JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Update, 8/16/24: A missing Jacksonville Beach woman who authorities say was last seen in Allendale, South Carolina has been found safe.
CBS station WRDW in Augusta, Ga., is reporting that Jessica Rapsys, 27, was found safe in Allendale County on Friday.
“Finding Jessica was a team effort,” Allendale County Sheriff James Freeman said. “We all worked together and did not give up hope.”
Action News Jax will have the latest details on CBS47 Action News Jax at Noon.
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Original story from 8/15/24 below:
Twenty-seven-year-old Jessica Rapsys disappeared when she was on her way to visit her aunt, according to friends. Law enforcement officials told Action News Jax her car was found abandoned with a flat tire and the keys still inside it. It was found near railroad tracks on a private property.
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“Jessica is a beautiful person, she is inside and out the most genuine human being I’ve ever met,” her friend Graysen Gall said.
Rapsys is described as the life of the party, one of her best friends and hairdresser Graysen Gall was just with her Friday night at the beach bars.
“She was completely normal, everything was fine, she mentioned seeing an aunt over the weekend.. and I saw the flyer and I said this doesn’t add up,” she said. “When I found out my stomach flipped, I was sick to my stomach.”
The Allendale County Sheriff’s Office said her car was on a low-lit, very dark, private property called Creek Plantation, primarily used for horse breeding and training.
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A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said search efforts expanded several miles through air units and bloodhounds but they’ve had no luck.
“The saddest part is you never think this would happen to someone you know? I have goosebumps right now thinking about it,” Gall said.
Gall said they’re working to post more online to help find her and get her home safely.
“Jessica is worth it, she is worth the search,” Gall said. “I don’t think I’m going to give up until we find her.”
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Action News Jax was told by law enforcement officials that this is still an active search. As of right now, the sheriff’s office in Allendale said they don’t believe there’s foul play suspected in her disappearance.
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The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division sent Action News Jax the following:
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was requested to assist the Allendale County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, August 15, 2024, in an investigation regarding a missing woman. Jessica Rapsys, 27, was last seen on Tuesday evening, August 13, 2024. The search for Rapsys began on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information should contact the Allendale County Sheriff’s Office at (803)584-7067 or SLED at (866)472-8477 or email tips@sled.sc.gov
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