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Amanda Jones
Amanda Jones met Brian Lee Westphal at the horse show grounds at the Hillsboro Civic Center in the vicinity of the 10300 block of Highway 21 in
Hillsboro, Missouri at 2 p.m. on August 14, 2005. She was last seen in the parking lot of the center at 5 p.m. that same day.
She has never been heard from again.
Amanda’s blue 1997 Pontiac Sunfire was later found unlocked and abandoned in the parking lot. Her purse was inside the vehicle, but the keys,
her wallet and her cell phone were not found.
Amanda was 8 ½ months pregnant with a boy at the time of her disappearance; she was due to give birth in late August 2005.
Amanda claimed Westphal was the father of her unborn child, although he denied it. She met him on the day of his disappearance to find out what,
if any, input he wanted into the baby's life.
Police said Amanda was reported missing by her parents, who were babysitting her 4-year-old daughter.
During the early stages of the investigation, Westphal was considered a "person of interest" by investigators. He was the last person to see
Amanda alive at the fairgrounds.
Westphal denied any involvement in the disappearance of Amanda and he cooperated with authorities.
He stated they spoke for about an hour in the parking lot of the Hillsboro Civic Center and she was fine when he left her, and talking to someone on
her cellular phone. Investigators said they Westphal's home and property and were unable to find any evidence linking him to Amanda
disappearance.
Approximately 80 to 100 police officers and firefighters searched the fairgrounds and nearby woods but found no trace of Amanda or any clue as to
her whereabouts. Police found her unlocked car at the fairgrounds and collected trace evidence from it, but found no significant clues.
Police checked with area hospitals, searched her home and visited the homes of her friends, but found nothing was suspicious there either. Westfal
is no longer considered a suspect due to lack of any relevant evidence.
Prior to her disappearance, Amanda was employed as a loan administrator at the Eagle Bank in Festus, Missouri in 2005.
Her loved ones stated it was uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning, and she could not walk easily as a result of her pregnancy. There has
been no activity on her cell phone or credit cards since her disappearance, and no evidence that she checked into any hospital to deliver her baby.
Amanda’s last known credit card purchase was at a drugstore; where she purchased a soda and a can of hair spray hours before she went
missing.
The photo of Amanda in pink with the pink purse was one that was taken of her earlier the day she disappeared.
Amanda’s former husband, who had been missing for two years, died in November of 2007 leaving the future of the couple's daughter uncertain,
neighbors and her relatives said.
Neighbors said they saw fire trucks and ambulances outside the home of Jeffrey “Scott” Jones early one morning at his home in south St. Louis
and learned that he had died but were unsure of the cause of his death.
Amanda’s parents, Hubert and Bertha Propst of Festus, said Scott Jones' father, Woody Jones, called to tell them his son had died but did not
disclose the cause of death.
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Michelle “Angie” Yarnell
Angie was last seen at her home on or around Oct. 25, 2003 in Ivy Bend, Mo. One week after her disappearance, her husband drove to her
mother’s home in Holts Summit, Mo. and told her family that she had left him for another man.
A week later, Angie’s mother received a post card in the mail stating that she was going to Texas to be with Gary’s family and she would make
contact with her when they were settled. Angie’s mother, Marianne Asher-Chapman, was, at first, fooled by the post card wanting to believe that her
daughter was okay and would be calling her soon.
However, within a week or so, she realized that the card was not written by her daughter and that something was gravely wrong. The two had a
close-knit relationship and she knew that Angie would never leave without speaking with her first.
Despite her suspicions related to her son-in-law, the police investigating the case maintained that Mike Yarnell was not a suspect in the case.
More than four years later, through the help of Peggy Walla, a Forensic Document Analyst in Texas, it was proven that Mike in fact penned the post
card and forged Angie’s signature.
Upon this discovery, law enforcement officially named Mike as a “Person of Interest” in the disappearance of his wife.
However, law enforcement encountered another problem – Mike had not been seen for over two years and reportedly did not return home for his
father’s funeral during that time period.
Several months later, after repeated attempts to locate Mike, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department allowed Marianne to enter Mike as a missing
person.
Within a few short months he was located in Biloxi, Mississippi after attempting to gain employment on a military base.
Detectives from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department traveled to Biloxi to speak with Mike.
During an interview with him, Mike confessed that he had written the post card in an effort to stop the investigation into his wife’s disappearance
and to give her mother some “peace.”
The Morgan County Prosecutor’s office officially charged Mike with a felony charge of forgery related to the post card and a felony charge of
tampering with physical evidence. Because the charges were felony, officers traveled to Biloxi where they arrested Mike and brought him back to
the Morgan County Jail.
After just more than a month in jail, Mike admitted to investigators that he had involvement in the death of his wife.
His story, although not completely believed by Angie’s family and friends, is that the couple were standing on the back deck of the trailer they lived
in when an argument led to a physical altercation. Mike said Angie charged towards him and he put his arms up to protect himself and shoved her
causing her to fall backwards off of the deck.
Mike told investigators that Angie died instantly and he put her body into the car and was going to drive her to a nearby town for help. But, halfway
to the town, Mike said he freaked out and turned around and went back to their home where he loaded Angie’s body into a canoe and put it in the
back of his truck.
Then, Mike said, he drove the canoe to a boat ramp in the Lake of the Ozarks and rowed the canoe upstream for four miles to an island where he
intended to leave her body. Upon reaching the island, Mike said he had lost his adrenaline rush and was unable to hoist Angie’s body from the boat
to the shore of the small island causing him to drop her into the water.
After his confession, Mike was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of manslaughter and two counts of involuntary manslaughter, along
with the felony forgery and tampering charges.
Six months later, in June of 2009, Mike made a plea agreement with Morgan County Prosecutor Marvin Opie. All charges, except one charge of
involuntary manslaughter, were dropped and Mike was sentenced to 7 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
He is scheduled for release in 2013.
Although Angie’s family held a memorial for her after Mike’s confession, her remains have not been found.
For more information about Angie’s case, go to https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/1298 or to Myspace page at
Anyone with information regarding Angie Yarnell, is encouraged to contact Missouri Missing at momissing@gmail.com
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Ann Hay
Ann Hay was last seen at a Laclede's Landing store in the vicinity of the 600 block of north Second Street in St. Louis, Mo at approximately 5 p.m.
on June 8, 2005.
According to investigators, Ann went to the establishment on business and obtained an undetermined amount of money from an individual shortly
before she was last seen.
She has never been heard from again. Her husband reported her missing on June 23.
Prior to her disappearance, Ann sold purses and other items for a living and resided in the 2200 block of Alexandria Street in Granite City, Illinois
where she had moved to in 2000.
In 2005, Ann and her husband were separated. Her husband resided in Bunker Hil, Illinois. At the time of their separation, the couple had been
married 23 years.
Her relatives in California and Texas reported they have not heard from her since her disappearance.
Family members said Ann was not a drug user, did not suffer from any mental illnesses and did not have any health issues that required daily
medication.
For more information, visit https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/244
Her case remains unsolved.
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Brandi Mathews
Brandi June Mathews was last known alive sometime in the early days of September 2006 when she filed for an order of protection against the man
she was living with near Eldon, Missouri.
Brandi’s mother, Deanna Roberts, attempted to report her daughter missing numerous times through numerous law enforcement agencies but
despite her persistence, it wasn’t until March of 2008 that a missing person report was filed through the Osage Beach Police Department.
Brandi had been working at a club in Osage Beach prior to her disappearance, and although it is unknown when or where she went missing from,
Det. Tracey Robinett offered to assist Deanna in her plight to find her daughter.
The circumstances surrounding Brandi’s case are unknown. However, part of her remains were found in a creek about a mile north of Eldon in early
January of 2009 when a local man took his small dog for a walk.
The dog displayed curiosity at something in the creek and would not give up. When the man climbed down to see what the dog was barking at, he
discovered a skull. Upon calling law enforcement, it was almost immediately apparent that the remains belonged to Brandi.
Within a few days, the suspicions were confirmed and it was announced through a media conference that remains found indeed belonged to
Brandi.
Prior to making that announcement, law enforcement arrested Brandi’s former boyfriend on a probation violation charge. He was later convicted
and sentenced to a four year term in the Missouri Department of Corrections in April of 2009.
Although he has been considered a “Person of Interest” in the case, law enforcement officials are not releasing much information. The case
remains unsolved and is still under investigation with assistance from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
On January 31, 2009, Missouri Missing hosted a tribute to the life of Brandi Mathews at the Eldon Community Center. More than 150 people
attended the ceremony followed by a candlelight vigil in her honor.
Since June of 2008, Deanna Roberts has been working with Missouri Missing and now serves as a board member in hopes that she is able to
provide support and help to others who have lost a loved one.
Brandi’s six-year old son now resides with Deanna at their home in Arkansas.
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Marie Hammond
Angela Marie Hammond was last seen in Clinton, Missouri at 11:45 p.m. on April 4, 1991. She was talking to her fiancé at a telephone booth in a
parking lot when he heard her scream, then the line went dead.
Her car was later found abandoned in the parking lot.
Angela had described a suspicious man she described as filthy wearing coveralls had pulled into the parking lot driving an old 2-tone green Ford
pickup truck and he parked next to her while she was having a conversation with her fiancé. Her fiancé immediately drove to that location after their
call was terminated. On the way there, he passed a 1969 or 1970 model pickup truck and heard Hammond scream his name.
Her fiancé followed the vehicle for about a mile on 2nd Street and Culvert Drive, but the transmission on his car failed forcing him to stop driving.
Angela’s fiancé described the truck he was following noting a decal of water or an outdoor scene on the rear window, possibly a white top, and what
appeared to be damage to the left front fender.
Witnesses reported seeing a Caucasian male driving a similar truck near the telephone booth at time of Angela’s disappearance. The man has
never been identified and was described by witnesses as wearing a dark colored baseball cap with a beard and mustache and glasses.
At the time of her disappearance, Angela was 20 years old, she weighed 120 pounds and stood 4-foot 11-inches tall. She has brown eyes and
brown, curly hair. Angie’s teeth were in excellent condition and dental records are available.
Within two days of Angela’s disappearance, her case was linked to two others within a 100-mile radius of Clinton.
On January 19, 1991, in Macks Creek, just six weeks before Angela disappeared, a convenience store clerk named Trudy Darby, was abducted
from the store. It was later discovered that approximately $220 was missing from the store. Two days after her abduction, Darby’s nude body was
found in the Little Niangua River. She had been shot twice in the head with a shotgun, investigators said. Her murder remains unsolved.
On February 27, 1991, another convenience store clerk by the name of Cheryl Ann Kenney, disappeared after locking up a store in Nevada, Mo.
Kenney’s skeletal remains were discovered in a field in 2000, nine years later. Her murder remains unsolved.
Although Trudy and Cheryl’s murders share similarities with Angela’s disappearance, investigators have not discovered any evidence linking the
cases.
Throughout the years, there have been many unconfirmed sightings of Angela in the United States and Canada.
Anyone with information regarding Angela Hammond’s disappearance is asked to contact the Clinton Police Department at 660-885-5561. Anyone
with information, who wishes to remain anonymous, can send an email to tips@clintonmopd.com. Please refer to the Agency Case Number 91-
0488 and NCIC number M-483974098 when making contact with authorities.
For more information on this case, visit Namus.org at: https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/1635
Angela Marie Hammond’s Myspace Page can be seen at:
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Anthony Medearis
Anthony Daniel Medearis was last seen at approximately 8 p.m. on August 25, 2002 when walking away from the Colonial Retirement Center in the
vicinity of the 1100 block Cedar Street in Bismarck, Missouri.
That was the last time Anthony was seen. There are very few details available Anthony’s case.
Anthony is a white male, approximately 5-foot 9-inches tall and weighs about 165 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes and was 29 years old when
last seen. His nicknames are Danny and Tony.
He has been known to wear a patch over his left eye and he was last seen khaki pants, brown sandals and a green t-shirt.
Anthony is believed to suffer from an unspecified medical condition that requires medication for treatment.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Bismarck Police Department at 573-431-3131.
For more information about Anthony Medearis, check out the Namus site at https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4771/edit/3
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Ashley Martinez
Ashley was last seen around noon on July 6, 2004, after being dropped off at the Krug Pool in the vicinity of St. Joseph Avenue and Krug Park in
Saint Joseph, Mo., with her younger brother. When her mother came to pick up the children, Martinez’s younger brother was waiting alone and
Ashley had disappeared.
Subsequent investigation showed that Martinez had planned to run away to California with Christopher M. Hart, a 32-year-old male who lived
nearby her home. Hart was on parole for second-degree assault had been under electronic home confinement and had also been convicted of drug
possession, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. He and Martinez were reportedly going to go to California.
Ashley's mother told the police her daughter had been a run away before, but was never gone for long. This time, Ashley left with just the clothes on
her back, and didn't even have the medication she required daily.
Eleven days after Ashley disappeared; Hart was arrested in Olympia, Washington for purse-snatching. He gave the Washington officials a false
name of Raymond M. Price, but police later found out that was a relative's name, and as a result they did not know he was wanted in Missouri, so
he was released from the Thurston County Jail. He was later sought on a warrant under the name "Price" after he failed to appear in court.
Police then issued a warrant for Hart's arrest and discovered that he had disappeared on the same day as Ashley. On September 7, two months
after Ashley’s disappearance, Hart was arrested again after Washington police discovered his true identity and the charges against him in Missouri.
He had been staying with a cousin in the Olympia area.
Washington investigators found no sign of Ashley, or the stolen gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plates numbered 377MPY, which
she and Hart had allegedly been traveling in.
Hart's cousin said he had not seen Ashley or ever heard Hart mention her. Hart, who remains in custody, has refused to divulge any information
whatsoever on Ashley’s whereabouts. He began acting bizarre while in jail and was sent to the state mental hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
(See references below.)
Ashley may have traveled out of the state with Hart in a stolen gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plates numbered 377MPY. She
may still be in the local area or she may be in the Kansas City area. There is no evidence that she ever arrived in Washington.
When she disappeared, she left behind all of her personal belongings, including her medication and three cats. Ashley ran away from home once in
2001, but she did not leave the state and was only gone for about a day before returning home voluntarily. She was an eighth-grader at Robidoux
Middle School at the time of her disappearance.
Ashley was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, a black top with a black bikini printed with cherries under her clothing, with white Reebok sneakers
with red accents. She was also wearing a ring with two hearts joined together.
Ashley stands 5-foot 3-inches tall, weighs approximately 100 pounds with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a scar on her left wrist and her
ears, tongue and naval are pierced.
Ashley suffers from bipolar disorder that requires daily medication. When she disappeared, Ashley did not have her medication.
Ashley’s case remains unsolved and is still classified as a runaway.
For more information about Ashley Martinez, please visit Namus.org at https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4810/edit/1
References:
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Bianca Noel Piper
Bianca was last seen at approximately 6:15 p.m. on March 10, 2005 after her mother dropped her off at McIntosh Hill Road in Foley, Missouri, less
than a mile from their home.
Suffering from anger management issues and after having a tantrum about chores, Bianca’s doctor, a mental health professional, had recently
advised her mother, Shannon Tanner, to drop her off at a location in which she could walk home and give her time to deal with her aggression while
walking home.
This treatment was something they had only tried once before and it had proven successful and Bianca requested it be done again. She asked her
mother to drop her off a little further than the time before.
At 8:20 p.m. that night, Bianca had not returned home. Shannon reported Bianca missing and she has not been seen or heard from since. At the
time of her disappearance, Bianca was carrying a flashlight.
Investigators on the case initially believed Bianca had become lost on her way home. If this theory had been correct, Bianca would have suffered
from the effects of the weather within a short time because the temperatures had dropped below freezing.
After an extensive search did not result in locating Bianca, investigators believed she may have been abducted.
Bianca does not have a history of running away from home.
Both Shannon and her boyfriend successfully passed polygraph tests and Bianca’s father has been interviewed. None of Bianca’s family members
are considered suspect in the case.
Piper was an eighth-grader at Winfield Middle School at the time of her disappearance and was in special education classes.
At the time of her disappearance, Bianca was 5-foot 6-inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. She has brown eyes, curly brown, medium length hair
and freckles. She was last seen wearing a lime green blouse, blue jeans, a gray Adidas hooded sweatshirt and white tennis shoes. She has a scars
on her arms and legs, a scar on her abdomen and her ears are pierced.
If you have any information about Bianca’s whereabouts, please contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department at 636-528-8546 or 636-528-6100.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for Bianca's safe return.
For more information about Bianca Piper, go to https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4242
References:
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Brandon Ralls
Brandon was last seen near Longview Road in Kansas City, Missouri on Oct. 31, 2001 but was not reported missing until November 5, 2001.
According to law enforcement officials, Brandon’s case remains unsolved and very little information is available regarding his disappearance.
Brandon was 16 years old at the time of his disappearance. He stands 5-foot 6-inches tall, weighs approximately 130 pounds with brown hair and
brown eyes. He has three gold teeth in the upper front of his mouth.
Brandon was last known to be wearing grey pants, a short sleeve black t-shirt and a black hooded jacket with stripes and tennis shoes.
Brandon’s DNA information is listed in CODIS.
The case is under investigation by the Kansas City Police Department – Case Number 01-111445
NCIC Case No. M-322-920726
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Brandon is asked to contact Det. David Ross at the Kansas City Police Department at 816-
234-5136 and refer to Case Number 01-111445.
For more information, check out Namus at https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/2329
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James Dean Richert
There is little to no information to be found concerning missing James Dean Richert. He was 43 years old at the time he disappeared.
James, also known as Jim, was born on September 12, 1960. He is from Independence, Missouri. He is a white male, 6-foot 5-inches tall, and
weighs approximately 290 lbs. He has brown hair and blue eyes and medium complexion.
The last time James was seen, it was approximately 12 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2033 in the area of 23rd Street and Sterling at the Sun Fresh Market in
Independence. The same day James called a family member but has not been seen or heard from since.
James does have an undisclosed medical condition.
If you have any information regarding James Richert’s whereabouts, please contact the Independence Police Department at 816-325-7330. Please
reference case number 2003-100300 and NCIC Case Number M-063569147
Reference:
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Jamie Pankey
The last documented contact with Jamie E. Pankey was on October 1, 1996 when she reported to the Kansas City Police Department that she had
been robbed in the vicinity of the 600 block of East 6th Street.
Upon officer’s arrival at the scene a suspect was identified by Jamie and arrested. She has never been heard from again.
Jamie had a history of going long periods of time without contacting her family. Because of this, Jamie was not report missing until January 28,
1998.
At the same time of Jamie’s disappearance there were several other women disappearing from the Kansas City area. Some are still missing, and
others were dumped in the Missouri River. Most of these women were involved in prostitution and drugs.
Foul play is suspected in these cases and is believed to be related to Jamie’s disappearance. Some agencies give her disappearance date as July
30, 1996. The case remains unsolved.
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Jeffery Ashford
Jeffery Ashford was a former Lincoln University student who was visiting a residence hall in the early afternoon hours of April 28, 1998. While
visiting with friends, his pager went off. Jeffery made a phone call and asked the person at the other end to meet him outside, where he was last
seen leaving a parking lot on Chestnut Street on the University Campus.
There is very little information on Jeffery Ashford. Jeffery was 24 years old at the time of his disappearance. He is of African- American decent.
Jeffery was last seen wearing a T shirt and jeans.
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Jennifer Long
Jennifer Long was a sophomore at East High School in Kansas City. On January 22, 1998 Jennifer attended her first two morning classes, then got
into a fight with some other students and left the school at 9:30 am. Jennifer allegedly went to a grocery store close by where she met a local handy
man, Wesley Ira Purkey. Jennifer received a ride from Purkey getting into his white ford pickup truck never to be seen again.
Friends stated that Jennifer came from an unsound home life, and at first it was thought Jennifer left on her own accord. However, her family
maintained she would never have run away from home. Ultimately her disappearance was reclassified as an abduction.
In September 1998, Purkey began working for a plumbing company. A month later he was sent to80 year old Mary Ruth Bales’ home to fix a leaking
faucet. He received $90 from Mrs. Bales for supplies. Upon returning high on crack, Purkey robbed Mary Ruth Bales and beat her to death with a
claw hammer. (See references below.)
During the Bales investigation Purkey allegedly cut a deal stating he would help authorities with Jennifer Long’s case if he could be housed at a
federal prison instead of a Kansas prison.
Purkey stated he took Jennifer Long to Lansing, KS where he raped and stabbed her to death. He then dismembered her body and burned her
remains in his fireplace.
Wesley Purkey was charged with first-degree murder for Jennifer Long’s death in 2001. He was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to death.
Jennifer’s remains where thought to have been found in 2004, however that was not the case. Her case is now closed. Her remains have not been
recovered.
References:
Archives.cnn.com/2002/US/Central/11/13/fbi.search/index.html (Wichita, Kansas CNN)
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Jessie Ross
Jesse Warren Ross was a 19 year old male from Belton, Missouri. At the time of his disappearance, Jesse was a sophomore in communications
major at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and was in Chicago with other students to participate in a model United Nations program.
Jesse was last seen in the early morning of November 21, 2006 attending a party/meeting being held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Tower, 301 E
North Water St. Surveillance cameras at the hotel show Jesse getting up from his chair at 2:30a.m., walking out of the room for a 30 minute break.
From the Sheraton Hotel to his room at the Four Points Sheraton, 630 N Rush Street was a ten minute walk, well lit and monitored by cameras.
However, none of the cameras recorded Jesse. Jesse has not been seen or heard from since.
Jessie was an enthusiastic, driven, well liked young man. He worked for a Kansas City radio station 95.7, the Vibe. Opie Cunningham was Jesse’s
radio personality name. He worked on the “Shorty and the Boyz” morning show. He was well liked and admired by not only friends and family, but
also his fans from his radio personality. Family and friends say Jesse was not having any personal problems at the time he went missing.
Loved ones are puzzled by his disappearance. Jesse’s mother Donna said Jesse was the kind of kid that always let her know where he was, what
he was doing, and when he would be home. Jesse’s father, Don Ross said everyone who knows Jesse says there is no way imaginable that Jesse
would just walk away from the life he was living.
On the day before Jesse was to return home from Chicago, Jessie called his mother all excited. At the conference he was attending a sponsor had
just promised the students a trip to Costa Rica. He was very excited and wanted his mother to share in his excitement. Jesse promised to call the
next day after he and the rest of the group were loaded up and leaving for their trip back home. The school group did not notice Jesse missing until
they were ready to leave Chicago. Donna Ross has never heard from her son Jesse again.
Chicago police have found no evidence that Jesse was a victim of foul play. There has been no activity on his cell phone or credit cards since he
was last seen.
Jesse’s disappearance is harshly similar to the December 2005 disappearance of 31 year old Mathew Soumakis, who had vanished from the same
downtown Chicago hotel where Jesse was staying. Two weeks after Soumaki’s disappearance, his body was found in the Chicago River, which
runs just behind the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Using dogs, divers and sonar, police searched the Chicago River but could not find Jesse.
In the spring of 2007 the Chicago police formally suspended their search for Jesse Ross. His case remains unsolved.
References:
Charley Project Jesse Warren Ross
Findjesseross.com
Chicago Tribune
The Catholic Key; Newspaper of the Diocese of Kansas City- St Joseph
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Jessica Ann Kinsey
Jessica Ann Kinsey was 14-years old and living with her mother when she disappeared on Dec. 26, 1995.
Her mother, Mary Klein and step-father Ronald Klein, resided in Union, Missouri.
Jessica was reported missing by her step-father on December 26, 1995. During the early evening hours, Jessica checked into the Dollar Inn Motel
on North Main Street in Colverdale, Indiana.
Investigators later learned that Jessica left Union with 23-year old Jimmy Hopkins Jr., who also used the aliases of John Walker or Joshua Walker.
Hopkins allegedly paid Mark Henderson to drive Hopkins and Jessica to Indiana, according to the Union Police.
Jessica and Hopkins stayed in room 222 at the Dollar Inn Motel and Mark Henderson checked into room 224. Henderson later told authorities that
he heard loud noises from Jessica and Hopkins’ room during the night.
Henderson said the sounds were similar to a body being thrown against a wall. When Hopkins was questioned about Henderson’s statements, he
told authorities they were having sexual intercourse.
Jessica and Hopkins were gone by the next morning and Jessica has not been seen or heard from since. Henderson reported the 1994 aqua
blue, two door Chevrolet Cavalier belonging to him stolen and a complaint was filed with the police department in Cloverdale, Indiana.
Authorities with the Compton Police Department in California recovered the vehicle at an auto service business January 31, 1996.
Investigators located Hopkins soon afterwards, but he refused to give any information on Jessica’s whereabouts. Authorities determined that he
left the motel alone on December 27th.
Investigators believe Jessica may have traveled to the western area of Los Angeles, California. An acquaintance of Hopkins recalled seeing him in
the spring of 1996 with a girl matching the description of Jessica according to Union Police. The girl had accompanied Hopkins to a yogurt shop at
the corner of Sunset and Pacific Coast Highway in the Palisades area where Hopkins was working.
Hopkins returned to Missouri in the summer of 1996. Jessica was not with him. He did not provide law enforcement officials with any information
which would help in locating Jessica.
“No matter what a person is arrested for or charged with, they do not have to talk with police.” Police Chief Don Fowler explained.
When law enforcement officials met with Hopkins after he returned from California, a public defender told authorities that Hopkins had “nothing to
say”. Fowler commented, “We have to honor that”. Neither of the men have been charged in connection with Jessica’s disappearance.
Jessica’s whereabouts are still unknown and she reportedly has not been in contact with anyone since her disappearance, according to Union
Police. “We’ve followed up on numerous leads but we have no information on where she is” said Becky Meyers, and officer with the UPD. Meyer
also stated that Jessica has not used her Social Security number or attempted to obtain a driver’s license.
“We don’t know if she ran away or if he (Hopkins) coerced her into going with him.” Jessica’s mom, Mary Klein stated.
“We’re waiting for a break”, said Union Police Chief Don Fowler. “We’ve stretched this as far as we can.” Fowler noted that Jessica’s DNA
information, dental records and one of her finger prints are on file locally and in a national data base.
Missouri authorities are handling Jessica’s case which remains unsolved. Some agencies may list “Union, Missouri” as the location of her
disappearance. She was last seen wearing green Levi jeans, a sweatshirt, green leather jacket, black tennis shoes, and a hunter green ponytail
holder.
Jessica enjoys Mexican and Chinese food along as Pepsi, kool-aid, milk and tea. Her favorite movies were Dirty Dancing and the 1991 television
film Sarah, Plain and Tall. Jessica enjoyed spending time with her dog Max. She also enjoyed camping in the summer, collecting porcelain dolls
and swimming. Her favorite color was hunter green. Jessica’s family members said she had a shy nature when interacting with unfamiliar people,
but she was out going with her friends.
Jessica’s mom Mary Klein and her husband Ron Klein, have since relocated to Independence, Missouri.
If you have any information regarding Jessica’s whereabouts, please contact the Union Police Department at 636-583-3700 and refer to NCIC
case number M-892160279.
For more information, visit Namus at https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4899/edit/4
References:
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Jody Ledkins
Jody Lee Ledkins
On May 23, 1985, Jody had a verbal disagreement with her boyfriend because he did not want her to join him and his friends. After the
disagreement, Jody walked to a friend’s home nearby in the 700 block of Cambridge Street in Kansas City.
From her friend’s house, Jody called her mother asking for a ride home. Her mom did not have a car accessible at that time. Jody told her mom she
would find another way home and would be there soon as she was able. Jody was last seen walking northbound on Winchester from 14th street.
She never made it home, nor has anyone had contact with her.
An incident in 1984 in which Jody and a friend shoved a security guard, caused her enrollment in a juvenile probation program. She was still
enrolled in the program at the time of her disappearance in 1985.
Jody’s mother contacted her caseworker when she did not come home. The case worker filed two warrants for Jody, listing her as an endangered
juvenile and requesting she be detained by authorities if located.
Jody’s mother was under the assumption that by filing these warrants that also meant that law enforcement had received a missing person’s report.
However, this was not the case. Law enforcement knew nothing of Jody’s disappearance until 1987, two years after she went missing. They had
never received a missing report by anyone, family or otherwise. This created a critical delay regarding the investigation into Jody’s disappearance.
Police dragged the Missouri River in 1997 after two prison inmates claimed they had information about her disappearance. Information the inmates
provided is unknown. However, the Kansas City Police Department made a decision to reclassify Jody’s case to a homicide rather than a missing
child.
Jody’s mother has moved away from the Kansas City area. However, she visits Kansas City several times a year to continue searching for her
daughter; she also keeps in contact with investigators handling the case.
There have been no other leads and Jody’s case remains unsolved.
References:
The Charley Project
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