Missing Florida hairstylist feared dead; coworker named as suspect in disappearance

Jennifer Sybert, left, is a suspect in the disappearance of Joleen Cummings, right. Sybert reportedly was the last person to see Cummings before she was reported missing on May 13. (Nassau County Sheriff's Office)

A Florida hairstylist who vanished more than a week ago is feared dead, police said Tuesday, and one of her coworkers is a suspect in her disappearance.

Joleen Cummings, 34, was reported missing on May 13 by her mother and was last seen leaving Tangles Hair Salon in Fernandina Beach around 5 p.m. the day before.

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper announced at a news conference Tuesday that investigators have obtained evidence "which leads us to believe that Joleen is not alive."

Cummings' ex-husband, Jason, said that on May 13 — Mother's Day — the hairstylist never showed up to pick up her three kids, Fox 30 reported.

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The hair salon where Cummings was last seen was closed on May 13 and 14, and was scheduled to reopen on May 15. She reportedly was last seen alive by coworker Kimberly Kessler, otherwise known as her apparent alias, Jennifer Sybert, who had been working at Tangles for a month.

Around 10 a.m. on May 15, detectives visited the salon to speak with Sybert, but she didn't show up to work that day, and Leeper said the home address Sybert provided to the salon owner was fake.

That same day, Cummings' vehicle was found parked in a Home Depot parking lot in Yulee, Fox 30 added. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Sybert parking Cummings' car just after 1 a.m. on May 13.

Investigators said they found Sybert on May 16 and learned she had been living in her car and had been using a a fake ID and false Social Security number. She was booked at the Nassau County Jail on Saturday and charged with motor vehicle theft.

The sheriff's office asks that anyone with information on Cummings or Sybert contact the department.