Police not ruling out foul play in South Windsor missing woman case
May 14—SOUTH WINDSOR — Police say they have not ruled out foul play in the case of a local young mother who went missing on Monday.
"Our goal is to follow the facts," Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said today. "We have not ruled anything out, foul play or otherwise."
Jessica Edwards, 30, a clinical training student at Hartford Hospital who is expected to graduate this month with a respiratory care degree from Manchester Community College, was last seen when she left her residence with an unknown person Monday.
She then called out of her clinical training at the hospital the same day. Her family then reported her missing.
Edwards is 5-foot-4 and weighs 160 pounds. She is married and has a 7-month-old son named Jayden.
Cleverdon said the department has consulted with federal agencies and requested resources to help locate Edwards, including the use of K-9 teams and aerial support.
"We have also enlisted the assistance of our regional digital investigations unit to establish a digital footprint that could bring us closer to finding where Jessica is," Cleverdon said in a press conference Thursday.
At the press conference, which was streamed live on Facebook, Cleverdon said that much like her family, the police share their concern for her wellbeing.
Edwards' sister, Yanique Edwards, said today that she knew something was not right when she did not hear from her sister Monday morning. She said she calls her sister several times a day.
Yanique said she last saw her sister on Mother's Day, and that she looked happy. Jessica told her sister she had recently got her graduation gown and had one made for her infant son.
"She would never be gone this long," Yanique said.
Yanique said she began to worry throughout the day Monday and especially as it became evening. She went to her sister's house with her mother to try to locate her, but said her husband had not seen her since the morning when she left with a friend in an unknown car.
Yanique said she was not surprised that she called out of her training that day, but what was strange, she said, is that the note that was sent to her clinical instructor did not give a reason why.
"She would always give a reason why she called out," she said.
Yanique, who is a nurse, said her sister is planning to become a respiratory therapist so she can join her in the medical field.
A search for her sister is being organized for today, she said, from Hartford to East Hartford to South Windsor.
What especially concerned her, Yanique said, is that she saw Jessica's vehicle in her driveway with the keys still in the ignition.
"I just want her to come home," she said crying. "We are asking for help to look for her. I want to make sure she is safe where she is. We are going to be searching every day."
Anyone with information on Jessica Edwards' whereabouts or disappearance is asked to contact the police at 860-644-2551, or 860-648-6226.
Tips can be anonymous and also sent to:
www.southwindsor-ct.gov/police
For more coverage of East Hartford and South Windsor, follow Olivia Regen on Twitter: @OliviaRegen, Facebook: Olivia Regen JI, and Instagram: @ORegenJI.
