Joleen Cummings' coworker charged with first-degree murder

UPDATE: Kimberly Kessler has been charged with first-degree murder, Sheriff Bill Leeper said. 

A grand jury deliberated this morning before handing down the indictment.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson says her office has 45 days to enter a notice of intent if they decide to pursue the death penalty in this case.

Ann Johnson last saw her daughter, Cummings, 118 days ago. “I miss that huge smile on her face, when she hugged and kissed the kids after a long day of work,” said Johnson. “I miss her.”

"Joleen must continue to be served," Joleen Cummings' mother, Anne Johnson, said. "She was fighting for the lives of her three children. I fear this grief will be for a lifetime. No one can replace my child."

The sheriff says Joleen left behind "plenty of evidence" and hopes it will lead to her body. The sheriff says the details of the case -- when released -- will shock the community.

Sheriff Leeper said Kessler had numerous aliases from over a dozen states. “I'm not sure what she was hiding from,” said Leeper. “But this time she came to the wrong county, and she messed with the wrong people.”

RELATED: New evidence connected to Kimberly Kessler released

Kessler was arraigned Friday and will appear in court on Sept. 13, State Attorney Melissa Nelson said. She faces life in prison, Nelson said.

“There's no such thing as closure. What haunts me the most is how scared Joleen must have been through this whole horrific ordeal, and how hard Joleen must have fought for her life,” said Johnson.

“Joleen’s life was stolen from us, not by the hands of God, but by evil. It self-manifested in what I call a monster,” said Johnson.

Investigators say they have enough evidence to convict Kessler. They didn’t reveal the evidence, but say cummings’ body has not been located.

Joleen Cummings is the Nassau County mother that has been missing since May 12, the day before Mother's Day. Her co-worker at Tangles hair salon in Nassau County, a woman who went by the name Jennifer Sybert, has been in jail since May and is charged with stealing Cummings' car.

Sybert's real name is Kimberly Kessler, a Pennsylvania native who has lived in the Jacksonville area for some time and has worked in various local hair salons.

Deputies have said that they do not believe Cummings is alive.

RELATED: Joleen Cummings' mom sends message for suspect

RELATED: Ex-husband of murder suspect knew she was using alias

The FBI and Nassau County officials worked together to search an area landfill for evidence related to the disappearance.

Cox Media Group