Mother of murdered Nassau woman, Joleen Cummings, remembers final moments on 3-year anniversary of her death

Wednesday marks three years since Anne Johnson, mother of murdered Nassau County woman Joleen Cummings, last heard her daughters voice.

In a new letter, Johnson shares the final conversation she had with Joleen on May 12, 2018.

“For some [unknown] reason I asked Joleen about the “Angel” figure placed on her work station. I told her that I placed it there on a Thursday when she was off work, Johnson said. Joleen said that no one had told her. I assumed she knew it was from me, because it said “Daughter,” she continued.

Johnson said she knew that her and Joleen’s children would see her the following day for Mother’s Day --which was also Joleen’s birthday-- but that day never came.

That evening Cummings was supposed to meet her ex-husband, Jason Cummings, at a Winn-Dixie in Hilliard to pick up her three kids, but she never showed up. Nassau County investigators said surveillance camera footage revealed Cummings’ Ford Expedition being parked by Cummings co-worker, Kimberly Kessler, who remains the sole suspect in her murder, around 1:17 a.m. at the Home Depot parking lot in Yulee.

On Monday, May 14, Anne Johnson, Cummings’ mother, reported her daughter missing. Days later, Kessler was arrested. She was officially charged with first degree murder in September 2018.

A lot has happened, and not happened in the three years since her daughter was presumably murdered.

While Joleen’s disappearance has gained national attention, her body has never been found, and Kimberly Kessler has undergone one competency hearing after another over the state of her mental health.

“As we continue to gather more and more evidence and facts, we have learned that this case is very unusual, and one that I’m not sure we have ever seen in Nassau County,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said.

Leeper said Kessler has used 18 different aliases and lived in 33 cities in 14 states since 1996. Click here for full list of names and locations.

“Nothing in life prepares survivors for the reality that someone you love has died a violent death. When your child is murdered, grief is only the beginning. The hardest part of grieving is waiting for justice. Waiting for Joleen’s remains to be found. “Enough is enough,” Johnson said.

Anne said her grandchildren are surrounded by their mother’s photos. “I feel her spirit is here, watching over her children. Sometimes, I hear her say, ‘‘Mom do this or do that. Kiss and hug the kids for me.’”

Johnson says she turns to scripture to get her through the uncertainty and ongoing grief, citing Luke 18:1: That men ought to always pray and not faint.

“Pray without ceasing for Joleen’s remains to be found. Pray without ceasing for Justice to be served for Joleen’s children.”

Cox Media Group