'Losing trust': Marion County woman's disappearance remains unsolved 8 months later, deputies say

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - The mystery continues to surround a Marion County woman's disappearance more than eight months later.

"The biggest bucket of sunshine. Thought everybody was great, thought there was no sadness in the world," is how Michele Tullis describes her younger sister Sara Gail Ebersole.

She disappeared the morning of March 3, 2023, and no one has seen or heard from her since.

"The next day she still wasn't responding, so we knew something was going on," Tullis said. "She may disappear from somebody she's no longer in a relationship with or somebody she doesn't have contact with, but she doesn't disappear from family so that behavior is not normal."

RELATED: Sara Ebersole still missing 8 months after vanishing following alleged 'Uber' ride

According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), Ebersole and a man got a ride from the driver of a pick-up truck near Circle K on North U.S. HWY 441 in Reddick. They were dropped off at the man's residence just down the street from the convenience store. 

A photo of the truck was posted on MCSO's Facebook page on March 31.

But according to new details released Nov. 7 by MCSO, the people Ebersole was hanging out with that night say she left hours later in a car driven by someone "who was described as being a driver for ‘Uber.’" Detectives later learned Ebersole never ordered an Uber, but they have not ruled out that someone else could have given her a ride.

"At this point, there are a number of possibilities of what could have taken place that night that she disappeared. She could certainly have left as the story that we've been given states, or maybe she didn't leave the residence at night. Maybe something else happened," MCSO public information officer Zach Moore said.

Tullis strongly believes she left the residence.

"I think that the driver picked her up and something transpired from there," she said.

As of right now, the sheriff's office isn't naming any suspects or persons of interest. Detectives simply want to discover what happened while investigating every lead they receive.

"We really want a closure to this case, and we want answers just as badly as those who loved her did," Moore said.

However, as months go by, Tullis says she's losing trust.

"They need to move forward and do their jobs and try to locate her, and I don't feel that that's being done," she said.

If you have any information about Ebersole's disappearance, call the Marion County Sheriff's Office.