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Weather Causes Search For Missing Stevensville Woman To Stop

STEVENSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- The search for a missing Stevensville woman is on hold Wednesday. Police are blaming the winter weather.

Gigi Barnett reports the woman's family is launching its own search.

By land and sea, police and volunteers have searched for Robin Pope, 51, since last week. But now hours of snowfall halted the search for clues.

"Our divers were not able to go back into the water today because of the rough surf. National Resources Police divers spent much of the day yesterday in the water and on the water with their sonar equipped boat," said Greg Shipley, Maryland State Police.

State police say Pope lived with her husband Wayne Pope Jr. until December, when the couple separated. On Friday night, investigators say she went back to the house for some personal items. Wayne Pope told police that he left the house when she arrived. Early Saturday morning, he says he returned only to find Pope's car was still in the driveway, but she was nowhere around.

"Very suspicious circumstances. She communicated with her daughters several times a day. She has had no communication since Friday and a number of other things that are certainly out of the ordinary," Shipley said.

As more of Pope's friends spread the word on the Internet of her disappearance, her daughters Rachael and Priscilla are organizing their own search effort this weekend. Priscilla said that more than 200 people have already signed on to look for her mother.

Police say once the weather passes, they'll resume their efforts, too.

"We're doing everything we can to determine where she is and what happened to her and, if a crime occurred, who's responsible for that crime," Shipley said.

Anyone with information on Robin Pope's disappearance is urged to call Maryland State Police at their Centreville barracks at 410-758-1101. For information on how to join the search, click here.

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