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Florida Mom Who Vanished Without Warning Dies From Medical Issue, Daughter Found Safe
Angela and Alexis Jolley disappeared without a trace last week, leaving their phones behind and driving across state lines.
The search for a missing mother and daughter from Florida came to a tragic end after the mother died of natural causes hundreds of miles away from her home — leaving questions as to what sparked the disappearance.
Angela Jolley, 46, and her 19-year-old daughter, Alexis, were first reported missing last week after Angela failed to show up for work on July 23, according to a release from the St. Petersburg Police Department. Investigators found their phones and other electronic devices in the home, but surveillance footage captured them loading their two dogs into a car before leaving. They were also seen withdrawing money at a credit union, and detectives tracked them as they traveled across multiple states — from Georgia to Mississippi to Tennessee.
However, the pair’s loved ones were concerned because neither one mentioned taking such a sudden trip.
The search for the pair ended tragically on Wednesday, police said in an update. The Jolleys had driven to Nebraska, and it was there in Omaha that Angela suffered what authorities described as a “medical episode,” the release stated.
She was transported to a local hospital, where she died. Police have confirmed that Alexis is safe and has been in contact with relatives to inform them of her mother’s passing.
The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska is heading a death investigation into Angela’s passing, but the case is not considered criminal in nature, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg Police Department has closed their missing persons case, according to the outlet.
After Angela failed to show up for her job at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System in Seminole, her loved ones grew concerned and her supervisor, after traveling to her home and not finding her there, called the police, the Times previously reported. The mother and daughter were also scheduled to take a flight to Maine on Tuesday for a vacation but never showed, police
said. Their family and friends quickly organized search parties; one such effort was organized by Desiree Cook, Alexis' half-sister, who is now left with unanswered questions.
“It’s really just a shock,” Cook told PEOPLE. “They had a trip planned for Maine and were supposed to leave yesterday. Of course they didn’t show up at the airport because they were already ... in Nebraska.”
She emphasized this disappearance was out of character.
“None of Angela’s close friends knew,” she continued. “Everyone is saying that they had no idea and saying to me, ‘It’s so not like her.’”
The family is now concerned about Alexis' emotional wellbeing, Dana Tucker Moody, a family friend, told the Tampa Bay Times.
“My heart is broken and right now, mine and the family’s immediate concern is Alexis. ... She just lost her mother and best friend and she is by herself,” she said.
