Renee Pernice Investigation
Summary Of Events In Renee Pernice Case
Kansas City, Missouri
Renee Pernice vanished on January 2, 2009, and was last seen by her husband, Shon Pernice. This was considered a missing person's case until the first week in February. Now, Clay County Prosecutor Daniel White feels that foul play is involved in Renee's disappearance.
Existing evidence and the amount of time that has passed since the woman's disappearance led prosecutors to change the status from a missing persons case to a death investigation, White said.
As the searches went on for the missing mother, Shon didn't participate. Renee's family said calls to Shon had gone unanswered and they had not seen Renee's children since she went missing.
Last month, investigators collected carpet and blood samples from the couple's home. When they searched the house Jan. 8, they discovered latex gloves in a coat pocket, stains on a pants pocket, a reddish substance on the ceiling and a spot in the garage that turned out to be blood.
The affidavit for the search warrant said Shon Pernice had made inconsistent statements about his wife’s disappearance.
Kevin Baldwin, attorney for Shon Pernice, said that his client had always hoped that his wife would return home.
According to court documents, at approximately 4:30am on Jan.3, Shon Pernice used an electronic key-card to enter a hazmat station where various cleaning supplies are kept. Shon Pernice is an Independence firefighter but is not assigned to that hazmat station. He was in the station several hours before his wife's family reported her missing.
Detectives also said they saw Shon Pernice release his wife's dog at a Line Creek Park, indicating he knew she wouldn't be around to take care of the animal, according to court documents. Police later retrieved the dog.
Police questioned army Sgt, Shon Pernice, who had recently returned home from service in Iraq as a medic. Shon would only speak through his lawyer.
Shon said his wife left home the morning of January 2, between 9am and 10am. He said he doesn't remember where she said she was going as he was tired.
Shon Pernice was apparently the last person to see Renee. Her father, Rick Pretz, reported her missing after she didn't return phone calls from her parents. Pretz said he last spoke to Renee about 7 p.m. on New Year's Day.
Relatives said the couple was having marital problems and divorce proceedings had been initiated in 2005. They had reconciled in 2007. But, when Shon Pernice returned recently from serving in Iraq as a medic, things got rocky again.
During their search of the home, police found documents from several law firms detailing the anticipated divorce.
At the end of January, police questioned an elementary school teacher, Kelli Sharp, from Overland Park, Kansas. Sharp was interviewed for about 3 hours. Police said Sharp is believed to be linked to Shon Pernice.
Police wouldn't release specifics, but said they now have additional information in the case. Sharp in not, in any way, a suspect in this case.
Renee's cell phone was found at Sixth Street and Gladstone Avenue on January 3rd. Someone walking down the street spotted the phone, started calling numbers on it and got a hold of Pernice's family.
Police released surveillance photos of a white pickup truck that was seen in the area on Jan. 2. Officers said they believe the driver of that pickup may have information about Renee Pernice.
Investigators said the truck appears to have an extended cab, a rack on the roof and what looks like tool boxes in its bed.
Investigators also released a photograph of an unidentified woman. They said they know who the woman is but declined to release her name. They said they want to find out if there's any connection between the woman in the picture and the truck in the surveillance image.
Renee Pernice's family has now offered a $25,000 reward in her case.
We will be following this case.
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,489325,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477875,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477465,00.html
http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-husbandabsentfromsearchfor-8211803,0,6810129.story
http://www.kmbc.com/news/18409671/detail.html
http://www.kmbc.com/mostpopular/18588688/detail.html
http://www.give2thetroops.org/letters.htm
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http://www.kmbc.com/news/18498454/detail.html
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07-24-09
Shon Pernice pleads not guilty to endangering children
Shon Pernice pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he endangered his sons and threatened two neighbors in a July 4 incident.
That case is not connected to the January disappearance of his wife, Renee, Clay County prosecutors say.
A Clay County grand jury indicted Shon Pernice last week in connection with the July 4 altercation. He had been cited for disturbing the peace after he allegedly stood in front of a neighbor’s house and threatened him, leading to charges of witness tampering.
Plus, authorities allege, Pernice was intoxicated when he was driving his sons home after leaving a neighborhood park where they were lighting fireworks.
Pernice, 36, also faces a felony theft charge for allegedly stealing a neighbor’s handgun on Jan. 31.
A Clay County circuit judge on Friday refused a prosecution request to revoke Shon Pernice’s bond in that case, but did increase the bond to $50,000 from $25,000.
If he makes bond, Pernice cannot consume alcohol and must wear a monitoring device, the judge ordered. Pernice also was ordered to have no contact with the neighbors from the July 4 incident.
For now, though, Pernice remains in jail on a $250,000 bond from the July 4 incident. The defense is asking the court to have the amount reduced.
Pernice remains a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, who has not been seen since at least Jan. 2, authorities say.
The Pernice boys are now living with Renee Pernice’s mother, Linda Lockwood, after a Clay County judge on Monday granted her temporary guardianship.
Full resource...
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1345117.html
07-07-09
Pernice Arrested for Disorderly Conduct
Shon Pernice may have made a bad move when it comes to the custody he wants to maintain, of his two boys.
Linda Lockwood, Renee Pernice's mother, has been seeking custody of the boys soon after her daughter, Renee, went missing last January. Shon Pernice remains a person of interest in the disappearance.
Pernice was arrested for disturbing the peace last Sunday. Police wrote him a city ordinance violation after he allegedly stood in front of a man’s Northland house at 12:10 a.m. and yelled at him.
The resident is the same man who accused Pernice of stealing a gun from his basement earlier this year. Pernice is awaiting trial on felony stealing charges in that case.
According to court records, the incident occurred Jan. 31 when police were summoned to a residence on a reported theft. Police talked to the homeowner, who told them Pernice was at the residence with his children. At one point, Pernice was alone in the basement for several minutes. Later that evening, Pernice left the home, and the owner tried to set the burglar alarm but discovered that the basement door had been tampered with.
Now Pernice is speaking out about the charges and the way he is being treated by his neighbors.
"As everybody knows, my wife has been missing since Jan. 2," Pernice said. "This is what it stems from. Basically what the media ... has portrayed of me -- of the whole situation. There's a lot of people that don't like me."
Pernice also said he expects new information to come to light this week that will shed new light on the case.
Pernice will face a January 25, 2010, trial date on the gun theft charges.
Read resource details...
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1306981.html
http://www.kctv5.com/news/19958629/detail.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31709601/
05-09-09
Family Offers Reward
A $25,000 reward has been offered to anyone with information specific enough to lead to her location. "The first person to provide a tip that is sufficiently clear to lead us to Renee will receive $25,000," said Rick Pretz, Renee's father. "We feel that there's just no reason why -- even the people who have hidden Renee from us -- can't let us have her back and take that money."
Renee hasn't been seen since her January 2 disappearance, and the police suspect foul play.
Shon Pernice has been accused of stealing a neighbor’s handgun a few weeks after his wife went missing, then returning it a few days later. He has pleaded not guilty and was in court Tuesday to deal with that felony charge. Renee Pernice’s mother says the children’s grandparents have limited supervised visitation. They have been trying to gain custody from Shon Pernice, saying he’s unfit to care for them.
This was a routine hearing and another court date was set for Pernice.
Read resource details...
http://www.kmbc.com/news/19371142/detail.html
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1181037.html
http://www.wowowow.com/politics/missouri-mom-renee-pernice-still-missing-after-4-months-family-offers-25k-reward-287628
03-27-09
Maternal Grandmother Seeks Custody
Linda Lockwood, Renee Pernice's mother, is seeking custody of Renee's two sons.
The suit in the application for guardianship refers to Shon Pernice as an unfit father and lists several reasons why the court should take the boys from him.
One reason on that list is Pernice's arrest last month on a charge that he stole a neighbor's gun while picking up his children.
The suit alleges that Shon Pernice is unable to care for the children and that he has left them alone on at least one occasion. The Pernice boys are now 9 and 6 years old.
Read full resource details from KMBC.com...
http://www.kmbc.com/news/18996837/detail.html
03-18-09
Shon Pernice Speaks Out
In a taped conversation Alonzo Washington, a local activist, Shon Pernice spoke out for the first time.
Washington had blogged on his MySpace page that he felt people should look at all possible suspects in the disappearance of Renee Pernice. Shon Pernice seemed to appreciate that, and he called him.
"Now that it's been three months, it's gut-wrenching, thinking that either she's got a rich-ass doctor boyfriend somewhere and she's happy, or she's dead," said Pernice on the tape.
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http://www.kctv5.com/news/18948488/detail.html
Be sure to listen to the video at that link
02-27-09
Shon Pernice Bonds Out
Shon Pernice was released from jail, Thursday, after paying a lower bond amount. Pernice's bond was originally $25,000 but the judge reduced it to $2,500. Pernice pleaded not guilty before paying the required 10% of the bond amount, or $250.
Police said Pernice declined to speak with investigators after he was taken into custody. He was later transferred to the Clay County Detention Center.
The Independence Fire Department is consulting the city's legal department to find out how to proceed with Shon Pernice's employment status.
According to Deputy Chief John Greene, Pernice is expected to meet with fire officials on Friday. The situation is now considered a confidential personnel matter.
"Depending on how it turns out, there could be disciplinary action, but we have to wait until that decision is made," Greene said. "We're all just waiting for information and trying to figure out what's going on like everyone else."
Read resource details...
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Will-Pernice-Keep-Job-After-Gun-Theft-Charge/hb8p6gvLJUKwxEQi7B_JcQ.cspx?rss=764
http://www.kmbc.com/news/18803662/detail.html
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1057597.html
02-25-09
Shon Pernice Arrested On Gun Theft Charge
Shon Pernice was taken into custody and criminally charged with stealing a gun from a neighbor's house.
According to the Probable Cause Statement, Shon and his children were visiting the neighbors on January 30, 2009, 4 weeks after Renee Pernice went missing. Pernice had been left unattended in the basement for several minutes. Later, in the evening, Pernice left and the home owner went to set the house alarm only to discover that the door in her basement had been tampered with.
When the neighbor's husband got home from work, early the morning of January 31, he checked into the situation and saw that the alarm had been disabled and a .22 Caliber semi-automatic pistol was missing. The couple reported this to the police.
At about 10:30am the same morning Pernice showed up knocking on their door. When the neighbor answered the door, Pernice pulled the stolen .22 caliber pistol from a pocket in his sweatshirt and handed it to her along with an apology for stealing it. She took possession of the weapon and called the police.
The Kansas City Police Department Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested Shon Pernice Wednesday at an Independence fire station on felony charges, in Clay County, of stealing a firearm.
Shon Pernice was taken Wednesday morning to Kansas City Police Headquarters for questioning, where he asked to meet with his lawyer.
Pernice is being held on $25,000 bond. No court appearance has been scheduled, as yet.
Shon Pernice Probable Cause Statement
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/4476934/Shon-Pernice-Probable-Cause-Statement
Read resource details...
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Shon-Pernice-Arrested-on-Gun-Theft-Charge/_3rY6sZOVE6ti__VlH8tnQ.cspx?rss=764
www.kansascity.com
02-19-09
Shon Pernice Dating Profile
Shon Pernice's wife, Renee has only been missing a few weeks, yet he has registered at a dating web site declaring he is divorced and looking for companionship. The relatives of Renee Pernice aren't too happy about it, either.
Shon's dating profile was found on the site Plentyoffish.com.
"I think any concept of Shon being on a singles Web site, and particularly announcing himself as being divorced, is just disgusting and appalling," said Rick Pretz, Renee's father.
According to KMBC.com, The profile features photos of Shon Pernice serving in Iraq, mentions his two sons and said he's looking for a life partner.
"I would say, given the short time frame that has passed since his wife's disappearance, the fact that her body hasn't been found or anything like that, I think it's somewhat unusual for someone to be out there so soon," Capt. Rich Lockhart told KMBC's Jim Flink.
Flink knocked on Pernice's door to ask him about the dating profile, but he refused to comment.
On Wednesday, shortly after KMBC visited his house, Shon Pernice's dating page was shut down and the account was closed by the user.
Police said Shon Pernice's recent behavior is one more part of the puzzle in helping them determine what role he may have played in his wife's disappearance.
Read resource details...
http://www.kmbc.com/news/18746446/detail.html