News 12 at 11 o'clock-- December 20, 2009

BARNWELL, S.C. -- The family of Carolyn Jean Smith, continues to search for the 67-year old woman, who has been missing for a week now.

Authorities from Barnwell to Beaufort, S.C. are on the look out for the elderly woman, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

Granddaughter, Casey Mixson and daughter, Catherine Thomas are both grief stricken and confused trying to find where Carolyn Jean Smith is.

"She doesn't know where she's at," Mixson said. "I just want her home."

Smith is Mixson's only grandmother still living and went missing on Dec. 14th after a doctor's appointment in Beaufort, S.C., she said.

Mixson said it is very unusual to not come home because Smith always goes home no matter where she goes, but hasn't come home for a week now, leaving Mixson worried.

"I want her to come home, I don't want to have to bury my grandmother." she said. "We ask her to spend the night all the time and she's like 'No I have to go home, I have to go home'"

Thomas doesn't want to either as her daughter and her have went everywhere trying to find her, putting up hundreds of fliers and calling everyone to try to get her home safely.

"Barnwell County, Hampton County, Allendale County, Beaufort County, anything we can think of doing, we're doing it," Thomas said.

The family said neighbors of Smith haven't seen her since last Saturday. The family received word that investigators had located a "ping" on her cell phone near Islandton and Walterboro, S.C., but other than that the search is getting dim.

Thomas has been holding a picture of Smith every single night, talking to it she said, asking for her to be safe and give them an idea where she could be.

"I'm tired of talking to this picture now," Thomas said. "I want to talk to this face on this picture named Carolyn J. Smith,"

For both Thomas and Mixson, neither of them have ever spent Christmas without her and their wish is to not have one without her this year either.

The family tells News 12 she has been missing once before about two years ago. In that instance she was missing for four days, but was located at an Allendale County Hospital.

The family said they have searched everywhere but would like your help. If you have any information please call the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office at 803-541-1078.

Also authorities said she could be driving in a gold Ford 500 sedan with a license plate that reads ARH395.