Offutt family offering $25,000 for information on what happened to Joey Offutt

Saturday, July 16, 2011

SYKESVILLE - Four years after her disappearance, the family of Joey Lynn Offutt hopes that an increase in reward money will give them some closure.
"As far as we know, with the understanding that for the protection of their investigation the police do not share everything they know, there has been no movement in the case at all," Offutt's nephew and family spokesperson Jason Hungerford said. "There have been no credible or substantial leads in the case since her car was found just four days after the fire."
The mystery surrounding Offutt's disappearance began the morning of July 12, 2007, when emergency crews responded to a fire at Offutt's home in Sykesville.
After the fire was extinguished, the remains of Offutt's 6-week-old son were discovered. Offutt and her car, a red Saturn with Virginia license plates, were missing. The vehicle was located four days after the fire in State College, parked at the Nittany Gardens apartment complex, where Offutt had previously lived. Offutt's other two children, who were not at home at the time of the fire, are safe and living with family.
After four years, and two airings on the popular TV show "America's Most Wanted," investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police still have had no substantial and credible leads in the case. The family is requesting the public's help by coming forward with information they may have that could lead to locating Offutt.
If alive, Joey Lynn Offutt would be 37 years old. She is approximately 5' 3" with a thin build. She has brown eyes and brown hair with a reddish tone. She may or may not be wearing glasses.
Offutt's family describes her as "a very unique, kind-hearted woman who always did the best for her family."
Hungerford said the family is "absolutely sure" Offutt did not simply run away. Many family members believe Offutt may have been taken by someone who tried to "stage" the scene and make it appear she had run away and tried to burn the house to cover their tracks.
He said the family hoped, for a long time, that Offutt would be found safe and returned home. He said after all this time, they have come to the unfortunate reality that she is most likely dead. The family now hopes her body will be found and the family will be allowed to lay her to rest at last.
Since her disappearance, Offutt's family is in regular contact with the investigators from the state police. They have built and continue to maintain the website www.findjoey.org and operate a toll-free tip line for people who might have information but for whatever reason, do not want to call the police. The tip-line is a toll-free phone number with a voicemail service which is operated by Offutt's family. Anyone with information can call 1-877-440-JOEY or 1-877-440-5639
The family has now increased the reward for information about Offutt or events, which occurred around the time of her disappearance, to $25,000. Any tips can be made anonymously.
"We urge anyone to come forward and to share what they know, even if they think it might not be important," Hungerford said. "Our family, especially Joey's two surviving children, desperately seeks closure."
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Reported by Kimberly Finnigan, Tri-County Sunday. Email: kfinnigan@thecourierexpress.com.