A Brunswick woman and her 5-year-old son, who had been missing since Saturday and were the subject of a two-state search into Wednesday, are safe.

Brunswick Deputy Police Chief Marc Hagan said Sarah Walker-Meade, 33, called police about 3 p.m. to let them know that she and her son, 5-year-old Joseph Katula, were not in danger. It wasn’t clear where she called from, but Hagan said he would have more information soon.

The mother and son had disappeared from their home sometime over the weekend and Walker-Meade’s car was spotted in Massachusetts being driven erratically.

Althea Walker, Walker-Meade’s mother, said her daughter and grandson lived with her and her husband in the home. She read a short statement outside the home early Monday afternoon asking that Walker-Meade contact her family to let them know she was OK.

“This message is for my daughter Sarah and my grandson Joey,” she said shortly after 1 p.m. “Please let us know that you’re OK. We’re very worried about you.”

The parents had been gone over the weekend and when they returned, her car was missing and they were unable to reach her. After logging the missing person’s report on Sunday, police received information that Walker-Meade’s vehicle, a 1999 Volvo, was spotted Tuesday evening in Westford, Massachusetts.

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Another motorist in Westford reported that a car with Maine license plate 1637SZ was driving about 20 mph under the posted speed limit on Powers Road, said Westford Police Lt. Ronald Paulauskas. Police responded but could not find the car, he said. When they checked the plate number, police learned that it was connected to the Brunswick missing persons report.

The motorist who spotted the car also provided a vehicle description, which was the same as Meade’s vehicle, Paulauskas said. Because it was dark, the witness could not see who or how many people were in the car, he said.

“We are still searching for it,” he said. “Information is being passed on from shift to shift and we are in constant contact with the Brunswick Police Department.” Meade has no known ties to Massachusetts, he said. Police have checked area hotels, he said, but without success.

Powers Road, which runs roughly parallel to Interstate 495, has sections lined with businesses but the area where Walker-Meade’s car was seen is less developed and is near the Nashoba Valley Ski Area. It is not a major road that someone would use to traverse the state, he said, and the car was seen headed inbound toward Westford, so headed north from an area south of Interstate 495.

Westford police posted on Facebook that they believe the woman may be being held against her will. Paulauskas said that was information received from Brunswick police Tuesday night but on Wednesday, Hagan said he had no information to support that claim.

Walker-Meade’s parents said it was not like her to disappear without telling someone.

Hagan also said Walker-Meade gave her parents no indication that she was upset or distressed. The father of her 5-year-old son has not been in the picture for some time, Hagan said, and is not believed to be connected to Walker-Meade’s disappearance. She is not believed to have a current boyfriend, according to police.


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