Police: Bloody ropes found in home of missing woman's ex

BEND, Ore. – Authorities say officers found bloody ropes, blood puddles and smears of blood when they searched the apartment of an ex-boyfriend of a missing Oregon woman. The Bend Bulletin reports Bend Police Chief Jim Porter says they are waiting to hear back from the state crime lab on if the blood belongs to Sara Gomez, a Bend woman who was reported missing on Feb. 20.  

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The apartment was the home of Bryan Penner, 31, who was in police custody in connection with Gomez’s disappearance when he hung himself in a jail shower last month.

Porter says information from Penner’s cellphone places Penner heading east out of town the night of his arrest, before the signal was lost.

The next time his phone was located, Porter says Penner was near the same spot several hours later, heading west, into town.

Law enforcement, family and volunteers are continuing to search for Gomez, focusing on roadways because of the massive amount of terrain they are covering, the Bulletin reports.