OLDSMAR, Fla. — Detectives with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released new information about what happened six days after a Tampa mother went missing.
Anu Awasthi was found Wednesday alive in a wooded area about 65 yards from where surveillance cameras from a nearby Walgreens and CVS in Oldsmar captured her.
As of now, she is recovering in the hospital after she was found by the volunteer group, "We are The Essentials," which consists of veterans and former law enforcement officers aiming to help find missing people.
"Our ultimate goal is to give the family some solace, and some answers during the point of crisis when they feel alone and left vulnerable," Billy Lane with We are The Essentials said.
Anu Awasthi was reported missing to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, Aug. 10 after her husband Vikas Awasthi said he dropped her off for a hair appointment at Walmart.
In a statement in part, deputies stated it did not appear Anu Awasthi "was a threat to herself or others, did not suffer from any mental illness, did not require necessary medication," based on initial information.
However, the next day, a spokesperson said deputies routinely followed up and stated in part that they "obtained additional information related to her demeanor after the death of her father."
Family members shared Anu Awasthi's father passed away earlier in the summer. As a result, they felt concerned about her well-being. She had not been her usual self and was also living with depression and on medication.
Those factors, PCSO said, prompted them to reclassify Anu Awasthi as a missing and endangered adult into the FCIC/NCIC. Based on the department's procedures for missing persons, her absence constituted a significant deviation from her normal routine, a factor that falls under "unusual circumstances" for a missing person.
However, a Purple Alert was not issued. A spokesperson for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office later stated the criteria for that alert were not met.
A Purple Alert is used to locate any missing adults with developmental or mental disabilities who are over the age of 18.
PCSO joined the search with detectives with "We Are The Essentials." The group began their search this week and told 10 Tampa Bay they searched twice prior in the area where Anu Awasthi was later found.
The volunteer group's search consisted of drone pilots and a crew also searched out on sea using sonar. The search consisted of a three-mile perimeter. Lane described the area as an "absolute jungle." A six-foot alligator was identified nearby and a possible coyote, Lane said.
However, conditions from the heat appeared to be one of the most extreme challenges of the search.
"You would never think that an area like that exists that close to, you know, Walmart or CVS," Lane said. "It was quite watery and swampy in there. The possibility of walking in there and just getting stuck in the water, breaking a leg, and not being able to get out was extreme."
The case remains an active and open investigation, the sheriff's office explained.
"We're blessed to have the opportunity to be able to bring her home to her family, and to give them some peace. There's a lot of families out there who wish that their situation was as positive as the news was," Lane said.
If you'd like to contribute to "We Are The Essentials" and its work, visit this link.
Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office clarifying information surrounding the ongoing investigation.