MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is asking for anyone with information about a woman’s disappearance to come forward and at the same time they’re asking for the loved ones of the missing woman to stop trying to conduct their own investigation.
Deputies say Sara Gail Ebersole has been missing for eight months. They’ve determined she was last seen in the early morning hours of March 3, 2023.
MCSO says people close to Sara have described her as a “free spirit” and that it would not be unusual for her to visit people out of town for a few weeks at a time. They say this time is different.
“Her pattern of life stopped entirely. She didn’t take any clothes with her as she would normally do. She hasn’t posted anything on social media. Her financial accounts show no activity. Nobody can reach her. It’s been clear for some time that something has happened to Sara,” said MCSO in a Facebook post.
The investigation so far
Deputies say on March 2, Sara was given a ride from a convenience store to a residence located at 18080 North U.S. Highway 441, in Reddick.
They say she was dropped off there, along with James Robinson, who lives at that address. They say Sara hung out that night with Robinson and two others – James Schaller and Teesha McDermitt, a couple who resided in the other half of the subdivided residence.
“That’s the end of what we know for certain,” said MCSO on Facebook.
MCSO’s post goes on to say that the people who Sara hung out with that night said she left the house with an Uber driver in a newer model, blue sedan, possibly a Hyundai. The deputies question the truthfulness of that account.
“If Sara didn’t leave that residence alive, it means that something happened to her while she was there and that the story of the Uber driver was fabricated to send detectives down a rabbit hole,” says the sheriff’s office post. “For what it’s worth, detectives have confirmed Sara did not order any Uber services on the night of her disappearance but have not ruled out the possibility that she could have left with a third-party. Detectives are actively working to investigate whether that occurred, including determining whether a Gainesville-based Uber driver who owned a dark-colored sedan could have given Sara an ‘off-the-books’ ride on March 3, 2023.”
Social media speculation hurting case
The sheriff’s office says efforts of Sara’s loved ones are hurting their investigation.
“We know that this investigation has been the subject of much speculation on social media, including by those who are trying to conduct their own investigation into Sara’s disappearance. We fully understand that those who loved Sara want to uncover the truth about what happened to her,” posted MCSO. “We share that same goal, but we also have the goal of ensuring that if somebody killed Sara or committed any other crime related to her disappearance, they can and will be held fully accountable in a court of law.”
They go on to say that “requires that evidence – including the statements of witnesses and persons of interest – be gathered meticulously and methodically, with a definite plan in mind.”
Sara’s sister Michelle Tullis has been vocal and visible with posts on Facebook – especially in the last 24 hours – about her sister’s disappearance. In one post, she names two people and casts suspicion on them. Another post specifically criticizes the sheriff’s office and calls out a detective claiming he doesn’t care about her sister. “She’s just another piece of paperwork on his desk,” she complained in a publicly posted Facebook Reel.
Sara’s sister writes on social media, “I’m not backing down. This is war.”
Sara’s sister has also organized a GoFundMe. She says that’s to help her pay for legal fees she incurred when she applied for custodianship of her sister’s 5-year-old daughter and lost.
“When individuals conducting their own investigation try to do the work of law enforcement, they can unknowingly taint the statements of witnesses, contaminate possible crime scenes, and cast doubt on the integrity of any evidence that they may uncover,” said MCSO in their Facebook post. “They may tip off criminals about the existence of evidence that could implicate them in a crime, which gives them the opportunity to take steps to thwart law enforcement’s investigation or tailor future statements to ‘fit’ the evidence they know exists.”
The sheriff’s office post goes on to address accusations by saying, “Worse yet, they may falsely accuse somebody of having taken part in a crime, which not only subjects an innocent person to harassment and ridicule but also makes them less likely to cooperate with the investigation; this results in detectives having to spend unnecessarily large amounts of time obtaining information from these persons, which takes time away from following up on viable leads.”
“Our detectives are committed to fully investigating every lead they are provided, and we continue to investigate tips that we receive about this case, including tips that have arrived in recent days.”
– Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Deputies asking that if anyone has information that may help “shed light on Sara’s disappearance,” to report it directly to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
They say you can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 352-368-STOP (7867) or submit your tip online.