On a day in late 1994, 26-year-old Andrea Nicole Boyett, a mother of three from Lakeland, Florida, seemed distressed to her family. She had been married for only three months to John "Johnny" Boyett, and she confided in relatives that the marriage was in trouble. The last day she was definitively seen was December 23, 1994, although her official missing person's report would not be filed until March 3, 1995, by her grandmother. On the evening of December 23rd, Andrea had expressed a desire for someone to go with her to pick up her husband from work, but no one was available. John Boyett would later tell investigators that after he and Andrea returned home from visiting several bars, she vanished while he was in the bathroom. However, Andrea's children, who were home that night, contradicted his account, stating their mother never came home.
In the wake of Andrea's disappearance, her husband's actions quickly drew suspicion.
He reportedly pawned his wife's jewelry and abandoned her three children at a babysitter's home. The investigation into Andrea's whereabouts continued for years without a major break. Then, in February 2004, a significant development emerged when Andrea's son, Dustin, who was nine years old at the time of his mother's disappearance, came forward. He told investigators that he had witnessed his stepfather choking his mother outside their home on the night she vanished. He recalled seeing John Boyett drive away with Andrea, only to return later without her. Just a few months later, in June 2004, John's brother, Robert Boyett, confessed to helping his brother dispose of Andrea's body. He stated that they had weighted her remains and thrown them into a lake at a phosphate mine where John worked. This lake has since been filled in, making the recovery of her body highly improbable.
Following these revelations, a grand jury indicted John Boyett for second-degree murder in August 2004. Rather than face a trial, John Boyett accepted a plea deal in 2006 for manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was released on parole in 2009. The case of Andrea Boyett is a heartbreaking story of a young mother who disappeared under violent circumstances. Despite a conviction in connection with her death, the fact that her body has never been found leaves her loved ones without a final resting place for her. The conflicting stories, the disturbing witness account from her own child, and the eventual confession of a family member paint a grim picture of her final moments and the subsequent cover-up. The official date of her last contact is listed as March 3, 1995, though she was last seen by her family in December 1994. Foul play has long been suspected in her case.Last Seen: Mar 3, 1995
