ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – It has been one year since an Upstate mother of two went missing and now her family is pushing for more answers.
We previously reported that Alexis Ware was last seen on January 30, 2022, at the 7-Eleven on Highway 29 North in Anderson County.
Deputies found Ware’s Honda on February 3, 2022, in McCormick.
Now a year later, multiple agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. have combed through miles of terrain with air support, K9 and cadaver units and search and rescue teams.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate each tip received.
“I remain positive and it’s my hope and belief that Alexis is alive. It’s important for me to
work every day to locate her and bring her safely home to her children,” Lead detective Jason
Fowler said.
Just recently, TJ Patterson, the father of Alexis’ son, is no longer considered a person of
interest by detectives, according to the sheriff’s office.
Patterson was the last person to see Ware at the 7-Eleven before she sped off. He was suspected and investigated from the infancy of the case, however, several avenues suggest he had no involvement in the mother of two’s disappearance.
“It’s hard,” said Ware’s mother, Alberta Gray-Simpkin. “We just have to take it day by day. It’s a struggle right now.”
On Monday, Ware’s mother, family members, and local activist Bruce Wilson went to Columbia to ask the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office to take over the investigation.
“We need answers, we need closure, and the children need to know what happened with their mother,” said Gray-Simpkin.
Wilson said they met with the Attorney General’s Chief of Staff, who he says committed to an informal inquiry to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
There is a $5000 reward through CRIMESTOPPERS leading to Alexis Ware being found. People can submit tips anonymously by calling 1-888-CRIME-SC.
