Missing Mom Pursuing Divorce

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Related To Story MORE COVERAGE Images: Search For Renee M. Pernice Video: News Conference: Missing Woman's Family COURT DOCUMENTS PDF: Search Warrant Affidavit - 1 PDF: Search Warrant Affidavit - 2 PDF: Search Warrant Affidavit - 3 PDF: Search Warrant Return - Part 1 PDF: Search Warrant Return - Part 2 PDF: Search Warrant Return - Part 3

Affidavit: Missing Mom Pursuing Divorce

Missing Woman's Family Thanks Community, Seeks Tips

POSTED: 1:45 pm CST January 17, 2009

UPDATED: 2:49 pm CST January 17, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A woman who has been missing since Jan. 2 was in the process of getting a divorce from her husband, who has made inconsistent statements about when he last saw her, according to a court affidavit released Friday.

The affidavit for a search warrant said Shone Pernice, an Independence firefighter, used an electronic key card to enter the back door of the Independence hazardous materials station -- where solvents and other cleaning materials are stored -- at 4:26 a.m. Jan. 3, even though he was not assigned to that station.

Renee Pernice, a 35-year-old nursing instructor, has two sons and a stepdaughter and is not the kind of person who would separate herself from her children for any reason, family members have told police. Investigators believe she is a victim of foul play.

Shon Pernice told his wife's relatives that he last saw her on New Year's Day, according to the affidavit, but told detectives several days later that he last saw her on Jan. 2.

On Jan. 6, detectives saw Shon Pernice drive the family minivan to a park more than a mile away from the family's home, drop his wife's dog off and drive away. Detectives picked up the dog after Pernice did not return.

Shon Pernice's attorney, Kevin Baldwin, said he has instructed Pernice not to comment or allow police to interview him because Pernice believes he is being blamed for his wife's disappearance.

Police found Renee Pernice's cell phone on Jan. 3 in the northeast area of Kansas City, and on Monday dozens of volunteers searched a wooded area near the Pernice home.

According to a returned search warrant, investigators found a fake Navy Seal identification card with Shon Pernice's name and photograph when they searched the family's home, which Renee Pernice bought before she married Shon.

Investigators also removed from the home satellite equipment, an external thumb drive, a nursing notebook, a pineapple-style grenade with a hollowed-out bottom and a spent fuse.

Police said Shon Pernice, who is a member of the National Guard and has served with the Army in Iraq, was scheduled to leave for a three-week military session and then was planning to move out of the home.

Investigators interviewed the mother of Shon Pernice's daughter, who visited with her dad on Jan. 2. The woman told police that her daughter sent an e-mail at about 9:30 p.m. telling her that she was ready to come home and was worried because Renee Pernice was not there.

The woman said she noticed the family van parked outside the home when she picked up her daughter from the Pernice home the next morning, the affidavit said. She said that was unusual because the van was always parked in the garage, police said.

Renee Pernice is described as white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and slender, with blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair.

Her family members held a news conference late Saturday morning but declined to discuss the specifics of the affidavit. They also declined to discuss the pending divorce.

"We think the report stands on its own," said Rick Pretz, Renee Pernice's father. "We believe it indicates how hard the police have been working. We believe the police to be very competent, very caring, and they share information to the degree that they can."

The family said they wanted to stay in the public eye because Renee Pernice hadn't yet been found.

"The coverage of the report may stimulate someone to be thinking about something they haven't told the police before, and we're very hopeful that we can get some new leads," Pretz said. "Part of their job is receiving tips and following up on them, so we don't want the public in any way to relax and think that some information that they might have wouldn't be helpful to this."

Call the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hot Line at 816-474-TIPS (8477), text TIP452 plus a message to CRIMES (274637) or submit a tip online at kccrimestoppers.com.

Previous Stories:

• January 16, 2009: Police: Missing Woman's Husband Vague On Timing
• January 13, 2009: Still No Sign Of Missing Kansas City Mother
• January 12, 2009: Family, Friends Join Missing Woman Search
• January 11, 2009: Police Search Missing Woman’s Home
• January 9, 2009: Kansas City Police Search Home Of Missing Mother
• January 9, 2009: Police Seeking Missing Woman Search Home
• January 7, 2009: Police Use Dogs To Search For Missing Woman
• January 7, 2009: Police Suspect Foul Play In Woman's Disappearance

Copyright 2009 by KCTV5.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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