Cassie Sheetz: West Virginia mom missing for 7 months after she went out hiking
PENDELTON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA: The national attention given to the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito by the news media and social media has had an effect on other missing person cases -- they too seem to be getting more coverage and attention. One of those cases is that of Cassie Renee Sheetz, who has been missing for months now.
On March 11, 25-year-old Sheetz, a mother of three, went on a hike with two men. Not long after the initial hike, all three were reported missing. As per reports, police said that the two men were found on March 12, one standing by a vehicle and the other coming out of the forest.
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Sheetz’s mother Arlene Shelton told WDTV, “To me, because she’s my daughter she was perfect. I mean she did have her little moments but I’d give anything to have her back right now.” She said her daughter was never into hiking and stated that the men told her Sheetz wanted to show them something in that area, but what that ‘something’ was exactly, was never clear. “It doesn’t make sense to me that someone could just disappear off the face of the Earth with no word, no contact, no nothing for six months. She wouldn’t go a day without texting or calling me and we’ve heard nothing.”
State Police, per reports, is still investigating, but have no new leads. Volunteers have searched for Sheetz, but so far, nothing has been found. “It's been the longest seven months of my life, and it’s just like every day feels something new. As a mom, I just don’t feel like she’s gone,” Shelton told WHSV on October 3, the day the latest search for Sheetz was carried out at Spruce Knob -- the place where she was last seen. More than 100 people turned out to help with the search.
“We just hope for closure for her mother. We hope that everything works the right way and everything just helps to lead her to the location of her daughter,” said Toma Wallace, one of the people who came out to search. “I have a 22-year-old daughter that’s about the same age as her. Just to give that family some kind of answers, I can’t imagine if that was my daughter I’d hope everybody would be out here helping me as well,” said Dennis Mazza, another member of the search party.
As per Metro News, the State Police has periodically conducted searches of the area all summer in the areas where the two friends claimed they last saw her. But Sheetz’s mother believes that the two friends in question are not being honest as well.
Back in July, a billboard was put up by Lamar Advertising in Elkins near 536 Randolph Avenue asking the public for leads on the disappearance. “Right now we’re at a standstill so we’d figure we’d put the billboard up, keep sharing on Facebook that somebody, we know somebody knows something,” Shelton said at the time.
WHSV quoted Shelton as saying at the time, “I got a text message early in the morning saying mommy I need your help I’m in California. Then all of a sudden it went from that to look we kidnapped your daughter, we have her and we need $10,000 or I’m going to take a single bullet and put it between her eyes.” Shelton said the message was sent through the TextNow App. Reportedly, however, Sheetz’s account and number associated with the account were hacked.