Husband waits as search continues for missing Hilton head wife: ‘I can smell her perfume’

Carlos Ortiz waited for news about his missing wife Monday — five days after she disappeared and her car was found in the parking lot of Burke’s Beach.

“The love of my life, my beautiful darling,” Ortiz said via text after sending some photos of his wife Sunday. “How I’m going to live without her?”

Theresa Ortiz, 67, a North Carolina native who moved to Hilton Head Island in 2002, took a walk on the beach a few times a week.

“Always in the afternoon,” Ortiz said of his wife, “but it was too hot, and she decided to go early in the morning.”

She didn’t come home.

After a few hours family members went to look for her and found her car in the beach parking lot. They called police.

Theresa Ortiz, a grandmother, is active in her faith as a Jehovah’s Witness.

The couple celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on June 23.

“I’ve known my wife since 1972,” Ortiz said. “To spend 50 years together and all of a sudden she is taken away from you. You cannot imagine how it feels.”

Ortiz said he lived his life for his wife.

“Last night, I grabbed her pillow and I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t there,” Ortiz said. “I can still smell her perfume on the pillow. How can I sleep?”

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said search efforts continued Monday for Ortiz.

The Sheriff’s Office received information Thursday that an empty pill bottle with Ortiz’s name, along with flip flops, were found on the beach Wednesday, Bromage said.

It has previously been reported that Ortiz has numerous medical conditions.

Carlos Ortiz is unsure what events might have led to his wife’s disappearance.

“Something is not right,” Ortiz said. “The more time that passes, the harder it is to find out what really happened to her.”

He asked the public continue to keep a look out for his wife or any information that could lead to her being found.

Ortiz is 5’ 01” tall, 100 pounds, with red and white curly hair and green eyes.

Anyone who comes into contact with Ortiz or who knows her whereabouts is urged to call 911.

This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 5:25 PM.