RINCON, Ga. (AP) — Allyson Romedy tucked her daughter into bed at the apartment the single mother and her 10-year-old child shared in southeast Georgia. It was the last time her family saw her.
That was Feb. 28, 2002, and police in Rincon are still seeking answers to the woman’s disappearance two decades later. Police Detective Lee Chadwick said little evidence was found, and what police managed to piece to together was baffling.
“Her car was found not even half a mile from where she lived,” Chadwick told the Savannah Morning News. “The car was cleaned and with it being found that close to her home, it does not make sense.”
The missing woman’s sister, Jennifer Lunsford, said Romedy was often the life of the party and rarely kept a straight face.
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Lunsford said her parents initially assumed Romedy was just out with a friend when she was first reported missing.
“Momma called and said she had been contacted by Allyson’s best friend saying she did not show up for work,” Lunsford said. “Her friend was listed as an emergency contact at work. At first, my parents weren’t too concerned because they just figured she just went somewhere.”
The her car was found with no sign of Romedy. The family spent days helping police search, but came away empty handed. Lunsford said they soon had to move on. She had her own two children to care for, and their mother had a job she needed to return to.
Whatever happened to her sister, Lunsford said, she doesn’t believe anyone hurt her intentionally.
“The police, GBI and us have speculated who we thought it was but we don’t think it was anything premeditated,” Lunsford said. “We just think something went wrong.”
Chadwick, who didn’t investigate the case initially, said he’s been taking a fresh look at Romedy’s disappearance and hoping some new information comes to light. The best thing, he said, would be for anyone who knows what happened to Romedy to come forward.
“If it was an accident, you have hidden it for 20 years,” Chadwick said. “There are consequences that have to be paid somehow.”
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