Lisa Marie Shuttleworth was a single mom of two who lived in Aiken, South Carolina with her 8-year-old son, Ryan, and her 14-year-old daughter, Krystina. The 34-year-old divorced their father, Jack Shuttleworth, in 1996. Lisa worked at Jerico’s, a bar owned by her father.
Lisa owned a blue/green 1994 Pontiac Grand Am but it broke down shortly before she went missing. That week, she borrowed a white Lincoln Towncar from 74-year-old Neal Durden, a friend of her parents.
On the morning of September 4, 2003, Lisa made breakfast for Ryan and took him to school; Krystina had spent the night with her grandparents. Lisa was supposed to meet Ryan at the bus stop and she planned to pick Krystina up later that evening. Instead, she vanished without a trace.
When Ryan got off the school bus and realized that his mother wasn’t there, he made the short walk home where he found both Lisa’s vehicle and the car she had borrowed parked in the driveway. Since the front door was locked, Ryan decided to wait at a friend’s house across the street.
At 6 pm, Krystina called her mother several times wondering why she hadn’t picked her up but there was no answer. A short time later, Neal arrived at Lisa’s home, upset she hadn’t returned his car. When Ryan told him that his mother wasn’t there, Neal took him to his grandparent’s house.
Since Lisa’s parents had a key, they were able to gain access to her home. There was a pot of tea on the stove with a napkin still wrapped around the handle. It appeared that Lisa was about to move the kettle aside when something unexpected happened. Her purse was gone but her driver’s license and Social Security Card were later found in an envelope.
Lisa was reported missing that same day. A witness reported seeing her at a Pit Stop convenience store at 9 am. CCTV confirmed that Lisa was filling the car she had borrowed with gas while reading a newspaper.
Neal said that Lisa called him at 10 am from her home and told him she was expecting a friend. She reportedly did not mention the friend’s name nor did she tell anyone about the alleged meeting. The authorities confirmed that all calls to Lisa after 10 am went unanswered.
An entire week later, scent-sniffing dogs were finally deployed in and around the vicinity of Lisa’s home, however, nothing was found.
Lisa Shuttleworth was never seen or heard from again.
Ryan and Krystina were devastated. They never saw it coming. One minute, they had a doting mother by their side, and the next, she was nowhere to be found. The siblings were raised by their grandparents but they never stopped searching for Lisa who they described as the life of the party. “She made sure we had a roof over our heads and food in our mouths to eat. She was a wonderful mother,” Krystina Shuttleworth told news reporters in 2014.
At the time of her disappearance, Lisa may have been having an affair with James “Bubba” Harrison. Although there were rumors swirling around town that she was pregnant with his child, this hasn’t been confirmed.
Other than James, there were several other persons of interest including Neal Durden, Lisa’s ex-boyfriend Jimmy King, and her ex-husband, Jack Shuttleworth. All have since passed away with the exception of Jack, who has been in and out of jail for several years on unrelated charges.
Nearly 20 years later, the search for Lisa continues. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and pink or gray sweatpants. Lisa was also carrying a pager. If alive today, she would be 53 years old. If you have any information, contact Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 800-922-9709.
