Missing Woman: Rebecca Ware--FL--10/29/2010

[LoriDavis]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=174844

Rebecca Ware Hasn't Been Heard from in Days
Created: 11/4/2010 11:19:16 PM
Updated: 11/5/2010 10:23:02 AM



ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Investigators have found the vehicle of a missing mother in St. Johns County.

Rebecca Ware's family hasn't seen her in almost a week and since she has been a victim of domestic violence in the past, they are worried.

"I just want my daughter home," said Gladys Varnadore, who hasn't heard from her daughter since Friday and said that's out of the ordinary.

"I feel like there's foul play here and I'm hurting down deep inside. I want her to come home."

Ware's 2005 sea-foam green Ford Focus with the broken driver's side tail light was found Thursday evening in the parking lot of the Wildwood Publix. It is being processed for evidence.

Family called police after learning Ware hadn't shown up for work two days in a row.

"That's one thing she did have stable, her job. That's when I knew something was wrong," said Ware's aunt Theresa Nolan. Ware was last seen leaving her job on Riviera Boulevard Friday afternoon.

Nolan said she went inside her niece's home on Phoenetia Drive in St. Augustine Shores and saw a smashed cell phone and noticed that Ware's purse was still there.

"It just scares me to death, really scares me to death," said Nolan. "We can't find her, just can't find her and we've looked."

The family said they hope Ware comes back safely. The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has indicated there are no signs of foul play, though her disappearance is suspicious.

Ware is 35, 5'7 and 160 pounds. She has dark brown hair with blonde highlights. If you've seen her, the family asks that you call the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office at (904) 824-8304.

[LoriDavis]

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-11-06/womans-disappearance-remains-mystery

Woman's disappearance remains a mystery
Friends, family last saw Rebecca Ware Oct. 29
Posted: November 6, 2010 - 12:06amPhotos
By JUSTINE GRIFFIN


Friends and family members of Rebecca Ware held each other close Friday night in the front yard of her home in St. Augustine Shores.

Nearly two dozen people took turns whispering words of encouragement and prayers about their missing sister, mother, daughter, niece and friend while standing in a circle holding candles.

Ware, 34, was last seen by friends and family on Friday, Oct. 29, when she left work for the day at Hydro America at 200 Riviera Blvd., according to a St. Johns County Sheriff's report. She was reported missing by family members on Tuesday.

"Something's wrong; this just isn't like her," said Ware's aunt, Theresa Nolan. "She wouldn't just up and leave."

Deputies found Ware's car, a 2005 sea foam green Ford Focus, in the parking lot of the Publix shopping plaza on Wildwood Drive Thursday night, the report said.

Although detectives are in the very beginning stages of processing the case, Detective George Harrigan said there is no evidence of foul play at this time.

"We've taken forensic samples from the house and the car and are processing it now," Harrigan said. "It is unusual and suspicious that the family hasn't heard from her."

Nolan said Ware was planning on moving the weekend she went missing from her St. Augustine Shores home to Jacksonville to live with John Gaffney, the father of her children.

Gaffney told Nolan that Ware had been staying over at his house, but the last time he saw her was when she left for work on Oct. 29.

Her three children, twin 14-year-old sons and a 15-year-old daughter, haven't heard from their mother since Friday.

"If it wasn't for the people she worked with, we might have never known she was missing," said Ware's mother, Gladys Varnadore.

Co-workers from Hydro America, an aluminum company with a St. Augustine office where Ware has worked for the last three years, called family members when Ware didn't report to work.

"She loved her job. She worked too hard to get where she was," Nolan said. "It doesn't make sense."

Ware lived with her aunt off and on over the past years, usually staying with her when she was dealing with domestic abuse at home, Nolan said.

"She probably lived with me six months out of the year over many short stays," she said. "She has a history of domestic violence in her past relationships."

That is reason alone for Nolan to think that something might have happened to her.

"I really do think it's someone she knew," she said.

Before making the decision to move in with Gaffney, Ware was in a relationship with Timothy Johnson from Palatka.

"I met him like a month ago and he seemed like a nice guy," Nolan said. "But they all seem like nice guys at first."

Johnson allegedly told family members he last heard from Ware through text message on Oct. 30.

When Nolan and her daughter arrived at Ware's house on Tuesday, they found a purse with Ware's driver's license and ATM cards missing. Her touch screen cell phone, which was smashed in, was lying on the coffee table in her living room.

It took days for the sheriff's office to declare Ware a missing person because neighbors were unsure of the last time they saw her at home.

One neighbor told detectives Friday night that he witnessed a woman, whom he believed was Ware, arguing with a man in a car near her house on Sunday.

Karen Clarkson, another nearby neighbor, said her son saw a few men loading cars with items from Ware's house on Saturday. She said she assumed they were helping her make the move to Jacksonville.

Detectives stood on the outskirts of the circle of family members and friends outside Ware's home Friday night in support of the family. Family members wiped each other's tears and stood close together on the chilly evening.

"I'm just waiting for Becky to come home and tell us one of her crazy stories about what happened," Nolan said while grasping a white candle with both hands. "I bet she's praying for us to stay strong."

INFO:

Rebecca Ann Ware

Age at time of disappearance: 34

Address: 110 block of Phoenetia Drive

Missing: Friday, Oct. 29

Description: White female, 5'10" tall, 200 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

Contact: Detectives Charles Brantley or George Harrigan at the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (904) 824-8304.

[LoriDavis]

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-11-06/story/missing-womans-car-found-publix-st-johns-county

Missing woman's car found at Publix in St. Johns County
Posted: November 6, 2010 - 10:21am
 
The car of a woman who has not been seen by her family for days was found Thursday evening by investigators in a Publix parking lot, according to Times-Union news partner First Coast News.

Rebecca Ware's family contacted police earlier this week after learning she had not shown up for work two days in a row.

Ware's aunt told First Coast that she went inside her niece's St. Augustine Shores home where she saw a smashed cell phone and her niece's purse and wallet. Ware's green Ford Focus was found in the parking lot of the Wildwood Publix.

Ware, 35, is 5'7, 160 pounds, and has dark brown hair with blonde highlights.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/25675076/detail.html

Time Crucial In Missing Woman Case
Mother 1 Of Several St. Johns County Women Who Have Gone Missing This Year

POSTED: Monday, November 8, 2010
UPDATED: 6:37 pm EST November 8, 2010

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- In the search for a missing St. Johns County mother, each day becomes more crucial than the last.

Rebecca Ann Ware, 34, of St. Augustine Shores, was last seen at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 29 when she left her workplace, Hydro America at 200 Riviera Blvd.

The mother of three was reported missing by family members last Tuesday after she didn't show up for work for two days. Her vehicle, a 2005 Ford Focus, was located Thursday evening by detectives in the parking lot of the Wildwood Publix, which is a short distance from her home.

There have been four missing women this year in St. John's County. The first two, Brittany Tavar and Jan Keller were killed. The case of Shannon Hawkins, who disappeared in July, is still unsolved.

"We've had some similar cases in the past, a couple of which have turned out tragic," Sgt. Chuck Mulligan, of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, said of the recent missing women investigations. "So time is always of the essence in missing persons case."

Like Tavar's disappearance, investigators have deemed Ware's vanishing suspicious.

"Her job called my sister, which got things rolling. Nobody has heard from her," said Margaret Spergon, Ware's aunt. "I know how she feels about her job. She would not jeopardize that whatsoever."

That's similar to how Keller, an elementary school teacher, was first reported missing.

The Sheriff's Office said the only reason foul play hasn't been declared in Ware's case is that there is a lack of physical evidence.

Ware's family said she has been the victim of domestic violence multiple times with multiple abusers.

"I really don't know (what happened). I just want her to come home. I want her to be safe," Spergon said.

Detectives, evidence technicians and police dogs have all been employed in the search. The Sheriff's Office said it has some leads but doesn't want to discuss them yet and risk jeopardizing the case.

"The detectives are, of course, working any information that's coming in, and at this point, we don't know where that may lead us, but detectives are diligently working this case," Mulligan said.

Ware is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and 160 pounds with blue eyes and dark brown hair with blond highlights.

Anyone who may have come in contact with Ware since she disappeared or who may have additional information concerning her whereabouts should contact St. Johns County Detective Charles Brantley at 904-824-8304.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/breaking/news-article.aspx?storyid=176041&catid=17

Missing Woman Now Considered Missing/Endangered

Created: 11/12/2010 9:13:32 PM
Updated: 11/13/2010 6:40:11 AM

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is now classifying the disappearance of a mother of two as missing/endangered.

Rebecca Ware vanished Oct. 29, and family members have been concerned. Ware's aunt, Theresa Nolan, said Ware had been in abusive relationships, and she's concerned that may be connected to her disappearance.

A release from the sheriff's office said detectives have developed new evidence over the last three days that pushed them to reclassify the case.

Investigators now suspect foul play, and have a person of interest, although they are not releasing any further details at this time.

"There's a lot more information that's come out," said Nolan. "I wouldn't say anything to jeopardize the case, because I want my niece found."

Ware's birthday is next week, and Nolan said she and her family hope she's home by then. they'll be out again on Saturday putting up fliers in hopes that someone in the community will say they've seen their loved one.

"Me and the family, we're really just tired. It's like a roller coaster ride," Nolan described.

Ware's 2005 sea-foam green Ford Focus is still being processed for evidence. Deputies found the car with a busted driver's side tail light in the parking lot at of the Wildwood Publix last week.

Nolan said she's got faith that her niece will be home soon; she's confident that the detectives on the case will find her.

"I know that they've been working around the clock ever since they found her car, and I know that they're doing everything that they can do," Nolan said.

Ware's family initially reported her missing after she didn't show up for work two days in a row. Now her employer, Hydro America, is offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible for her disappearance.

That's in addition to the standing Crime Stoppers reward of up to $1,000. Anyone with information, especially if they'd like to remain anonymous, can call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-888-277-TIPS.

[Denise Harrison]

http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/11/an-unsuccessful-search-for-a-m.html

An Unsuccessful Search For A Missing Woman

By Michelle Rotella

Helicopters, four-wheelers, and detectives on foot searched the woods of Southern St. Johns County Friday morning.

The Sheriff's Office said last week they have discovered a person of interest in the case of a 34-year-old missing woman.

Rebecca Ware of St. Augustine Shores, has been missing since October 29th.  She was last seen leaving her work, Hydro America.

The first search for Ware took place Friday morning in Southern St. Johns County.  Officials say with the new person of interest and new tips coming in everyday it has helped lock down several locations to search.

Unfortunately today's search was unsuccessful.

Sergeant Chuck Mulligan from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has been helping lead the investigation.

Mulligan says they won't be very forthcoming in certain areas of the investigation since it is on going. But he can say, though today didn't give any new leads, they are actively discussing the search location, one of which will take them out of St. Johns County and into Putnam County.

If you do come acrros any new information, the Sheriff's Office urges you to notify the Robery Homicide Detective of St. John's County or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.

[LoriDavis]

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/show/8640
NamUs profile for Rebecca Ware - Case 8640

[LoriDavis]

http://www.sjso.org/unsolved/missing.aspx

St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is asking your help in solving these Missing Persons.

NAME: Rebecca Ann Ware
Reported missing Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Rebecca Ann Ware 34 years of age was reported missing by her family on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010. She was last seen at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, October 29th at her place of employment (Hydro America, 200 Riviera Blvd.) Ware resided at a residence in the 100 block of Phoenetia Dr. in St. Augustine Shores. She is a white female, 5'10", 160 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.

[Jenn]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/26391636/detail.html

Missing Woman's 3 Children Coping
40-Year-Old Boyfriend Named Person Of Interest In Disappearance

POSTED: Thursday, January 6, 2011  UPDATED: 6:20 pm EST January 6, 2011



ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Rebecca Ware has been missing for more than two months, and now her family and friends are beginning to run out of patience.

"We feel as though Rebecca is no longer with us," John Gaffney, the father of Ware's three children, said in a phone interview. "We want justice."

Gaffney said Ware's children, all teenagers, are coping with the disappearance of their 34-year-old mother.

"They're doing well. One reason might be reality has not set in yet," Gaffney said. "I'm thankful for them at this time."

Gaffney said his children are frustrated and scared, however. They haven't seen or heard from their mother since October.

On Wednesday, St. Johns County deputies named 40-year-old Timothy Johnson as a person of interest in Ware's disappearance. Gaffney said he is all too familiar with Johnson.

"He is not a very good person at all," Gaffney said. "This is a very evil man, and he needs to be taken off the street."

Gaffney said Johnson was Ware's boyfriend, and she was leaving him to return back home to her children.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Timothy Johnson from prior arrest
"Rebecca had moved most of her belongings in our residence," Gaffney said. "She stayed with us four days. That Friday was the last day that we seen or spoke to Rebecca."

Gaffney blames Johnson, a man with a lengthy and violent criminal record.

"This guy, to me, seems as though he's the male version of a black widow," Gaffney said. "He needs to be taken off the street so he will not harm anybody else."

Ware is described as a white woman, 5 feet 10 inches tall and 200 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. Her vehicle was found in the parking lot of the Wildwood Drive Publix days after she disappeared.

Anyone with any information concerning this investigation is asked to call the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office at 904-824-8304 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS (8477).

[LoriDavis]

Person of Interest Has History of Violent Crimes, Recently Arrested Again

8:26 PM, Sep 13, 2011
Written by Len Kiese

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. --  It's been nearly a year, but still no solid answers for Rebecca Ware's family.
 
"I dream of her.  The dreams are horrible," said her cousin Joanna Pye.
 
"It's been really rough, like a roller coaster ride," said her aunt Theresa Nolan.
 
Ware disappeared Oct. 29. 

Read more: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/218808/3/Person-of-Interest-in-St-Johns-Missing-Persons-Case-Arrested-For-Separate-Crime

[Shannon]

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2012-08-28/story/st-johns-woman-presumed-dead-after-missing-2-years-boyfriend-arrested

St. Johns woman presumed dead after missing for 2 years; boyfriend arrested
 
Posted: August 28, 2012 - 2:26pm
Updated: August 28, 2012 - 4:38pm

By Dana Treen

Nearly two years since a St. Johns County woman’s suspicious disappearance, her location remains a mystery. Tuesday authorities made an arrest of her former boyfriend.
 
Timothy Lee Johnson, 42, of Palatka was charged with second-degree murder after a grand jury heard his case Monday and an indictment was issued, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
 
Rebecca Ann Ware hadn’t been seen since she left her job at St. Augustine’s Hydro America aluminum company Oct. 29, 2010. Her Ford Focus was found a week later in a Publix parking lot on U.S. 1, about a half-mile from her home in St. Augustine Shores.
 
Although she’s never been found, evidence revealed foul play and linked Johnson to her presumed death, the Sheriff’s Office said.
 
“It will be a difficult case obviously without a body, but there is very telling information in that indictment,” said Sgt. Chuck Mulligan. He said the indictment was unsealed when Johnson was arrested Tuesday in Putnam County.
 
Pursuing murder charges when investigators do not have a victim’s body is unusual, Mulligan said.
 
“There’s a lot of elements behind the scene that have not been made public,” he said.
 
Ware, 34 at the time of her disappearance, had a history of abusive relationships and three children. She was planning on moving the weekend she went missing. She and Johnson had been living together and had some domestic issues.
 
Anyone who may have additional information in the case can contact detective Eugene Tolbert with the robbery/homicide unit at (904) 209-3985 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 277-8477.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Man-charged-with-missing-womans-murder/qDyVO4Z6XES6T08_s9eD2Q.cspx

Man charged with missing woman's murder

Published: 8/28 2:20 pm
Updated: 8/28 11:45 pm

T. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- A person of interest in the disappearance of a St. Johns County woman has now been charged with her murder.

A grand jury indicted 42-year-old Timothy Lee Johnson on Monday. Investigators believe he had a role in the disappearance of Rebecca Ware back in 2010. Her car was last seen at a Publix in St. Augustine that October. Her body has not been recovered.

Sources close to the investigation tell Action News a cell phone signal from Johnson's phone put him near Ware's home the day she disappeared. Sources also say he burned the clothing he was wearing in a bonfire after she vanished.

Johnson has been charged with second-degree murder, which is punishable with a life sentence.

The investigation is ongoing. Those with information are urged to contact St. Johns County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.  You could receive a cash reward.

[Shannon]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Nothing-found-in-search-for-missing-woman-s-remains/-/475880/16963588/-/md0552/-/index.html

Nothing found in search for missing woman's remains
Rebecca Ware disappeared in October 2010; boyfriend charged with murder

Published On: Oct 11 2012 04:15:00 PM EDT 
Updated On: Oct 12 2012 12:35:19 PM EDT

PALATKA, Fla. - The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office late Friday morning ended a search of a heavily wooded area in Palatka for the remains of a woman who's been missing since October 2010.

Investigators started their search with a cadaver dog about 8 a.m. at the end of Beech Street for the remains of Rebecca Ware. They ended just before noon after saying nothing was found.

"We searched (the area) in the past a little over a year ago," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Catherine Payne said. "We came back, obviously, because we received relevant information that Rebecca Ware's remains may be in the area."

In August, a grand jury indicted Ware's boyfriend, Timothy Johnson, on a charge of second-degree murder, though her body hasn't been found.

Johnson (pictured right), 42, had been named a person of interest in Ware's disappearance, but had not previously been charged.

"Johnson is from this area," Payne said of the search site. "We have information he grew up in this area. He did go in and out of these woods as a child. He fished in this area. He's probably very familiar with it."

Ware, 34, was last seen Oct. 29, 2010, when she left her workplace, Hydro Aluminum North America, in St. Augustine Shores. Her car was found in a Publix parking lot in St. Augustine.

Last year, deputies spent two days search an area of southern St. Johns County near Elkton, but no evidence in the case was found.

Johnson was arrested on unrelated sexual assault charges in Putnam County in September 2011. He had been released from jail on a reduced plea in that case.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Family-still-desperate-to-find-missing-woman-s-body/-/475880/17012502/-/9j51thz/-/index.html

Family still desperate to find missing woman's body
Search last week for Rebecca Ware's remains yielded no results

Published On: Oct 11 2012 04:15:00 PM EDT  Updated On: Oct 16 2012 05:11:29 PM EDT



ALATKA, Fla. - The family of a missing St. Augustine woman is desperate to find her body, nearly two years since she was last seen leaving work.

Last week, investigators acted on a tip and searched a wooded area near Beech Street in Palatka for the remains of Rebecca Ware.

They didn't find any evidence Ware was there.

The 34-year-old was last scene leaving her work at Hydro Aluminum North America in St. Augustine Shores on Oct. 29, 2010. Her car was found in a Publix parking lot in St. Augustine.


In August, Ware's boyfriend, 42-year-old Timothy Johnson (pictured above), was charged with second-degree murder in her death, despite no body being recovered.

Theresa Nolan, Ware's aunt, spoke Tuesday about another heartbreaking search that yielded no results.

"It is devastating, but also just for them to be out there and still looking still gives us a lot of hope," Nolan said.

Three searches with no success means three painful letdowns for Ware's family.

"I want to know where she is. I really want to know where she is," Nolan said. "I honestly didn't think we'd be at the two-year mark. I thought everything would be wrapped up within a year, but it happens, and we're going to celebrate her life next weekend. We're going to have a celebration of her life."

Nolan said she's very pleased with the work the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has done.

"They're very supportive. They've been great as far as supporting the Sheriff's Office and the efforts we've tried to put forward in this case," Detective Eugene Tolbert said of Ware's family. "They're very appreciative of us continuing to try and find Rebecca for them. Obviously, we've already made an arrest in this case, but finding her body would just bring this case home."

Investigators at this point are continuing to search for leads.

They say they will not search that area in Putnam County again until they're given a credible reason to.