Police: Long-Missing Butler Co. Woman Found, Is Prime Suspect In Disappearance Of Florida Mom
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) -- A woman from Butler County, who's been missing for years, has been found hundreds of miles away, living under a different name, according to police.
In fact, they say Kimberly Kessler is now the prime suspect in the disappearance of another woman.
Kessler went missing on July 4, 2004. She was 35-years-old, and the circumstances around her disappearance were described as suspicious.
But Sheriff Bill Leeper, from the Nassau County Sheriff's Department, says Kessler had become Jennifer Sybert, and was living in Jacksonville, Florida, using a fake Social Security number. She worked at a hair salon called Tangles. The same salon where Joleen Cummings worked.
Cumming's mother reported Joleen missing after she failed to pick up her three kids on Mother's Day.
"My daughter was a loving mother to her children," said Anne Johnson, Cumming's mom. "We're all heartbroken."
Police found Cummings vehicle abandoned in a Home Depot parking lot, but they say surveillance video does not show Cummings.
Lisa Washington's Report:
Instead, Sheriff Leeper says it shows Kessler. He says they eventually caught up with her in a different vehicle at a rest stop.
As for the missing mother, Joleen Cummings, Sheriff Leeper said, "We have obtained evidence which we are not releasing at this time, which makes us believe Joleen is not alive."
Cumming's family is making an emotional plea for help.
"Someone out there has to know something," said Johnson, as tears welled up in her eyes. "I beg you as a mother to please keep coming forward with any information that you have."
Kessler has been charged with a stealing Cumming's car and has also been charged by the FBI with possession of a counterfeit passport.
