Seattle—
Police in St. Johns County, Florida believe 26 year-old Joseph D. Roberts could know more about the disappearance of 45 year-old Brittany J. Tavar.The suspect was last seen with the victim during the time frame of July 6th and told neighbors he was her nephew, but in fact was a boarder at her home in South Ponte Vedra Beach. The suspect's sister says Roberts had been staying at the home for a couple weeks.
Tavar's SUV, a 2004 dark blue Toyota Rav4 and her two dogs were missing from her home. Roberts was seen walking Tavar's dogs in front of her home on July 9th but the dogs were found in South Carolina the next day. On July 11th, Roberts was pulled over in the victim's SUV in Wyoming but was not arrested because Tavar was not listed as a missing person at the time.
Roberts was seen later on July 11th at a Walmart in Ontario, Oregon buying a tent, black t-shirt, tan cargo shorts and an axe. Police say the victim's cell phone has been turned off and believe Roberts could be camping somewhere in western Washington.
We talked with campers at Denny Creek in the Snoqualmie National Forest who say it's unnerving knowing Roberts could be lurking somewhere in the woods.
"I'm a teacher and so summers we are camping all over the place so to know this guy could be out there in the woods somewhere is definitely unnerving," says Mark Dorsett.
The missing woman's family has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Roberts' arrest. Roberts is a white man, 6'1", 170 lbs. with brown hair and hazel eyes. He is being charged with grand theft auto Tavar is a white woman, 5'7", 120 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes. Her Toyota Rav4 has Florida license plate # Q66 2NJ. Anyone with information can call (904) 824-8304 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Tune into Q13 FOX News Sunday at 9 & 10 for more on this story.
