The Fort Worth Police Department continues its search for a woman who went missing several months ago. Officials, however, believe the woman may be dead.
Fort Worth PD announced on April 18 that they were searching for 44-year-old Sheri Lynne Vickers, who had gone missing on March 23. Vickers was last seen at 11 a.m. at the 2600 block of Cherry Lane in Fort Worth.
Detective Joey McAnally of the Fort Worth PD told NBC 5 DFW that Vickers had last been seen entering a white truck with two other people: John Lewis, her on-and-off boyfriend, and an unidentified woman, thought to be his friend.
Tracking Vickers’ cellphone, investigators determined the truck was in Breckenridge, Texas; however, while Vickers was in the vehicle at this location, activity on her devices ceased.
“Her social media, her phone, nothing is ever used again by Sheri,” said McAnally, per NBC.
McAnally said that Vickers was not seen exiting the vehicle, adding eyewitness accounts saying that Vickers appeared unconscious, passed out, or asleep in the front seat of the vehicle.
The woman who had been in the vehicle with Vickers apparently told investigators that when she got out of the vehicle in Breckenridge, Vickers was still unconscious. Later, after seeing Lewis again, the unidentified woman was allegedly told by Lewis that he had dropped Vickers off in Fort Worth.
Currently in jail for other crimes, Lewis has reportedly not been cooperating with investigators, refusing to give any information on Vickers or her whereabouts.
“That’s not really normal, for us to call and say, ‘Hey, you were last with so-and-so, what happened?’ And then to say, ‘I’m not going to tell you,'” said McAnally, per NBC 5.
This information, combined with the lack of substantial evidence in the subsequent months, led Detective McAnally to believe Vickers may be dead. McAnally posited that Vickers may have died due to “unknown circumstances” and that another person may have disposed of the body.
“I think there is a chance that I could be wrong,” added McAnally, per NBC 5. “I wouldn’t mind if I was. But the circumstances around her being asleep in the truck, never waking up, the person she was with not communicating about what happened to her, and then all of her accounts never being heard from again…”
McAnally believes that Vickers’ body may still be near Breckenridge and urged people in the area to be on the lookout.
“I know it’s an unpleasant task,” said McAnally, per NBC 5. “Looking for her in rural area, wooded areas… it could be private property.”
The detective has also been in contact with Vickers’ family, noting that now they are simply seeking closure and justice for their missing loved one.
Whether Vickers is dead and, if so, the cause of her death, is unclear. However, one thing to be sure of is that North Texas loses hundreds of residents each year at the hands of criminals. As of December 7, reports of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in Dallas had reached 230, according to the police department’s crime analytics dashboard.
The Dallas Police Department has struggled to address and combat rising crime under the weight of personnel shortages. DPD has fewer than 3,200 officers, yet a City analysis advised that at least 4,000 officers are necessary to maintain public safety in the city.
