Sara Ebersole: The Cowboys in the Truck // 604

Summary

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Going West: True Crime Podcast - Episode 604

Sara Ebersole: The Cowboys in the Truck

Release Date: May 1, 2026
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman
Duration of Content Covered: [03:53] – [51:33]

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Daphne and Heath delve into the haunting and perplexing disappearance of Sara Ebersole, a 26-year-old Florida woman who vanished in March 2023. The hosts walk listeners through Sara’s troubled background, the complicated dynamics in her life, and the frustrating, slow-moving investigation. Central to the discussion is the remarkable advocacy and dedication of Sara’s sister, Michelle, and the suspicions swirling around two central figures: Sara's ex-boyfriend Joseph and the last man seen with her, Tyrone Moorman. The episode balances a sensitive portrait of Sara with hard-hitting criticism of the systemic failures surrounding her case.

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Key Discussion Points & Timeline

1. Sara's Background and Personal Struggles ([03:53]–[15:01])

• Early Life: Born in Michigan, raised mainly by her sister Michelle after early childhood instability and abuse at the hands of relatives.
• Personality: Michelle describes Sara as “strong-willed, intelligent, and brave...She had a childish fun spirit. She’s pretty much an explorer.” ([06:18], quote from Michelle cited by hosts)
• Life Choices: Dropped out of high school, quickly married and divorced Thomas Ebersole, then entered a relationship with Joseph—described as violent, manipulative, and with a criminal history.
• Motherhood and Threats from Joseph: After becoming a mother, Sara faced custody battles with Joseph, who “grew frighteningly possessive,” hacking accounts and tracking her. Sara obtained—and then lost—a restraining order against him. ([08:53–11:34])
• Financial Hardship and Dancing at Cafe Risque: Eventually began working as a dancer, which briefly eased money troubles.

2. The Night of Sara’s Disappearance ([15:01]–[19:35])

• March 2, 2023 Timeline:
  • After work, Sara texted Michelle from a gas station: “girl, I just jumped into a random car with some cowboys and I hope they take me on a ride.” ([10:11pm, ~16:17])
  • Picks up a ride with “cowboys” — La Leonard Anderson (driver of a black Chevy pickup) and James “Bubba” Robinson.
• Party at Bubba's Duplex: Sara joins Bubba, Tisha McDermott, and Jimmy Schaller at a house party; Tyrone Moorman joins around 1:30am after specifically asking if Sara would want to “spend time” with him. ([17:19–18:07])
• Final Movements:
  • Active online (YouTube, Gmail) until about 2:57am.
  • Last seen leaving the party with Tyrone in his blue Hyundai Sonata between 3-5am. ([18:42–18:56])
  • Conflicting rumors about whether Sara was dropped at another convenience store or taken elsewhere.

3. Delayed and Flawed Investigation ([19:35]–[23:25])

• Unresponsive Authorities: Delays in filing missing person’s reports. Police initially dismiss the situation as a “custody dispute” or “just an ex love quarrel.”
• Bias in Search: Sara’s status as a dancer and her struggles with Joseph led law enforcement to not take her disappearance seriously.
• Michelle’s Role: Frustrated by inaction, Michelle personally locates both vehicles involved that night and tracks down evidence.

“I feel more than frustrated, angry, and disappointed in Marion county, but at the end of the day, I feel like they can still turn this around and do the right thing and do an active investigation with the information they've been given.”
— Michelle, as quoted by Daphne ([22:08])

4. Clues and Contradictions at Sara’s Home ([23:25]–[26:28])

• Home Search: Sara’s shoes found inside her house, a pack of cigarettes and lighter on the porch, but no clear signs of struggle.
• Missing Items: Clothes from that night, cash from her shift, and—most troubling—a binder detailing Joseph’s criminal history and threats against Sara.
• Theories: Did Tyrone bring her home and someone else attack her? Was the scene staged?

5. The Investigation's Major Suspects ([26:28]–[37:32])

A) Tyrone Moorman:

• Witnesses support that Sara left with him. He and Bubba reportedly carried her out “unconscious by arms and legs” to Tyrone’s car. ([26:28–26:34])
• Tyrone lies to police, hides/destroys (then produces) his phone 9 months later.
• Officially listed as a “person of interest” only two years after Sara's disappearance.

  "Tyrone Mormon is considered a person of interest in Sarah's disappearance and has declined to speak with detectives. Someone knows where Mormon took Sarah."
  — Marion County Sheriff's Office statement ([43:07])

B) Joseph (Sara’s Ex):

• History of violence, obsessively tracked Sara.
• Shortly after Sara’s disappearance, Joseph is repeatedly in trouble with the law but no direct forensic evidence ties him to Sara’s fate.
• Critical binder about Joseph’s threats vanished from Sara’s house.

C) Bubba Robinson:

• Helped carry Sara out from the party (with Tyrone), was “as helpful as he could have been” in multiple police interviews. Later dies of an overdose. ([49:28])

6. Community Response and Rumors ([44:28]–[45:16])

• Friends/family of suspects harass Michelle online, with some sending vile messages:

  “That’s why that junkie’s dead now...eat shit and die like that junkie ass bitch.”
  — Message received by Michelle ([44:38])

• Others claim Michelle is unfairly targeting Tyrone, insist he’s only guilty of lying about the cell phone.

7. Shocking Revelations About People Around Sara ([45:34]–[49:09])

• Ex-husband Thomas Ebersole arrested for transporting a minor across state lines with sexual intent.
• Joseph exhibits more violence, especially after Sara vanishes, and fails to provide stability for their daughter.

8. Ongoing Search for Justice ([49:09]–[51:33])

• Cadaver Dog Alerts: Indicate possible site of remains at party property but not followed up properly.
• Key Theories Remain Unresolved: Overdose, foul play by Tyrone, possible last-moment involvement by Joseph—all “muddy the waters.”
• Michelle’s Relentless Advocacy: She files for custody of Sara’s daughter, pushes police, and keeps the public attention alive.

  “She is still committed to finding her sister and pursuing justice, however long it takes.”
  ([50:22])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Failed Systemic Protections:
  “A restraining order is not technically going to stop a stalker from getting to you. Like, that’s—it’s not gonna do too much.”
  — Heath ([11:01])

• On Law Enforcement Negligence:
  “I mean, come on, guys, how hard is it to really find the car? I mean, it’s on the same damn street.”
  — Heath ([23:25])

• On Victim-Blaming and Law Enforcement Bias:
  “Yeah, because, I don’t know for some reason why people have this mindset...for some reason, you’re just not as worthwhile.”
  — Heath ([21:31])

• On Tyrone’s Suspicious Behavior:
  “He was arrested the following day for perjury and providing false information…spent just one night in jail before he was released on $10,000 bail, which was paid for by his family.”
  — Heath ([41:14])

• On the Ongoing, Frustrating Uncertainty:
  “It’s kind of shocking to me that nobody came forward...at least as far as we know. Maybe they have, and it’s just not enough.”
  — Daphne ([44:00])

• Michelle’s Heartbreaking Conclusion:
  “I just feel like Sarah's probably not alive. Wherever she is, she's never gone even a week without speaking to somebody and getting on social media.”
  — Quoted by Daphne ([50:58])

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Important Timestamps

• [06:18] Character description of Sara via Michelle’s words.
• [10:11pm, ~16:17] Sara’s last text to Michelle: “girl, I just jumped into a random car with some cowboys and I hope they take me on a ride.”
• [18:42] Last time Sara is seen alive, leaving with Tyrone.
• [26:28] Bubba and Tyrone claim they carried Sara, “unconscious,” to the car.
• [39:50] Tyrone initially denies knowing Sara, attempts to create a false alibi.
• [43:07] Sheriff's Office finally labels Tyrone a “person of interest.”
• [50:58] Michelle’s heartbreak and ongoing hope for answers.

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Conclusion & Call to Action

The episode concludes with details on Sara's description, the reward for information in her case, and encouragement for listeners to share her story or tips. The hosts express frustration at the lack of closure and echo Michelle’s call for justice, stressing that Sara’s humanity—not her profession or personal struggles—should be front and center.

“This case really does seem like it’s very, very solvable.”
— Heath ([44:22])

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Contact Information for Tips

Marion County Sheriff’s Office:
Phone: [phone]
Current Reward: $36,000 (with $35,000 from an anonymous donor)

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For photos or to help amplify Sara’s story, visit @goingwestpodcast on Instagram and Facebook.

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Transcript

[A]

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[D]

What is going on? True crime fans?

[E]

I'm your host, he and I'm your host, Daphne.

[D]

And you're listening to Going West.

[E]

Hello everybody. Hope you're doing well. Thank you for tuning in. Big shout out to Katherine McKenzie, Taylor and Christy for recommending this one. We are going to be talking about a very confounding story today where there are many suspicious people involved. And I just want to say right out the gate, Sarah's sister Michelle is out there like boots on the ground trying to get more justice for her sister.

[D]

Yeah, she's doing so much incredible work right now, truly.

[E]

So make sure that you listen up and that you share this episode if you can. But of course, thank you for just tuning in and listen to the horrific details of her case.

[D]

Yes. And before we get into today's story, I just want to remind everybody that we are going to be at Crimecon in Vegas this year. It's May 29th through the 31st. It's going to be so much fun. So if you want to come hang out with us. Make sure you use our code going west10 at checkout. You can go to crimecon.com and you can get your tickets today.

[E]

Yeah, collectively we are all going to be talking about true crime, spotlighting certain cases. You can come meet Heath and I and some other creators and podcasters. So come see us.

[D]

All right, guys, this is episode 604 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[E]

In March of 2023, a 26 year old woman was last seen on surveillance at a convenience store in the small town of Reddick, Florida, before accepting a ride from two men she referred to in a text to her sister as cowboys. Later that night, she left a nearby home with one of these men and was never seen again. Since that early morning, Sarah has been missing. But shockingly, alongside the man she was last seen with, someone completely uninvolved with her evening plans is believed to have been involved in her disappearance. This is the story of Sarah Eversole. Sarah Gail Van was born in Michigan on September 18, 1996, and she had a complicated family dynamic from a young age. At first, she was raised by her biological mom in Michigan alongside three of her siblings, but she was one of seven siblings and half siblings in total. Sadly, her parents were mostly uninvolved in raising Sarah. Her dad wasn't in the picture and her mom was soon out of it as well. So at the age of three, Sarah was shuffled to the coastal city of Sarasota, Florida to move in with her aunt and uncle. And according to her sister Michelle, we're going to talk a lot about Michelle today. Michelle, by the way, was a teenager when Sarah was born. There had been violence in the home involving Sarah and her uncle, and she was eventually forcibly removed from the home. So she was about to enter the foster care system and Michelle, having already experienced foster care, decided to take custody of her sister. In Michelle, Sarah found stability and a parental figure. And the two became more than sisters, of course. They were best friends. So in the wake of her eventual disappearance, Michelle had been her sister's greatest advocate. That's why we're going to talk about Michelle a lot today. So Sarah moved to Dunolon, Florida, which is about two and a half hours north of Sarasota, to finish high school. And despite the tumult in her early life, Michelle describes her sister as strong willed, intelligent, and brave, saying, quote, sarah loved the beach. Any free time she had was spent between Daytona and Sarasota. She wanted to travel and entertain. The idea of opening a small cat Friendly coffee cafe near the water. Sarah was always gleeful to try new things. She had a childish fun spirit. She also called Sarah adventurous, explaining, she's pretty much an explorer. Doesn't matter if anyone says, let's go four wheeling, let's go swimming, let's go ride a surfboard. Any new experience?

[D]

Well, after dropping out of high school, Sara married her first love, Thomas Ebersole, who was actually a neighbor of she and her sisters in 2014. Sarah and Thomas had a modest wedding when Sarah was just 18 years old. But after only about a year, they decided that the wedding had been a little bit too hasty and they filed for divorce. Though Sarah decided to keep her surname, her sister Michelle remembered within that year they were kind of already separated. They were just too young. And then from there they officially divorced on November 5th of 2015. Well, shortly after her breakup, she met Joseph Maten, a man who was 16 years older than she was and had an admittedly checkered past.

[E]

Shocker that a 35 year old dating a 19 year old isn't a super stand up guy.

[D]

Yeah, and in particular, this guy is a real piece of shit. Well, according to Michelle, Joseph's own family described him as, quote, violent and manipulative from a very young age. This stemmed from a myriad of serious charges against him. And although many of these are kind of unsubstantiated, at least legally, Joseph has been accused of rape multiple times and is also supposedly guilty of theft, stalking, attacking his own mother, and even violence against his family's cats, which I'm sure Sarah really did not appreciate. But in the early days of their relationship, Sarah had no idea how serious and lengthy his rap sheet really was. And this became real clear when she realized that she was pregnant. And they got into a custody dispute before their daughter was even born. Because Joseph physically attacked her.

[E]

Hurting cats, attacking his mom, going after his pregnant girlfriend, like, come on, the

[D]

guy is just terrible. Well, In April of 2018, 21 year old Sarah gave birth to her daughter. And Michelle remembered Sarah as a very proud and loving mom, saying, quote, she was a playful mother trying new things and experiences with her daughter as often as she could. But while she was still pregnant, Sarah took out a restraining order on Joseph. I mean, understandably, this guy's a monster. Though, terrifyingly, as soon as that ended, he looked for them. I mean, he even threatened her into changing her baby's name. And instead of growing up with Sarah's maiden name as her surname, as she had been given at birth, Joseph later changed their daughter's last name to match his own and also changed her first name.

[E]

But before Sarah vanished, Joseph's behavior became obsessive, and he grew frighteningly possessive over Sarah, logging into her Gmail account to track her activity and constantly checking her location to keep tabs on her. But his behavior was more than just erratic and obsessive. He once even took their daughter across state lines without Sarah's permission. So Sarah really struggled with the fact that he wouldn't get out of their lives. It's so devastating when you realize as well, that she got that restraining order and then it just expired. You know, this is something that so many people deal with in domestic violence situations. And I could give so many real examples of this and not a movie, but I was watching a clip of that movie enough from. I think it was like 2002 with Jennifer Lopez. Yeah. Domestic thriller. And she wants to report, you know, his behavior. And there's a child involved, like a young, young child. And she's asking a police officer about it, and he's kind of saying, oh, you could get a protective order. And she's like, oh, so I can throw a piece of paper at him? Like, that's going to do anything.

[D]

Yeah. I think about this often because it's like, yeah, a restraining order is not technically going to stop a stalker from getting to you. Like, that's. It's not gonna do too much.

[E]

No, it's. It's so horrible. There needs to be more measures that can be put into place because again, here is Sarah, the restraining order is up. He's not going away. You know, nothing is quite escalating yet. So it's. It's like, even if he threatened her, you know, this is the gray area she's living in, the gray area of fear.

[D]

I do think it's interesting that he waited until that restraining order was up to go look for them, but it's possible that he was already doing digging before that.

[E]

Yeah, of course. So, you know, she is really struggling with his presence. And things were getting even more tough because she couldn't solely provide for her daughter on her own. But she was able to move back in with her sister Michelle, who by then was married with her own kids. And still Michelle didn't think twice about opening her home to her sister again, as well as, of course, her niece in their time of need. According to Michelle, Joseph's threats against Sarah became more and more frequent, and they were beginning to involve Michelle's family while Sarah and her daughter were still staying there with her. So scared and wanting to protect her sister's family, Sara moved into her own place in Reddick, Florida, finding a small home she shared with a roommate named Deborah Richie, who also had a daughter. Now, the small town of Reddick is located in central Florida, situated on Orange lake and about 45 minutes northeast and inland from where her sister lives. So she's not too far from her sister, but still not close enough to see her on, like, a daily basis. But the abuse only worsened when she was on her own. Sarah reported multiple times that Joseph had broken into her home and continued to make threats against her. And I'm sure a lot of you guys are saying, where are the police? Well, her sister Michelle complained that the local police force, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, never took them seriously because they kind of cheapened the matter to, like, a mere custody dispute between a former boyfriend and girlfriend. Instead of the very terrifying and very serious behavior that it was. They're like, oh, they're just. It's just an ex love quarrel.

[D]

Like, no, I hate that because I feel like they're just. They're brushing it off. Like, it's not dangerous and they should know better, honestly.

[E]

Well, Joseph would also often steal from her or try to control her money. And at one point, he made her pay him over $2,000 a month, threatening to somehow take away her rights to her daughter. And Sarah is so afraid of him that she's just going along with this because she doesn't know what else to do.

[D]

Right. And he is this older guy. He's trying to manipulate the situation because, you know, she's younger and, yeah, he's really pulling, like, some sort of power move here.

[E]

Well, also, if ever Sarah took off to keep herself safe or stay away from him, he would find her, even if she fled to another state. As a newly single mom who was really struggling with a custody battle and had little to no financial help from Joseph, Sarah worked a string of fast food and retail jobs, but really struggled to make the money she needed to care for herself and her daughter. So she began dancing at an adult club called Cafe Risque. And for the first time in her life, her financial troubles seemed to be dissipating a little bit. Unfortunately, though, by then, Sarah had only supervised visitation rights with her daughter due to this ongoing custody dispute with Joseph.

[D]

So on March 2nd of 2023, Sarah left work. Around 7pm that night, she asked Michelle to pick her up. But when Michelle wasn't able to do so, she caught a ride with somebody else. At 7:50pm she checked in again. Saying hi and told Michelle to tell her kids that she loved them. And by the way, she's talking about Michelle's kids. Well, a few hours later, she walked to a nearby Circle K gas station to pick up a few things. And at 10:11pm she texted Michelle saying, girl, I just jumped into a random car with some cowboys and I hope they take me on a ride. Michelle immediately texted her back telling her to be safe. And that was the very last time they spoke. So, as we know, at this point, Michelle called Sarah a free spirit. So making friends at a gas station wasn't necessarily outside of the scope of a normal day for her. She left the gas station in a black 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup truck driven by a local man named La Leonard Anderson. Also along for the ride that night was his friend James Robinson, who often went by his nickname, Bubba. So Bubba invited Sarah over for a house party, and they drove a short distance down the road to the duplex located on North Highway 441. This is where Bubba lived on one side, and a couple named Tisha McDermott and Jimmy Schaller lived on the other side. So this home was actually located just a mile and a half or 2.4km from Sarah's home. Soon after she arrived at this party, per her icloud account, Sarah was taking pictures with this group, she was having drinks, and everybody seemed to be having a really good time. Well, shortly before 1:30am, Bubba got a text from a friend of his named Tyrone Moorman, who was inviting himself over to Bubba's house. Now, apparently Tyrone's fiance Shayla, who he lived with and shared three children with, didn't really appreciate him drinking or doing drugs in their home.

[E]

You wouldn't say.

[D]

Yeah, not really something that most people would like.

[E]

They'll like to do around the kids.

[D]

Yeah. So Bubba just basically explained to Tyrone that he was welcome to come over to his place and drink and do all the drugs that he wanted to do, especially since Tyrone was a dealer. But he must have caught wind that Sarah was there. And it's possible that he even knew her from Cafe Risque because he actually specifically asked Bubba if he thought that Sarah would want to spend some time with him. And Bubba welcomed him over. And this is honestly pretty shady because it feels like what Tyrone is implying is that because Sarah is a dancer at an adult class club, that he's saying, like, oh, do you think that she wants to, quote, unquote, spend some time with me?

[E]

Like, girl is off the clock. She's at a Party. You're married and you have kids. Settle down.

[D]

Well, Tyrone first texted Bubba at 1:24am and by 1:30am, Tyrone was getting to the house. So it was very quick, Tyrone getting there. Sarah or somebody on Sarah's phone was actually active on YouTube until 2:40am and at 2:57am, her Gmail account synced for the very last time. Between 3 and 5am, Sarah and Tyrone could be seen leaving Bubba's house together in Tyrone's blue 2017 Hyundai Sonata.

[E]

So we already know that Tyrone had asked if Sarah would want to spend some time with him. He's obviously not asking her this directly, at least not yet. And now they're leaving together. Very important to remember this.

[D]

Yeah, especially because this would be the very last time that Sarah was seen. A handful of people actually witnessed this and wondered if perhaps Sarah had called an Uber to get home. But this was confirmed to not be the case. Witness statements alleged that the driver was believed to be a man of Hispanic descent in his 30s. But the driver was later confirmed to be Tyrone Moorman. And then later, a tip surfaced that he had taken her to another convenience store in northeastern Marion County. But this actually couldn't be confirmed.

[E]

It would take two days for a missing person's report to be filed and even longer for the sheriff's office to take her case seriously, because at the time that she went missing, her roommate Debra was out of town on a retreat for female veterans, and Sarah had agreed to watch her dogs. So Debra was shocked to arrive home to find that Sarah apparently hadn't been there for days and her dogs hadn't been cared for. Nothing had seemed amiss about their communication, like their last text was regarding taking out the garbage bin. And Michelle was also growing worried over at her house because she and her sister Sarah spoke all the time, usually every day. Michelle remembers, quote, I called her and it went straight to voicemail. Then the roommate messaged, asking if I had heard from Sarah, and I said, I have not. So that sent up a red flag with her, because Sarah always responds. So Michelle actually tried filing a missing persons report the day after Sarah went missing, but she was encouraged to wait a week in case Sarah turned back up on March 5, 2023, two days since Sarah had last been seen, Debra tried to file a report too, but she also was encouraged to wait. Then Debra officially filed that missing person's report on March 8th. And remember, Sarah went missing on March 2nd. So this was six whole days later. And as you can imagine, Michelle has been critical of the investigation. From the start, especially with the slow beginnings, and just feels that her sister's ongoing custody and domestic violence conflicts with her ex boyfriend, as well as her career as a dancer, negatively impacted the search efforts very early on.

[D]

Yeah, because I don't know for some reason why people have this mindset. It's like, oh, if you're. If you're doing something that society deems as, like, the incorrect job, or maybe you struggle with drugs or alcohol or whatever it may be, then for some reason, you're just not as worthwhile.

[E]

Yeah, we see that bias all the time. And it's really disappointing because Sarah is not doing anything wrong.

[D]

And this is a human life. Like, we're talking about human beings.

[E]

Especially as well, knowing that she was having these domestic issues and you guys weren't doing shit about that either. So it's like this poor woman just needs some help.

[D]

There's just a lot of negligence going on.

[E]

So Michelle explained, quote, I feel more than frustrated, angry, and disappointed in Marion county, but at the end of the day, I feel like they can still turn this around and do the right thing and do an active investigation with the information they've been given. You know, so she. She's still wanting to give them a chance because she's like, you guys can do something. You have some information, as you guys are going to see, and we'll get into even more like, please do something. But Michelle is almost solely responsible for keeping the public spotlight on her sister's case. Like, when she felt that they were too slow in mounting an investigation, she began to look for her sister herself. And actually, this included locating both of the vehicles that Sarah was transported in that night. The first, again, a Chevy pickup truck, was captured on surveillance footage at the Circle K gas station. And according to Michelle's report on Facebook, she drove around Reddick herself looking for the matching vehicle, because police wouldn't. And she found it on the same street Sarah lived on, just a few doors down from the gas station where she was last seen.

[D]

I mean, come on, guys, how hard is it to really find the car? I mean, it's on the same damn street.

[E]

It's very disappointing. Well, the next car was a little bit trickier, but searching, based on registration, she found the Hyundai Sonata that was registered to Tyrone's fiance. Now, strangely, back at Sarah's home, the shoes that she had been wearing on the night of the party were found inside, as though maybe she had made it back home that night. So this made many believe that Tyrone either took Sarah home and that somebody Else was responsible for her disappearance. Or that Sarah had stopped by her home early on the morning of March 3rd before leaving again, possibly with Tyrone or somebody else. Also, her pack of cigarettes and lighter were left out on the porch as if she was preparing for a smoke break when something happened. But there were no signs of a struggle left behind. Nothing to prove that something had happened to Sarah at or outside her home. Though I will say the thousand dollars or more in cash that she had made at her shift on the evening of March 2nd had gone missing. The clothes she had been wearing at the party were nowhere to be found and didn't appear to have been discarded. And while it didn't seem like she had packed a bag to go anywhere, there were a few items noticeably missing. A few of her toiletries, like her hairbrush and some of her makeup. And a bear with her daughter's name embroidered on it.

[D]

Now, this indicated to law enforcement that perhaps Sarah had actually been planning on leaving for the night and that maybe she had brought a few items with her. But this seemed kind of unlikely since, remember, she was watching Debra's dogs. Now, the strangest detail left behind at her home was the fact that a binder of pertinent information about her daughter's father, including his extensive criminal history and the history of his threats against her, had gone missing as well.

[E]

That's really strange to me.

[D]

Yeah. So Michelle's initial fear was that maybe Sarah had gone to visit her daughter at the hotel where Joseph was living and also working as a manager at the time. But the hotel was apparently checked out by the police and she was nowhere to be found. Bubba, you remember from earlier, openly admitted that Sarah had been hanging out with him and his friends at his house that night. And during his interview with police, well, his three interviews with police, he was as helpful as he could have been, though he swore that he didn't know anything more than he shared. He did add a pretty disturbing detail, though. He and Tyrone both told investigators that they had carried Sarah out of the house that night after she had become either drunk or high, and that she had been taken to Tyrone's car, which

[E]

is not painting a good picture as well with Tyrone, because he's really not to be trusted, it seems.

[D]

But it's also lining up with what witnesses said that, you know, she got into this sonata with a. Yeah, with a Hispanic looking man in his 30s. Well, Michelle later wrote online, quote, James Robinson, aka Bubba, made his own admission on a video interview stating that he and a gentleman who he was friends with by the name of Tyrone Moorman carried my sister out in an unconscious state by arms and legs to Tyrone's vehicle. The vehicle was owned by a Shayla Richardson, which is Tyrone's fiance, but they shared the vehicle for driving purposes for the household. Marion county on March 3, 2024, listed Tyrone Mormon as a person of interest as the driver taking Sarah away from the Reddick house. After increased pressure from Michelle, the Marion County Sheriff's Office finally offered up a press release about Sarah's disappearance. But this was on March 31, 2023. But Sarah's involvement in the nightlife industry and rumors of drug use just continued to prevent the case from getting the

[E]

attention that it really deserves.

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Worried about the safety and well being of her niece, Michelle filed a lawsuit for custody, or emergency custody really, of Sarah's daughter in April of 2023. So a few weeks after Sarah went missing. But Joseph, you know, the ex, in retaliation, filed a police report against her. Meanwhile, cadaver dogs were brought to the property where Sarah was last seen. And multiple dogs actually indicated to the same spot. These are cadaver dogs. Now, it was apparently marked off for further investigation, but according to Michelle, this lead was not followed up on.

[D]

Like, why the hell would you not follow up on such an important lead?

[E]

This is why Michelle is so frustrated, because they're dropping the ball left and right. This is a huge, huge thing. Law enforcement ultimately concluded that there were no significant findings on the property, even though, again, it seems like they really didn't even fully do their due diligence. According to local rumor, which is all that seems to remain in this case right now. Sarah suffered an overdose and her new friends panicked and disposed of her body. But the detail of her shoes showing back up at her house kind of casts a lot of doubt on this. Unless Tyrone stopped by her house just to stage the appearance that she had returned and then packed a bag and left again. You know, there's also the. The theory that Tyrone did drop her off at home, and then Joseph did something to her, because we know he was always following her. He was always tracking her whereabouts. We know that that important folder that was very incriminating against him was missing.

[D]

Yeah, I was gonna say this kind of muddies the waters a bit because you've got two suspects that seem like they both could be responsible here.

[E]

Yeah, but separately as well.

[D]

Exactly. You have the cadaver dogs hitting at the house party, the property of the house party, and then you've got the pertinent information on Joseph, the abuser, going missing from Sarah's house. And you're like, damn, like, either one of these guys could have done it.

[E]

Truly. That's why it makes it so complicated. Because then it's also possible that Sarah did not pass at that house party and that instead Tyrone did bring her home, and then maybe she invited him in. Or he forced his way into her home and he assaulted her and killed her, whether on purpose or by accident. And then he just panicked and covered his tracks like the possibilities are aplenty.

[D]

Yeah, and I know that this is kind of speculation on my part, but you know what? If it's possible that she's at the house party, maybe she is overdosing at the house party. They're like, hey, you gotta get her off the property. They take her to Tyrone's car, he takes her home. Then she actually passes away at her home. And then Tyrone kind of panics and goes, oh, well, I. You know, I was the last person. I just carried her. If they find my DNA or my fingerprints on her body or whatever. Like I'm gonna get in trouble. So then now I have to dispose of her body. Like it's. I mean, that's just one possibility out of probably thousands of what could have happened.

[E]

Well, something I think is really interesting is that Sarah's sister Michelle staunchly believes that Tyrone is involved in her murder. And obviously, the way this story starts, we're all thinking that it's Joseph. We're all thinking, oh, well, Joseph's obviously gonna do something to her, you know, as the story is going underway. And it's hard for me to let that go because I do think that he is very capable of having committed a crime against her, such as murder. But the Tyrone thing is hard to ignore as well, especially with Michelle saying that. And she is actually, you know, boots on the ground. Yeah, she's actually inside this case. Well, when Tyrone was questioned about his involvement, he initially denied ever having met

[D]

Sarah, which is like so dumb.

[E]

So dumb. He actually lied and said he was out of town, which is super suspicious. And he also attempted to invoke his family as his alibi, saying that he was with them all night, which he obviously wasn't.

[D]

No, you weren't. And we know that because of the text messages that you sent Bubba.

[E]

Yeah. And all the people that are saying that they saw you at the party that night and the witnesses seeing your car, et cetera, et cetera. We can go on. So here's another thing. Nine months after Sarah went missing on December 19, 2023. Obviously nine months is a long time. The Marion County Sheriff's Office finally obtained a search warrant for Tyrone's cell phone. And when he was served with this warrant, he explained casually that he had broken his phone and that he threw it away. But when questioned about this, his fiance Shayla told investigators that this was a lie.

[D]

Damn. Called his ass out.

[E]

She's like, I'm not getting in the middle of this. So then when they obtained a search warrant to his home, Tyrone offered up his phone because he was lying about tossing it. So now he's like, okay, here it is. Which is really suspicious again. But also the fact that this is nine months later anyway, is whatever he would have been hiding on his phone even still on there?

[D]

Yeah. And as most of us know, this is actually a crime. You can't do this.

[E]

Yeah. So he was arrested the following day for perjury and providing false information to law enforcement. And he spent just one night in jail before he was released on ten thousand dollar bail, which was Paid for by his family. Now, kind of getting into now what was found on the phone a little bit. There was evidence on his phone to support that both Sarah and Tyrone visited the same 24 hour convenience store in northwest Marion county early on the morning that Sarah disappeared, so. Meaning that maybe after he's trying to take her home, they were both present at this convenience store. Not saying they were inside of it. Maybe she was in the car, he was outside. You know, like they were both there though, on the premises. But with Tyrone being as obstinate as he was and possibly getting rid of other evidence, that was as far as investigators could get with him. Which is why I'm saying, I wonder if he, when they asked for the phone, he's saying he threw it away. And then he's like, oh, I gotta, like, yeah, delete a bunch of stuff.

[D]

Gotta cover my tracks.

[E]

And then finally when they got the other warrant, it was too late to find what they would have found. I don't know.

[D]

Well, in his statement, Tyrone maintained that he had already told detectives everything that he knew and that he was pissed about being suspected of her disappearance. But since then, there has been no forward momentum in holding Tyrone accountable or gleaning answers from him about what happened that night. And he still actually lives in that area. And it took two years for the Marion County Sheriff's Office to announce, but on March 3, 2025, they finally wrote on their social media, Tyrone Mormon is considered a person of interest in Sarah's disappearance and has declined to speak with detectives. Someone knows where Mormon took Sarah. If you have any information, even if it seems insignificant, please call and let us know. It could be the missing piece.

[E]

I feel like that's kind of huge. Again, like you're saying it took two years, but they're saying someone knows where he took her as if it is a fact that he did. Which means, of course, because this is unsolved, sorry to say, you know, they have some other information that they probably can't share that points to that conclusion even further.

[D]

Yeah, and I, I think everybody at this point believes that Tyrone is responsible. It's just that investigators don't have that concrete evidence that they really need to build a case against Tyrone, which is

[E]

shocking considering they were at a party together, considering he has all these, like, scummy buddies that there's rumors going around. Anyway, like, it's kind of shocking to me that nobody came forward or nobody has yet come forward and said, oh, I heard from a friend that he did this, at least as far as we know maybe they have and it's just not enough. I don't know.

[D]

Yeah, this. This case really does seem like it's very, very solvable.

[E]

Oh yeah.

[D]

And of course, Michelle's own determination to find answers for her sister has rubbed many people the wrong way. Well, really just the friends and family members of Tyrone. And one actually wrote to her in a Facebook message, quote, that's why that junkie's dead now, adding, quote, eat shit and die like that junkie ass bitch. Gee, that's insane.

[E]

That's insane.

[D]

But some of the others were more like tactful and reported her to the police for spreading what they felt were unfounded and unsubstantiated rumors about a member of their family, AKA Tyrone. They have implored Michelle to stop speculating on what happened between Tyrone and Sarah that night, alleging that the only thing he's guilty of is lying to the police about the possession of his cell phone.

[E]

But why would he do that?

[D]

Yeah, it's like there's no reason to do that unless you're guilty of something. And Michelle actually wonders this same thing, along with why he won't explain what happened after he drove off with Sarah that night. You know, if he's supposedly innocent.

[E]

Yeah, because if you're innocent, then you tell the whole story. But there are still parts of the story that he's hiding. And why is he doing that? Well, although unrelated to Sarah's disappearance, a shocking development arose with her ex husband, Thomas Ebridge Soul, when he was arrested on August 12, 2024 for having sex with a minor. Which I guess we can just call that rape because you cannot have sex with a minor. Now, back in December of 2023. So the year earlier, 32 year old Thomas met a girl half his age while playing video games online. And after months of online correspondence, he drove across state lines to pick her up in Ohio and then drove her back to his Donnelton, Florida home where she stayed with him for a week.

[D]

I mean, that sounds disturbingly similar to what happened to Hailey Busby.

[E]

I thought the same thing. Cause actually they even met on Discord. Just like how Hailey Busby met and began being groomed by Tyler Thomas. Of course we covered the case of Hayley Busby this year on Going West. But per Thomas Ebersole's conversation on discord with this 16 year old girl, he discussed hiding her in his home and marrying her. When police spoke with the victim, she claimed their relationship was consensual. But of course, minors cannot consent and she was clearly Being groomed by this total creep.

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

So he was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, Providing aid to a minor without notifying a parent, Traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to lure her, and interfering with the custody of a minor. Most of these charges were dropped after he agreed to plead guilty to transporting a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity. But he was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison. Now, obviously, this has nothing to do with what happened to Sarah, But I really wanted to include it, because I guess it just goes to show you how many total freaks she was surrounded by.

[D]

Yeah, there were a lot of bad people in and around her life.

[E]

And to no one's surprise, Joseph, too, continued to commit crimes in the aftermath of Sarah's disappearance in July of 2023. So a few months after she vanished, he was evicted from the hotel he was living in with he and Sarah's daughter, which is also, again, where he was working. But when the hotel caught him using a second room as his own personal storage facility, he was fired and asked to move out. Michelle begged law enforcement to forensically process the room that Joseph had, you know, to see if maybe there was something involving Sarah's disappearance in there and. And maybe they could, you know, catch him on something if he was involved. But by the time they finally consented to this, because, of course, they were suspicious of Joseph as well, the scene was too contaminated to process. Joseph then took his daughter with him and fled Florida for Indiana and then Kentucky, Though he eventually returned to Florida.

[D]

Then, In December of 2023, Joseph was arrested for assault and battery charges after getting into an altercation with an elderly man.

[E]

He hits pregnant women, his mother, the elderly.

[D]

Yeah. Seems like bro just hits anybody. Well, after filing for bankruptcy in Indiana, he moved back to Florida and was again offered a management position for a hotel. By October of 2024, he was again fired and asked to vacate the premises, but he refused to do so. So he was actually forcibly removed two weeks later and then reportedly moved to a campground, which he was also kicked out of. Then, on May 18, 2024, James Robinson, or Bubba, as we've called him, was found deceased by his roommate after an apparent drug overdose. Now, according to online speculation, A second person who attended the gathering on that fateful night has since passed away, Though the identity and cause of death has not been made public. Michelle said, sadly, my sister always wanted to bring joy to everybody, and I always want to remember that and that Sarah would want me to still be gracious to people Even when they don't deserve it. She is still committed to finding her sister and pursuing justice, however long it takes. Sadly, she feels that Sarah is most likely not alive. Knowing that she could never stay away from her daughter for this long, Michelle admitted, I just feel like Sarah's probably not alive. Wherever she is, she's never gone even a week without speaking to somebody and getting on social media. Sarah would now be 29 years old. She stood at about 5ft 1 inch tall and weighed about 120 pounds. She had dark blonde hair and blue eyes and a tattoo on her lower right hip. Sarah was last seen wearing a black skirt and a white tank top. There is currently a $36,000 reward for information in her case, 35,000 of which came from an anonymous donor. So if you have any information about the disappearance of Sarah Ebersole, please call the Marion County Sheriff's office at 352-732-9111.

[E]

Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

[D]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening. We will post photos of the Sarah over on our Instagram @goingwest podcast. Also, we will share those photos on our Facebook as well. Please, if you have any information about Sarah's disappearance or you just want to help and you want to share her missing poster, please do so. We will provide that as well.

[E]

Yeah, those will be on our socials. Thank you to everybody again who recommended this case. It's just so perplexing the fact that there are so many people that could have been involved. Two very, very good suspects in Joseph and Tyrone. I think it feels more likely that Tyrone is involved. But again, it's hard for me to let go of Joseph. I wish we knew more about what he was doing that night and where he was. Yeah, but we just don't have a lot of clarity in this case. Would love to hear what you guys think though.

[D]

Absolutely. Thank you guys again. And with that, we will see you all on Tuesday. Alright, guys. So for everybody out there in the

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