Troopers Conducting Death Investigation into Missing Elderly Millsboro Woman

Millsboro - The Delaware State Police have cancelled a Gold Alert issued for a missing Millsboro woman after she was located deceased in the tributary waters of Rehoboth Bay.

Mary "Lorraine" Lappa was the focus of a Gold Alert that was issued Wednesday evening after a neighbor reported her missing. The investigation revealed Ms. Lappa was supposed to leave her house Wednesday in order to travel to New Castle County to spend Thanksgiving with relatives. When the neighbors went to Ms. Lappa's residence around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday to turn some lights on, they found her purse with her car keys and cell phone still inside the house as well as the car still in the driveway, but Ms. Lappa was nowhere to be found. Out of concern for her welfare, the neighbors contacted the relatives in the Wilmington area and found out she was overdue and immediately notified state police.

Troopers assigned to the Criminal Investigations Unit, K9 Division, and Aviation Unit (Trooper 2), as well as members of the Indian River Fire Company combed the area through the evening hours and again this morning, but were unsuccessful in locating Ms. Lappa. A reverse 9-1-1 call was placed around 10:30 a.m. to residents in the surrounding area of her address and information was updated on the Delaware State Police Newsroom Facebook page alerting viewers to be on the lookout for Ms. Lappa.

Around 11:40 a.m. this morning, a resident of the area assisting in the search, located a body off the shore of the tributary waters near the development. Members of the Indian River Fire Company were contacted and recovered the female who was identified as Ms. Lappa. Ms. Lappa was removed from the scene by the Medical Examiner at the Division of Forensic Science and the investigation is on-going by criminal investigators. No foul play is suspected.