Farmer's tip about missing identical twin from West Fargo prompts extensive search in Barnes County

Aug. 3—WEST FARGO — A promising tip from a farmer who said he spoke with a missing West Fargo woman several weeks ago prompted an extensive search in Barnes County but yielded no signs of the woman.

Jonett Wanner, 50, of West Fargo, has not been seen or heard from since Tuesday, July 11, when she last signed off her work computer at home around 2:30 p.m.

Deputies from neighboring Stutsman County brought a boat and sonar equipment, a dive team, and drones to assist those in Barnes County on Wednesday, Aug. 2, searching a trio of lakes southwest of Valley City for any signs of the woman or her gray 2017 Nissan Rogue.

They searched in and around St. Mary's, Moon and Sweetwater lakes, family members said. A Civil Air Patrol plane out of Bismarck also joined to search by air.

Wanner's identical twin sister, Joenell Bachman, was holding out hope for something, anything.

"It was an emotional day," Bachman said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sister-in-law Audrey Aberle said the tip came from a farmer listening to "The Jay Thomas Show" on 970 WDAY-AM earlier this week, when he learned about the missing woman for the first time.

The farmer called law enforcement to say a woman drove up to his shop on St. Mary's Lake southwest of Valley City on a Tuesday a few weeks ago, asking for directions to Sweetwater Lake.

He said the descriptions of her and the vehicle given by law enforcement were a match.

The woman told the farmer she was just "going down memory lane."

Bachman said she's had a gut feeling that her sister is gone, but now isn't so sure.

"It gave me hope," she said.

Still, the family acknowledges the possibility that Wanner may not be found alive.

Aberle said it's difficult to think about, but answers could come as more people are out walking and driving in rural areas during harvest and hunting seasons.

"We know time is passing. That's when your mind starts to go to the worst, but we're still hoping and praying for the best," she said.

Wanner is 5-foot-2, around 100 pounds, with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes.

Her vehicle is a gray 2017 Nissan Rogue with North Dakota license plates 261 AZY.

She was likely traveling with her senior dog Scooby, a Chihuahua terrier mix.

Wanner left home with the car, her dog, the dog's bed, and likely a wallet, but not her cellphone. Her purse was not missing, but her wallet did not show up in a search of the home, so family members assume she took it.

Wanner's family was not able to unlock her cellphone. The West Fargo Police Department has the phone and reviewed it for potential leads, and investigators will continue to follow up on leads, the department said in a statement.

Wanner works from her home as a billing and coding specialist for Sanford Health, a job she has had since she was 19 years old.

The family learned something was amiss when Wanner's supervisor called to say she hadn't clocked in at work the next day.

The twins' brother Jeff Aberle, 55, thinks she left closer to evening that Tuesday because they noticed the kitchen and garage lights were still on when they went to her house the following day.

"It seems that she kind of left abruptly ... that's my assumption," he said.

The family said it's not like Wanner to disappear without telling either her twin sister, brother, or her 23-year-old daughter where she was going.

Wanner is divorced and single, and there were no indications on her computer that she'd been talking with anyone new online or that anything out of the ordinary was going on.

The family also spoke with co-workers to see if her demeanor might have been off recently.

"No leads there, either," Audrey Aberle said.

Aside from the possible sighting in Barnes County, even her direction of travel is unknown.

The family checked — with no luck thus far — with Wanner's neighbors on Bell Boulevard in the Shadow Creek neighborhood west of Liberty Middle School about possible surveillance or doorbell camera footage.

They also inquired about the cameras perched atop some city stoplights.

However, the West Fargo traffic cameras are used for live view only and do not record, the police department said.

Family has worked hard to see that no stone is left unturned.

Wanner's bank account and credit cards have seen no activity since her disappearance and showed nothing unusual in the weeks prior.

The family checked with Nissan, which has its own vehicle tracking service, but learned Wanner's 2017 model somehow couldn't be tracked.

They've driven to places Wanner likes to visit, talking to people and passing out "missing" posters with her picture.

Some of those locations include the family's hometown of Wishek, in McIntosh County, 180 miles southwest of Fargo; areas around Detroit Lakes; near her former cabin on Leaf Lake and also Sauk Lake, both in central Minnesota.

The family describes Wanner as soft-spoken and reserved.

Growing up, she played basketball in high school, and she and her twin were always together, even into adulthood.

They would show up for Christmas celebrations wearing the same outfit, not planned.

"Definitely that twin vibe," Audrey Aberle said.

Wanner is a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in West Fargo, and family said she had been attending more frequently in the wake of some difficult losses.

Her mother died after battling multiple illnesses two years ago, her dad died suddenly in February, and a close cousin died suddenly in March.

Bachman said her sister was depressed but had not spoken of having suicidal thoughts.

If they determine a potential location for another large-scale search for Wanner, Audrey Aberle said there will be an "all-call" for help.

Anyone with information on Wanner's whereabouts is asked to call the West Fargo Police Department at 701-515-5500.