The Chilling Disappearance Of Amanda Jones And Her Unborn Child
26-year-old single mom Amanda Jones lived in Hillsboro, Missouri, with her 4-year-old daughter Hannah. The family was about to grow as Amanda was 8 and 1/2 months pregnant with a boy she planned to name Hayden Lucas.
Amanda was overjoyed and she couldn’t wait to meet her son. Unfortunately, not everyone was as excited, specifically the baby’s father.
Amanda worked at Eagle Bank. She met Bryan Westfall at an office Christmas party in December 2004. It was held at the Hillsboro Civic Center, where Bryan worked. They hit it off and spent the night together.
Bryan was 36 and unbeknownst to Amanda, he had a girlfriend named Stephanie. Bryan and Stephanie had been together for four years.
The Civic Center is the home of the annual county fair and locals often rent it out for weddings and other events. It contains a barn, a horse track, and several acres of woodland. Bryan had his own set of keys to the building.
In February 2005, Amanda met with Bryan at the Civic Centre and told him that she was pregnant. He denied he was the father and offered to pay for an abortion. Bryan told her that he didn’t want anything to do with the baby.
Bryan hadn’t spoken to Amanda for six months when he called her out of the blue on August 14, 2005, two weeks before her due date. He asked her to meet him at the Civic Center at 1 pm to talk about their unborn child.
After church, Amanda left Hannah with her parents, Hugh and Bertha, and took off to meet Bryan. She took the sonogram photos along with her, hoping that they would entice Bryan to be involved in their son’s life.
When Amanda failed to return home by 3:30 pm, Hugh and Bertha became concerned. They called her several times but there was no answer. They called Bryan who claimed that he had no idea where Amanda was.
Bryan told Bertha that he took Amanda to a restaurant called Off the Hook just outside town for lunch, after which he dropped her off at her car back at the Civic Center and returned to tending the horses in the barn at 2 pm.
Later, Bryan called back with a different story. He said they never made it to lunch because Amanda got upset that he didn’t want the baby to have his last name. Bryan said Amanda went to the restroom at the Civic Center and that when she came out, she told him she wasn’t hungry and took off.
Loved ones rushed down to the Civic Center and found Amanda’s car abandoned in the parking lot. The driver’s side door was slightly ajar. The sonogram photos were inside but Amanda’s purse, her car keys, and her cellphone were missing. Decades later, they have never been found.
Amanda was reported missing that evening. Investigators questioned Bryan that night and his story changed again. He claimed that he took off while Amanda was in the restroom at 2 pm and returned to his duties. He said he saw her talking on the phone in her car when he left work at 5 pm.
However, Bryan’s story seemed unlikely for several reasons. For one, it was a scorching hot summer’s day, and the air conditioner in Amanda’s car was broken. It seemed strange that anyone, let alone a heavily pregnant woman, would sit in a blistering hot car for 3 and a half hours.
Phone records proved that Amanda was not on the phone at 5 pm. The last contact on her phone was at 1:16 when her sister-in-law Rhonda called. Amanda was abrupt. She said she couldn’t talk and hung up. This was uncharacteristic of Amanda who was usually upbeat, and friendly.
Surveillance footage from Off the Hook confirmed that Bryan and Amanda had not been there that day. When asked why he initially told Bertha that they had gone there for lunch, Bryan denied ever making that statement.
A witness saw Bryan leave the Civic Center alone at 5 pm. He drove to the fire department where he spoke with an employee for 15 minutes. The employee claimed that he arrived alone, and inquired about a burn permit. It’s unclear whether Bryan obtained a burn permit or what he wanted it for.
At 8 pm, Stephanie went to Bryan’s home with several large totes. She told the police that Bryan asked her to buy the totes the day before, and she provided receipts from Target. The totes were never seen again.
Bryan refused to cooperate with the investigation and he hired a lawyer that very night. He denied paternity and insisted that he was not involved in Amanda’s disappearance. Stephanie hired the same lawyer the next morning. Despite repeated attempts, they refused to talk to the police.
Nine days into Amanda’s disappearance, Bryan agreed to a consent search. He lived on a farm next to his parents, spanning more than 600 acres of land. He allowed investigators to search some areas of his property but denied access to others. His parent’s house was never searched.
The grounds of the Civic Center were not searched until 2019 when investigators received a tip. Cadaver dogs were deployed and they alerted to several areas. An excavation was conducted but sadly, nothing was found.
The authorities claimed that they were unable to obtain a search warrant since there was no physical evidence that Amanda left the Civic Center with Bryan. As a result, he was never charged with her disappearance.
In October 2022, Hugh and Bertha filed a wrongful d*eath suit against Bryan. A month later, he had a stroke and died, therefore the suit was dismissed. Bryan and Stephanie remained a couple until his de*ath.
Amanda’s ex-husband Scott Jones (Hannah’s father) was ruled out as a suspect. He passed away in 2007. Hugh and Bertha raised Hannah, who is now 22. She is hopeful that her mother will soon be found and laid to rest.
“She was a loving person, she was really nice, and she just loved other people and loved me, and was excited to have another baby. I don’t have a mom anymore… I just miss her, and I miss my brother.” — Amanda’s daughter, Hannah
Amanda Jones was last seen wearing a pink sleeveless top, a pink and white flowered skirt, and pink sandals. The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for any information regarding her disappearance. Contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department at (636) 797–5527
