An unusual missing persons case is developing on Southeastern Oregon rangeland. In June, 2023, Gwen Brunelle of Boise, Idaho disappeared on a sudden roadtrip to California, and a series of clues so far discovered have only deepened the mystery.
Reportedly, 27-year-old Brunelle left Boise on Monday, June 26 with her 11 show rabbits in tow. Brunelle was a passionate trainer of rabbits from the time she was a child. She told her boyfriend and family she was on her way to Fresno, California to meet with a renowned rabbit judge, but she never made it. When spoken to later, the unnamed California rabbit judge said he never heard from her, nor was he expecting her arrival.
By Friday that week, Brunelle’s car was found abandoned on a remote stretch of road in Southeastern Oregon, with no trace of the Idaho woman to be seen, according to the Oregon news outlet Malheur Enterprise. What searchers did find, though, were Brunelle’s rabbits still in the car, and alongside her vehicle, a half-empty jug of water and a bathrobe, folded on the ground like someone had made a cushion or pillow out of it.
Furthermore, the keys were in the ignition, the windows were rolled down, and Brunelle’s personal items — including her credit cards and her driver’s license — were undisturbed.
Brunelle was last seen at a nearby gas station and store
On Tuesday the week Gwen Brunelle’s car was found, a nearby gas station attendant said he saw Brunelle as she stopped for gas, and for some reason she told him she was in a hurry, OregonLive reported.
And this was not the only strange circumstance surrounding her disappearance. Reportedly, a short distance from her home in Idaho, Brunelle’s phone was turned off, and additional convenience store security camera footage from her trip revealed she changed her clothing just 20 miles away from Boise. Not only that, it seemed to take her three hours to travel those miles, and where she was during that time is so far unexplained. Meanwhile, her father, Andy Brunelle, said he lost cell phone contact with his daughter the same day that she left.
After buying gas in Southeastern Oregon, Brunelle reportedly entered another store near the gas station and asked for a razor blade, which they didn’t have. She then bought water and snacks and returned to her car, where she sat for an hour, one witness reported — so long, in fact, a clerk asked her is she was all right. A clerk later told the Malheur County Sheriff’s office, “She said she was fine and did not need any help.”
The initial search turned up nothing
Once Gwen Brunelle’s car was found, authorities scoured the rugged area by land and air, but there was no sign of her and the search, using ATVs, horses, and dogs, was suspended. By early September, however, signs of Brunelle emerged, and searchers redoubled their effort. First, Brunelle’s t-shirt was found caught in barbed wire fencing, and later, her boots and socks were spotted nearby. The boots in particular seemed to have been arranged on the ground intentionally. Despite those encouraging signs, however, Brunelle’s whereabouts remain a mystery. Deepening the concern, the Southeastern Oregon rangeland is an inhospitable place for anyone to survive for long.
With Brunelle gone, theories as to what might have happened to her involve a possible abduction, or a fake story about traveling to see the rabbit judge but meeting up with someone else, instead. Reportedly, there were inconsistencies between what she told her boyfriend and her father about her purported trip to California.
Brunelle may have had a mental health crisis
Another possible explanation, Brunelle was known to have mental health challenges, her mother, Betsy Brunelle, said, and a failure to take her medication could possibly explain her behavior. The ominous request for a razor blade at a nearby convenience store could relate to how she cut her pills in half, her mother added. For the time being, the multi-state search for Brunelle continues. Brunelle is 5’7″ tall and weighs 160 pounds, and may present disoriented or be in the midst of a mental health crisis, according to the authorities.
Though hope remained that Brunelle might be found alive, her mother told OregonLive, “I just have not sensed a presence of her on this earth. It’s just like a mom thing. If she is alive, that would be fantastic. If she’s not, hopefully we can bring her back and have closure.”