01-26-2011, 03:58 PM
HARTFORD TOWNSHIP — James Henslee isn’t likely to forget the what his young wife said to him Monday morning as he prepared to leave for work.
“I love you,” she said.
Henslee hasn’t heard his wife’s voice — or seen her — since. Now he and the couple’s two sons — ages 10 and 8 — are hoping for the 30-year-old’s safe return.
“I'm hoping for the best but with the more time that goes by you can't help but constantly worry,” James Henslee said. “But I've got to stay strong for my kids.”
Van Buren County sheriff’s investigators say Amy Sue Henslee has been missing since Monday. She was last seen at 7:30 a.m. when her husband left their home in the 67100 block of County Road 372 in Hartford Township for work.
James Henslee said he and his wife have been married for nearly 12 years and always spoke to each other by phone during his 10 a.m. break from work. But when he called Monday, he got no answer and other calls he made to their house between then and 10:30 a.m. also went unanswered.
Henslee said he drove home to check on his wife and found everything in order except that his wife’s black Puma shoes and coat were gone and their dog had yet to be fed or watered — a task Amy Henslee normally took care of every morning.
Henslee said he checked with other family to find out if they had seen or heard from his wife but had no luck. A cousin who stopped by the couple’s home between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Monday told Henslee no one answered the door when he knocked.
Henslee said he is struggling as he tries to figure out where his wife might be. He said she had no plans to go anywhere Monday and family and friends have no reason to believe someone would want to harm her.
He said the couple spent Sunday evening at his wife’s parents’ house watching playoff football. They arrived home Sunday evening and had a normal morning on Monday.
As James Henslee got ready for work, his wife got their two sons on the school bus at about 7:20 a.m. and had coffee waiting for him when he left for work, he said.
“I kissed her on the lips and she had a little toothpaste on her lips and I wiped it off,” Henslee said of Monday morning. “We smiled at each other and that was it.”
Henslee said he reported his wife missing to the sheriff’s office at about 4 p.m. Monday after she didn’t arrive home to meet the couple’s two sons when they got off the school bus.
“We knew if she wasn’t there by the time the kids got off the bus we’d start worrying,” Henslee said. “She doesn’t forget about her kids.”
Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Lux said Henslee’s disappearance is suspicious and police are continuing to investigate. He said police found no evidence of a struggle inside the Henslees’ home and there also was no evidence of forced entry.
He said investigators may have crime lab technicians go through the Henslees’ house for evidence.
Henslee said his wife, who was a stay-at-home mother, did not have access to a vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies found her purse containing her ID and other items at the house.
“Everyone we’ve talked to has said her kids are her world and they mean everything to her,” Lux said. “If she’s gone anywhere for an extended period of time, she’s always called.”
As the investigation continues, a Facebook page for Henslee, “Help Find Amy Henslee,” was created Tuesday. So far, several people have posted messages of support and more than 550 people are listed as “liking” the page.
Meanwhile, James Henslee said he is trying to balance his concern for his missing wife with caring for the couple’s two sons. He said his oldest son has remained quiet so far through the ordeal while his younger son has taken to writing letters for his mother asking, “Has anybody seen my mom?” and “Please bring her home.”
“The youngest woke up this morning asking if mom’s home yet,” said Henslee who described Amy Henslee as a great mother and wife.
“She’s just beautiful,” he said.
The sheriff’s office described Henslee as a white female, 5 feet tall and 114 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearinga black nylon coat with brown fur around the hood and black Puma tennis shoes with pink stripes.
Authorities ask anyone with information about Henslee’s whereabouts to call the sheriff’s office at 269-657-3101, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100.
“I love you,” she said.
Henslee hasn’t heard his wife’s voice — or seen her — since. Now he and the couple’s two sons — ages 10 and 8 — are hoping for the 30-year-old’s safe return.
“I'm hoping for the best but with the more time that goes by you can't help but constantly worry,” James Henslee said. “But I've got to stay strong for my kids.”
Van Buren County sheriff’s investigators say Amy Sue Henslee has been missing since Monday. She was last seen at 7:30 a.m. when her husband left their home in the 67100 block of County Road 372 in Hartford Township for work.
James Henslee said he and his wife have been married for nearly 12 years and always spoke to each other by phone during his 10 a.m. break from work. But when he called Monday, he got no answer and other calls he made to their house between then and 10:30 a.m. also went unanswered.
Henslee said he drove home to check on his wife and found everything in order except that his wife’s black Puma shoes and coat were gone and their dog had yet to be fed or watered — a task Amy Henslee normally took care of every morning.
Henslee said he checked with other family to find out if they had seen or heard from his wife but had no luck. A cousin who stopped by the couple’s home between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Monday told Henslee no one answered the door when he knocked.
Henslee said he is struggling as he tries to figure out where his wife might be. He said she had no plans to go anywhere Monday and family and friends have no reason to believe someone would want to harm her.
He said the couple spent Sunday evening at his wife’s parents’ house watching playoff football. They arrived home Sunday evening and had a normal morning on Monday.
As James Henslee got ready for work, his wife got their two sons on the school bus at about 7:20 a.m. and had coffee waiting for him when he left for work, he said.
“I kissed her on the lips and she had a little toothpaste on her lips and I wiped it off,” Henslee said of Monday morning. “We smiled at each other and that was it.”
Henslee said he reported his wife missing to the sheriff’s office at about 4 p.m. Monday after she didn’t arrive home to meet the couple’s two sons when they got off the school bus.
“We knew if she wasn’t there by the time the kids got off the bus we’d start worrying,” Henslee said. “She doesn’t forget about her kids.”
Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Lux said Henslee’s disappearance is suspicious and police are continuing to investigate. He said police found no evidence of a struggle inside the Henslees’ home and there also was no evidence of forced entry.
He said investigators may have crime lab technicians go through the Henslees’ house for evidence.
Henslee said his wife, who was a stay-at-home mother, did not have access to a vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies found her purse containing her ID and other items at the house.
“Everyone we’ve talked to has said her kids are her world and they mean everything to her,” Lux said. “If she’s gone anywhere for an extended period of time, she’s always called.”
As the investigation continues, a Facebook page for Henslee, “Help Find Amy Henslee,” was created Tuesday. So far, several people have posted messages of support and more than 550 people are listed as “liking” the page.
Meanwhile, James Henslee said he is trying to balance his concern for his missing wife with caring for the couple’s two sons. He said his oldest son has remained quiet so far through the ordeal while his younger son has taken to writing letters for his mother asking, “Has anybody seen my mom?” and “Please bring her home.”
“The youngest woke up this morning asking if mom’s home yet,” said Henslee who described Amy Henslee as a great mother and wife.
“She’s just beautiful,” he said.
The sheriff’s office described Henslee as a white female, 5 feet tall and 114 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearinga black nylon coat with brown fur around the hood and black Puma tennis shoes with pink stripes.
Authorities ask anyone with information about Henslee’s whereabouts to call the sheriff’s office at 269-657-3101, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-342-7867 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100.