Search continues for woman missing since September

The Pine County community launched a search party for a Minnesota woman who has been missing since the end of September.

Ashley Miller, also known by the last name Carlson, is from the Grantsburg, Wisconsin area. Family members said she went missing on Sept. 24.

"It is heartbreaking. It’s a constant chill in our bodies not knowing where she is," Trisha Henderson, Miller’s aunt, said.

Henderson said it’s been six weeks of waiting and wondering if her niece is coming back home.

Miller’s family wanted more eyes and ears on the ground so the community launched a search party.

For eight hours, a crew of over 300 people combed the area around St. Croix State Forest hoping to find answers.

"There’s a lot of just walking through and digging around and just to see if there’s anything there. I’ve seen the police out checking some of the stuff that people have marked," Jamie Vander Velden, search party member, said.

If searchers found anything unusual, they’d blow a whistle to signal a possible clue that could lead to finding the mother of four.

"Even if it’s a cigarette pack or an old bottle and it’s the middle of the woods. We’re going to point it out and then start looking around," Vander Velden said.

Miller’s last known location was east of Hinckley on Sept. 24, according to The Pine County Sheriff’s Office.

Henderson said authorities found Miller’s car submerged in Grace’s Lake with all her belongings inside.

"Where is she? Someone has her. We don’t know. She’s not on the run though, no way," Henderson said.

The family said they’re still hopeful Miller will come back home safely.

"I can say that we will not stop looking for her. We will be relentless about this," Henderson said. "Please let us know where she is, please. Do it for her kids."

The family is urging anyone with information to call the Pine County Sheriff’s Office at 320-629-8438 or Mikal Anton, Burnett County Sheriff’s Office investigator, at 715-497-5648.

The family is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to her recovery or rescue.