She Met Up With The Alleged Father Of Her Unborn Child Just One Week Before She Was Supposed To Give Birth In 2005, And He Was The Last Known Person To See Her Before She Vanished
In 2005, Amanda Kay Jones of Hillsboro, Missouri, was 26-years-old and expecting her second child. She’d previously been married and divorced but retained custody of her first daughter – who was just 4-years-old at the time.
So, the father of Amanda’s second child was allegedly a man named Bryan. The pair had first met at a company holiday party in December 2004. Then, they ultimately spent the night together, with Amanda eventually becoming pregnant.
However, Amanda and Bryan did not have a romantic relationship afterward. That’s why, in February 2005, she traveled to Hillsboro Community Civic Center with her 4-year-old daughter in tow to tell Bryan that she was expecting a baby boy – whom she planned to name Hayden Lucas.
Amanda’s daughter, Hannah, remembered the encounter clearly. Her mother and Bryan started discussing her unborn baby brother. Afterward, Amanda asked if Bryan would be involved in the baby’s life.
At that point, he reportedly replied “no” and said he would pay to terminate the pregnancy. But, according to Hannah, Amanda told Bryan that he could not hurt her baby.
Months later, on August 14, 2005, Amanda reportedly went to meet up with Bryan again – just one week before she was supposed to deliver her son. She reportedly brought along sonogram photos in hopes of convincing Bryan to be a part of their son’s life.
Tragically, though, no one has seen or heard from Amanda ever since that day when she disappeared while eight and a half months pregnant.
She was last seen in the parking lot of the Hillsboro Civic Center – located in the 10300 block of Highway 21 in Hillsboro, Missouri – at 5:00 p.m.
Once an investigation into Amanda’s disappearance was launched, her blue 1997 Pontiac Sunfire was found abandoned in the parking lot. The vehicle was unlocked, but her cell phone, keys, and wallet were missing.
nataliaderiabina – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Authorities did find the sonogram photos inside her car, which were entered into evidence.
Being that Bryan was the last known person to see Amanda, he was the main focus of the investigation – conducted by both the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. However, he maintains that he had no involvement in Amanda’s disappearance.
His attorney has also stated that Bryan has denied being involved in Amanda’s disappearance and being the potential father of her unborn baby.
Additionally, Bryan stated that, on the day Amanda disappeared, they met at the Hillsboro Civic Center at 1:00 p.m. and spent about an hour speaking inside their parked cars.
Then, when Bryan reportedly left between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., he claimed that Amanda was still sitting inside her car and talking to someone on the phone.
However, authorities were reportedly skeptical of this timeline since the air conditioning in Amanda’s car was broken, and it was a very hot summer day.
Moreover, records showed that the last time Amanda used her cell phone was at 1:15 p.m. when she answered an incoming call.
In June 2019, investigators with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office oversaw an excavation on the grounds of the Hillsboro Civic Center. Cadaver dogs searched for signs of Amanda, but no evidence was uncovered. According to Amanda’s mother, Bertha, she was not informed of the search until it was over.
“Why didn’t they do [an excavation] the day that the searchers were out there? Why didn’t they come back the next day instead of waiting this long? There’s a lot of questions, but they always tell me they can’t tell me anything,” Bertha said.
Most recently, in October 2021, Amanda’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bryan after he died of natural causes in December 2021 at the age of 53.
“We, as a family, feel cheated that Bryan died before we could find our daughter, Amanda, and unborn grandson, Hayden. This news follows our recent legal actions against Bryan, and we feel that another opportunity to get a step closer to finding them has been lost,” Amanda’s parents, Hubert and Bertha, said in a statement.
In September 2022, though, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled. So, the search for answers in Amanda’s case continues, and her loved ones are still hopeful that justice will one day be served.
They’ve since created a Facebook page entitled “Help Find Amanda Jones” to continue raising awareness about her disappearance.
Prior to her disappearance, Amanda worked as a loan administrator at Eagle Bank located in Festus, Missouri. Her family claimed it would have been extremely uncharacteristic for her to leave without any warning. She was also reportedly having trouble walking due to her pregnancy.
Amanda was five foot eight, weighed between 215 and 225 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink sleeveless shirt, a pink and white flowered skirt, and pink flip-flops. Amanda was due to deliver her son in late August 2005.
The FBI has previously offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the location of Amanda and her unborn son or to those responsible for their disappearance.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the FBI St. Louis at (314) 589-2500 or the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at (636) 797-5515.
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