Wednesday, June 24, 2020

List Series: Disappearances with Reporting Gaps Vol. II

As explained in the original 'Disappearances with Reporting Gaps' list, the first 72 hours of a missing persons case is the most critical time of the investigation. During the early stages of investigation, authorities have a better chance of preserving evidence and chasing down leads. If a person waits weeks or even days to reported a loved one missing, the chances of locating that person or finding evidence diminishes significantly. Below is a list of 8 more cases with a gap between the time they were last seen and the time they were reported missing. All of these cases remain unsolved today.


8. Pshara 'Shara' Jones

Pshara 'Shara' Jones was missing for two weeks before she was reported missing by her mother. The 20 year-old woman was last seen leaving her family's Claremore, Oklahoma home on September 21st, 2015. Shara left the home after an argument with her mother, who stated that Shara often did this to cool-off after tensions built inside the home. However, Shara always returned home after calming down. This time, however, Shara did not return. She left behind her cell phone and many other personal belongings. 

Shara's family members waited two weeks to see if Shara would come home. After she did not, her mother reported her missing. An investigation revealed that there were two bank transactions from Shara’s account on the night she vanished. Her bank accounts have never been accessed again. Shara also left behind her cell phone and she never picked up her prescription medication she was taking for bipolar disorder. She has not accessed any of her social media accounts since the day she was last seen.

Shara's family members believe she met with foul play. Due to the fact that her bank and social media accounts have not been used since the day of her disappearance, it's possible that she met harm on the last night she was seen. Unfortunately, Shara still remains missing today. [read more]

7. Jepsy Amaga Kallungi
Colorado woman Jepsy Amaga Kallungi missing for almost a month

Jepsy Amaga Kallungi was classified as a missing person by authorities on April 4th, 2019--after her mother requested that the Colorado Springs PD requested that a welfare check be done at her house. The 26 year-old woman last spoke to her family members two weeks earlier, on March 20th, 2019. After days passed without hearing from her daughter, Jepsy’s mother reached out to Jepsy's husband, Dane Kallungi, on social media. He replied, saying he has no clue about Jepsy’s whereabouts—and he has since deleted his social media accounts. Police finally went to their home on April 4th, and discovered that Jepsy was not there.

Jepsy moved to Colorado from the Philippines in 2017, after meeting Dane online that same year. Once it was discovered that Jepsy was missing, Dane told both family members and authorities that he and Jepsy had separated shortly before she vanished--which is why he never reported her missing. Dane has since moved to California.

Jepsy's family members stated that they were unaware about her alleged separation from Dane--and they do not believe it is true. They stated that they believe Jepsy would have told them about any potential marital problems they were having. Her family believes that Dane has information about her whereabouts, but at this time he has not been named as a suspect in her case. Jepsy remains missing today. [read more]

6. Jessica Garino
True Case Files: The Disappearance of Jessica Garino

Jessica Garino vanished at the age of 23 on January 23rd, 2012. She had moved from her hometown in Tennessee to Goldsboro, North Carolina just a month earlier. According to her family members, Jessica moved to North Carolina to get clean and have a fresh start. However, one of her roommates was a heroin dealer. Additionally, she was dating a 52 year-old man named Carson Cameron, who was a known drug user as well. Despite this, it appeared Jessica had every intention of getting clean, as she was committed to her outpatient treatment program. On the day she vanished, she was seen at the drug rehabilitation center. Jessica also spoke to her sister on the phone that day, and she promised that she would call her again in a week after she got paid.

That week came and went without any word from Jessica. Then, two more weeks passed--and her family had still not heard from her. This concerned Jessica's family members, as it was uncharacteristic for her to be out of touch. After three weeks with no word from her, Jessica's family members reported her missing in Tennessee. The Tennessee authorities lead the case to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations. Those authorities interviewed Jessica’s boyfriend Carson, and her roommates as well. Carson told investigators that Jessica abruptly left in the middle of the night and never returned. Jessica’s roommates, on the other hand, told a very different story. They told investigators that both Carson and Jessica were both gone for a few days, but Carson eventually returned…alone. Jessica's roommates knew that she had not been seen since January 23rd, yet none of them spoke up until law enforcement got involved.

Carson Cameron has since stopped cooperating with investigators. He has since been arrested on unrelated charges, but still has not spoken up about Jessica. Jessica remains missing today. [read more]

5. Jasmaine Smith


Jasmaine Smith was last seen by her loved ones on June 5th, 2015. At the time, the 22 year-old woman lived in Warren, Ohio. On the day she vanished, Jasmaine joined her family at their home in Farrell, Pennsylvania to celebrate her younger sister’s high school graduation. Jasmaine’s loved ones have not seen or heard from her since she left the party, and it is unknown if she ever made it back to her own home in Warren.

Jasmaine's family members were initially not too worried when they did not hear from her. After all, she is an adult and her family was aware that she was busy with work. However, as weeks went by without any word from Jasmaine, her family members grew more and more concerned. Jasmaine was finally reported missing on June 29th, 2015--a full 24 days after she was last seen.

A month and a half after Jasmaine vanished, another young girl from Warren disappeared: 18 year-old Alesha Bell. Just a few weeks later, Alesha’s remains were found at the home of 40 year-old James Brooks, a man who was known to be running a drug and sex trafficking ring. Jasmaine’s family said that Jasmaine knew Brooks, and they think it is possible that he is involved in her disappearance. Brooks is currently incarcerated on charges related to Alesha's death. He has never been charged with anything related to Jasmaine's disappearance, however Jasmaine’s family fears she may have fallen victim to his sex trafficking ring. Authorities also believe that foul play was involved in her case.

Jasmaine remains missing today. Her family members have created a fundraiser to raise the reward money in her case. If you'd like to donate, please go here. 

4. Shacaiah 'Blue' Harding
Shacaiah Blue Harding reported missing in Montana

Shacaiah 'Blue' Harding was last seen on the afternoon of July 23rd, 2018. The 19 year-old was walking along Buena Vista Road in Billings, Montana at the time. The following day, Blue posted a series of Facebook posts expressing that she was upset about a failed relationship, amongst other things in her life. She posted her final post shortly before midnight, which reads, "All depressing but I'm typing it like it's everything but.. relying on feelings suck." All of Blue's social media activity ceased after that, and she has never been seen or heard from again.

In the months leading up to Blue's disappearance, she was reportedly living on the streets of Billings. Her loved ones state that she was behaving 'erratically' in the months and weeks before she vanished, however she always kept in touch with her family. Finally, on August 20th, 2018, Blue's mother reported her missing after not being able to contact her for almost a month. Through the investigation, it was determined that the last known sighting of Blue was on July 23rd--a day before she posted her final posts on Facebook.

Blue remains missing today. [read more]

3. Brittany Peart
Brittany Peart Photos on Myspace

Brittany Peart left her family's Elkton, Maryland home around 1am on July 25th, 2008. The 21 year-old woman left the home in the midst of a disagreement with her mother. Brittany packed an overnight bag with only a few belongings before she left. Brittany’s mother assumed that Brittany just needed time to cool off and would return home soon. However, she never returned.

A week later, Brittany’s car was found abandoned in the town of North East, Maryland. Both her keys and the bag she packed before leaving her house were found inside the car. Brittany had not been reported missing yet at this point, and it is unclear if her family members were notified about the discovery of her car. If they were, it appeared they were still leaning towards the idea that Brittany was just taking some time away and would eventually return on her own accord. Finally,  in September 2008--after two months passed without any word from Brittany, her family members reported her missing Over a year later, in October 2009, Brittany's parents hired a private investigator. The investigator ended up telling Brittany's family that Brittany had likely started a new life in another city. The search for her seemed to hit a lull after that. Unfortunately, it appears the private investigator was incorrect--as two years later, in December 2011, Brittany's remains were found in a wooded area at the Maryland-Delaware state line. 

Very few details have been released about the investigation into Brittany's death, but her loved ones believe she was murdered. In fact, many of Brittany’s friends have posted that they believe she was killed not long after she left her family's home in July 2008--and that a man she was dating at the time could be responsible. This man has not been charged with anything relating to Brittany's death and her case remains unsolved today. [read more]

2. Monica Moynan
Ex-boyfriend named person of interest in Holly Springs mom's ...

Monica Moynan vanished at the age of 22 in April 2019. The mother-of-two was living in Holly Springs, North Carolina at the time of her disappearance. Monica was last seen in person by 44 year-old Brian Sluss--her boyfriend and father of her two daughters. However, from April to June 2019, Monica's family members and friends continued to receive text messages from Monica's phone. Her mother grew slightly concerned when she noticed that Monica had stopped calling her--as she previously would call at least once every two weeks. Still, the texts Monica's family members and friends received seemed to match Monica's normal texting style, so they were initially not too worried.

That all changed in early July 2019, when the manager at Monica's apartment called her mother and expressed concern for the young woman. The manager had reportedly seen Brian Sluss at their apartment numerous times, but had not seen Monica at all since late March 2019. A welfare check was requested, and when police were unable to pinpoint Monica's whereabouts, she was reported missing. As detectives investigated Monica's disappearance, they determined that Monica had actually not been seen since April 2019--and that Brian was the last person to see her. 

Brian became a suspect fairly early into the investigation--especially after investigators found a large amount of blood on the floor of the house where Brian and Monica lived together. Finally, in May 2020, Brian was arrested and charged with Monica's murder. Brian's wife, Jarlyn Sluss, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and accessory to murder after-the-fact. Both remain behind bars as their cases are pending. Monica's remains have still not been found. [read more]

1. Taveta Hobbs
New hope but few answers in case of Raleigh woman missing since ...

Taveta Hobbs vanished at the age of 43 on November 24th, 2008. She was last seen in Raleigh, North Carolina where she lived with her husband Phil Hobbs. Taveta's family members said it was not unusual for her to drop out-of-touch with them for weeks or months at a time, so they were initially not concerned when they did not hear from her. However, Taveta's brother grew suspicious when almost a year went by without any word from her. Finally, in October 2009, Taveta's brother filed a missing persons' report. 

At that point, both Taveta's family members and investigators learned that Taveta had not been seen since November 2008. In fact, investigators spoke to the man Taveta worked for, and he told them that in late November 2008 he received a text from Taveta stating she was quitting. He thought this was unusual, as she had not previously indicated any desire to quit. Additionally, she never picked up her final paycheck.

Suspicions inevitably fell upon Taveta's husband, Phil Hobbs. He told investigators that Taveta left him and never returned. This seemed unlikely, as Taveta's vehicle and personal belongings were all left behind. Investigators also found it odd that Phil never reported his wife missing, nor did he make any attempt to contact her. Despite all these suspicious circumstances, Phil has not been charged with anything related to Taveta's disappearance. Taveta remains missing today. [read more]

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