Missing Nassau woman's mother: ‘Every night, I drive around looking'

Joleen Cummings has been missing for nearly a month. The 33-year-old mother of three vanished on May 12 after working a full day at Tangles Hair Salon in Fernandina Beach. She is presumed deceased. 

The salon is now closed and won’t reopen. The business is now a makeshift shrine to Joleen, who worked there for years and had built up a loyal client base.

TIMELINE: The disappearance of Joleen Cummings

The salon also employed a woman named Kimberly Kessler — but she went by the alias "Jennifer Sybert." Kessler worked side-by-side with Cummings, and by some accounts, the two did not get along.

Action News Jax has since learned that Kessler — a suspect in Cummings' disappearance —  has moved from state to state for most of the last 20 years and has used several aliases. 

Cummings’ mother Anne Johnson, showed up to Tangles late Tuesday to drop off more flowers. She gave this interview to Action News Jax reporter Amber Krycka:

What’s it been like seeing all this support for your daughter?

Johnson: It motivates me. It actually just motivates me. It motivates me that the community just loves my daughter. That they just care about each other. We're a small-knit community, but it's impacted by everybody.

I mean, from one parent to another, can you imagine the unimaginable? Just the smallest closure would be having her home. And that’s the hardest part, is not having her home.

The outpouring [of support] of the community has been phenomenal. They’re the ones that motivate me. They’re the ones that make me do my inspiration.

They call me a godly woman, but we’re all sinners and we’re all saved by the blood of Christ. I totally, totally believe with all my heart that prayers sustain us. And the community has shown that.

I just need my child home. I need that closure. Is there complete closure? No. There’s never such a thing as complete closure. We need that.

You said you’ve been coming here every day?

Johnson: Every day, twice a day I come over here. I drive the roads, I look for simple things that maybe other people don't know that I could recognize.

But just looking at this just makes me so happy, to know how many people loved her. And how much support I have from the community.

Not being able to bring your child home? That’s all I ask for. Somebody knows something. Somebody knows something.

They’ve got a business that’s right next door, I mean they close at 10. And probably cleanup is probably done by 11.

Somebody’s seen something. Somebody knows something. Just the right thing [to do] is just to come forward.

And the salon where your daughter works is now closed. 

Johnson: She brought the most clients in. People loved her. She was good at what she did and she loved what she did. And I know the owners loved her. I know they did.

It’s apparent the community does too. I mean, this is just a small example, I mean just following my posts. It’s all about the positive. It’s all about the prayer. We will, we will win this. I know we will. Justice will be served, and my daughter will be found.

The suspect is not saying anything. 

Johnson: It's okay, because the truth will come out. She got caught. She got caught. And I met her, my granddaughter met her. That's the hardest part. How can somebody be so cold?

You met her in the salon? 

Johnson: Yes. Faith sustains us and faith will get us through this.

(Johnson tells a story about a little boy who would only let Joleen cut his hair)

Johnson: I asked him at the vigil, I said, “What did my daughter call you?” And he said “cutie.” That’s my daughter. And I said, “You really are a cutie.” Cause he really is. I guarantee the stuffed animals were probably from kids, and these probably were from her three kids.

You’re here every night?

Johnson: Twice a day, yeah.

Joleen was your oldest?

Yes, she was born on Mother’s Day. That’s why I was so frustrated. One thing Joleen would never, ever have done was not shown up on her birthday or Mother’s Day. I miss her so much. And there’s somebody that knows something.

And I pray with all my heart that somebody will come forward. I believe they will. And I look a wreck, because what I do is I drive around every night. Every night I drive around looking and praying I’ll find my child.

No parent should have to go through this.

Cox Media Group