Stolen vehicle found torched in Science Hill

Mar. 22—A vehicle up for sale was reportedly stolen and found completely burned Tuesday night, and the owner is now looking for those who might be responsible.

The vehicle, a 2008 Hyundai Elantra, was taken for a supposed test drive and never returned, according to owner Summer Weaver.

She said she had left the vehicle with Jolee Manning and Jolee's fiancé to help sell it while Weaver was at work.

As Manning explained, "[Weaver] works a lot, so I'd been trying to help her sell it."

Manning said she had posted the vehicle on Facebook's Marketplace site, and someone with a woman's profile information messaged her asking for a test drive.

She then said that a man was dropped off at her Science Hill residence. The fiancé spoke with the man outside, and gave him the keys to take a test drive.

"The guy just never brought it back," Manning said.

Further attempts to contact the person Manning had been talking with on Facebook went unanswered, and the car was missing for several hours before law enforcement contacted them about having found it.

The car was completely totaled.

It was eventually found in what looks to be an ATV trail off of Macedonia Way, a possible 15-minute drive from Manning's house, she said. She believes someone saw the smoke from the fire and contacted emergency response.

Weaver said that it appears that the catalytic converters had been cut off of it, but one was found lying next to the vehicle.

"I don't know if they torched it, or if it caught fire when they were cutting the cats off," she said.

The area it was found in was so "desolate" that the original tow truck driver got stuck trying to retrieve it and a second one had to be called in to help the first one, Weaver said.

Both Manning and Weaver said a neighbor's cameras picked up the vehicle in which the man had been dropped off. They are asking the public to look for a red small passenger vehicle that looks to be similar to a Ford Focus or a Honda Accord.

It's been a difficult few months for Weaver, as she said her house had burned down back in October. While she has a vehicle currently, the one she lost only had liability insurance on it, she said.

The case is being handled through the Science Hill Police Department, she said.

Weaver asked others who are trying to sell vehicles to be careful.

"Don't let them test drive it alone, and watch out for people who just show up," Weaver said.

Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com