A fundraiser started by the friends and family of Joni Hutton — a 70-year-old Pe Ell-area woman who was last seen on Oct. 3 — aims to pay for a private investigator to examine the case.
The effort had raised $950 of its $5,000 goal as of Wednesday afternoon.
Jan Hanson, a friend of Joni Hutton’s sister, Rhonda Hutton, started the online fundraiser on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
“It has been 12 days of agony and heartache for Rhonda, her brother and Joni's roommates who all love her. Law enforcement has made no progress and Rhonda needs to hire a private investigator at $75/hr,” Hanson wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “... We can't imagine allowing our friend to anguish any longer and want to provide resolution if at all possible.”
Joni Hutton, described as a 5-foot-5-inch white woman weighing 145 pounds and possibly wearing blue jeans and a cranberry-colored sweatshirt, was last seen by her roommates at her residence in the 1200 block of Pe Ell McDonald Road between Pe Ell and Boistfort at approximately 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Her roommates reported her missing around dinnertime on Friday, Oct. 4. She reportedly left her phone, keys and other personal belongings at the house.
“On the evening of Oct. 3, 70-year-old Joni, who does not suffer from mental illness or dementia, was watching videos on her iPad and deadheading flowers on her front porch in rural Washington state,” Hanson wrote. “Later that evening, the roommates looked outside, found Joni's phone, iPad and other personal items, but didn't find Joni. They assumed she had gone to bed already and didn't worry. The next day, however, when they didn't see her, they checked her room to find it had not been slept in and she was not there.”
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office personnel searched the 120-acre densely wooded area around Hutton’s residence on Oct. 4 and continued their search with aid from volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 5. Search and rescue personnel joined the search on Sunday, Oct. 6, and the search has continued since, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hanson stated that she and Joni Hutton’s friends and family feel the search would be “fruitless,” because “Joni, an experienced hiker, would not decide to just wander off into the woods on any October evening. Her hiking boots were still in her room and she was only wearing a hoodie.”
Hanson added that she and Joni Hutton’s friends and family “are convinced Joni was taken by someone she knew, likely one of the persons of interest. Her roommates indicate there were very few people Joni might have gone with willingly and there were no signs of a struggle.”
Hanson expressed frustration with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office investigation so far into Joni Hutton’s disappearance, saying investigators have “done little to investigate” multiple persons of interest.
Detectives with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office told The Chronicle on Tuesday, Oct. 15, that they have maintained regular contact with Joni Hutton’s roommates and sister, and have looked into the persons of interest provided to detectives.
“During my conversations with them, almost daily, I exchange what we've worked on for the day, and they, if anything, pass on the information they think that might be relevant. And I follow up on that. I work on that information,” Detective Sergeant Matt Wallace said Tuesday. “Sometimes it pans out, sometimes I can't get anything out of that information, so I'm working on whatever they provide.”
“I can understand, as a family member, you’re going to want to know where your loved one is, and we want to know where she’s at as well,” said Special Services Chief Gabriel Frase. “... We’re really doing everything we can think of doing right now to try and make that goal a reality, but sometimes it takes time.”
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who has seen Joni Hutton or has any information on her disappearance to call the sheriff’s office at 360-748-9286 or call 911.
The sheriff’s office’s case number for the investigation is 24C13033.
For more information about the fundraiser organized by Joni Hutton’s friends and family or to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rhonda-find-her-missing-sister-joni.
