Shivangi Sinha
Amber Gerweck, a mother of four residing in Michigan, prompted concern when colleagues contacted her family in April 2011 about her absence from work for two days. The family, taken aback, reported her disappearance to the police, initiating an investigation. Her car and personal belongings were soon found abandoned, but she remained missing. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Disappeared’ episode, ‘Memory Lane,’ delves into the details of this investigation, exploring whether she was ultimately located.
Who is Amber Gerweck?
Dale and Jackie Seger welcomed Amber Seger in 1978. They have described her as a caring individual who looked out for her family at every step. She even excelled in school before finding love in 1997 and marrying Teague Gerweck. The couple expanded their family with four children. However, their divorce in 2006 was a devastating blow for Amber, who’d found happiness and fulfillment in her family life.
Teague gained physical custody of their kids, with Amber having occasional visitation rights. Despite challenges, she made the most of her situation. By 2011, she lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Jackson, Michigan, and worked as an administrative assistant at a local consulting firm, specializing in security contracting. Excelling in her role, she was in contention for a promotion. Additionally, she was pursuing classes in medical administration on the side.
However, on the morning of April 12, 2011, Amber’s coworkers contacted her aunt, expressing concern as she had not reported to work. The aunt, in turn, informed Amber’s mother, who revealed that their last conversation on April 9 seemed normal. Nevertheless, worried, they visited her home, where they found her books, laptop, and phone scattered on her bed. Her bag lay by the door too, but her car keys were absent. It appeared as if she’d unexpectedly left amid an ordinary day.
A missing person report was filed, prompting police involvement. On April 13, just a day later, her car was discovered in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, a location suspiciously close to her parents’ house, approximately 30 miles away. Intriguingly, her bank cards, personal ID, and car keys were all found inside the vehicle. The police, investigating further, discovered a receipt from a nearby Dollar General store in the car, leading them to check the store’s surveillance footage.
The store’s surveillance footage revealed that Amber entered the store alone, made a few purchases, and left. Adjacent to the store was a vast, dense forest, but despite intensive searches, no trace of her was found. However, the focus on the case waned as the region was hit by severe tornadoes in the following days. In contrast, her family, determined to find her, created a missing person poster and circulated it on various Facebook groups. Just as they were grappling with dwindling hope, a piece of news emerged that would alter the course of events.
On May 5, 2011, the police contacted Amber’s parents, informing them that a woman resembling Amber, with a similar tattoo, had been discovered by them in Illinois. This unidentified woman had sought help from a patrol officer on May 2, stating that she couldn’t recall her identity or location. Diagnosed with amnesia, she remained a Jane Doe until the police could establish her identity.
Amber Gerweck is Working as a Trade Analyst Today
Amber Gerweck’s amnesia was identified as a specific type likely triggered by a past event. She had reportedly left her children and cheated on her husband out of fear that she might harm them. The subconscious turmoil she had suppressed surfaced in the form of amnesia. Over the following months, Amber’s memories began to gradually return, but there were significant gaps she struggled to fill.
Over time, Amber disclosed that her memories extended only up to the age of 12. On the day of her disappearance, she looked into the mirror and couldn’t recognize herself, causing intense fear. She drove with no recollection of how she reached her destination but remembered buying ice cream from a dollar store. The days until her reunion with her family remained a blank space in her memory. Additionally, she struggled to recognize her family when they came to see her.
Amber has since documented her experiences through a blog. Currently employed as a Senior Trade Analyst at Livingston International, she is also pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain and Operations Management at Western Governors University. She has had some minor health issues connected to her breathing but is doing well overall. In 2002, she found out that she had a syndrome which does not allow her to control her body temperature. However, this does not affect her day-to-day living in a significant manner. Surrounded by her children, family, and two dogs, she has built a new and thriving life for herself.
