PA PA - Joey Offutt, 33, State College, July 2007

[PrayersForMaura]

http://www.wjactv.com/news/13697366/detail.html

Police said they have found a car belonging to a Jefferson County woman whose home was gutted by fire nearly a week ago.

Joey Lynn Offutt's red Saturn was found on Waupelani Drive in State College on Monday.

Offutt has been missing since her Sykesville home caught on fire last Thursday. A baby's body was later found in the home's charred remains.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- While police continue their search for a missing woman whose house was destroyed by a fire late last week, people in the neigborhood where her car was found said officials have been canvassing the area asking them what they know about the case.

It's been nearly a week since Joey Lynn Offutt's car was found abandoned at a State College apartment complex.

....

Offutt's 1994 Saturn was found near where she once had an apartment. She has been missing since last week when the house she was renting in Sykesville burned down. The body of a baby was found inside the home. Investigators are still waiting for autopsy results to determine if it was Offutt's child.

In the meantime, police have been asking for the public's help in finding her. Offutt is a 33-year-old white woman 5 feet 3 inches tall, with a thin build, brown hair and brown eyes.


http://www.wjactv.com/news/13721839/detail.html

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Pennsylvania state police said on Tuesday that, despite ongoing efforts to find Joey Lynn Offut, they still have no leads.
The Jefferson County woman went missing after her home caught fire earlier this month.

http://www.wjactv.com/news/13745250/detail.html?rss=john&psp=news#

 

[PrayersForMaura]

SYKESVILLE - State police have yet to make a connection between a missing Sykesville woman and an infant found in her burned-out home.
However, Joey Lynn Offut, 33, who has been missing since a Thursday morning fire at the home she rented in Sykesville, did have two children and they are safe and staying with relatives, according to an Associated Press report.
The fire that destroyed Offutt's home at 90 Dr. Fugate Drive, Sykesville, was reported about 4 a.m. Thursday.
The infant's remains were discovered about an hour later.
The identity of the baby was still unknown and autopsy results were not ready as of Tuesday.
Police did locate a car belonging to Offut in State College Monday. Offutt, however, is still missing and investigators are looking for her "out of concern for her welfare," according to DuBois-based state police.

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18598765&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=6

 

[PrayersForMaura]

It is still unclear whether Offutt -- who had a 6-week-old boy -- had something to do with the fire at 4 a.m. Thursday that destroyed the Sykesville residence. The body of an infant was found in the remains of the building.
Without the autopsy results, troopers cannot say whether the infant is Offutt's son.
"Whether she was directly involved in this or if she was abducted, investigators are chasing that all down right now," said state police Trooper Bruce A. Morris, public information officer for Troop C. "It's almost like she's fallen off the face of the planet."
State police are appealing to the public for help find Offutt, saying it's possible she herself is a crime victim.
"I'm confident this case is going to be resolved," Morris said. "She's the key to this whole thing."

http://www.centredaily.com/news/breaking_news/story/155155.html

 

[PrayersForMaura]

State police have not disclosed if they believe Offutt and the infant were related. Offutt, who previously lived in Warrenton, Va., did have two children, and both those kids are safe and staying with relatives, Bart said.

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_198145728.html

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Jefferson County Coroner Bernard Snyder said "it's going to be a while" before officials know the identity of the baby, and other details such as its sex, when it died and how it died. Snyder added that officials do not currently know for sure who the baby's parents are. He is not aware of any criminal charges being filed yet.

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18588064&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=6

 

[kgeaux]

Jefferson County Coroner Bernard Snyder said "it's going to be a while" before officials know the identity of the baby, and other details such as its sex, when it died and how it died. Snyder added that officials do not currently know for sure who the baby's parents are. He is not aware of any criminal charges being filed yet.

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18588064&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=6

I'm not sure I'm following this correctly.....she has two children, both of whom are safe with relatives. Is her six week old son one of those two "safe with relative's" children? He must be, otherwise they'd say she had three children, two of whom are safe, and a infant. Right?

Logic tells me that if this woman had a six week old child, and a baby's body is found in the wreckage of her home, the body is that of the six week old child. But the way the articles read make it sound as though she had ONLY two children, both of whom are safe.

So if it's not her six week old son, who on earth could it be? I've just got to believe a missing infant would have been reported and LE would be on that trail.

 

[ketel0ne]

From the story at crime library, postings she made on the internet, would indicate that her 3rd child would have been 6 weeks old when she disappeared.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0707/2401_Joey_Offutt.html

 

[Bobbisangel]

After reading the story on Crime Library I have no doubt that the baby found in the burned house is Joey's six week old baby. He would have turned six weeks the day the house burned.

It sounds like her and her boyfriend had a volitale relationship for the four years that they were together. She had gotten a protection order against him at one point when she was pregnant with their first child...a girl..that is with relatives at this time along with a daughter from a previous marriage.

Right up until the little boy...Lex...was born Joey talked about putting him up for adoption. Her boyfriend was a felon and sounds like he had a temper.

Personally, I don't think that she would have just left and left her baby boy to die in that fire. Her car was found 70-80 miles away in the parking lot of a complex where she used to live. I have a feeling that this guy blew and he set the fire. Maybe he forced Joey to go with him or maybe he killed her before the fire was ever started. I haven't read anything that says when Joey was last seen. She could have been gone for days before the fire. He wasn't interested in the girl they had together according to Joey and so there is the possibility that he wasn't interested in the baby boy either and decided to just leave him in the house and set the house on fire.

I hope that this woman is located but I really don't think she will be alive when they find her. If this man left that baby to die in that fire I hope he is found and given the death penalty. What a horrible thing to do to your own child.

 

[SewingDeb]

Bobbi,
I agree, Lex would have to be the baby whose body was found in the fire. I'm afraid for Joey's life after reading the Crime Library article.

 

[kgeaux]

Bobbi,
I agree, Lex would have to be the baby whose body was found in the fire. I'm afraid for Joey's life after reading the Crime Library article.

Oh, Lord. This just kills me, a little baby dead and his mom missing.

I hope the boyfriend is being EXTENSIVELY checked out. The volitile relationship just may have finally reached it's implosion point.

On the other hand, does anyone know if Joey was suffering from post-partum depression? There's just something about the combination of her comments about putting the baby up for adoption, combined with the fact that her car was found where she used to live in the past that sounds a little like.....like maybe Joey wanted to go back to a simpler time. I hate even thinking this, but post-partum depression can destroy lives, and Joey's circumstances sure had some extra stressers.

 

[BethInAK]

Oh, Lord. This just kills me, a little baby dead and his mom missing.

I hope the boyfriend is being EXTENSIVELY checked out. The volitile relationship just may have finally reached it's implosion point.

On the other hand, does anyone know if Joey was suffering from post-partum depression? There's just something about the combination of her comments about putting the baby up for adoption, combined with the fact that her car was found where she used to live in the past that sounds a little like.....like maybe Joey wanted to go back to a simpler time. I hate even thinking this, but post-partum depression can destroy lives, and Joey's circumstances sure had some extra stressers.

My first reaction to this case was that she somehow hurt the baby - and burned the house and took off. PPD can be very serious stuff. But I didn't know about the boyfriend.

 

[Worried Sister]

Joey Offutt is my sister. The family believes that she has been missing days before the fire started. The baby found in the fire was her newborn son. Her other children are being cared for by our family. We are all very worried for her and we fear the worst has happened. Unfortunately, the police are not sharing as much of their investigation with us as we would like. They are researching all avenues, but these things take time. We can only hope that Joey has that time. Any help that the public can give us would be greatly appreciated. We know that someone out there knows what happened that night, please come forward. Let us find closer for our family and her children.

 

[CaliKid]

Worried Sister, thank you for posting. What can you tell us about Joey that would help us put our heads together and come up with clues?

 

[BethInAK]

Worried, my thoughts are with your family.

Is there suspicion that the abusive boyfriend is responsible?

 

[Bobbisangel]

Joey Offutt is my sister. The family believes that she has been missing days before the fire started. The baby found in the fire was her newborn son. Her other children are being cared for by our family. We are all very worried for her and we fear the worst has happened. Unfortunately, the police are not sharing as much of their investigation with us as we would like. They are researching all avenues, but these things take time. We can only hope that Joey has that time. Any help that the public can give us would be greatly appreciated. We know that someone out there knows what happened that night, please come forward. Let us find closer for our family and her children.

I'm so sorry that your sister, Joey, is missing. I can't imagine the pain that you and your family are going through. I think that this will come down to the boyfriend. How he could leave that little baby boy in that house is beyond imagining. Has LE even talked to him yet or is he hiding out?

I hope and pray that Joey is alright but her missing and the burning house with the baby in it doesn't look good. I'm glad that you and your family have the other children and that they are loved and safe.

 

[Worried Sister]

Thank you for all of your concern. The family has created a website www.joeyoffutt.com for any one that wishes to share any information they may have about her whereabouts or what may have happened to her. Hopefully no stone will be left unturned in trying to find her...

 

[angarella]

Thank you for all of your concern. The family has created a website www.joeyoffutt.com for any one that wishes to share any information they may have about her whereabouts or what may have happened to her. Hopefully no stone will be left unturned in trying to find her...

Thanks for the link. Prayers for Joey, you and your family.....

 

[SewingDeb]

Worried,

We are praying for Joey. Stay strong and take care of yourself through this ordeal. Hope answers are forthcoming soon.