Family tries to stay positive as police admit foul play is a possibility.
The family of a Wanganui woman missing for 12 days say they are going through a "slow living nightmare" as police admit something untoward may have happened to her.
Marice Jane McGregor, also known as Katrina, has not been seen for a fortnight.
The 45-year-old has a medical condition and limited mobility and her family are desperate to find her.
Police search teams, including a dive squad and dogs, have found no trace of her.
Fears for her safety escalated significantly yesterday as police appealed for sightings of a green Mitsubishi van she is believed to have "had contact with" before she disappeared.
Detective Senior Sergeant Gwynne Pennell would not be drawn on the significance of the van.
"We believe sightings of this vehicle could be crucial to finding out what has happened to Marice."
The last sighting of Marice was on April 19, when a bus driver spotted her car near the intersection of State Highway 4 and Lismore Forest Rd.
He later noticed the vehicle parked on nearby Old Parapara Rd by a small cluster of pine trees and assumed it had broken down.
When the bus driver saw the car still there on Wednesday he contacted police.
The same day, Marice's family reported her missing. Police say she was also sighted with the green van on that day.
It is believed her last contact with anyone was a telephone conversation with a female friend on April 19. The pair arranged to have coffee but Marice did not turn up.
Police said her wallet was found in her Suzuki, and her bank account had not been touched.
Her family say her disappearance is "completely out of character".
"We are trying to be positive, living in the hope that we will get her back safe," her brother Rowan McGregor said last night.
"She's been missing a long time now and it is getting unreal to be optimistic, but we are trying to stay optimistic as the other option is horrendous."
He would not say what his sister's medical condition was, but said she didn't require any medical help. Her mobility problems arose from a broken ankle years ago which still caused problems.
Rowan McGregor said his family did not "live in each other's pockets" but stayed in touch and got together for all the big family occasions.
"Marice preferred to stay in touch via text and email which was on a regular basis. The last family get-together was in February, when she was happy as.
"There has been nothing in her emails and texts since that get-together to suggest that had changed."
Her family described her as a quiet and reserved person who lived alone and loved her Persian cats and floral art.
She also enjoyed going on short drives to collect pine cones. Pine cones and branches were found in her abandoned car.
"Generally she sticks fairly close to home and wouldn't really drive more than about an hour," her brother said. "She certainly would not leave without arranging for her cats to be cared for."
Wanganui Society of Cat Fanciers spokeswoman Keryn McOnish said Marice was a "a really nice girl".
"She used to always want to volunteer to go on committees. She's a real animal lover. She absolutely adores animals, which is what we want in our club," she said.
"She trusted everyone, she didn't complain about anything. She would never leave the car and just walk off somewhere. She definitely wouldn't leave her cats. They're her babies."
McOnish described Marice as smiley, cheery and happy.
"It made me sick to the stomach when I read in the paper she was missing. I hope they find her and find her safe."
If you saw Marice or a green Mitsubishi van in the Wanganui, Manawatu and Rangitkei areas on April 19 or 20, call Wanganui police on (06) 349 0600.
