POLAND – The owner of the Poland Corner Store on Route 26 failed to open the business on Tuesday and, as far as police know, is missing.

Police said 50-year-old Penny Fox was last seen Tuesday morning loading up her station wagon. By late morning, the store she typically opened for business remained closed and her whereabouts have been a mystery since.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the matter as a missing person case. There is no immediate sign of foul play, police said, but the disappearance grows more troubling with the passage of time.

“We’re concerned because nobody has heard from her,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Smith. “We just want to know that she is safe.”

Fox, who came to Maine from Michigan, has owned the store for several years and lives in an apartment behind it. The store is at 1195 Maine St. at the intersection with Poland Corner and White Oak Hill roads.

She is single and has a daughter, police said.

At about 5:45 a.m., Fox was seen near the Maine Street store loading up her maroon Subaru Legacy with firewood and other items.

“We were told that she does like camping,” Smith said.

Police learned that Fox is particularly fond of the Deer Isle area, the Moosehead Lake region and similar camping spots.

Store employees later opened the business, but they were equally mystified about Fox’s disappearance.

Police said Fox is believed to have left her home in the maroon station wagon with a Maine registration plate 614 MR. They ask that anyone with information about Fox’s whereabouts contact them at 784-7361, extension 0.