Missing Crawfordsville woman's car discovered near St. Louis

The car of a missing Crawfordsville woman turned up near St. Louis over the weekend, adding to the mystery of her disappearance.

Sharon Hopf, 45, went missing last week.  Her name and face are posted all over Washington County.  There's been no sign of the mother of two, wife and business owner since Thursday.

“We don't know anything and it's been this long," said Hopf's stepdaughter, Vanessa Hopf, 30, of Washington. "We're hoping for the best, just that nothing bad has happened to her."

Investigators say Hopf left for work around 7 a.m. Thursday, headed to her furniture store in Kalona.  Shortly after, her  cell phone signal disappeared.  Minutes later, her credit card was used at the Four Corners gas station in Ainsworth, along Highway 218. Family say a stop at that gas station isn't her normal routine.

Then her trail went cold in Iowa for several days.

"We just want to know if she's safe or not," says Hopf.

On Saturday night, deputies got a lead several hundred miles away from Hopf's home.  A passerby spotted the missing woman's car in a St. Louis suburb, and immediately called police.  Investigators searched it for evidence, but so far, it's given them little to go on.

"My gut hopes that she'll call in and let everyone know she's OK," said Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar.  "That would be the best case scenario, and hopefully that's the case."

Family members say Sharon sometimes goes by Sherry.  She has a short-cropped hair cut, and usually wears little to no make-up. They've started a Facebook page with pictures and videos of the missing mom, praying someone recognizes her and that she's OK.

"No matter what happened, it doesn't matter," said Hopf. "We just want her to be safe -  and come home."

The Sheriff's Department says they're still monitoring Hopf electronically, hoping something pops up – cell phone or credit card use.

In the meantime, the family is asking people to log onto the

Find Sharon Hopf Facebook page and share the page with others.