Family of missing Breathitt Co. woman leaning on faith as search efforts continue

The family of 60-year-old Vanessa Baker have been praying for word on her whereabouts.
Published: Aug. 10, 2022 at 5:12 PM EDT

BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Two Breathitt County women remain missing nearly two weeks since flooding devastated eastern Kentucky.

“I just pray that we can locate her and the family and our family can have some closure and at least know where she is,” Anthony Mullins said.

The family of 60-year-old Vanessa Baker have been praying for word on her whereabouts. The Breathitt County woman was last seen at her home along Lower River Caney Road the night horrific floods flowed through.

“We’ve kept our hope in the Lord and I’m still praying that we find her. She was such a special lady. She was a school secretary at the local school,” said Mullins, Baker’s nephew.

Mullins is the pastor at County Line Community Church, where donations have poured in, turning his idle hands to serve others.

“She worked at the school when I was in elementary school. She’s made an impact on every child that’s lived in this area for years and years and years,” Mullins said.

It may be called County Line Community Church, dividing Perry and Breathitt County, but in a time of tragedy, those lines blur and barriers are broken to help one another in a time of need.

“It’s devastating to the family but it’s also devastating to the community because everyone knew her as the lady who checked their temperatures when they didn’t feel good. Who called their parents and told them they were going through this or that so everybody had a connection to her,” Mullins said.

Search efforts continue for Baker and 29-year-old Nancy Cundiff as both families await answers, leaning on faith and one another to get them through.

“They have been searching, they have been looking, they’ve had the dogs in, boats, KSP and all these organizations have been doing an awesome job trying to locate these individuals, but please pray for our families,” Mullins said.

Anyone with information is asked to call KSP Post 13 in Hazard.

Copyright 2022 WKYT. All rights reserved.