When someone goes missing, loved ones notify the police and start searching. But how long do you search? When months, years, and decades pass, searches often cease, leaving the case an unsolved mystery.

One such mystery from 42 years ago has been partially solved. Police found the missing woman, Flora Stevens, but still don’t know why she vanished or what her life was like during those years.

In the 1970s, Flora and Robert Stevens worked at The Concord resort. Robert reported Flora missing after he dropped her off at a hospital and returned to find her gone. Robert died in 1985, never knowing what happened to his wife.

Decades later, skeletal remains prompted the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office to search for Flora’s relatives for a DNA match. Instead, they found Flora alive in an assisted living facility. Due to dementia, Flora’s past remains unclear. An employee, Festus Mbuva, said, “To be honest, I don’t think she ever really wanted to be found.”

Though details remain elusive, Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff is content knowing Flora is safe, despite the lingering mysteries.