Missing New Brunswick woman’s family holds out hope 1 month after disappearance

Ruth Carol Sutton, 79, was last seen on Mallard Drive the morning of May 25. 

A month after a Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B., woman disappeared without a trace, her son says the family is clinging to routine and to each other.

Ruth Carol Sutton, 79, was last seen on Mallard Drive the morning of May 25.

As the search enters a second month, Sutton’s family is doing their best to cope with the uncertainty.

“We’ve had a little time to get used to the idea rather than in the case of a sudden death. Dad’s doing quite well,” said her son, Bertis Sutton.

“He’s engaged in things that interest him and trying to keep his mind on happier things.”

Bertis says his mother, who goes by the name Carol, grew up by the water in Hampstead. She is an avid swimmer and has lived with her husband in their home for more than 50 years.

Carol lives with early-stage Alzheimer’s but her son says she had never shown signs of wandering or disorientation before.

“It didn’t affect her personality, it didn’t affect her vocabulary, her long-term memory. She was never disoriented or didn’t know where she was,” he said.