Weston woman’s disappearance hits 1 year mark, investigators still searching for clues
When a deputy went to her Weston home they found her garage door damaged and no sign of Tara Sullivan inside.
WESTON, Wis. (WSAW) - One year ago, on April 18, 2023, a cell phone was found at a dead-end road in Ringle. What started as a nice gesture to return it to the owner led investigators to a baffling and still unsolved case.
It belonged to then-47-year-old Tara Sullivan. When a deputy with the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office went to her home in Weston to return the cell phone, he found her garage door damaged and no sign of Sullivan inside.
“It was more smashed out. Like she drove back out of the garage and hit the garage door and then was still able to maneuver her car out of the garage door,” explained Detective Cassandra Seubert.
When law enforcement entered the duplex they found no indication that she was traveling. They also said there was no indication of a struggle or foul play and was described as a ‘normal-looking home.’
Later that day, law enforcement was notified by some off-duty deputies that her vehicle, a white Buick Enclave, was found on Old 29 Road, about 40 yards from Highway 29. The location is about 30 miles east of her home in Weston.
Captain Jeff Stefonek who is the head of the Investigation Division of the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said the SUV was parked in an unusual position, “It was like someone just pulled over to the side of the road, it was parked kind of at an angle.”
The car was described as drivable, with gas and minimal damage done to the rear. Her purse and keys were inside. But Sullivan was nowhere to be found and hasn’t been seen since.
“No blood or smashed windows or anything that would tell us about foul play that way. But also we check for things like fuel receipts, shopping receipts, and identifying information from other people. We found none of that,” said Capt. Stefonek.
Thinking perhaps Sullivan walked off the department conducted ground searches, canine searches, drone searches, and a neighborhood canvass which turned up nothing.
“So then, of course, we have to, we have to cast a wider net, okay, maybe somebody picked her up where she left, she arranged another ride. And that, so far, we’ve come up empty,” said Capt. Stefonek.
Since the initial days of the investigation, the department has examined the data from her cell phone, Apple Watch, and iPad. Disappointingly, the information did little to help authorities. There was no indication that Sullivan was involved in a romantic relationship or had any close or consistent friendships.
“We hoped for, you know, some jilted ex-relationship that, you know, somebody she had a disagreement with. Somebody she had an ongoing relationship with, that talked about getting away or leaving, and there was none of that. Even your conversations with friends that you would expect to see in anybody’s phone, were largely missing, she really kept to herself,” explained Capt. Stefonek.
Authorities believe the damage done to the garage door happened at approximately 7 p.m. the night before her phone was found. Neighbors reported hearing a sound but didn’t see anything suspicious.
“It could be mental health-related, but we don’t know, we don’t know, we don’t even know if she was alone when she left her if she had somebody else with her. That’s why we’re hoping that they were said video of her car leaving. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find any,” said Capt. Stefonek.
According to investigators time-stamped location data from her phone along the route support the garage damage happening first and then the phone traveling down Ringle Ave. However, when the vehicle was abandoned is still unknown.
Before her disappearance investigators say it doesn’t appear that Sullivan was working. According to her Zillow profile, she had been a realtor for 10 years and specialized in waterfront and vacation homes.
A Facebook post from a real estate company out of Appleton called ‘Realty ONE Group Haven’ says Tara joined their team on March 26. 2021. But for whatever reason she didn’t renew her license in December 2022.
“She wasn’t showing any houses that we were able to find her new job was going to be photographing houses for realtors, but we weren’t able to find anything on that either,” explained Det. Seubert.
The last person to have any meaningful contact with Sullivan was her father which was two weeks before she disappeared. On March 30, 2023, she sent a text message to a realtor contact and talked about following God, however, the contact did not respond. Phone data showed the last outgoing activity from Sullivan’s phone was a message she sent on April 10.
“We have no good active leads. Every lead we thought might take us somewhere has become a dead end,” explained Capt. Stefonek.
NewsChannel 7′s Kassandra Sepeda spoke with Sullivan’s brother over the phone who said that he believed that Tara may have left on her own accord. He expressed that, if that is true, he asks people to respect her choice.
Sullivan is described as 5′7″ tall, 128 pounds with green eyes. Her hair color at the time of her disappearance is unknown.
If you were friends with Sullivan, police encourage you to reach out and share what you know. If you know where Sullivan please call the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office at 715-261-1200 so law enforcement can verify her safety.
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