On February 16, 2001, 42-year-old Maureen Webb was last seen leaving her home in Bolivar, Missouri. She was a white female with brown hair and green eyes, stood at 5'2', and weighed around 110 pounds. Webb wore glasses and had distinctive scars on her chin and abdomen. She was reportedly driving her black 1990 Ford Aerostar van at the time of her disappearance. Webb was intending to visit her boyfriend, John 'Tommy' Smith, who lived in Strafford.
Smith himself had been last seen the previous day, on February 15, 2001. The couple's disappearance together raised immediate concerns for their welfare.
The initial investigation into Webb's disappearance took a significant turn when her vehicle was discovered abandoned at a local mall. Some sources state the vehicle was a 1991 Ford Ranger Truck and that it was found on March 11, 2001, at the Battlefield Mall in Springfield, Missouri, with her purse still inside. The discovery of the abandoned vehicle, along with the simultaneous disappearance of her boyfriend, pointed towards a strong possibility of foul play. For years, the case remained cold, with few leads to provide answers to the families of the missing couple. The Greene County Sheriff's Office is the primary investigating agency for this case.
A major break in the case came in 2006 when Richard L. Evans and his wife, Thenia S. Evans, were charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the presumed deaths of both Maureen Webb and John Smith. An eyewitness claimed that the couple had gone to the Evans' residence in Marshfield to obtain methamphetamine. A conflict allegedly arose between Smith and the Evans' son, which led to Richard Evans fatally shooting both Smith and Webb. The witness also stated that he was instructed by Smith to leave Webb's truck in a Springfield parking lot. According to the disturbing testimony, the bodies were dismembered, with some remains being fed to pigs and the rest burned and discarded in a pond. Investigators did find bone fragments, a piece of fabric, and a spent shell casing in a burn pile on the property Richard Evans was renting. However, the case against the Evanses ultimately collapsed when the key eyewitness refused to testify, citing fears for his and his family's safety. As a result, the murder charges were dropped. The bodies of Maureen Webb and John Smith have never been recovered, and their disappearances remain an unsolved and deeply troubling mystery.Last Seen: Feb 16, 2001
