[Florida Files] The Murder of Joleen Cummings and the Coworker With 18 Aliases
In May 2018, Joleen Cummings was a 34 year old mother of three living in Nassau County, Florida. Joleen worked as a hairstylist at Tangles Hair Salon in Fernandina Beach and was preparing to spend Mother’s Day and her birthday with her children. On Saturday, May 12, she finished a shift at the salon. The following day, she did not arrive to pick up her children, and the people who loved her could not reach her.
Joleen’s Disappearance
Joleen’s family reported her missing on Monday. Investigators began by tracing her final known movements and looking for her beige Ford Expedition. Days later, they found it in a Home Depot parking lot in Yulee, Florida.
Surveillance footage showed a woman leaving the SUV in the early hours of May 13. Someone from Tangles identified her as Jennifer Sybert, a newer coworker who had worked alongside Joleen the day before. Detectives went to the salon to speak with Jennifer, but she did not come in. The address she had given her employer was not real, and she left after learning that police were looking for her.
The Identity Behind the Name
Investigators located Jennifer at a highway rest area and arrested her in connection with the SUV. As they checked her identity, detectives discovered that Jennifer Sybert was the name of a teenage girl who had died decades earlier. The woman from Tangles was actually Kimberly Lee Kessler.
The investigation revealed that Kimberly had used at least 18 aliases while living in more than 30 cities across 14 states. Detectives reviewed surveillance footage, purchases made after Joleen went missing, phone records, and forensic evidence from the salon. They found Joleen’s blood in multiple areas of Tangles and on items connected to Kimberly.
A Case Without a Recovery
In December 2021, a Nassau County jury found Kimberly guilty of first degree murder and grand theft auto. She received a life sentence without parole in January 2022, and her conviction was later upheld on appeal.
Joleen’s remains have never been recovered. Her family has a legal answer to who was responsible for her death, but they are still without the chance to bring Joleen home. In this episode, we follow the search for Joleen, the false identity detectives uncovered, and the evidence that brought the case to court.
Sources:
Unsealed documents Kimberly Kessler's case, shows strange search history
Kimberly Kessler near death on hunger strike in jail, attorneys say
How a Florida mom's disappearance led to arrest of woman with 18 aliases - ABC News
Sheriff: Suspect in disappearance of Fla. mom has had 18 aliases, lived in 33 cities
Juror: DNA, internet searches & attempt to clean crime scene sealed Kimberly Kessler’s fate
Convicted killer Kimberly Kessler attempted suicide twice | firstcoastnews.com
Jennifer Sybert: 10 things we know about suspect in Nassau mom's disappearance
Joleen Cummings disappearance: Timeline of events - Action News Jax
Kimberly Kessler charged with murder in Joleen Cummings case
Trial For Florida Woman Accused Of Killing Hairstylist Begins With Bizarre Outbursts | Oxygen
Timeline: Kimberly Kessler’s arrest, investigation into death of Joleen Cummings
Sheriff: Ex-boyfriend of missing stylist no longer person of interest
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Left-Behind-book-series-by-Lahaye-and-Jenkins
Dismemberment experiment with knife purchased by Kimberly Kessler lasted just 73 minutes
Florida sheriff’s office celebrates transfer of ‘problem’ inmate with cake, ice cream
https://www.fdc.myflorida.com/institutions/institutions-list/314
