Missing Woman's Parents Still Awaiting Word

The strange saga of Amy Nicole Hill appears not to be over after all.

As far as the friends and family of Hill are concerned, the 38-year-old West Columbia woman is still missing despite reports to the contrary. Authorities may have located her, but her family still has not heard from her and they don't know exactly where she is. Until Hill is seen or heard from, friends and family continue to consider her missing.

"THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION! I am her sister and her family would have been notified by the police department if, in fact, she had been located. SHE IS STILL MISSING!" wrote Errin Fox in response to

Patch and at least one other media outlet reported Wednesday that Hill had been located, apparently safe and sound, in Summerville, based on a press release by the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. The case has since been turned over to the Summerville Police Department.

"Our investigators have her located safely in Summerville," LCSD spokesman Erik Murrah told Patch in response to an email query Thursday morning. "Video evidence shows and some credit card transactions imply that she went to Summerville on her own free will, but is not communicating with the family …. The Summerville PD has taken over primary investigation of the case. We put out the news release, basically to let people know that her last known safe location has moved from the Lexington area, to the Summerville area. I hope this provides some clarification."

Summerville Police Sgt. Cassandra Williams, who is handling the Hill case, told Patch Thursday afternoon that "as far as I know" Hill is safe. She declined any further comment until she speaks to Hill's father, Larry Roberts.

That word brought at least some comfort to Hill's stepmother, Reba Roberts. "Praise the Lord for that," she said. "That really makes me feel good."

Larry Roberts says he personally has not heard a single word from the LCSD or Summerville Police, and that calls to Sgt. Williams have gone unreturned. Williams chalked that up to a "breakdown in communications," but said she planned to call the family Thursday evening. Roberts said the surveillance video and credit card transactions, from March, were "old news."

Hill's friends and family consider the whole situation "strange." Hill's continued absence is troubling to them, especially since she is an epileptic who may be without her meds. Getting any meds somewhere else would require her to get a new prescription from another doctor, Roberts said. 

Hill also left behind three children, including a 13-year-old. Hill's other two children are grown.

Hill's father said his daughter has never done anything like this before, and there is nothing that he can think of that would cause her to abandon her family. If it's simply a matter of Hill not wanting any contact with her family, Roberts said that could be easily handled.

"If she's safe and doesn't want to contact us, she could just write us a letter with no return address and say, 'Daddy, I'm fine, I'm healthy, and everything's OK."

Until such time, he added, "we'll just put it in God's hands."

Stay tuned to Patch for more details.