By Bob Allen
Jan. 7 marked the six-month anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of a Missouri Baptist lobbyist’s wife.
Lynn Messer, 52, wife of Missouri Family Network leader Kerry Messer, vanished in the middle of the night July 8 from the couple’s 120-acre farm in Bloomsdale, Mo. She left behind her keys, cellphone and a walking boot she was using while recovering from a broken toe.
Her husband, who represents conservative groups including the Missouri Baptist Convention, in the state capital, theorizes that she may have reacted badly to new pain medication and walked away in a disoriented state. If she made it to the road and got picked up as a hitchhiker, he says, she could be anywhere.
Volunteer search parties scoured the farm and neighboring properties for weeks. As fewer and fewer people started showing up, Kerry Messer called off the local searches in the fall, launching in their place a first-of-its-kind educational program enlisting hunters across the nation to aid law enforcement by keeping an eye out for anything unusual they run across that might be a clue toward locating a missing person.
The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Highway Patrol and FBI are all investigating her disappearance. Police have questioned Kerry Messer and other family members. Some have reportedly taken lie-detector tests, but officials say there is no evidence at this point that she is the victim of a crime.
A “Find Lynn Messer” Facebook page seeks information and includes regular postings by her husband sharing details of both fond memories and anguish during the last 180 days.
Kerry Messer pulled away from politics for five months, sitting out his first election cycle in 30 years, but decided recently to re-engage for the 2015 legislative session getting underway Jan. 7. He told the Missouri Baptist Convention newspaper, The Pathway, that his return will be difficult, because his wife has always worked behind the scenes to keep his schedule and help him manage his time.
“We continue to need your prayers and support, more than ever before,” Messer said. “Our prayer requests remain the same as they have been for 30 years: that the Lord controls our hearts so our motivations for this ministry be out of his love; that the Lord continues to grant us grace in the eyes of those we work with; and that the Lord provides us with the financial support we need to be effective.”
Previous story: