Sheriff: Missing Florida mother now believed to be dead

YULEE, Fla. – Police say that a Florida woman who disappeared on Mother’s Day is now believed to have died even though no body has been recovered.

The Florida Times-Union reports that Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper says investigators have obtained new evidence that indicates 34-year-old Joleen Cummings is dead.

Cummings was reported missing after she failed to appear at a Mother’s Day birthday celebration with her three children.

Leeper says they have arrested Kimberly Lee Kessler, Cummings’ co-worker at a northeast Florida salon, on suspicion of stealing Cummings’ Ford Expedition. Kessler is also now a suspect in Cummings’ disappearance.

Cummings was last seen May 12 leaving the salon in Fernandina Beach where she worked. She was supposed to meet her ex-husband the next day to pick up their children but never showed.

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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com