Missing Cranston Woman Found - Caregiver Arrested

Missing Cranston Woman Found - Caregiver Arrested

Cranston Police announced Sunday that missing autistic woman Linda DaLomba was found alive.

According to Cranston Police, she was located inside a parked vehicle at the intersection of Pond and Station Street in Cranston.

She has been transported to Rhode Island Hospital to be evaluated.

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The woman was first reported missing by her caregiver late Wednesday afternoon. DaLomba resides in a group home in Lincoln.

The group home company, Seven Hills, issued the following statement:

We are grateful to the Cranston Police Department and all additional law enforcement agencies for their extraordinary commitment and hard work in finding Linda DaLomba.  The entire Seven Hills Rhode Island Community is so deeply relieved that Linda is safe.  Where this remains an active criminal investigation, we defer to the Cranston Police Department for any additional comment.

 

The Background

According to Cranston Police, on March 18, 2025, at approximately 3:58 PM, a Cranston woman employed as DaLomba’s caregiver reported that she went missing around 2:30 PM. The caregiver initially claimed that DaLomba disappeared while she was using the bathroom at the Burlington Coat Factory.

However, Cranston Police say that after reviewing hours of surveillance footage, investigators determined that the caregiver and DaLomba were never at the store, proving the account to be false.

The caregiver then provided police multiple conflicting statements regarding DaLomba’s whereabouts, prompting the Cranston Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit to take over the case.

Police said Sunday that her caregiver, Roberta Gerard, was arrested and charged with “abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult with severe impairment” - a felony - as well as obstruction of an officer in the execution of duty and false report of a crime.