Approximately 35 people gathered Aug. 10 at the Larry G. Crites Memorial Park in Festus to remember Amanda Jones, a Pevely woman who went missing 19 years ago, said Hannah Jones, Amanda’s daughter.
Amanda, who lived in Pevely, was 26 and nine months pregnant with her second child when she disappeared on Aug. 14, 2005.
Pictures of Amanda Jones were posted under a pavilion at Larry G. Crites Memorial Park in Festus.
Hannah, who was 4 when her mother went missing, organized last weekend’s remembrance ceremony, which included a balloon release with a memory of Amanda attached to each balloon.
Bertha Propst, Amanda’s mother and Hannah’s grandmother, said her daughter’s favorite song, “Angels Among Us” by Alabama, was played during the release.
“I felt like it went really well,” Hannah said. “It was nice to see people come out for her (Amanda) and share memories. It was emotional and nice to have all of those people there in support.”
Propst said the event was held to reignite interest in the case.
“It’s not solved,” she said. “That was our main message.”
Amanda’s case is one of 17 open missing persons cases the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Lt. Matt Moore said that’s about the average number of missing persons cases the Sheriff’s Office typically has open.
“We have some old missing person cases, and we still get tips on those,” Moore said. “We will investigate until we find them.”
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s website, mshp.dps.missouri.gov, the disappearance of Geneva Verneal Adams in July 1976 is the oldest open missing person case the Sheriff’s Office is investigating. The Herculaneum Police Department is also investigating that case.
Mariah Davidson, a 16-year-old Hillsboro girl, went missing on July 21, and hers is the most recent missing persons case the Sheriff’s Office has opened.
As of Aug. 9, there were a total of 23 active missing-person cases in all of Jefferson County listed on the Highway Patrol website. The Byrnes Mill Police Department has one open case; Crystal City Police have two; Festus Police have two; and Hillsboro Police have one.
“(The cases) are always on your mind,” said Crystal City Police Capt. Mike Pruneau, whose agency has been searching for Diana Braungardt since 1987 and Robert Leo Parr since 2009. “You will catch yourself sleeping and waking up thinking about if you crossed this ‘t’ or dotted this ‘i.’ It is challenging.”
Asking for help
The Sheriff’s Office recently requested the public’s help in its search for Richard Jones, a missing military veteran from House Springs.
Jones was reported missing June 9, 2022, when he was 42.
Moore said investigators do not believe a crime was involved in Jones’ disappearance, and because the search is not considered a criminal investigation, the Sheriff’s Office is limited in what it can do to locate Jones.
“It is not a crime to go missing,” Moore said. “If it were a criminal investigation, we could request search warrants for his phone, bank accounts and his social media (activities). We are a little bit limited as far as resources (we can use) in our investigation. That is why we are putting this out there and relying on tips from the public to give us a call where he is at.”
Moore said Jones was renting a mobile home in the 6000 block of Second Street in House Springs. and his landlord contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report Jones missing.
Moore said Jones left behind his military uniform and medals and other belongings, like electronic devices.
Neighbors described Jones as a bit of a recluse, who they rarely saw in the neighborhood, Moore said.
He said a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw Jones walking in the area on March 29, 2022, and stopped to check on him and then gave Jones a ride to the Shady Beach Campground, 136 Shady Beach Lane, in St. Clair.
Moore said the deputy told investigators Jones was not acting suspiciously, and the deputy checked to see if he was wanted on any outstanding warrants before driving him to the campground.
Investigators spoke to the campground manager and were told Shady Beach would have been closed at that time.
Someone told investigators a person who may have been Jones was seen at a Dollar General in St. Clair in late March or early April 2022, Moore said.
He said Jones was not in communication with his family members, who live on the East Coast. Moore said members of missing persons Facebook page groups and military members have contacted the Sheriff’s Office to assist in the search.
“They (members of the military) have a general interest in the case because he was a member of the military,” Moore said.
Dealing with loss
Hannah Jones said it’s difficult not knowing what happened to her mother and unborn brother, who was to be named Hayden.
“Mainly the support from family has gotten me through the last 19 years and really just never giving up on the hopes of her still being out there,” said Hannah, 24, of Pevely.
Amanda went missing after meeting Brian Westfall, who she said was the father of her unborn child, at the Hillsboro Community Civic Center. Westfall, who was a person of interest in the case, died in 2021.
Family and friends gather in Festus to remember the missing Amanda Jones. Some of Amanda’s family members are pictured, from left: her mother, Bertha Probst; her daughter, Hannah Jones; her sister, Carrie Alfred; and her brother, Brian Probst.
Hannah, who works as a chiropractor assistant in Festus, said the best way to help someone who is dealing with a missing loved one is to talk with them about what happened and provide hope the person may be found.
She also advises people to avoid saying, “Get over it, move on or I know what you are going through.”
“They actually don’t know what you are going through,” said Hannah, whose father and Amanda’s former husband, Scott Jones, died in 2007. “I tell them they don’t know what it is like to not have any parents. I also tell them to feel lucky and grateful they can grow up with their parents and have them in their lives.”
Hannah said even though she still hopes to reunite with her mom, she knows Amanda and Hayden are likely dead.
“It would just be great if we could find their remains and have a proper burial for them to lay them to rest.”
Active cases
The following active missing persons cases in Jefferson County are listed on the Highway Patrol’s website. The information is derived from the National Crime Information Center via the investigating agency and is automatically updated to the webpage each day.
■ Geneva Verneal Adams, missing since July 24, 1976; investigating agencies: Herculaneum Police and Sheriff’s Office.
■ Peggy Lynn Alt, missing since March 2, 1985; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Diana Braungardt, missing since March 11, 1987; investigating agency: Crystal City Police.
■ Ronnie A. Bolin, missing since July 8, 1996; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Joan Marie Travis, missing since March 11, 1998; investigating agency: Hillsboro Police.
■ Mark A. Maty, missing since Dec. 3, 2003; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Amanda K. Jones, missing since Aug. 14, 2005; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Kevin P. Garfield, missing since March 5, 2009; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Robert Leo Parr, missing since Dec. 10, 2009; investigating agency: Crystal City Police.
■ Robert Leslie Braun, missing since Oct. 1, 2010; investigating agency: Sheriffs’ Office.
■ John Paul Parton, missing since May 16, 2021; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Brittny Marie Airsman, missing since Jan. 9, 2022; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Richard D. Jones, missing since June 9, 2022; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Richard Matthew J. Fondrick, missing since March 8, 2022; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Candice Faith Koch, missing since May 16, 2022; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Nicklas B. Carpenter, missing since April 3, 2023; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Wesley G. Moser, missing since May 1, 2023; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Juan A. Ramirez, missing since Aug. 12, 2023; investigating agency: Byrnes Mill Police.
■ Serenity May Howery, missing since March 26, 2024; investigating agency: Festus Police.
■ Rosalee Joy O’Bryan, missing since March 26, 2024; investigating agency: Festus Police.
■ Emily Anne Strite, missing since April 2, 2024; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Jesse James Austin, missing since July 4, 2024; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
■ Mariah Davidson, missing since July 21, 2024; investigating agency: Sheriff’s Office.
Those with information about an open case should contact the investigating agency.