Found Alive SC - Michelle Whitaker, 33, Spartanburg, Aug 2002

[Rle7]

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: August 2002 from Spartanburg, South Carolina

Classification: Endangered Missing

Date of Birth: August 16, 1969

Age: 33 years old

Height and Weight: 5'3, 100 pounds

Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Whitaker's nickname is Shelley and she may use the last name Andrews. Some agencies spell her name "Michele."

Medical Conditions: Whitaker was addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs at the time of her disappearance.

Details of Disappearance

Prior to going missing, Whitaker had completed a jail sentence for drunk driving at the Spartanburg County Detention Facility in South Carolina, but was supposed to remain in custody until she could be placed in a substance abuse treatment facility. Instead, Whitaker was released from jail. She was rearrested a few days later after being seen walking down the road drunk, but was released again, and was last seen at a truck stop off Interstate 85 in Spartanburg, South Carolina sometime during August 2002. She was reportedly attempting to catch a ride to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the time. She has never been heard from again. In August 2005, police received an anonymous letter stating Whitaker had been murdered and her body dumped in a pond in Landrum, South Carolina, but this information has not been confirmed.

Authorities believe Whitaker's disappearance may be connected to Jonothan Vick, who has was convicted of murder in connection with the 1995 rape and strangulation of a hairdresser, Dana Satterfield. A photograph of Vick is posted below this case summary. He was only 17 at the time of Satterfield's death and could not face the death penalty as a result; he was sentenced to life in prison instead. Vick's girlfriend, Heather Sellars, disappeared in September 2002 and has never been heard from again; photographs and vital statistics for her are unavailable. Sellars and Whitaker both worked at local Waffle House restaurants at the same time; Vick frequented the restaurants as well. In addition, Whitaker is believed to have rented a room either from or to Vick's father prior to her disappearance. In spite of this trail of coincidences, no hard evidence links Vick to Whitaker's disappearance and he has not been charged in Sellars's case either.

Whitaker was wanted for grand larceny at the time of her disappearance. Since she went missing there has been no activity on her credit report or Social Security number, and no evidence that she is incarcerated anywhere. She is believed to be deceased, but her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office
864-596-2646
OR
Spartanburg County Crimestoppers
800-442-2746
Source Information
The Carolina Channel
North American Missing Persons Network
Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office
The Spartanburg Herald-Journal
WHNS Fox Carolina

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/..._michelle.html

[Rle7]

Saturday was the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of a Spartanburg County woman, and sheriff?s investigators said that they are continuing to hope for clues as to what happened to her.

Michelle Whitaker was last seen at a truck stop in Duncan on Aug. 5, 2002.

Spartanburg County deputies said that the case turned cold for a while.

But in 2005, investigators said they received a letter with information that could only have come from someone close to the case.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/wyff/20070806/lo_wyff/13824438

[Pandora]

Michele Whitaker, missing since Aug. 2002, was discovered alive and well Monday night, after her family has worked hard to keep the news of her disappearance alive in the media, the Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright told us Tuesday.

Whitaker came forward to authorities after someone who knew Whitaker, living in an undisclosed location, saw a profile on Whitaker’s case on “Forensic Files.” Whitaker’s acquantaince convinced Whitaker to contact authorities.

The Spartanburg Sheriff’s Office said that while Whitaker had contacted them, she did not want her location disclosed.

She wanted that information kept private and does not wish to be contacted, the department said.

Her disappearance was originally linked to convicted killer Jonathan Vick, according to a press release from Wright’s office.

38-year-old Michele Laurel Whitaker was last seen on August 16, 2002 at Truck Stops of America in Spartanburg.

Investigators believe that she was “missing voluntarily” and was never in danger based on the most recent information.


More at link:
http://www.wspa.com/spa/news/local/a...ng_perso/6781/

[chiperoni]

It looks like she wanted to be missing. I'm so glad she's alive and well. Her family has been searching for her the last six years and have never given up. There must be more to this story because she went missing without a trace.

http://www.wyff4.com/news/17100249/detail.html

[chiperoni]

Here is the website the family set up while she was missing.

http://michelewhitaker.com/default.aspx

[Fairy1]

I truly hope she's ok. This gives me hope for other missing women!!!

[teonspaleprincess]

While I am glad that she is safe, that is an awful thing to do to your loved ones. I can only imagine the anguish they felt all these years thinking that she was dead at the hands of a serial killer!

[fran]

Wow! I'm glad she is safe.

There's much we aren't being told. Well, I guess it's their business, but it is too bad that she let her family suffer like that for so long. I like to try and have faith in people and hope she has a very good reason for her actions, and her family is aware of it too.

Just wish more of our missing cases would end this way.

fran

[SewingDeb]

I really wish that when adults choose to walk away that they would call home at least one time to let the family know they are ok and leaving of their own choice. I wish all the best to Michelle and her family.

[Kiki]

I am so happy for her family but a bit angry with her. Why would she not place a simple phone call to police or a family member and say "I'm not missing. I am fine but I don't want to contact my family." All that time the police spent searching for her when they could have solved a cold case or worked on a new case.

[hoppyfrog]

See this thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68532

[fran]

You know, even the government, when they place someone under witness protection, I don't believe they let you tell ANYONE you're leaving. You then are advised to have absolutely NO CONTACT with ANYONE from your past. Wonder IF that could be the reason and why she wants to remain invisible?

Just a thought. She's trying to stay clear of someone, whether it's her family, criminals,.............or a SO who was abusive.

Like I said, I hope she has a VERY good reason why she did it this way and her family is aware of it. Either if it's THEM she is trying to avoid or someone else she's in fear of.

JMHO
fran

[capoly]

It says in this thread http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52164 that she had a charge of grand larceny against her at the time of going missing. Can she still be held accountable for those charges?

[PrayersForMaura]

Andrews said earlier Tuesday that she was eager to talk to her daughter, but Wright said that Whitaker had initially decided not to contact anyone in the Upstate, as is her right."She has said she does not want to talk to us,” Andrews said Tuesday afternoon. “That's hard, it hurts ... I would give anything to talk to her right this minute."Later in the day, though, Whitaker apparently had a change of heart.A long-awaited telephone call came to Andrews’ home in Rock Hill on Tuesday night.“I'm so happy to hear your voice. No, no, you have no idea. Shelly, you know the last time I saw you, I was upset with you for obvious reasons, but that's history,” Andrews said during the phone conversation. “I never stopped looking for you, not one single day. Dad and I have gone places looking for you. We've searched, we've put out fliers, we miss you ... Don't make this our last phone call. We've got a lot to talk about.”Andrews said Shelly was found after one of her California friends saw a story about her disappearance on a national TV show, "Forensic Files." That friend Googled Shelly's name and found the Web site Andrews maintained about Whitaker's case.The friend called Spartanburg County detectives on Monday, who then called Whitaker. The investigator spoke with Whitaker and collected a fingerprint sample from her that was faxed to Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. The prints confirmed Whitaker's identity.

http://www.wyff4.com/news/17100249/detail.html#-

[PrayersForMaura]

Killer's Mother Angry After Missing Woman Found
Mother Furious Her Son Was Suspect In Disappearance

Vick's mother said, "Whenever I saw the story about Michele Whitaker coming back and wasn't dead after all these years that she was supposed to be dead and murdered by my son … that angered me."

Vick's mother said she doesn't think her son killed anyone, including Satterfield. And now she feels especially vindicated because he was falsely accused of having something to do with Whitaker's disappearance.

http://www.wyff4.com/news/17113441/d...=gs&psp=news#-

[Salem]

I'm so glad she is safe and well and her family now knows that and they can stop worrying.

Salem

[Kelly]

A message From Michele's mother, which she stated she wished to be made public:

Dear Kelly,

This is Laura Andrews, Michele Whitaker's mother. I hope that this email will
help you to continue your good work and bring hope to you and all the other
families that are still looking for their loved ones.

Last Tuesday, the sixth anniversary of Michele's disappearance, I received the phone call that made our miracle happen. Our daughter was found alive and well in Oregon! We are so grateful to everyone who has stood by us for 6 years and blessed that our worst nightmare was never realized.

For personal reasons, Michele chose to leave our lives and had no idea that her family was looking for her and hoping and praying from day one until the day she was found that she would be found safe. Strangely enough, someone googled her name for fun and found the website we set up for her and contacted the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Department. They confirmed that it was our Shelli and called me Tuesday morning with the stunning news.

As happy as we are, it has taken the last week for things to calm down enough to feel confident that our relationship with her will be a good one. She was and still is shocked that so much was done to find her. Catching up on 6 years of our lives is a slow process, but it is going well and we are planning a reunion in the near future. Two of her siblings have already flown out to see her.

My message, aside from our great news, is that anyone else whose loved one may have chosen to leave should not expect everything to be just ok on day one. Time heals all wounds. Be patient and loving with each other, which is what we are doing. We thank God every day to be blessed with a second chance.

I will continue to pray for you and all the other families that they, too, have
a "second chance" and find peace in their lives NEVER lose hope, MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!

God bless you,
Laura Andrews

[mysteriew]

Originally Posted by PrayersForMaura

Killer's Mother Angry After Missing Woman Found
Mother Furious Her Son Was Suspect In Disappearance

Vick's mother said, "Whenever I saw the story about Michele Whitaker coming back and wasn't dead after all these years that she was supposed to be dead and murdered by my son … that angered me."

Vick's mother said she doesn't think her son killed anyone, including Satterfield. And now she feels especially vindicated because he was falsely accused of having something to do with Whitaker's disappearance.

http://www.wyff4.com/news/17113441/d...=gs&psp=news#-

Vindictive witch isn't she? Her sainted son has been convicted of one rape and murder. And she still denies his guilt in that. Let alone the other one that he is suspected in. Because of that denial she still can't see that there could be any possibility that her son could be guilty, that her son should be looked at. And because that denial gives her pain, she wants someone else to suffer.

[olympicprincess]

I didn't see a thread on Michelle's co-worker, Heather Sellars, is there one?

[meggilyweggily]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/...s_heather.html