MISSING 11-Years: Mother of 3 Seen Driving Away, Then Vanished (Angela Freeman)

Missing for 11 Years: Renewed Search Revives Questions in Disappearance of Georgia Mother Angela Freeman

GERARD, Ga. — For more than a decade, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Angela Diane Freeman has lingered quietly in Burke County, a rural stretch of eastern Georgia where dirt roads lead to dense woods, winding rivers, and hidden boat ramps. Now, 11 years after the mother of three was last seen driving away from her home, renewed searches and public attention are once again raising painful questions for a family that has never stopped looking for answers.

Angela Freeman vanished on April 2, 2014. Neighbors say they saw her that morning leaving her home on Brigham Avenue in Gerard, driving a white Nissan sedan. There was nothing unusual about it at the time. But when Freeman never returned, and her phone calls went unanswered, concern quickly turned to fear.

“She just disappeared,” said her sister, Geneva Wilkerson. “How can you vanish and leave your children behind?”

At the time, Freeman was 43 years old, married, and raising three children. According to family members, she was supposed to attend a school parade later that day to support Wilkerson’s children — an event they say she would never willingly miss. When she failed to show up, Wilkerson tried calling her repeatedly. There was no response.

Later that day, Wilkerson received a call from Freeman’s husband asking if she had heard from Angela. She hadn’t. When Freeman’s children returned home from school, their mother was gone. So was her car. Inside the house, however, Freeman’s personal belongings — including her wallet — were still there.

“That’s what never made sense,” Wilkerson said. “She left everything behind.”

Over the years, investigators have struggled to piece together what happened after Freeman drove away that morning. There is no confirmed sighting of her beyond her neighborhood. Her vehicle has never been recovered. No financial activity, phone use, or verified contact has been linked to her since the day she vanished.

Family members say there were additional concerns in the year leading up to Freeman’s disappearance. Wilkerson recalls that her sister witnessed a deadly car crash after leaving a Bible study, an experience that deeply affected her. According to the family, Freeman was later placed on medication by a doctor and advised not to drive.

“That’s why it’s strange,” Wilkerson said. “She wasn’t driving anymore, and then all of a sudden she gets behind the wheel. Something motivated her to do that, and we don’t know what.”

Those unanswered questions have led some to believe Freeman may have experienced a medical emergency, mental health crisis, or accident. Others have wondered whether she may have driven into water, intentionally or unintentionally, in an isolated area where her car could remain hidden for years.

That theory has gained renewed attention thanks to recent efforts by Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers and independent search teams known for locating submerged vehicles tied to cold cases.

In recent months, sonar searches were conducted in parts of the Savannah River near Gerard, an area dotted with secluded boat ramps accessible by long, winding dirt roads. The river stretches for hundreds of miles and has long been considered a possible resting place for Freeman’s missing car.

“When a person disappears and their vehicle is missing, the woods or the water are usually where we find answers,” said Lt. Heather Sims of the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. “Sometimes we find nothing. Sometimes we find several vehicles.”

During a four-hour search conducted with sonar equipment, investigators scanned portions of the river near the most direct route from Freeman’s neighborhood to a nearby boat ramp. While multiple submerged vehicles were located — including a truck and an SUV — none were connected to Freeman’s case.

Independent searchers using sonar and diving equipment also examined several underwater targets. One vehicle recovered during the search was identified as a maroon Chevrolet Caprice Classic, buried in sand with an open window. Other vehicles were tagged and reported to authorities, but none matched Freeman’s white Nissan.

Despite the lack of a breakthrough, officials say the renewed attention is important.

“Even when we don’t find what we’re looking for, we narrow the possibilities,” Sims said. “That matters in a case like this.”

Investigators have also resubmitted DNA samples from Freeman’s children to national databases in hopes of identifying a possible match with an unidentified Jane Doe somewhere in the country.

For Freeman’s children, now adults, the passage of time has not made the uncertainty easier.

“They grew up not knowing where their mom is,” Wilkerson said. “Not knowing if she’s alive, if she suffered, or if she needs to be brought home.”

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office says the case remains open and active. While there is no evidence of foul play, authorities have not ruled out any possibilities. Tips from the public continue to be welcomed, particularly from anyone familiar with the area as it existed in 2014, when access points to the river or nearby ponds may have been different.

One area of interest includes bodies of water near the local hospital, where some believe Freeman may have gone if she felt unwell or disoriented. Searches of those areas so far have not yielded evidence related to her disappearance.

Cases like Freeman’s are heartbreakingly common, experts say, especially in rural regions with vast, difficult-to-search terrain.

“It’s not that people stop caring,” said one search volunteer involved in the effort. “It’s that time passes, leads dry up, and families are left in limbo. That’s why bringing attention back to cases like this is so important.”

For Wilkerson, hope and grief exist side by side.

“I just want answers,” she said. “No matter what they are. If she’s out there somewhere, I want her found. If she’s gone, I want her brought home. Her children deserve that.”

Anyone with information about Angela Diane Freeman or knowledge of possible search locations in the Gerard or Savannah River area is urged to contact the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. After 11 years, her family says even the smallest detail could make a difference.

As the search continues, Freeman’s case serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly a life can vanish — and how long the unanswered questions can last.