PARKMAN, Maine — As police continued to search the area Wednesday for the man accused of killing Stephanie Ginn Gebo, a memorial of flowers and messages of love set up by family and friends adorned the roadside near her home.
“I love you mom so much. You will be missed dearly,” stated a message
written on a glass mason jar filled with purple and yellow irises and lupins.
The jar was supported with rocks to keep it from falling over.
Nearby was a sign that read, “Friends, a moment together we’ll remember forever” signed by several people who loved and cared for the mother of two, whose body was found in her home on Friday.
Police are searching for Robert G. Burton, 38, who is wanted for murder in connection with Ginn Gebo’s death. Burton lived with the family until about a week before her death, and he was charged with murder by the attorney general’s office on Monday. No details about her death have been released.
Kim Kulas, Ginn Gebo’s aunt, said Wednesday the family is not ready to comment.
“State police told us not to say anything,” Kulas said, sitting on an all-terrain vehicle she rode from her nearby home to her niece’s home.
“She always had a good smile,” a neighbor said, asking not to be identified.
Ginn Gebo was born in Derby, Connecticut, the daughter of Vance Ginn of Abbot and Christine Knapp of Plymouth, according to her obituary.
She is survived by her two children; her brother, Jacob Ginn of Parkman; uncles; aunts; nieces; nephews and many other close friends.
Burton is considered to be armed and dangerous, and state police advised area residents to lock their homes and vehicles and report any suspicious activity, according to state police Lt. Troy Gardner.
People took the advice and locked their homes and vehicles in the heavily wooded area of Piscataquis County, where police have focused their search.
Law enforcement personnel from multiple agencies are involved in the manhunt and a command post has been set up at the Parkman town office. More than 40 law enforcement officers, mostly state police and Maine Wardens Service, are assisting in the search, Gardner said.
State police on Tuesday handed out “wanted for murder” fliers with three images of Burton and pertinent details about why he is wanted. One could be seen on Tuesday afternoon hanging in the window of Pete’s Place, a bakery and hiking supply store in Monson.
Much of the focus of the search Monday and Tuesday afternoon was on North Guilford Road in Monson, which is where Burton has family and is where a stolen truck was recovered that police believe Burton was driving.
Law enforcement personnel could be seen on Wednesday on North Guilford Road and on roads all around the Parkman, Abbot, Monson and Guilford area as the search reached into its sixth day.
“We’re continuing to search and follow up on leads,” Sgt. Darren Crane said Wednesday afternoon from the command center.
Anyone who sees Burton is advised to call state police in Bangor at 973-3700 or 911.