Mrs Stokes' husband, two adult sons and several grandchildren today fronted the media to plead for her return after a search of bushland near her Redcliffe home, just north of Brisbane, failed to locate the woman.
Mrs Stokes, 58, was last seen by her husband about 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday and it is believed she has not accessed any money since then.
Police and more than a dozen SES volunteers have searched bushland near Anzac Avenue and Klingner Road but failed to locate the woman.
Police will continue tomorrow to interview family members and friends who have had recent contact with her.
Senior Sergeant Peter Binney said the family was doing it tough.
"They are holding up as well as possible in the circumstances," Sgt Binney said.
"They are obviously very, very worried, and for them each day that goes by without some word of her, the more distraught they are becoming."
Sgt Binney said the family wanted Mrs Stokes to return home or let them know she was okay.
"I would repeat that appeal, that if Carolyn is out there somewhere and she is able to contact us, that she contact police or a member of her family and just let them know that she is okay," he said.
Sgt Binney said police had not drawn any conclusions about what might have happened.
"There has been some issues in the relationship and there's been some other internal family issues that have been causing her some distress, which may be a reason why she has left," he said.
"Anyone that has had phone contact with her on Tuesday, or since Tuesday, or believe they may have seen her or have spoken with her, please contact us as soon as possible at the Redcliffe police."
Mrs Stokes suffers from a non-life threatening medical condition and does not have her medication with her.
She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and black pants and is described as being 170cm tall, of medium build with shoulder-length black hair.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
AAP
Psychic clues lead to Coast search
12:00a.m. 31st March 2008
Trevor Stokes is anxious to find his wife, Carolyn (inset) who went missing from Redcliffe on March 11. Photo: Chris McCormack
The husband of a Redcliffe woman who has been missing for almost three weeks has widened his search to include the Sunshine Coast on advice from a psychic.
Trevor Stokes last saw his 58-year-old wife Carolyn walking out the door of their Redcliffe home at 5.15pm on March 11.
No one has heard from her since, despite an extensive search involving hundreds of SES volunteers, family and friends, police and helicopters.
Her bank account has not been accessed and she left without taking any belongings except the work clothes she was wearing.
Last week, 60-year-old Mr Stokes spent a day searching caravan parks around Mooloolaba and Caloundra in a desperate attempt to find his wife of 38 years.
This weekend he returned with an urgent plea for her to make contact.
“We believe she’s out there somewhere and the psychic I saw said she can’t see any deceased females,” Mr Stokes said.
The Saturday before she disappeared the couple – who had been having family problems – spent a day on the Sunshine Coast to unwind.
“We just watched the world go by. On the Sunday morning she said she enjoyed herself and the pressure in her head had gone down,” Mr Stokes said.
“We had tea at Mooloolaba; looked in the shop windows at the women’s dresses; we went and watched the surf roll in then we went and had a coffee and she just seemed to be on top of the world.”
The psychic said Mrs Stokes might have returned to the same area because it was relaxing for her.
But so far Mr Stokes’ search has turned up no trace of her and it is as if she vanished into thin air.
“I’d just come home from work, she was at home,” Mr Stokes said. “About 5.10pm I saw her walk past the kitchen window. She looked at me and I looked at her. I just thought she would sit in the garden and pat the dog.
“I went to ask her what she wanted for tea and she was gone. That was the last I had seen of her.
“She left her car here, the dog, her purse, everything. She just walked out with what she was wearing.”
Mrs Stokes had deleted the emails from her computer and erased messages from her mobile phone before she left. She had also changed the colour of her hair from blonde to black.
She had been taking depression medication because of a family rift which meant she was forbidden to see her five grandchildren.
Fearing she had committed suicide, Mr Stokes consulted a psychic who said his wife was alive and possibly on the Sunshine Coast.
“She must have decided she has had enough,” he said.
“The old brain couldn’t take any more. There was stress like you couldn’t believe that she had in her head.
“The SES has searched the entire Redcliffe peninsula and there was no sign of any deceased person so obviously this has all been pre-arranged.
“The psychic reckons she was waiting for someone to finish work and take her to wherever she wanted to go.
“We believe it wasn’t a male, it had to be a female or someone she knew.”
Mr Stokes has vowed to continue his search until his wife is found and has unwavering faith that she is alive and simply hiding out to sort out her problems alone.
Fighting back tears, he said the family had overcome their differences and just wanted her to make contact.
“It’s driving me nuts,” he said. “It’s pretty tough – I wouldn’t wish it upon anybody. We’ve had our ups and downs and they’re just normal things that any marriage has and now no one has a clue where she is.
“There are so many people out there that know her that are hurting. We all are.”
At the time of her disappearance, Mrs Stokes was wearing a black t-shirt and black pants. She is 170cm tall, of a medium build with shoulder length black hair.