Reward raised in case of missing 81-year-old

Opal Parsons, 81, has been missing since Aug. 30, but police believe they may be on the verge of a break in the case and figure the effort can be helped by an announcement Wednesday that the reward for information is being increased by $10,000.

Las Vegas police Sgt. Tom Wagner said that some interesting information was brought to detectives' attention Wednesday morning and that a "person of interest" was scheduled to take a polygraph test later in the day. The results of the test should help determine whether robbery was a motive in the case, Wagner said.

Parsons was last seen sleeping in her home near Charleston and Nellis boulevards. Investigators do not believe she left her home willingly. Though there were no signs of forced entry, her van was left in the driveway.

Parson's identification was found on the floor at Sam's Town casino about 31/2 miles from her home nearly a week after she went missing. Using surveillance videos, police identified a man who had used her ATM card at the casino. But his home was searched, and no evidence linking him to Parsons' disappearance was found. The man said he found her purse in a trash bin.

Wagner said several "persons of interest" were being investigated. Detectives have been encouraged by the countless tips they have received from friends listed in Parsons' personal phone book.

At the request of Parsons' family, Meadow Gold Dairy offered a $10,000 reward Wednesday to anyone with information that leads either to Parsons' safe return or to the arrest and prosecution of her assailant, said Ed Spencer, a spokesman for Dean Foods, the Dallas-based parent company of Meadow Gold.

Parsons' family and Heritage United Methodist Church previously announced a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to Parsons' recovery.

"Someone knows something that will at least help us look in the right direction," Parsons' daughter, Carol Holt, said while choking back tears Wednesday. "It's just so hard to know nothing at all."

Holt does not believe robbery was a motive. Her mother was not wealthy and lived month to month on a small retirement fund and Social Security checks.

Holt believes her mother was coaxed out of the home in her bathrobe. "Someone convinced her to go outside and bring her purse," she said.

Holt said she is sure her mother is alive. "Hopefully, someone is taking good care of her," she said.

Anyone with information about Parsons' whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Contact reporter Beth Walton at bwalton@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0279.