Viswa Vanapalli
Alexis Ware seemingly had an ordinary day before she suddenly sped off in her car, never being seen again. The mother of two vanished without a trace, and loved ones and authorities have been looking for her ever since. The fifth episode of NBC News’ ‘Dateline: Missing in America’ podcast explores what happened in the time leading up to Alexis’ disappearance and provides updates regarding the case.
What Happened to Alexis Ware?
Alexis grew up in a large family and always helped people out in need. She was a hairstylist running a home studio and loved doing makeup and fashion. At the time of the incident, Alexis was 29 years old and raised a 9-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. She had a significant social media presence, and everything seemed to be going her way until that fateful evening in 2022.
At around 7:30 PM on January 30, 2022, Alexis met TJ Patterson, the father of her son, at a gas station by a highway in Anderson County, South Carolina. She handed the kids over to TJ, and the plan was to follow him to his mother’s house. However, at a red light, Alexis made a sharp right and just took off. TJ tried calling her but couldn’t reach her. He then called Alexis’ mother, Alberta Gray, who also attempted to reach her daughter. However, it went straight to voicemail.
Alexis Ware: Still Missing, Family Suspects Foul Play
On February 1, 2022, Alexis’ worried sister reported her missing. Alberta felt it was unusual for Alexis to suddenly vanish without coming back for her children or contacting her family. Apart from that, Alexis also had a thriving business with clients visiting from different states to get their hair done at her Greenville, South Carolina, home. So, Alberta suspected foul play, adding, “She is labeled as a missing person, but we believe she has been kidnapped.”
However, the investigation revealed that all wasn’t right with Alexis in the time leading up to her disappearance. She spent time with her family during the last weekend in January, but Alberta felt something was off. She said, “It wasn’t the Alexis that we’re used to. I knew that something was going on with her — something was freaking her out. She — she said stuff like she didn’t feel like she was gonna make it to see her birthday.” Not just that, her brother, Travis, mentioned that Alexis uploaded some unusual social media posts sometime before her disappearance posts before deleting them.
Furthermore, the day before her disappearance, Alexis talked to her mother about being followed. Then, the following day, she mentioned seeing a black truck outside her apartment, prompting her to call the police. The authorities found Alexis’ car on a rural road in McCormick, South Carolina, on February 2, 2022, about 70 miles from where she was last seen. Surveillance videos revealed that the car was at an apartment complex in Anderson, South Carolina, and later in Augusta, Georgia, on January 30.
The police found Alexis’ purse, her phone, her daughter’s phone, and her identification. They had also located her hair bonnet on the ground close to the car, with the family believing that was evidence of a struggle. A search of the area led to no trace of Alexis, but in the time since her disappearance, there have been reported sightings of her in Greenville and Lexington Counties in South Carolina. The family has maintained that she didn’t have ties to McCormick, where the car was found.
For now, Alexis remains a missing person, with the authorities maintaining they have been pursuing every avenue to find out what happened to her. Apart from the family offering a reward, the FBI has been assisting with the investigation. Alberta said, “I don’t think it’s just as simple as being missing. I do feel like some people or person is involved in her disappearance because this is something that has never happened. I just feel like it is something going on, some foul play’s involved because there’s nothing -– there’s nothing that would keep her from coming home to her kids. Nothing.”
Read More: What Happened to Aubrey Dameron?
