A person of interest in the disappearance of Amanda Jones 16 years ago has died, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said today (Dec. 9).
Bryan Westfall, 53, of Hillsboro died Tuesday (Dec. 7) after suffering what appeared to be a stroke, Marshak said.
Jones, who lived in Pevely, was 26 and nine months pregnant with her second child when she went missing Aug. 14, 2005, after meeting with Westfall, the man she said was the father of her unborn child.
“The sudden death of Bryan Westfall has shocked all of us beyond belief," said Jones’ parents, Hubert and Bertha Propst, and Jones’ daughter, Hannah Jones, according to a statement from the family’s attorney, Dan Zdrodowski of the Shenandoah Law Firm in Clayton.
“We as a family feel cheated that Bryan has died before we could find our daughter Amanda and unborn grandson, Hayden. This news follows our recent legal actions against Bryan, and we feel that another opportunity to get a step closer in finding them has been lost.”
The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Westfall on Oct. 30 in Jefferson County Circuit Court, according to court records.
Zdrodowski said the family will continue to pursue the lawsuit.
A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 4, 2022, in front of Div. 4 Circuit Judge Brenda Stacey to decide if the case will go to a jury trial, he said.
“We will have to make some adjustments to the case,” Zdrodowski said. “I wouldn’t have filed a case like this if from Day 1 I didn’t think we had enough evidence to meet that civil burden.”
The Sheriff’s Office had been working with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Cold Case Unit on the case, and Marshak said investigators had gone to Westfall’s girlfriend’s parent’s home on Monday (Dec. 6) to interview them, let them know they would be reaching out to Westfall’s girlfriend and inform them Westfall was going to be charged by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
He said the Attorney General’s Office had not decided what it was going to charge Westfall for in the case.
Marshak said investigators were informed Tuesday that Westfall had been admitted to an area hospital, and he died later that day.
Marshak said a family member called Jefferson County 911 at 8:58 p.m. Sunday (Dec 5) and requested an ambulance be sent to a home on White Road in Hillsboro. The caller said Westfall collapsed there when he stood up to use the restroom, and that he was suffering from a headache prior to the collapse.
He said the Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate Jones’ disappearance.
“This continues to be an active investigation, and we will proceed to follow leads and interview witnesses to resolve this case until we are satisfied that its complete,” Marshak said. “We feel we have more to learn, and despite the passing of Bryan, we feel more work needs to be done.”
Marshak said Westfall has always been considered a person of interest in the case.
In August 2005, Jones went to the Hillsboro Community Civic Center to meet Westfall to confront him about the baby because he had denied that the child was his, Jones’ parents have said in the past.
Police later found Jones’ unlocked and abandoned car parked at the Hillsboro Civic Center. Inside, they found her keys, but her purse was not located in the car.
In 2019, Marshak said a partial search was conducted on Westfall’s Hillsboro property in 2005 with Westfall’s lawyer present. He also said Westfall was interviewed in 2005, but since then Westfall’s attorney has denied requests from the Sheriff’s Office to talk to his client.
“What some people really struggle with on this case is the fact we didn’t get everything we might have wanted from Bryan, but that’s because we follow the law and abide by constitutional protections afforded to every citizen,” Marshak said. “Constitutional protections are at the forefront of our investigations, and we will follow the laws that protect all Americans regardless of what we might think or want, and that’s a good thing.”
In their statement, Jones’ family said they will continue their search for Jones and her unborn child.
“We send our sincere condolences to his (Bryan Westfall’s) parents for their loss,” the statement said. “We know all too well the heartbreak and pain of losing a child. Fortunately, the Westfall family can lay their child to rest in a sacred place; we still have not had that opportunity.
“We will continue our search for Amanda and Hayden, to bring them home so we can have closure and peace, and we will not give up until we get answers.”