In a recent update on the missing woman from California, Alexis Gabe, officials believe handwritten letters that are supposed to be penned by the alleged murderer could point investigators toward the whereabouts of her body.
According to reports by KGO-TV, 24-year-old Alexis Gabe's family learned about the letters on Thursday after receiving a copy from detectives that included driving instructions.
Alexis Gabe's father believes his daughter is alive out there
Authorities suspect that the directions, allegedly written by Alexis' ex-boyfriend and alleged murderer Marshall Jones, 27, describe the path to the remote California town of Pioneer. It is roughly 70 miles outside of Sacramento, where he may have dumped her body.
The letter, published on Alexis' father's Facebook page, provides directions to the Pioneer location, including left and right turns and an estimated drive time. According to the police, the directions were terminated not far from where the body was left.
The Gabe family received a letter from Antioch police attached to the directions. It reads,
"Marshall turned off his phone for several hours during the period he drove to pioneer. We believe he drove this route because about half of the way there he got lost and had to turn his phone on to get back on the right route."
When Jones turned his phone back on, detectives could determine his whereabouts. Alexis Gabe's father, Gwyn Gabe, told sources,
"As soon as police saw that...they left and went straight to pioneer"
Gwyn also said that since Alexis Gabe vanished in January, detectives and volunteers have searched over 200 acres of land in Pioneer. A nearby pond's eight million gallons of water were also drained.
He added,
"Unfortunately, they found nothing"
Jones was murdered in June during an altercation with police in Seattle, Washington, when he was accused of charging at them brandishing a knife.
Reportedly, the note to the Gabes states that after Jones passed away, authorities discovered that his friend had come forward and said the two had contemplated killing Alexis. It reads,
"The friend and Marshall decided the best place to dispose of a body would be by placing it in a septic tank or burying the body in forest area. I want to make it clear that this friend had never met Alexis and the friend thought Marshall was joking about wanting to kill Alexis."
Police continued by saying that since Jones had no connections to the area, they were unsure why he allegedly picked Pioneer as the destination. Additionally, Gwyn said he doesn't believe she will be discovered there. He described,
"I don't think Alexis is there...my wife strongly believes she's still out there...that she's still alive. Until we find a body, we are just going to keep believing that she's still alive."
The Gabe family is currently concentrating on Alexis Gabe's cellphone screen, another piece of evidence found by the detectives. The FBI confirmed that Marshall Jones' DNA was found on it, and according to the Gabes, they are hoping to retrieve the other components of the phone with the aid of a second volunteer search. The investigation is still ongoing.