Wendy Gessing Missing 6 Months: Crest Hill Police Have No Updates

CREST HILL, IL — Six months have passed since 50-year-old Crest Hill resident Wendy Gessing disappeared during her job at the Pizzas By Marchelloni restaurant, 1603 North Raynor Ave.

Since June 12, Gessing has not been seen alive. Nobody has found her body.

The Crest Hill woman worked for several years at the Pizzas By Marchelloni near the corner of Theodore and Raynor Avenue, which is owned by her long-time boyfriend, 65-year-old Scott Harris.

Besides the last confirmed sighting of Gessing on June 12, which was a Saturday, there have been three noteworthy developments in the case that Crest Hill police have disclosed:

• Multiple people had told police they thought they saw Gessing inside the Joliet Motel 6 near McDonough Street and Larkin Avenue on June 16.
• One of Gessing's vehicles, a gray Honda CRV, was found in Joliet in the 400 block of Buell Avenue the next day, June 17.
• Gessing's cell phone was recovered a few days later in the village of Romeoville in the area of Taylor Road.

The distance from where Gessing's car was found on Buell Avenue in Joliet to Taylor Road in Romeoville is roughly 9 miles.

"We remain hopeful that we can still find Wendy," Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark told Patch for a story published June 30.

Crest Hill's police chief has done little over the past several months to keep Gessing's missing person case in the public spotlight.

Clark has provided no significant updates on the case since he issued a news release on July 16 — which is five months ago.

When Joliet Patch's editor called for an interview last week, Clark said he needed to visit with the detectives before responding back. After Clark did not call back, Patch visited the Crest Hill Police Department to leave a message for Clark, but he chose not to call back.

Meanwhile, several concerned people have posted comments and questions on the City of Crest Hill Facebook page, wondering what became of the missing person case.

"Any updates? Please find her," Deana posted 19 weeks ago.

"Any updates? How can we help?" LoriLyn asked 16 weeks ago.

"Please pray to St Anthony that she (is) found safe," Jane posted 16 weeks ago.

"What ever happened with this?" Kayla asked four days ago.

"She is still missing," Kayla replied four days ago on the Crest Hill Facebook thread.

In his July 12 news bulletin, Crest Hill's police chief said that Gessing's boyfriend has provided police with his phone, and the download of the Ring doorbell from the couple's house on Hosmer Lane does not show Gessing returning home after leaving work on June 12.

Crest Hill police have also gone to the couple's house and received permission from Gessing's boyfriend to search the property, the chief said. There has been no activity on Gessing's bank statements and her credit cards since her disappearance.

On Aug. 11, Patch reported that Gessing has had no contact with her elderly mother, who lives in the Joliet area, or her sister, who lives in Diamond. She also has not been in touch with Harris, her longtime boyfriend, or her 25-year-old son, Josh.

Harris, who has owned Crest Hill's Pizzas By Marchelloni for about 20 years, said it's his understanding that his girlfriend vanished during her Saturday evening work shift.

Harris said he worked that Saturday morning and afternoon. He was not at the restaurant at the time of her disappearance or at any point later that night.

According to Harris, Gessing came into work around 4 p.m. and was set to work until at least 10 p.m., if not later, depending on the number of pizza orders near closing time.

"She usually locks up," Harris said.

According to Harris, he learned from his niece that Gessing said she was leaving the pizza place around 6:30 p.m. to give someone a ride.

"Someone needed a lift, an acquaintance," Harris said.

Harris said Gessing never returned to work that night.

During the August interview on Harris' front porch, Gessing's 25-year-old grown son returned home. Josh Gessing indicated he didn't have much to say at the moment regarding his mother's disappearance.

Patch asked Josh Gessing and Harris if they could think of anything else the Crest Hill Police Department should be doing to find Gessing.

"I think they're doing fine. I have no complaints," Harris remarked. "They're trying to do everything they can. I think they're doing everything they can. I'm not a policeman, so I am not sure what else they should do. They still tell me that's their top priority. Is there anything new? Not really."

At the time of his girlfriend's disappearance, Harris said they were raising a 9-week-old puppy.

Harris told Patch that Gessing has no prior history of running away or disappearing for an extended period of time.

"I've never been through this before," Harris said. "We work all the time. We don't have time for much."

During the August interview, Harris told Joliet Patch he's certain that his girlfriend is not living on the streets in the Joliet area.

"We don't believe she's around here, in the (Joliet) area," Harris said. "The notion that she's on the street somewhere, no, she would have got a hold of me by now."

Harris said mid-August marked 14 years that he and Gessing had been together.

During a follow-up interview in September, Harris told Patch he believes "she's either been taken or she's no longer with us ... I know she did not leave on her own."

One scenario is that Gessing was taken by force, abducted, and those responsible left her car on Buell Avenue in Joliet because "they ran out of gas," Harris said.

Harris recalled he drove the Honda CRV to work that Saturday morning, June 12, and it had less than a quarter tank of gas.

Patch asked Harris if it's likely that Gessing decided to leave Illinois on her own and relocate somewhere far away to start a new life for herself.

"That's not like her at all," Harris replied.

During the Patch story published Sept. 21, Patch asked Harris if he is hoping or would like the Crest Hill police to publicly announce he has been cleared in the case.

"I don't believe they think that it's me," Harris told Patch. "I know it's not me."

On the night of his girlfriend's disappearance, Harris said he went to the Lockport Moose Club. He said he goes to the Lockport Moose on many weekends, when he has a chance to get away from work to socialize.