THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 22, 1995 TAG: 9506220460
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The FBI has joined the search for a 21-year-old Georgia pre-med student who vanished from a popular nightclub after midnight Sunday.
Police on Wednesday said they do not know what happened to Jennifer Lea Evans and have not developed any substantial leads.
Police artist Edie Sherman on Wednesday created a sketch of the man last seen with Evans from the descriptions given by Evans' two friends.
Evans, a dean's list student at Emory University in Atlanta, disappeared from The Bayou, a club on the first floor of the Radisson Hotel on 19th Street, after meeting a man who claimed to be a 20-year-old Navy SEAL.
Evans' friends, who accompanied her to the club, left her with her new companion less than an hour while they went for coffee. When they returned, Evans and the man had gone. She hasn't been seen since.
Police spokesman Mike Carey said investigators have no evidence that a crime has been committed but detectives consider Evans' disappearance suspicious.
Evans' parents, who drove Tuesday from Georgia to the Sandbridge home where their daughter was vacationing, have not received any threats or ransom demands, police said. No credit cards or other personal effects have been used or found since her disappearance, police said.
Detectives returned to The Bayou Tuesday to interview employees and patrons, but the interviews didn't result in solid leads, police said.
Representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted local investigators Wednesday to offer help.
``Until a determination has been made that this young lady has been kidnapped, we are providing a support role to local law enforcement,'' said FBI Special Agent Rob Patterson.
``When a determination has been made that a federal crime, like kidnapping, has been committed, we will jump in with both feet at that point in time,'' Patterson said. ``Right now (Virginia Beach detectives) have the lead in this thing and the bureau is there to draw upon, if they need us.''
Because Evans' companion claimed to be a Navy SEAL, agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have been contacted, police said.
The investigation, led by missing-persons Detective Louis Chappell, is centering on what happened to Evans in the hour when her friends went for coffee.
About 1 a.m. Monday, after a night of socializing at the Bayou, Evans' friends were ready to leave the club and return to Sandbridge. Evans' new companion persuaded Evans to stay until closing, about 2 a.m.
Evans' friends - Michelle McCammon and Andria Burdette - said they would get coffee and a snack, then return to pick up Evans.
When they returned at 2 a.m., Evans was not there. The friends waited two more hours.
From Jan. 1, 1994, through June 15, 1995, police took 668 missing-persons reports. Only 25 of those cases - less than 4 percent - were never solved.
Because of the unusual circumstances surrounding Evans' disappearance, authorities are expending greater than normal efforts to find her.
Evans is white, 5 feet, 3 inches tall, and 135 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing brown denim shorts and a vest. The brand name ``Bongo'' was sewn onto the back of her clothes.
The man she was last seen with was described as about 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds with sun-bleached light brown hair piled high on top and cut short on the sides. His nose was wide and his lips were full.
Anyone with information is asked to call 427-0000. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Jennifer Lea Evans, 21, a dean's list student at Emory University in
Atlanta, disappeared from The Bayou after midnight Sunday.
Drawing
The man last seen with the missing pre-med student was described as
about 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds with sun-bleached light
brown hair.
KEYWORDS: MISSING PERSONS by CNB