A new lead reportedly indicated that a Sarasota, Florida, teen who vanished in September was last seen with two other boys hours before he was reported missing.
Jabez Spann’s mother reportedly told WWSB that several witnesses claimed they spotted the three boys on Martin Luther King Jr. Way on September 4, 2017, at 1 a.m. However, conflicting reports made available to CrimeOnline indicated that Spann was actually spotted on September 5 at 1 a.m.
Nevertheless, it’s believed to have been the last time the 14-year-old was seen alive.
“Was there anybody they met up with? Was there anybody they might have seen him get in the car with?” mother Tawanna Spann asked.
The news station noted that the newest lead is especially relevant because it places Jabez at the late-night Labor Day festivities—making it likely that someone snapped a picture of the person responsible for his disappearance.
Along with Jabez’s family, Atlanta’s Cold Case Investigative Research Institute director Sheryl McCollum believes someone knows what happened to the missing Florida teen and isn’t coming forward.
“People have been walking around his mom the whole time knowing,” McCollum told CrimeOnline Monday afternoon.
Jabez had vanished a week after possibly witnessing the murder of Travis Combs, 31. CrimeOnline previously reported that a man charged as an accessory in Combs’ murder allegedly told police that the 14-year-old had unintentionally stumbled upon the slaying.
There is currently a $50,000 reward available for information that leads authorities to Jabez. The Sarasota Police Department, FBI Tampa Division, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement doubled the reward in December, after apparently reaching a roadblock in the missing persons case.
Despite the newest lead, WWSB reported that authorities haven’t identified a person of interest.
McCollum said, “His own community, his own neighborhood, his own friends on his own street knows what happened to Jabez!”
Jabez is described as being 5 feet, 9 inches, 120 pounds. Authorities said he was last seen wearing a turquoise shirt.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding Jabez Spann’s disappearance or whereabouts is urged to call Detective Kim Laster at 941-364-7327 or Crimestoppers at 941-366-TIPS.
[Featured image: Jabez Spann/Family handout]
