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Search for woman intensifies Discovery of her purse concerns police, family By JIM DAVIS The disappearance of a Medford woman became more suspicious this week after a motorist found her purse along Interstate 5 near Grants Pass, police said Thursday. Beverly Sue Christian, 40, does not have a car and had no way of leaving town, said Bonnie Barlow, her roommate. "I have a sick feeling in my stomach," Barlow said. "I'm worried. I'm concerned about her safety." Medford police Lt. Tim George said the department has turned up its investigation, with detectives contacting all of Christian's family and friends. "Anytime that people's property shows up where it isn't supposed to be, we get more concerned," George said. Christian is a housekeeper at the Rogue Regency Inn in Medford. She had worked with Barlow for about three months and moved in with her at a duplex on Niantic Street a little more than three weeks ago. On the evening of May 20, Christian told Barlow that she had to go to Fred Meyer to settle a problem with a check. Christian left on foot, but didn't say whether she was going to walk or take a bus to the store. When she didn't return that night, Barlow became concerned and called friends and co-workers to see if they had seen her. On Monday, Barlow reported Christian missing to Medford police. The investigation heated up Wednesday when a Scappoose man found Christian's pocketbook with her identification at milepost 58 on I-5 near Grants Pass. Isabel Roby, Christian's mother, said her daughter would not have lost her purse accidentally. "She always hung onto her pocketbook," Roby said. "That's one thing she never let out of her sight." Roby said the family has contacted Christian's friends, including going to bars that she frequented. "The whole family is shook up," Roby said. "We don't know where to go or where to look for her." Christian is described as 6 feet tall, weighing 170 pounds with blond hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. She was last seen wearing black pants, a white shirt and black shoes. Anyone who has seen Christian or knows her whereabouts is asked to contact Medford police Detective Ben Miller at 774-2231. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA