Farmer's tip about missing ND woman turned out to be false lead
Aug. 11—WEST FARGO — A promising tip about a missing West Fargo woman that led to an extensive search more than 50 miles from her home turned out not to be valid.
Earlier this month,
a rural Valley City farmer contacted the Barnes County Sheriff's Office to say he spoke with a woman matching Jonett Wanner's description.
The woman drove up to the farmer's shop on St. Mary's Lake asking for directions around the time Wanner disappeared.
But a Sheriff's Office spokesperson said after word got out about the possible sighting, another woman called them to say it was actually her who had talked to the farmer that day.
Jeff Aberle, Wanner's brother, said it's a disappointing development.
"It has been a hard week to process the news, as we felt it was such a good lead," he said.
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.
Following the farmer's tip, deputies from neighboring Stutsman County brought a boat and sonar equipment, a dive team, and drones to assist 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.
Barnes County relayed to West Fargo police the news that the woman the farmer talked with that day was not Wanner.
A West Fargo Police Department spokesperson said there were no new updates on the investigation as of Friday, Aug. 11.
Aberle said with the tip not panning out, the family feels like they're back at square one as to the direction Wanner went after leaving her house that day.
He said he hopes people will continue to keep an eye out for her and her vehicle.
Wanner has an identical twin sister, Joenell Bachman.
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 and her dog but left her cellphone behind.
The family said it's not like her to disappear without telling either her siblings or her 23-year-old daughter where she was going.
Anyone with information on Wanner's whereabouts is asked to call the West Fargo Police Department at 701-515-5500.
