Editor’s note: Friends of Eva Masin Prather on Thursday launched a GoFundMe fundraiser for her family.
Despite the frosty conditions, more than 50 people gathered Wednesday morning near the Open Door Baptist Church in Missoula and then dispersed throughout the Rose Park neighborhood. They were sent out through the Slant Streets neighborhood in a strategic grid, knocking on doors and handing out fliers that read: “MISSING: Eva Masin Prather.”
Prather, who’s 43 and a technical writer for the U.S. Forest Service, is a mother of two. Before settling in Missoula, she and her husband, Dave, were vegetable growers in St. Ignatius.
“She’s just a quiet, calm soul,” her friend, Laurie Childs, said. And “a giant wildflower nerd.” Childs organized Wednesday’s search.
Eva disappeared from her home in the Slant Streets in the morning of Dec. 30. Dave said she was asleep in bed at 2 a.m., out of bed by 6 a.m., and he became concerned by 8 a.m.
There were no signs of a planned departure, Dave said. Her keys, wallet, phone and car were all still at the house, which is near the intersection of Rollins and Knowles streets. “It’s not clear if she even had shoes on when she left,” he said.
Missoula Police issued a Missing and Endangered Person Advisory regarding Eva on Saturday, according to the department’s public information officer, Whitney Bennett. This alert expands regional law enforcement communication and response options in consideration of Eva’s mental health condition—it’s essentially one step away from an AMBER alert.
Eva struggles with anxiety and was experiencing a manic episode in the days leading to her disappearance, Dave said.
The National Institute of Mental Health describes a manic episode as an “unusually elevated mood” paired with an increased activity level. The couple had discussed the option of enrolling Eva in inpatient services at St. Patrick Hospital, but Dave said a previous experience there had been “fairly traumatic.”
Eva’s heightened mental states sometimes lead her to worry she’s being tracked and potentially endangering her family by proximity, Dave explained, adding, “We’re worried she may not want to be found at the moment.”
There were a couple reported sightings of Eva in downtown Missoula, including at a hotel, but those were confirmed false on Tuesday. Eva is originally from northern Idaho and Missoula Police said detectives are working with other jurisdictions to widen the geographic scope of their search.
And so are members of the public. The Facebook group “Search for Eva” jumped from several hundred members Tuesday night to around 2,300 Wednesday afternoon. Recent posts encourage searches along Highway 200 and Interstate 90. One member linked to a public spreadsheet with stores, gas stations, trailheads and other places to hang flyers. Others are spreading the word with people who cover a lot of ground for work, including UPS and truck drivers.
Some members are doing small searches of their own, encouraging neighbors to check any personal security footage. The popular Ring home security system has a limited amount of data storage, and neighbors are encouraged to check footage for signs of Eva soon.
Further down the Facebook page is a post that’s getting buried quickly: “While you are out, please keep an eye out for this young boy as well.” Wesley Charlo, 15, and Xavier Charlo, 13, also went missing on Dec. 30. The Montana Missing Persons Database lists Flathead Tribal Police as the investigating agency.
According to the Montana Department of Justice, more than 2,000 people were entered into the FBI’s National Crime information Center by state law enforcement agencies in 2021. More than 30 percent were Indigenous and, of that group, over 80 percent were under the age of 18.
Eva Prather has blue-gray eyes and brown shoulder-length hair. She is 5-foot-4 and weighs 130 pounds. Bennett, of Missoula Police, said any leads can be reported to the police department at (406) 552-6300. If Eva is in sight, Bennett says not to approach her, but to call 911 and keep an eye on her location.
Eva and Dave’s daughter turned 10 on Tuesday. Dave took their two kids out to a restaurant to meet with friends, in an attempt at normalcy.
Seeing the search parties and efforts to find Eva has been “really heartening,” Dave said. “We just want her to come home.”
