Joey Lynn Offutt, 33 MISSING 7-12-07 may be crime victim, PA

[bleachedblack]

Autopsy to tell whether baby is missing woman's
33-year-old may be crime victim

Posted on Wed, Jul. 18, 2007
Investigators continue to look for a woman with State College ties who is missing after a fire destroyed her Jefferson County residence while they await autopsy results to determine the identity of an infant found in the burned-out building.

Police are looking for Joey Lynn Offutt, 33, whose 1994 Saturn coupe was found by State College police Monday on Waupelani Drive, near where she once had an apartment.

It is still unclear whether Offutt -- who had a 6-week-old boy -- had something to do with the fire at 4 a.m. Thursday that destroyed the Sykesville residence. The body of an infant was found in the remains of the building.

Without the autopsy results, troopers cannot say whether the infant is Offutt's son.

"Whether she was directly involved in this or if she was abducted, investigators are chasing that all down right now," said state police Trooper Bruce A. Morris, public information officer for Troop C. "It's almost like she's fallen off the face of the planet."

State police are appealing to the public for help find Offutt, saying it's possible she herself is a crime victim.

"I'm confident this case is going to be resolved," Morris said. "She's the key to this whole thing."

Offutt is a white woman, 5 feet 3 inches tall with a thin build, brown hair and brown eyes.

She is officially a missing person and state police have entered her into the National Crime Information Center as such.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact state police at DuBois at 371-4652.

Pete Bosak can be reached at 235-3928.

[pdh3]

OMG! An infant's body....this is just another terrible story.

[bleachedblack]

Police Question Neighbors About Missing Woman

POSTED: 11:53 am EDT July 20, 2007

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- While police continue their search for a missing woman whose house was destroyed by a fire late last week, people in the neigborhood where her car was found said officials have been canvassing the area asking them what they know about the case.

It's been nearly a week since Joey Lynn Offutt's car was found abandoned at a State College apartment complex.

Some people who live at the Nittany Garden apartments have been speculating about what might have happened to her.

"I thought it was an abduction. The cop wasn't sure," said Tom Gardner.

George Elder talked about what police asked him.

"They asked what we had seen and they gave us pictures of her and her boyfriend and asked if we had seen them lately and any other information we had on them," he said.

Offutt's 1994 Saturn was found near where she once had an apartment. She has been missing since last week when the house she was renting in Sykesville burned down. The body of a baby was found inside the home. Investigators are still waiting for autopsy results to determine if it was Offutt's child.

In the meantime, police have been asking for the public's help in finding her. Offutt is a 33-year-old white woman 5 feet 3 inches tall, with a thin build, brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Offutt or the fire is asked to call Pennsylvania state police at 371-4652.

http://www.wjactv.com/news/13721839/detail.html

[bleachedblack]

Joey Offutt Missing Since Fire Destroyed Her Home

July 24, 2007

SYKESVILLE, Pa. (Crime Library)  — Police are asking for the public's help in locating a woman who has been missing since a fire destroyed her home two weeks ago, killing an unidentified infant child.

On Thursday, July 12, Jefferson County firefighters were dispatched to an early-morning house fire in Sykesville.  By the time they controlled the blaze, the swift-moving fire had completely destroyed the home.  When police arrived on the scene to investigate, they found the body of an infant in the remains of the burned house.  When police questioned the owners, they learned 33-year-old Joey Lynn Offutt had been renting the house.  Neither Joey nor her car was found at the scene.

>>>>>The Full Story

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0707/2401_Joey_Offutt.html

[oldencrabby]

Thanks to bleachedblack for starting this thread. This article includes information that Ms. Offutt's two other children were at the house at the time of the fire and mentions that Ms. Offutt speaks with a lisp.

DuBOIS - The state police are continuing their search for a woman who hasn't been seen since a fire heavily damaged her rented home in Sykesville.

Joey Lynn Offutt, 33, has been the object of an intensive search since the July 12 fire at 90 Dr. Fugate Drive, Sykesville.

In the course of the fire investigation, the remains of an infant child were located inside the residence. Results of an autopsy to determine the identity of the child and the manner of its death have not been released.
Two other children in the home escaped injury and were last reported to be staying with relatives.

Offutt has not been seen since prior to the fire. Investigators feel there are suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance and have a concern for her welfare.

Her vehicle, a red 1994 Saturn Coupe with Virginia Registration JXN8871, was located near the Nittany Gardens Apartments in State College.
Offutt is 5 feet, 3 inches tall. She weighs 110 pounds. She has a small build and brown hair and has glasses.

She also has a speech impairment, a lisp, and is known to frequent the State College and Winchester areas of Pennsylvania.

Anyone with information on Offutt's whereabouts should call the state police at 371-4652 or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS. All callers to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18634773&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=6

[bleachedblack]

Thanks for the update oldencrabby. I will keep my eyes open and my prayers flowing.

[bleachedblack]

Reward Offered For Missing Woman

POSTED: 6:40 pm EDT July 26, 2007

http://www.wjactv.com/news/13764332/detail.html

[bleachedblack]

 Worried Sister  Worried Sister is offline
Registered User
        
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 2
Need to clear up any misconceptions.
Joey Offutt is my sister. The family believes that she has been missing days before the fire started. The baby found in the fire was her newborn son. Her other children are being cared for by our family. We are all very worried for her and we fear the worst has happened. Unfortunately, the police are not sharing as much of their investigation with us as we would like. They are researching all avenues, but these things take time. We can only hope that Joey has that time. Any help that the public can give us would be greatly appreciated. We know that someone out there knows what happened that night, please come forward. Let us find closer for our family and her children.

http://tinyurl.com/2e8f4r

[MuffyBee]

Worried Sister  Worried Sister is offline
Registered User
        
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 2
Need to clear up any misconceptions.
Joey Offutt is my sister. The family believes that she has been missing days before the fire started. The baby found in the fire was her newborn son. Her other children are being cared for by our family. We are all very worried for her and we fear the worst has happened. Unfortunately, the police are not sharing as much of their investigation with us as we would like. They are researching all avenues, but these things take time. We can only hope that Joey has that time. Any help that the public can give us would be greatly appreciated. We know that someone out there knows what happened that night, please come forward. Let us find closer for our family and her children.

http://tinyurl.com/2e8f4r

This is the first I've seen news about the identity of the baby found in the fire.  It is so sad.  And her other children must wonder about their mother.  Joey's family must be most distraught. 

[bleachedblack]

Family creates Web site for former Va. woman missing since July

Associated Press - August 14, 2007 3:25 PM ET

SYKESVILLE, Pa. (AP) - The family of a missing Pennsylvania woman has created a Web site hoping to bring in tips to her whereabouts.

Thirty-3-year-old Joey Lynn Offutt hasn't been seen since the remains of an infant were found in her burned-out home on July 12th. Offutt previously lived in Warrenton, Virginia.

Offutt's car was found in State College four days later, but her whereabouts and other questions remain.

On the findjoey.org Web site, Offutt's family says they believe the remains are those of the woman's six-week-old son. State police say autopsy results and other tests have yet to confirm the baby's identity or cause of death.

Offutt has two older children who are staying with relatives.

State police have not filed charges in connection with the fire or the remains. They say they want to find Offutt primarily to make sure she's OK.

http://www.findjoey.org/

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6930763&nav=S6aK

[Nut44x4]

For some reason I feel the need to post this info here...not sure why, it could be anyone. Keep in mind we have a few missing from Ohio and transporting a body across state lines is not uncommon...so this may even be one of our Ohio missing...or anyone, for that matter. It is, however very unlikely, if not impossible that these bones are those of anyone from Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville on 911. Too far away for one thing...anyway>>>

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
December 5, 2007 Wednesday 

Police seeking clues in bones discovery in Sharpsburg
  

Allegheny County police are reviewing missing persons reports as they work to solve the mystery of human bones that were found washed up on the shore of the Allegheny River in Sharpsburg.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office has not made determinations regarding the race, gender or height of the person. Fishermen found bones from a leg, including a foot with a tennis shoe attached, near the 62nd Street Bridge on Sunday.

Police searched the river bank but did not find anything else, county police Assistant Superintendent James Morton said.

Anyone with information should contact the medical examiner's office at 412-350-4800 or county homicide detectives at 412-473-1300. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:711479054&start=14

[Nut44x4]

http://www.wjactv.com/news/14926417/detail.html

Joey Lynn Offutt's House To Be Torn Down Soon

December 26, 2007

SYKESVILLE, Pa. -- Back in November, Channel Six News reported that Joey Lynn Offutt's house could be torn down by the end of this year, to make way for a church parking lot.

While it may not be razed by the end of the year, church officials said the house will be coming down soon.

They added that a demolition company will come to tear down the house when the weather cooperates.

In July, fire severely damaged the house and Joey Lynn Offutt disappeared.

While investigating the fire, police found a dead baby in a bathtub.

That baby has never been identified.

Church officials said that very few people in Sykesville knew Offutt, but her disappearance has affected residents.

"They have a lot of questions about what happened," said Father John Mihalco. "But we trust the police are investigating as best as they can."

[Nut44x4]

Oops......should have posted this one first>>

House of Missing Jefferson County Woman To Be Sold

October 16, 2007

SYKESVILLE, Pa. -- Three months ago, Joey Lynn Offutt disappeared after a fire destroyed her Sykesville home.

As police investigated the fire, they found the body of a baby.

The baby has never been identified, and Offutt has never been located.

Now, Offutt's family is taking steps to tear down her damaged home.

Offutt's mother is selling the house to the Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church, located across the street.

The church will use the property as a parking lot.

[Nut44x4]

This story was reported yesterday morning, but did not include Joey's name. When I read that remains were found and matched her description I felt at the time it may be her, but could not understand a NC connection. Anyway....they are now trying to determine if the remains found in PA are Joey's.>>>>>>>
Pennsylvania authorities are investigating whether the skeletal remains of a woman who may have spent time in Raleigh are those of Joey Lynn Offutt of Sykesville, Pa., who went missing after her infant son was killed in a house fire six months ago.
Offutt is 5-foot-3, weighs 110 pounds and has brown hair, a description that resembles that of the body found last week in a patch of woods near Somerset, Pa., in the southwest part of the state. But Pennsylvania police said Saturday they don't know if the remains are of Offutt, who was 33 when she disappeared.

It's not clear how the woman died. Pennsylvania police won't rule out foul play until after a medical examination of the remains.

Pennsylvania authorities alerted Raleigh police and the Wake County Sheriff's Office after they found a prescription medicine bottle from Raleigh among the dead woman's possessions.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/852545.html

[Nut44x4]

collecting evidence

[MuffyBee]

This is really, really sad.  I hope Joey Lynn Offutt can be found, preferably alive, but it appears that might not be possible.    It's a real shame about the baby  .  If the house doesn't have any more clues to yield, maybe it's good that it will be torn down and be parking for the church. 

[Nut44x4]

1/2/2008: We are aware that a body matching the description of Joey was found on December 26 in a wooded area in Somerset County, PA. While the description of the woman's body does seem to fit the physical description of Joey, and the estimated timeframe of the woman's death seems to be around the time Joey went missing, there was apparently other items at the scene that do not match up with what we know about Joey. We have not been contacted by the state police and we have been given no indication (other than media speculation) that the remains found belong to Joey. We will continue to monitor the news reports until identification is made. All of Joey's family members continue to hold out hope that Joey will soon be found alive and safe. We all miss her and her children really need her. She has missed her oldest daughter's birthday, her own birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Her disappearance has left a hole in our family, and we urge anyone with any information to please contact us.
http://www.findjoey.org/

[bleachedblack]

Update in Missing Person Case

Apr 17, 2008
(Jefferson County) -- An update in a local missing person case. Joey Lynn Offutt's family is now offering a $10,000 reward for any information that will help find her.

Last July investigators found a baby's body in a burned-out in Offutt's Sykesville home. She lived in the home with her children and has been missing since July.

She's 34 years old, 5'3", thin with brown hair and brown eyes.

http://wearecentralpa.com/content/fulltext/?cid=6459

[bleachedblack]

Case #1203

http://www.pacrimestoppers.org/fugitive/1203.htm

[Nut44x4]

HAT TIP Faith @ HFTM

UPDATE (10/11/2008): The family of Joey Lynn Offutt has announced that the reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Joey Lynn Offutt has been increased to $15,000. We are also pleased to report that America's Most Wanted will be featuring Joey's case on an upcoming program set to air in November.

UPDATE (11/6/2008): We are happy to report that America's Most Wanted plans to feature a segment on Joey Lynn Offutt, the single mother missing from Sykesville, PA since July 2007. The air date for the segment is currently set for Saturday, November 15 on FOX. The air date is subject to change, due to late-breaking stories or recent captures.
Joey's family is hopeful that this national exposure will help generate new leads in our search for her.
http://www.findjoey.org/