PARSONS, Tenn. >> Hundreds of searchers combed woods and fields in western Tennessee on Thursday looking for a nursing student who was last seen being dragged from the carport of her home by a man wearing camouflage clothing.

Authorities said the 911 center received two phone calls when Holly Bobo, 20, was abducted Wednesday morning. One was from her 25-year-old brother, who was in the home, and the other was from a woman police did not identify.

The search area was widened Thursday and covers rugged terrain with trees and brush so thick that at least one search dog had to be carried by its handler on Wednesday afternoon, police said. Authorities also were using a helicopter to scan from the sky.

Law enforcement officers were being helped in the search by people who turned out because they are concerned about Bobo’s fate.

Bobo was taken from a one-story, ranch-style house, faced in brown brick. The houses are not close together, and some are on parcels large enough for the owners to keep livestock.

Investigators say the brother is helping with the investigation, and they are looking into the possibility that someone may have checked out her home before the abduction. Police are asking neighbors to report any unusual people or cars in the area.

The kidnapping has stunned the community of Darden, about 100 miles northeast of Memphis.

"We would never expect anything like that," Decatur County Sheriff Roy Wyatt said. "And I think that’s why it is so devastating to all of us."

Asked how Bobo’s family is handling her abduction, Wyatt replied, "Not good."

Since news of the case spread, businesses in the town of about 2,500 people have posted flyers with her photo, taken food to the family and held a prayer vigil, said Decatur County Mayor Michael Smith. He said the close-knit community has little crime.

Bobo is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. She was last seen Wednesday morning wearing a pink shirt and light blue jeans.

Bud Grimes, a spokesman for the University of Tennessee at Martin, said Bobo was studying to be a licensed practical nurse through the Tennessee Technology Center. She was taking classes at the university’s extension campus in Parsons but was not a UT-Martin student.

Bobo’s mother is an elementary school teacher, and her father works for a tree service company.

Courtney Jeffreys, 20, went to school with Bobo since preschool and said she loves animals and always had a lot of different kinds of pets growing up.

"She is just a really sweet girl," Jeffreys said.

Family friend David Ivey, whose son went to high school with Bobo, said the young woman has an "angelic voice" and loved to show it off in talent contests at school. She also would sing solos at Corinth Baptist Church where she was a member, he said.

Bobo’s pastor, Don Franks, said he has known her all her life and said she is "a fine young Christian girl." He said the community response has been exceptional.

"The whole community is praying for her safety and well-being," Franks said.