Amanda was 9 months pregnant and having early contractions when she went missing.
http://www.kmov.com/localnews/storie....783b8559.html

Sheriff asks for public's help in locating missing woman

03:49 PM CDT on Monday, August 15, 2005

Jefferson County, MO (KMOV) – The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the disappearance of a 26-year-old Pevely, Missouri woman.

Amanda Jones was last seen at the Hillsboro Civic Center/Horse Show ground on Sunday August 14th at around 5 p.m.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jones is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department at (636) 797-5515.



------------------------------------------------


Project Jason Profile:

Name:  Amanda Jones

Date of Birth:  10/06/1978
Date Missing:  08/14/2005
Age at time of disappearance:  26
City Missing From:  Hillsboro
State Missing From:  Missouri
Gender:  Female
Race:  White
Height:  5ft8in
Weight:  215lbs
Hair Color:  Brown
Hair (other):  Blonde highlights
Eye Color:  Blue

Identifying Characteristics:  9 months pregnant, tattoo of a dolphin on upper left breast, pierced ears, wears contacts

Clothing:  Pink shirt, white shirt with pink flowers, pink flip flops, carring a pink purse

Jewelry:  Earrings in both ears

Circumstances of Disappearance:  Last seen at the Hillsboro Civic Center in Hillsboro Missouri at around 1pm that Sunday afternoon. She left church at 12:30 to meet with the father of the child she was carring. They were to have lunch at the "Off the Hook" restaurant. Her car was found in the parking lot of the Civic Center unlocked, and her purse and cell phone were missing.

Medical Conditions:  She has Graves disease.

Investigative Agency:  Jefferson County Sheriff Department
Agency Phone:  (636) 797-5526

Print a poster: http://www.projectja...AmandaJones.pdf

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...A?OpenDocument

Police suspend search for pregnant woman near Hillsboro

By Matthew Hathaway
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/15/2005
UPDATE at 2:15 p.m.:

Police have temporarily suspended the search for a pregnant Pevely woman who has been missing since Sunday evening.

Amanda Jones, 26, was last seen at the horse show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County about 5 p.m. Sunday.

Jones is nine months pregnant. Family members said she had gone to the fair grounds to meet with the father of her unborn baby.

Police said Jones was reported missing by her parents, who were babysitting her 4-year-old daughter in Festus.

Although police said they don’t consider the man a suspect, family members said police met with him and his lawyer on Monday.

Police would not confirm the meeting but said the man was cooperating with authorities.

Police found Jones’ unlocked car at the civic center but said it offered no clues as to her whereabouts.

About 80 to 100 police and firefighters searched the fairgrounds and nearby woods Monday but found no trace of Jones or any clue as to her whereabouts. ¶

Lt. Tommy Wright of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said police were suspending their search while they gather additional information.
]
Wright said it was out of character for Jones to disappear without alerting her friends and family but said police had no evidence to indicate foul play.

“We don’t have anything to indicate there was a crime committed at this point,” Wright said.

Wright said police had checked with area hospitals, searched Jones’ home and visited the homes of her friends but found nothing suspicious.

“I think what concerns us the most is she’s nine months pregnant and this is totally uncharacteristic of her behavior,” Wright said. “We’re just hoping to find her and that she’s safe.”

Police describe Jones as 5-foot-8 and about 225 pounds. She has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. When she was seen last, she was wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals.

Police are circulating a photo of Jones wearing eyeglasses, but family members said she was wearing contact lenses when she disappeared. ¶

-- -------------

Our earlier story:

More than 75 police officers and firefighters searched the Hillsboro area Monday for a pregnant 26-year-old Pevely woman who has been missing since about 5 p.m. Sunday.

Amanda Jones, who works as a loan processor at Eagle Bank in Festus, was last seen at the horse-show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County.

Police found Jones' car at the civic center. The vehicle was unlocked and offered no clues as to the woman's whereabouts, said Capt. Ralph Brown, of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Jones' father, Hubert Propst, said his daughter is nine months pregnant and had gone to the center to meet with the father of the unborn baby. Police said they don't consider that man to be a suspect.

Propst said his daughter was a divorced mother of a 4-year-old girl and that Jones didn't go very far from home without alerting relatives.

Lt. Tommy Wright, head of the detective bureau at the sheriff's office, agreed that it would be "out of character" for Jones to disappear without alerting friends and family.

"There's no reason to suspect foul play, but we have a lot of questions ... And we obviously can't rule anything out at this point," Wright said.

Police describe Jones as 5-foot-8 and about 225 pounds. She has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. When she was seen last, she was wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals.

Police are circulating a photo of Jones wearing eyeglasses, but Propst said he believed his daughter was wearing contact lenses when she disappeared.

Reporter Matthew Hathaway
E-mail: mhathaway@post-dispatch.com

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...D?OpenDocument

Family fears for missing woman

By Matthew Hathaway
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/16/2005

Amanda Jones told her friends and co-workers to keep her in their prayers this month. She was expecting to deliver a baby boy, her second child, and she was delighted.

But now Jones' friends and family are keeping the single mother in their prayers for a different reason.

Jones, who is nine months pregnant, hasn't been seen since Sunday evening, and police searching for the 26-year-old Pevely woman say they're running out of leads.

At the Eagle Bank in Festus, where Jones worked as a loan administrator, her colleagues spent much of Tuesday talking and worrying about their popular co-worker.

"We are all praying," said Marysue one of the 40 Eagle Bank employees who was at a baby shower for Jones two months ago.

Although police are quick to point out that they haven't found evidence of any crime, some family members, including Hubert Propst, Jones' father, suspect foul play.

Jones was last seen at the horse-show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County about 5 p.m. Sunday. Police found Jones' unlocked car at the civic center but said it offered no clues as to her whereabouts. Jones went to the Civic Center to meet Bryan Lee Westfall, the man her family says is the father of her unborn child. Westfall's attorney said that when his client left the Civic Center, Jones was in the parking lot talking on her cell phone.

Jones was reported missing by her parents, who were baby-sitting her 4-year-old daughter in Festus. Jones is due to give to birth later this month, police said.

More than 80 police and firefighters searched the horse-show grounds and nearby woods Monday but found no trace of Jones or any clue as to her whereabouts. Lt. Tommy Wright of the Jefferson County sheriffís office said police were suspending their search while they try to turn up new leads.

Wright said he was told it was out of character for Jones to disappear without alerting her friends and family but said police had no evidence of foul play. He added that police had checked with area hospitals, searched Jones' home and visited the homes of her friends but found nothing suspicious.

Wright said that police are handling the disappearance as a missing person case. He said there are no suspects "because thereís no evidence that a crime has taken place."

Westfall has met with police ìseveral timesî to discuss the disappearance, said Kevin Roberts, the attorney representing the 36-year-old farmer and former instructor at Jefferson College.

Roberts said that Westfall has cooperated fully with the investigation and that he has allowed police to search his home.

Roberts would not discuss the relationship between Westfall and Jones, but he said that his client "has done nothing wrong."

Roger Barrentine, a Jefferson College spokesman, said Westfall taught computer-information systems from April 1999 through last May.

Westfall is unmarried and lives in the Hillsboro area. He is a member of the Hillsboro Community Civic Club, which owns the civic center where Jones' car was found.

Police describe Jones as 5-foot-8 and about 225 pounds. She has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. When she was seen last, she was wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 636-797-5515.

Patricia Rice and Tim Rowden of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Reporter Matthew Hathaway
E-mail: mhathaway@post-dispatch.com

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166015,00.html
Pregnant Missouri Woman Missing Since Sunday

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

ST. LOUIS — Just days away from her due date, Amanda Jones was thrilled about the upcoming birth of her baby boy.

When she left work Friday, where co-workers had recently thrown the single mother a baby shower, the last thing she said was she'd see them Monday.

But Jones, 26, hasn't been seen since Sunday afternoon, when she was at the Hillsboro Civic Center horse-show grounds in Jefferson County, south of St. Louis. Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer said her unlocked car was found, but there was no sign of Jones.

Jones went to the civic center to meet with Bryan Westfall, who relatives said is the father of her unborn child. His lawyer, Kevin Roberts, said Westfall has met with police four times since her disappearance. "He's tried to be as cooperative as possible," Roberts said.

Roberts would not discuss the conversation between Jones and Westfall on Sunday out of respect for their privacy. "It was cordial," he said, noting that Westfall is praying for her safe return.

Westfall doesn't know if he is the father of Jones' unborn child, Roberts said.

Jones' younger sister, Carrie Propst, 18, said family members have papered the region with flyers about her missing sister.

Authorities are doing what they can to search for Jones, Propst said. "We just wish it could be faster, so we could find her and bring her and the baby home soon."

Propst said Jones was due to give birth next week, and couldn't easily walk in her ninth month of pregnancy, making family members all the more inclined to think she wouldn't have voluntarily left the area.

Boyer said a 20-member task force is working to find Jones. Authorities searched a wooded area Monday, have flown over the region looking for her, and have put out word nationwide about Jones' disappearance.

Boyer said that despite some suspicious circumstances, there has been no physical evidence and no witness indicating a crime. He said there are no suspects.

Jones, 5-8 and 225 pounds, has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals.

Anyone with information is asked to call 636-797-5515.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=83374

Search Continues For Pregnant Woman; Family Fears Foul Play

created: 8/16/2005 12:15:43 PM
updated: 8/17/2005 1:03:25 PM

KSDK-There is still no sign of a missing Jefferson County woman who is nine months pregnant. Additional investigators have been added to the search for 26-year-old Amanda Jones. Five law enforcement agencies are now part of the task force working on the case, including the FBI.

Jones disappeared Sunday after meeting a male acquaintance at the Hillsboro Civic Center. That's where Sheriff's deputies found her blue Pontiac Sunfire, unlocked, in the parking lot.

Jones has a four-year-old daughter and those who know her say it's not like her to run off without notifying anyone.

"I'm scared to death actually, but I'm just holding on to faith my daughter is going to come home." Bertha Propst last saw her daughter Amanda Jones on Sunday at church, "She was glorious, in a very happy mood, very bubbly."

Jones told her parents she was meeting the father of the son she was expecting to deliver at any moment. Detectives say Amanda drove to the Hillsboro Civic Center around 1:00 p.m. Sunday. The man Jones met told detectives they talked for an hour before he left. Jones hasn't been seen since.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. A child is a precious thing," says Bertha.

"I sat up all night thinking I was going to see her driving down the driveway. Didn't happen. Didn't happen. And it hasn't happened yet," says Hubert.

Authorities say they are still in the process talking with Jones' family and friends. They've talked several times with the man who last saw Jones. Investigators say he is cooperating with authorities and is not a suspect in Jones' disappearance.

"We're not ruling out any possibilities, but there is no physical evidence leading us to believe anything has happened to her other than she's a missing person," says Lieutenant Tommy Wright with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

The Propst family and friends have handed out 1,500 fliers with Amanda's picture. "I'm always going to have hope until I keep hearing her say, 'Mom, mom,' and know she is there."

Lt. Col. Steven Meinberg, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, "We have calls and that's typical because we broadcast the picture of Amanda. And people call in with possible trying to help out which is what we asked for people trying to help out and people have called with possible sightings. And of course we go and interview or try to find those people and interview the locations, interview people at those locations to try that may have seen her to try and make or break the lead."

Investigators say they have been in contact with the phone company regarding Jones' cell phone records, but will not release any information at this time.

Anyone with information about Amanda Jones should call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Detective Bureau at 636-797-5515.

Off the Post-Dispatch
08/17/2005

Amanda Jones had already decorated a bedroom of her mobile home in Pevely in a teddy bear and ocean theme for the son she planned to name Hayden Lucas.

She filled a dresser and closet with baby clothes and stocked up on diapers.

Then, she disappeared.

Jones, 26, who is nine months pregnant, hasn't been seen since Sunday evening.

Police say they're treating this as a missing-person case, but her friends and family fear the worst.

On Wednesday, police set up a 20-person task force. Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer said: "We felt that is was important to get as many officers involved in the investigation of Ms. Jones' (disappearance) as we possibly could. We're very concerned for her safety."

Boyer said police had no evidence of foul play but considered Jones' disappearance to be suspicious.

A loan administrator at Eagle Bank in Festus, Jones was last seen at the horse-show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County about 5 p.m. Sunday. Police found her unlocked car there but said it offered no clues.

Jones was reported missing by her parents, who were baby-sitting her 4-year-old daughter in Festus.

Jones had gone to the Civic Center to meet Bryan Lee Westfall, the man her family says is the father of her baby.

Jones told her parents, Hubert and Bertha Propst of Festus, that she met Westfall at a Christmas party at the Civic Center last year.

"It was just a one-night stand thing," Bertha Propst said. "A mistake."

According to her mother, Jones didn't have any contact with Westfall during her pregnancy. But her mother said Jones had received a phone call from Westfall before she left for church Sunday morning. Jones told her mother that Westfall wanted to get together for lunch.

Jones said she wanted to talk to Westfall to find out whether he wanted to be part of his son's life.

"She wanted to know if he had changed his mind about the baby so she would know what name to give her son when he was born," either Westfall's or her own, Bertha Propst said.

"If he didn't want anything to do with a baby, then she was going to raise him alone without his help," Bertha Propst said.

Westfall's attorney, Kevin Roberts, said Tuesday that when his client left the Civic Center, Jones was in the parking lot talking on her cell phone. Roberts said Westfall had cooperated fully with the investigation and had allowed police to search his home. Roberts declined to discuss the relationship between his client and Jones, adding that his client "has done nothing wrong."

Police wouldn't say whether a search of Jones' cell phone records indicates that she placed a call at that time.

Jones' family says she takes medication for Graves' disease, a thyroid disorder that, if left untreated, could lead to serious complications.

Meanwhile, in a quiet neighborhood in Festus, the Propst family sat around the kitchen table of their tidy, single-story home. Jones' parents, along with her sister, Carrie Propst, 18, and brother, Brian Propst, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind., patiently endured a steady stream of reporters and camera crews on Wednesday, all the while reluctant to voice what they feared the most.

Hubert Propst said his daughter might have been abducted by someone who was waiting for her to give birth so they could sell her baby.

"That's one thing that's going through my mind," Hubert Propst said. "The other thing I don't even want to talk about because it's too gruesome."

Bertha Propst said her granddaughter had told her, "Mommy's lost, but the police will find her."

Lt. Col. Steven Meinberg of the Jefferson County sheriff's department said Wednesday that police had scoured the Civic Center and other sites and had found no evidence of a crime.

"There's no sign of a struggle, no broken purse strap, nothing," Meinberg said.

Police have not recovered Jones' purse or cell phone.

More than 80 police and firefighters searched the horse-show grounds and nearby woods Monday but found no clue to Jones' whereabouts. Meinberg said that he didn't expect that search to resume and that, instead, police were following other leads.

He said police had been in contact with hospitals throughout the St. Louis area. He said hospital workers should be on the lookout for Jones or for a newborn not accompanied by a birth mother.

Police describe Jones as 5-foot-8 and about 225 pounds. She has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. When she was seen last, she was wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals. Boyer said police were asking anyone who was traveling north or south on Highway 21 near the Civic Center between noon and nightfall Sunday to call authorities if they recall seeing anything that might help the investigation.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 636-797-5515.


Reporter Tim Rowden
E-mail: trowden@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 636-500-4110

Reporter Matthew Hathaway
E-mail: mhathaway@post-dispatch.com

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=83515

Search, Prayers Continue, Still No Sign of Amanda Jones

created: 8/18/2005 6:03:57 PM
updated: 8/18/2005 6:08:10 PM

KSDK-Still no sign of a missing Pevely woman, despite several new searches Wednesday night. 26-year-old Amanda Jones, who is nine months pregnant, has been missing for more than three days. Jefferson County Deputies intensified their search for Jones using a helicopter with infrared equipment, a K-9 unit and on foot.

Sheriff's deputies focused again on the area in and around the Hillsboro's Civic Center. It was there Jones met a male acquaintance on Sunday. Investigators say the two talked for about an hour. Later that night, Jones' family reported her missing.

Jones' blue Pontiac Sunfire was found unlocked in the parking lot. Her purse and car keys gone. Investigators continue to receive tip calls from the public. They're still hoping someone will come forward with information about Jones' disappearance. Jefferson County Sheriff, Glenn Boyer, "We're still asking for the public that might have been driving around 12 o'clock to about 6, 7 o'clock Sunday evening on Highway 21 either northbound or southbound contact us we'd like to find out what they saw. It might be trivial but we'd still like that information."

Investigators say so far, they've received more than 100 calls from the public, including one from Wisconsin. Anyone with information about Amanda Jones should call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Detective Bureau at 636-797-5515.

http://www.stltoday.....F?OpenDocument

Many tips, but no leads hamper search for woman

By Tim Rowden
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/18/2005

Police don't have any shortage of tips in the mysterious disappearance of a pregnant Pevely woman, but they still don't know what happened to her.

Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer said investigators had received more than 100 tips about Amanda Jones, who is nine months pregnant and hasn't been seen since Sunday. One tip came from Wisconsin, where a man claimed to have seen Jones sitting in the car behind him at a traffic light.

"Some of the tips have not been helpful," Boyer said.

A loan administrator at Eagle Bank in Festus, Jones, 26, was last seen at the horse show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County about 5 p.m. Sunday. Police found her unlocked car there but said it offered no clues.

Police have not recovered Jones' purse or cell phone but said there had been no activity on her credit cards.

Boyer said a 20-person task force intensified its search for Jones overnight Wednesday, scouring the property near the Civic Center on foot and using canine units. The task force also used an airplane equipped with an infrared imager capable of detecting body heat. Boyer said the searches provided no new clues.

"We have no physical evidence, nor do we have any statements from anyone to indicate that a crime has been committed," Boyer said. But he added that police considered Jones' disappearance to be suspicious.

Jones had gone to the Civic Center to meet Bryan Lee Westfall, the man her family says is the father of her baby.

Jones was reported missing by her parents, who were baby-sitting her 4-year-old daughter in Festus.

Jones had told her parents, Hubert and Bertha Propst, that she met Westfall at a Christmas party at the Civic Center last year.

Westfall's attorney, Kevin Roberts, said Tuesday that when his client left the Civic Center on Sunday, Jones was in the parking lot talking on her cell phone. Roberts said Westfall had cooperated fully with the investigation and had allowed police to search his home. Roberts declined to discuss the relationship between his client and Jones, adding that his client has done nothing wrong.

Jones' family says she takes medication for Graves' disease, a thyroid disorder that, if left untreated, could lead to serious complications.

Maranda Lovejoy, a close friend, said Jones doted on her daughter and was excited about having a baby.

Lovejoy said she had been calling Jones nearly every day and last spoke to her Saturday night. "She was tired and ready to have the baby," Lovejoy said. "But she was in good spirits."

Lovejoy, 34, of Herculaneum, said she met Jones about 4 1/2 years ago while bowling in the same league at Quonset Lanes in Crystal City.

Police describe Jones as 5 feet 8 and about 225 pounds. She has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. When she was seen last, she was wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals. Boyer said police were asking anyone who was traveling north or south on Highway 21 near the Civic Center between noon and nightfall Sunday to call authorities if they recall seeing anything that might help the investigation.

Anyone with information about the case can call 636-797-5515.

Reporter Tim Rowden:
E-mail: trowden@post-dispatch.com

Police press search for missing woman

By Matthew Hathaway
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/19/2005

Police in Jefferson County combed the grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Friday for the seventh time, unable to turn up any clues in the search for Amanda Jones, the pregnant woman from Pevely who has been missing since Sunday.

A 20-member police task force will work through the weekend on a case that has baffled friends and relatives of the 26-year-old single mother, who had expected to give birth to a baby boy this month. Police say that they have found no evidence of foul play and that they still consider the matter to be a missing person case.

Jones was last seen at the horse-show grounds of the Civic Center about 5 p.m. Sunday. Police found her unlocked car there but said it offered no clues.

She went to Hillsboro to meet with the man who Jones' family says is the father of her unborn baby. That man has been cooperating with police through his attorney, authorities said.

Police on Friday conducted a grid-pattern search of the Civic Center grounds, looking for clues that might have been overlooked in earlier searches.

Also on Friday, Lt. Col. Steven Meinberg of the Jefferson County sheriff's office again appealed for the public's help. He said anyone who might have seen Jones that day should come forward.

That's also the message from Jeff Lovejoy, a friend of Jones, who spent Friday on the Civic Center grounds. His pickup, parked near the center's entrance on Highway 21, was painted with a message asking witnesses to come forward.

"Even if you think you don't remember much, or you think what you remember is trivial, you should go to the police," said Lovejoy, a mechanic who has taken off work to spread his message.

A vigil for Jones is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center. The event is being organized by Eagle Bank, where Jones worked as a loan administrator, and by her church, the Calvary Assembly of God Church in Festus.

Anyone with information about the case can call 636-797-5515.

http://www.missourinet.com/gestalt/g...ator=local.cfm

Pregnant Jefferson County Woman Still Missing

by Steve Walsh

The search goes on for a pregnant 26-year-old Jefferson County woman who has been missing since Sunday. A 20-member police task force is working through the weekend to try to find out what happened to Amanda Jones, who was last seen at the horse-show grounds of the Jefferson County Civic Center.

She had apparently gone to Hillsboro to meet with the father of her unborn baby.

He has been cooperating with police, who still consider this a missing person case.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=83541

Police Hope New Photo Leads To Missing Pregnant Woman

created: 8/19/2005 1:24:08 PM
updated: 8/20/2005 11:25:20 PM

By Erin O'Neill

KSDK-Jefferson County Deputies released a new photograph Friday of 26-year-old Amanda Jones. Jones, who is nine months pregnant, disappeared Sunday from the Hillsboro Civic Center.

The new photo was taken on Sunday, the same day Jones disappeared. Authorities hope the recent photograph will help in the search.

The pink top Jones is wearing in the photo is what she had on when she vanished on Sunday. That's when Jones met a male acquaintance in the parking lot of the Hillsboro Civic Center. Family members say he is the father of her unborn child.

Jones' due date is next Tuesday.

Major Denise Lassing with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says, "We need to keep in mind that this is still a missing persons report and a missing persons case at this time and not a criminal case. Of course the concern is the pregnancy of Ms. Jones and also the well being of herself and this child. So, it is of great concern that she is nearing her due date and is still not around and or has not been located."

There have been more than 100 leads to police so far. Investigators would still not confirm if a helicopter search on Wednesday night included property owned by the father of Jones' unborn child. But neighbors of the man say a helicopter was in their neighborhood that night.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...0?OpenDocument

Missing Woman's Mother Struggles
By Kim Bell
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/21/2005

Bertha Propst, the mother of the pregnant Pevely woman who disappeared one week ago, spends her days handing out fliers, praying and looking out the window of her Festus home, hoping the nightmare isn't real.

Propst has barely slept since her daughter, Amanda Jones, 26, went missing Aug. 14. When Propst does rest, she wakes up crying. She believes her daughter was abducted; she sees no other way Jones would leave her family or 4-year-old daughter voluntarily.

"I think somebody's taken her, without a shadow of a doubt," Propst said Saturday. "Her little girl is her life - she has said that many times - and her family. We're very close."

Jones' daughter is staying with other relatives because Propst wants to shelter her somewhat from what is going on. But Propst said the girl knows something is wrong.

"She says her mommy's lost, but the police are going to find her," Propst said. "But we just drop it at that."

Jones was due to deliver her second child, a boy, this week. Her due date is between Monday and Saturday. Jones was having contractions the week before her disappearance, Propst said.

Jones was last seen at the horse show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County about 5 p.m. Aug. 14. Police found her unlocked car there but said it offered no clues. She went to Hillsboro to meet with the man who Jones' family says is the father of her unborn baby. That man has been cooperating with police through his attorney, authorities said.

Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer reported no new developments Saturday. He said that at least four detectives were working the case at any one time over the weekend to follow up on the many leads. Jones is on a national missing persons registry.

"There's somebody out there who drove past that horse show grounds and saw something," Boyer said.

Friends and family members will release purple balloons and wear stickers with Jones' photo during a candelight vigil on the Civic Center parking lot at 6 p.m. Sunday. The public is invited.

"We want to keep up hope, to keep her in everyone's thoughts," said a friend, Tracy Stone of Hillsboro. "I hope they will find her. That's all I want to believe right now."

Anyone with information about the case can call 636-797-5515.

Jones was wearing a pink top, pink-and-white flowered skirt and pink flip flops when she was last seen. She has blue eyes and light brown hair with blond streaks. Police describe Jones as 5-foot-8 and about 225 pounds.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=83596

Candlelight Vigil Held for Missing Pevely Woman
created: 8/21/2005 9:52:03 PM
updated: 8/22/2005 8:59:41 AM

By Jack Wang

KSDK-As a symbol of hope, Amanda Jones' family, friends and co-workers released purple balloons. Amanda's father Hubert Propst says, "Purple is my daughter's favorite color, she loves purple, purple anything, she's a purple fanatic."

The 26-year-old Pevely woman was last seen one week ago, in the parking lot of the Hillsboro Civic Center. Family members say she came to meet with the father of her unborn son. Police later found her car at the civic center, but no sign of Amanda.

"A nine-month pregnant woman doesn't just disappear like that. Somebody has to have seen or know something, they're just afraid to say," said Bertha Propst, Amanda's mother.

Many tears were shed by her parents and her co-workers at Eagle Bank. "We've all expressed being angry at her. We'd liked the chance to be angry at her. We just want her back. We want the baby back," said Joan Pallme.

Amanda's parents say hope and prayer gives them strength, but time is also their enemy. "It's very hard. It's very hard. I not only have a daughter that's missing out there, but I have a grandson, too, that's missing," said Bertha Propst.

Jefferson County police tell NewsChannel 5 that the girlfriend of the man Jones went to meet last Sunday has hired an attorney. They continue to follow up on more than 150 leads in connection with the disappearance.

http://www.ksdk.com

Family Offers $100,000 Reward To Help Find Missing Pregnant Woman

created: 8/23/2005 11:49:03 AM
updated: 8/23/2005 10:50:50 PM

(KSDK) - Tuesday, Amanda Jones, 26, is supposed to give birth to a baby boy. But she hasn't been seen in more than a week.

Officers searched the Hillsboro Civic Center and Fairgrounds again in a grid search where every inch of land is walked.

Jones vanished when she went to the Civic Center August 14th, reportedly to meet with the father of her unborn child.

Tuesday afternoon, her family offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who gave them information that helped them find her and anyone who may have harmed her.

Hubert Propst, the father of Amanda Jones, says he hopes the money will cause someone to step forward who hasn't stepped forward before.

Police also said Tuesday that the man who Jones was going to meet, the father of her unborn child, is not a suspect, but is a person of interest. They said the same thing about that man's girlfriend.

17 officers are working full-time on the case. So far, 125 leads have been followed. 25 to 30 are still open.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...2?OpenDocument

Reward is offered in search for missing pregnant woman

By Tim Rowden
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/23/2005

An anonymous donor is posting a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the disappearance of a pregnant Pevely woman.

Amanda Jones, who was due to deliver her second child this week, disappeared more than a week ago.

Family members, who continue to hope that she and her baby will come home safe, held a news conference on Tuesday at the Jefferson County sheriff's office in Hillsboro to announce the reward.

"I need to find my daughter and bring her home," said Jones' father, Hubert Propst. "I have the hope that we will find her alive and well. I believe that."

www.ksdk.com

Deputies Search Property In Connection With Missing Woman Case

created: 8/24/2005 5:07:01 PM
updated: 8/24/2005 8:50:59 PM

KSDK-Jefferson County authorities have searched the property of Brian Westfall, the man Angela Jones told her parents she was meeting on the day she disappeared. Some items taken from the property were sent to the Missouri Highway Patrol lab for forensic analysis.

Sheriff Glenn Boyer says Westfall is not a suspect, but is a person of interest. He says Westfall and his attorney have been cooperating with police. Police have previously said the same about Westfall's girlfriend.

This week, officers and volunteers have been searching the Hillsboro Civic Center and Fairgrounds, the last spot where Jones is known to have been seen.

Tuesday afternoon, a $100,000 reward was offered for anyone who gave them information that helped them find her and anyone who may have harmed her.

Hubert Propst, the father of Amanda Jones, says he hopes the money will cause someone to step forward who hasn't stepped forward before.

17 officers are working full-time on the case. So far, more than 170 leads have been followed from 3 states.

http://www.stltoday.com

Police search man's property in hunt for Amanda Jones

By Tim Rowden
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/24/2005

Police investigating the disappearance of a pregnant woman from Pevely searched the home and farm Wednesday of a man who authorities believe was the last person to see her.

Police also said publicly for the first time that they suspect foul play in the disappearance of the woman, Amanda Jones. She was last seen Aug. 14 on the horse show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County.

Police and relatives say Jones, who was nine months pregnant, went to Hillsboro to meet with Bryan Lee Westfall, who her family says is the father of her unborn baby. Police found Jones' unlocked car on the Civic Center parking lot but said it offered no clues.

Jones, 26, a divorced mother of a 4-year-old daughter, is due to deliver her second child, a boy, this week.

Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer said investigators had searched Westfall's home, truck, trailer and farm property near Hillsboro and an adjacent farm belonging to his parents.

Boyer said Westfall had consented to the search, adding that Westfall was "not a suspect" but was considered "a person of interest" in the case.

Boyer said police took several items for forensic testing but declined to specify what they were.

Westfall's attorney, Kevin Roberts, said his client had done nothing wrong and was cooperating with authorities.

Westfall, 36, is a farmer and former college instructor. He is a member of the Hillsboro Community Civic Club, which owns the civic center where Jones' car was found.

A spokesman for Jefferson College in Hillsboro said Westfall taught computer-information systems at the school from April 1999 through May.

Roberts said several items were taken by police with the consent of Westfall and his family but said "nothing of significance was found."

"I am confident that whatever testing is performed on these items, it will substantiate that Mr. Westfall has done nothing wrong and is in no way responsible for Ms. Jones' disappearance," Roberts said. "Mr. Westfall and his family ... continue to pray for Ms. Jones' safe return."

Earlier this week, Jones' family announced that an anonymous donor was posting a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Jones' disappearance.

Jones told her parents, Hubert and Bertha Propst of Festus, that she met Westfall at a Christmas party at the Civic Center last year.

According to her family, Jones didn't have any contact with Westfall during her pregnancy but received a phone call from him on the day she disappeared. Jones told her mother that Westfall wanted to get together for lunch.

Police describe Jones as 5-foot-8 and about 225 pounds. She has blue eyes, blond hair and a dolphin tattoo on her left upper torso. When she was seen last, she was wearing a pink shirt and pink sandals.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 636-797-5515.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...l/12466465.htm

Family farms searched in woman's disappearance

Posted on Wed, Aug. 24, 2005
Associated Press

HILLSBORO, Mo. - The search for a missing pregnant woman in Jefferson County took a new turn Wednesday as officers investigating her disappearance searched two farm properties in rural Hillsboro.

The farms are owned by Bryan Westfall and his parents. Amanda Jones' relatives say Westfall is the father of her unborn child, who was expected to be born sometime this week. Jones disappeared Aug. 14 after meeting Westfall at the Hillsboro Civic Center.

A $100,000 reward has been offered for information on Jones' disappearance or identity of anyone who may have harmed her.

Sheriff Glenn Boyer said he suspects foul play in Jones' disappearance and considers Westfall a "person of interest." Several items were taken from the farms for analysis.

"He was the last to speak to her,." Boyer said. "We haven't been able to document anyone else who saw her since then."

Westfall's attorney, Kevin Roberts, said Westfall and his family consented to the search and cooperated fully. He said nothing of significance was found, but that testing of the seized items will substantiate his client's innocence.

"Mr. Westfall and his family continue to pray for her safe return," Roberts said.

Posted 2/12/06

http://www.missourinet.com/gestalt/g...ator=local.cfm

Foul Play Now Suspected in Disappearance of Jefferson County Woman
by Bob Priddy

Police investigators in Jefferson County are saying for the first time that they suspect foul play in the disappearnace of Amanda Jones eleven days ago. Although the sheriff says the last man believed to have seen her is not a suspect, officers have searched his home, farm property, and other things near Hillsboro, and a farm nearby that belongs to his parents. Sheriff Glnn Boyer says Bryan Lee Westfall had consented to the search. Jones' family says Westfall is the father of Jone's unborn child. She was nine months pregnant when she disappeared.

http://www.foxktvi.com/
SEARCH FOR AMANDA JONES TAKES NEW TURN
The search for a missing pregnant woman from Jefferson County takes a new turn as investigators focus on two pieces of property owned by the man her relatives say is the father of the unborn child. Westfall's attorney says Westfall consented to a search of his property. He even allowed investigators to seize items for testing.

Investigators say Amanda Jones disappeared 10 days ago after meeting with Westfall at the Civic Center in Hillsboro. Westfall's denial comes after the sheriff--for the first time--classifies him as a person of interest in the case. Westfall also questions whether he is the father of Jones' unborn son. Investigators confirm both aerial and canine assisted ground searches of Westfall's vehicle, home and property. They're releasing few details about what they've found.

Jones' sister says early in her pregnancy, Westfall told her he wanted her to have an abortion. Westfall's attorney says that's not true. Jones is due this week with her second child. There is a $100,000 reward in the case. If you have any information on the disappearance of Amanda Jones, call the Jefferson County sheriff's tip line at 636-797-5515.

Older article

http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stori....a83bcbfe.html

Parents of missing pregnant woman finger baby's father

11:28 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 24, 2005

By Donna Savarese, News 4

The parents of Amanda Jones are not mincing words about their daughter's disappearance. They know what happened to their daughter, they said in a Wednesday interview.

"The last person to see her was the father of her baby -- Bryan Westfall," Hubert Probst said.

Donning purple ribbons in hopes of finding their daughter, Probst took the gloves off Wednesday in speaking to a national media outlet about Westfall, who has been named a "person of interest" in the case.

When asked if Jones informed Westfall of her pregnancy when she learned she was expecting, her father said Westfall knew.

"She told him, and he said, 'I don't want a thing to do with you or the baby,'" Probst said.

Jones and Westfall had not seen each other since that conversation, Probst said, until the morning of her disappearance.

"The morning of the abduction, he called her and said, 'We've got to meet,'" he said. "I'm not stupid. I wasn't born yesterday."

Probst urged the public to consider the $100,000 reward being offered by an anonymous donor.

"I want people to search their heart," he said. "If they know something and don't do what is right, then they're just as guilty and going to have to answer to a higher power."

http://wb11tv.trb.com/kplr-news-0823...ll=kplr-home-1

Pregnant Woman Missing: $100,000 Reward

The parents of Amanda Jones hope a $100,000 reward will lead them to their daughter.

They announced an anonymous donor from out-of-state is putting up the money. "I need to find my daughter. I need to bring her home," said a tearful Hubert Propst, Amanda's Father. F.B.I. agents returned to the civic center on Tuesday. That's where Jones was last seen a week ago Sunday. They searched the bathrooms looking for evidence.

Jones was due to deliver her baby Monday and takes medication for a medical condition. "We're getting to that critical hour where we need to find her," said Jefferson County Sheriff, Glenn Boyer. Jones' parents hope the $100,000 reward will lead them to Amanda. "I'm hoping somebody says, wow, 100-thousand dollars, yeah, I have some information," said Amanda's mother, Bertha Propst.

Amanda's parents say their daughter seemed distressed and preoccupied during her last known cell phone conversation with a family member, but they remain convinced Jones did not leave on her own.

"Let me tell you something, she didn't walk away on her own. She could hardly walk," said Hubert Propst. Police say cooperation from the man believed to be the baby's father and his current girlfriend has been limited. "We're talking to them through an attorney. They've been cooperative but it's been through an attorney," said Sheriff Boyer.

The family says they have no conflicting information other than there is cooperation. They are also getting support from throughout the community. The search for Jones has gained national attention. "Oh yeah, everybody's talking about it," said one resident. "Just how sad and unfortunate it is," said a woman who works in Hillsboro. "Everybody's talking about it, but nobody knows any information about where she is," said a nearby resident.

That's why Jones' family hopes the reward will be what ends their pain. "Hopefully this $100,000 might jog somebody's memory and say, yes I did see something that day and I was hesitant in coming forward but for $100,000 sure, I'll take that big step," said Sheriff Boyer. Anyone who has information in the case should contact the Jefferson County Sheriff Department at 636-797-5515.

http://www.kmov.com/localnews/storie...c17dfea .html

Police track leads in search for missing pregnant woman

05:33 PM CDT on Thursday, August 25, 2005

(KMOV) -- Police continue to track numerous leads in the search for a missing pregnant woman from Jefferson County.

The family of 27-year-old Amanda Jones is helping in the search.

Relatives passed out fliers at a Wal-mart in Festus this afternoon.

Police say they have tracked more than 180 leads since Amanda disappeared on Sunday, august 14th.

Police are now revisiting parts of their investigation.

Police say no one officially has been labeled a suspect in the case.

A $100,000 reward has been offered for information on Jones' disappearance or identity of anyone who may have harmed her.

http://ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=83858

Timeline Shows Gap In Disappearance Of Amanda Jones

created: 8/25/2005 5:53:15 PM
updated: 8/25/2005 6:12:31 PM

By Mike Owens
Investigative Reporter

KSDK-Authorities in Jefferson County are reconstructing a timeline for when Amanda Jones was last seen.

Jones is the 26 year old pregnant women who vanished Sunday, August 14th. Her family says she was meeting with the man she said was the father of her unborn baby, and that the two were to discuss the child's last name and the father's responsibility.

The timeline authorities are looking at includes a three hour time gap reported by Amanda's father, Hubert Propst.

Here's the timeline:

9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Amanda is photographed at her church, Calvary Assembly of God in Festus, for a Sunday school promotion.

12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., Amanda leaves her four year old with her parents, and kisses her daughter and mother goodbye, saying she would see them later.

1:00 p.m., Meet with Bryan Westfall, the man she says is the father of her unborn child.

2:00 p.m., Westfall tells Hubert Propst that the two met at the Hillsboro Civic Center, and she announced she needed to go to the toilet. Sheriff's deputies say Westfall, who was a volunteer at the civic center, unlocks the facilities door so she has access.

Here's where the timeline has a gap.

Propst says Westfall told him that he last saw Amanda at two, while she's talking on the phone, but in a later conversation, he tells Propst that he saw her again at 5:00 p.m., and she was still on the phone. Propst says that's impossible.

Propst and Westfall talk on the phone after five at least three times, according to Propst family friends. At 9:00 or 9:30, the decision is made to call the sheriff's department in Hillsboro.

Sheriff's deputies start looking for Amanda, and with the help of a family friend, they find her car at the civic center.

Monday, the alert goes out for Amanda.

Deputies are now re-interviewing witnesses, to see if their memories have improved, or if their stories don't connect.

At this point, they have 40 more leads to go on, leads that were generated by the $100,000 reward offered earlier this week. The reward was offered by an anonymous stranger.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...7?OpenDocument

Man details meeting missing pregnant woman

By Tim Rowden
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/25/2005

When Amanda Jones, the missing pregnant woman from Pevely, first told Bryan Lee Westfall that she was expecting, he denied that the child was his, according to his attorney, Kevin Roberts.

That was in January, Roberts says, and Westfall didn't hear from Jones again until earlier this month, when Jones contacted him to talk about the birth of the child she expected to deliver this week.

In an interview on Thursday, Roberts gave his client's account of the events leading up to her disappearance. Jones, 26, hasn't been seen or heard from since meeting with Westfall nearly two weeks ago at the horse show grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center on Highway 21 in central Jefferson County.

Police have described Westfall, a 36-year-old farmer and former instructor at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, as "a person of interest" but say they have neither identified nor eliminated anyone as a suspect in Jones' disappearance

Roberts said he was hired by Westfall to handle the crush of investigators and local and national media looking into the case.

Roberts declined to discuss Westfall's relationship with Jones other than to reaffirm that Westfall did not believe he was the father of Jones' unborn child, a son, which she was expected to deliver this week.

"I don't want to get into the specifics of what their relationship or lack of relationship is," Roberts said. "Suffice to say that there are serious questions as to whether he is the father. I don't want to comment further on their relationship out of respect to both of them." Jones' family, however, has maintained that Westfall is the father of her baby.

The two met at a Christmas party at the Civic Center. Roberts said Westfall has had no contact with Jones between January and about Aug. 9 when she called to tell him again about her pregnancy and that she was due to deliver. Roberts said the two of them had agreed to meet on Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Civic Center.

"Those were the only contacts that they had," Roberts said.

"He agreed to meet her at the Civic Club, on a Sunday afternoon, right out in the middle of public," Roberts said. "He didn't ask to meet her in some remote location. It was right there next to a major highway where people actually drive."

Westfall is a member of the Hillsboro Community Civic Club, which owns the Civic Center. Roberts said Westfall was volunteering at the club grounds, doing some work, when Jones arrived about 1 p.m.

Roberts said Westfall had walked down to the parking lot to meet Jones and the two of them had walked to a nearby pavilion in the shade, where they could talk.

They talked for about an hour, Roberts said.

"She was describing to him, obviously, that she was pregnant, and they were just discussing it," Roberts said. "It was not in any way a confrontational conversation."

Roberts said that Jones had told Westfall that she needed to use the restroom and that he had used his key to the Civic Center to let her inside.

Roberts said Westfall then walked Jones to her car, where she got inside, turned on the air-conditioner and answered a call on her cell phone.

Roberts said Westfall then went back to the work he was doing elsewhere on the Civic Center property. Roberts said Westfall told him he continued working for about three hours, cleaning up from summer events and getting ready for fall activities.

"He was retrieving some things that had been there since the last event and was making some preparations for the upcoming rodeo," Roberts said.

Westfall said he saw Jones still in her car, but on a different part of the parking lot, as he was leaving the Civic Center about 5 p.m. Jones appeared to be talking on her cell phone, Westfall said, but he couldn't be sure.

"From 2 to 5 p.m., what she did or where she went, we have no idea," Roberts said.

Jones is a loan administrator at Eagle Bank in Festus and a divorced mother of a 4-year-old daughter. Jones was reported missing that night by her parents, who were baby-sitting her daughter in Festus.

Police visited Westfall's home that night, Roberts said, and twice again on the next two days.

Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer said investigators conducted on Wednesday an extensive search of Westfall's home, truck, trailer and farm property near Hillsboro and an adjacent farm belonging to his parents. Boyer said that Westfall had consented to the search and that police had taken several items for forensic testing.

On Thursday, Lt. Col. Steven Meinberg of the Jefferson County sheriff's office said investigators had received 180 tips in the case, about 40 of which came in this week after Jones' family announced that an anonymous donor was posting a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in her disappearance.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 636-797-5515.

http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stori....b263ecc3.html

Reward donor in Jones case has donated to families across country

10:48 PM CDT on Friday, August 26, 2005

A Philadelphia man revealed himself as the anonymous donor putting up a $100,000 reward for information that will solve the case of missing pregnant woman Amanda Jones on Friday.

Joe Mammana has offered millions of dollars in reward money to help solve missing persons cases across the country over the last decade. He heard about the missing Jefferson County woman's case this week and called her family.

"Her family has been very receptive," he said. "I've pledged to them that we'll do whatever we can to bring this to -- I don't like the word 'closure' because there's no such thing to me."

Jones has been missing for almost two weeks. Her family and Mammana hope the money will motivate someone to come forward with information.

"When I see people who don't have the capability [to offer reward money, I give,]" he said. "Money is a motivating factor."

Mammana will head to Aruba this week to meet with Beth Holloway Twitty, the mother of missing teenager Natalie Holloway. He donated a $250,000 reward in that case.

He also plans to travel to St. Louis to meet with the Jones family.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=83899

Philadelphia Man: Why I Posted $100,000 To Help Find Amanda Jones

created: 8/26/2005 408 PM
updated: 8/26/2005 6:08:03 PM


By Kelly Jackson

KSDK-We now know who is providing the 100-thousand dollar reward in the Amanda Jones case.

Joe Mammana has never met Jones' family. In fact, he doesn't even live in Missouri. But he's no stranger to helping families of those missing and victims of crime.

Earlier this week, Mammana appeared on MSNBC to discuss Amanda Jones and other missing people cases. The 46 year old Philadelphia egg company owner says he's donated millions of his own money in hundreds of cases over the years including Natalie Holloway and Philadelphia mom-to-be Latoya Figuerora, whose boyfriend was recently arrested for her murder.

In a phone interview to News Channel Five today Mammana says,
"Sometimes it doesn't seem fair when one family gets a large reward and another family doesn't get anything. I have the capabilities of spreading myself across the board and that's what I want to do."

And that's what he did for Amanda Jones' family.

The 26 year old Pevely woman, due to give birth any day, disappeared August 14th from the Hillsboro Civic Center.

She was there to meet Bryan Westfall, who her family says is the father of her unborn baby boy. Her father, Hubert Propst, says he was in the process of trying to create a reward fund when he got the call this week from Mammana.

Propst says, "I was thinking of going to the churches or whatever to see what I could get some money to make a reward, and the phone call came....100-thousand dollars."

Mammana says he's found that money encourages people to come forward.
"You have to have the right amount of money to do these kinds of things. Two or three-thousand dollars usually doesn't stimulate these kinds of things. When you get to the 100-thousand dollar range, it changes the scope real quickly."