, who was reported missing, returned home Friday morning.

She got lost when she wandered off her usual path during an afternoon walk on Wednesday and became disoriented. She spent two nights outdoors before she found a fence that helped her find her way back to her Volcano neighborhood.

Matsuda-Brownlea suffered minor scrapes but was otherwise unharmed.