Dallas Police have renewed their search for 88-year-old Myrtle Polk, whose vehicle was discovered this week near a creek in South Dallas, more than a year after she was first reported missing.
Officers focused their efforts on Wednesday along Fivemile Creek, near the 5600 block of South Lancaster Road, after locating Polk’s black 2004 Lexus ES 330, the same vehicle she was last seen driving in June 2024.
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Throughout the day, Dallas Police and members of its Mounted Unit were seen combing through debris along the creek banks. A cadaver dog searched the water as officers on foot worked nearby.
Dozens of neighbors gathered along the bridge to watch the investigation unfold, with many expressing sadness and hope that the discovery could finally bring closure.
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“We’ve gone through so many months where every possibility was not an answer,” said Demetra Donaldson, a family friend who has long prayed for Polk’s return. “To know that this really is her car and that the potential of this was, that’s the part that’s just sad.”
Polk was well-known in her South Oak Cliff neighborhood. According to her son Philip Polk, she was last seen leaving her home near the 1100 block of Indian Creek Trail on June 10, 2024.
Philip told NBC 5 last year that his mother, a retired teacher and active church volunteer, had early-onset dementia, which may have caused her to become disoriented while driving.
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Philip could not be reached on Wednesday as search efforts were underway.
Police have not said how or when her vehicle ended up near the creek, located less than two miles from her home.
SEARCH FOR MRS. MYRTLE POLK ACTIVE IN SOUTH OAK CLIFF AFTER HER CAR WAS FOUND. Working with @Nvision for @NBCDFW today. . . Folks tell me she was known as the grandma of South Oak Cliff. Their prayer is that she is found. . . Last seen in June of 2024 driving her vehicle. On Nov 4, Dallas Police said her vehicle was recovered in the 5600 block of south Lancaster Road. . . Today (Nov 5) Dallas Police Mounted Unit and South Central Patrol, as well as private search teams continue searching for Polk. #silveralert #missingpersons #myrtlepolk #southdallas #nbcdfw
Nearby resident Vincent Brooks said the current of the creek can be strong.
“A lot of time when it’s a heavy rain, the creek flows very, very heavily,” Brooks said. “Hopefully, if her body was still in the car or intact near the car or somewhere, they find her.”
As daylight faded, family and neighbors gathered to pray that the renewed search would finally lead to answers.
“We pray that today is the day closure happens,” Donaldson said. “We pray for peace for her.”
Anyone with information about Myrtle Polk’s disappearance is urged to contact the Dallas Police Department at 214-671-4268 or call 911.

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