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Missing

Melissa Jo Sermons










Missing Person Case September 2021



Missing Person Case September 2021



Missing Person Case September 2021


Sermons, approximately 1992; Larry Costine, approximately 1992




Date reported missing : 05/03/1992

Missing location (approx) :
Lakeland, Florida
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White


DOB : 08/13/1965 (55)
Age at the time of disappearance: 26 years old
Height / Weight : 5'10, 175 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A black shirt, turquoise pants, white or gray boots, a horseshoe ring with diamonds, a rope chain and a black watch.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Blonde hair, green eyes. Sermons has a scar under her nose and her ears are pierced. She may go by her middle name, Jo, and may spell it "Joe." She may also use the name Pauline Crouse.





Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Sermons was last seen in Lakeland, Florida on May 3, 1992. She worked with horses and was involved in the rodeo culture. That evening, she attended a rodeo in Dade City, Florida with 31-year-old Elwin Lawrence "Larry" Costine Jr. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.
Costine and a friend were in a team roping contest at the rodeo; they won and split the $350 prize. At 2:00 a.m. the next day, Sermons and Costine went to breakfast with a friend. The couple is believed to have gone to Costine's home at 4:15 a.m. Authorities determined that Sermons never returned to her own Lakeland residence. She has never been seen again.
Sermons and Costine's families both filed missing persons' reports with law enforcement when neither of them showed up for work the next day.
Costine's nude body was discovered inside the bedroom of his unlocked trailer home in the 12600 block of Moore Road in Lakeland on May 5, 1992, two days after he and Sermons were last seen. He had been shot several times in the head and back. One of his guns was missing, but there were no signs of a struggle or a robbery at the scene. His bed had not been slept in.
There was no tEthnicity : of Sermons inside Costine's residence. There have been reported sightings of Sermons alive and well at truck stops in Florida, Kansas and Texas since her disappearance, but investigators don't believe the stories are reliable.
Investigators initially believed Sermons might have been involved in Costine's killing, but Costine's family always thought she was innocent.
In July 2013, authorities named Danny Cerezo as a suspect in the murder and Sermons's disappearance. He dated Sermons and they lived together for about a year, but she ended the relationship in April 1992 and moved out of his house.
Cerezo kept in touch with Sermons's family after the breakup and asked about her other relationships. The day before she disappeared, Sermons spoke to him on the phone and told him she was dating Costine now didn't want to see him.
Police stated they had physical evidence that linked Cerezo to Costine's shooting. He has not been charged in either the murder or Sermons's disappearance, however; both her case and Costine's death remain unsolved.


Other information and links : ncy

Polk County Sheriff's Office
863-534-7222
863-533-0344



September 2021 updates and sources

Polk County Sheriff's Office
The Tampa Tribune
Florida Department Of Law Enforcement
Unsolved Mysteries
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal