Search for missing Inverness grandmother ends

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Citrus County deputies and volunteers searched again Tuesday for a beloved grandmother who has been missing since last week, but ultimately ended their hunt without success. 

According to authorities, 72-year-old Carol McHugh wandered from home in Inverness Thursday afternoon. She is without any food, water and her medications. She was last seen on E. Regency Row in the Seven Lakes development.

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office personnel and volunteers have been searching for McHugh since Thursday night.

In a video released on the CCSO Facebook page Monday afternoon, the sheriff's office showed the rough terrain and dense brush crews are dealing with as they search for McHugh. 

Early Sunday morning, Sheriff Prendergast spoke to parishioners at McHugh’s church, Our Lady of Fatima, in Inverness.  "I wanted to reach out to those closest to Carol who may have some insight as to her whereabouts", says Sheriff Prendergast.  "I also wanted to meet with Father Tim, her parish priest, and meet with people who really know Carol to let them know that we are doing everything in our power to bring her home."

CCSO says their teams went door-to-door and conducted grid searches of large wooded areas, such as Flying Eagle Preserve, Tsala Apopka Lake, and Fort Cooper State Park. Teams have also re-checked several areas where McHugh is known to frequent.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office announced that they were ending the search.

"After 5 days & 3,000 plus hours of searching for 72 yr old Carol McHugh, the decision has been made to suspend the search for Carol," they tweeted.