Virginia Mom Prepared To Take Kids To Day Care; She Disappeared

WAKE, VA — On Tuesday morning, TerriLynn St. John, a Virginia mother of two, went out to her car to get ready to take her young kids to day care. Now, authorities and family members are baffled. She seemingly vanished into thin air and hasn't been seen or heard from since.

The last person to see St. John, 23, was her boyfriend, who told the Southside Sentinel he kissed her goodbye shortly before 4:30 a.m. and headed to work.

Her cellphone was later found in the bushes outside her home in Wake and her broken necklace was found in the yard, according to a missing persons flyer from The AWARE Foundation, Inc.

The Middlesex County Sheriff's office on Wednesday said the children's grandfather received a call from St. John's employer saying she hadn't showed up for work. He went over to her home and found the door open. Her two children, ages 2 and 3, were alone inside. He knew something was wrong.

St. John's father told the Southside Sentinel his daughter would never have left her kids home alone.

“Never, never, never,” said the man, who was identified only as Mr. St. John.

He told the newspaper the family fears she was the victim of a random kidnapping. There were tracks in a field next to her house where someone could have parked and waited to attack.

Virginia State Police are investigating and called the disappearance “suspicious," the Southside Sentinel said.

Authorities have searched local beaches and boat landings. An aerial search was conducted and police dogs have been deployed. The terrain of swamps and hills has been challenging for investigators, the sheriff's office told reporters.

Authorities have talked to four individuals deemed "persons of interest" and each has provided DNA for analysis.

But the sheriff's office is asking the public for help. Anyone who saw something suspicious is asked to call the sheriff's office.

St. John, who recently moved to the area, has several tattoos, the AWARE Foundation said. The letters "R.J.M." are inked on her right wrist and she has a princess crown on her left wrist. St. John also has a cross tattooed on her ring finger.

She stands 5-feet-6-inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. St. John has blonde hair and blue eyes.

Photo credit: The AWARE Foundation, Inc., used with permission.