Overview

Last Seen: February 23, 1976, approximately 8:30 a.m.
Location: Chula Vista Apartments, Mooney Road, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Age: 35
Status: Endangered missing; case remains unresolved
NamUs: MP21402
Doe Network: 2799DFFL

Main circumstances: Weaver sent her daughter to school that morning. Witnesses reported a blue car near her apartment, including one account of a vehicle with its trunk open. Weaver reportedly spoke with her husband around 9:30 a.m. and was supposed to meet him at 1:30 p.m., but she was gone when he arrived. Her purse and automobile remained behind. Modern case information states that foul play is suspected.

Latest publicly documented update located: The Doe Network recorded a case-information update for Cherry Lee Weaver on July 28, 2026. No public announcement of a resolution accompanied that database update.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Cherry Lee Weaver: The 1976 Fort Walton Beach Disappearance That Remains Unsolved

Nearly half a century after 35-year-old Cherry Lee Weaver disappeared from her Fort Walton Beach, Florida, apartment, her case remains unresolved. Weaver vanished on February 23, 1976, leaving behind her purse, automobile and other personal belongings. A mysterious blue car reportedly seen near her apartment that morning has remained one of the most notable details in the case.

Today, Weaver remains listed as an endangered missing person. Her case is recorded in NamUs as MP21402 and by the Doe Network as 2799DFFL. The Doe Network recorded a new update to Weaver’s case information on July 28, 2026, showing that the decades-old case continues to be maintained in missing-person databases.

Who Was Cherry Lee Weaver?

Cherry Lee Weaver was born January 12, 1941. She was 35 when she disappeared and worked as a hairstylist. She was approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed between 130 and 140 pounds. She had blonde hair and green eyes, scars on both cheeks and wore a full set of dentures. She may also have used the surnames Gray and Stone.

Reported jewelry associated with Weaver included a butterfly necklace, a roadrunner necklace and a mood necklace.

The Morning Cherry Weaver Disappeared

On the morning of Monday, February 23, 1976, Weaver was at the Chula Vista Apartments on Mooney Road in Fort Walton Beach. According to the currently published case account, she sent her daughter to school and was last seen at approximately 8:30 a.m.

At approximately 8:40 a.m., a motorist reportedly noticed a blue automobile near the apartment complex. Neighbors also reported seeing a blue car back up to Weaver’s apartment. One witness described the vehicle as appearing elevated in the rear with its trunk lid open.

That observation has become one of the most unusual circumstances surrounding Weaver’s disappearance, but publicly available records do not establish who was driving the vehicle or what connection, if any, it had to Weaver.

A Phone Conversation and a Missed Appointment

Weaver’s husband reportedly spoke with her at approximately 9:30 a.m. The couple planned to meet at 1:30 p.m. to look at a house. When he arrived, Weaver was gone.

Her belongings reportedly remained behind, including her purse and car. The modern case summary states that Weaver had no known pattern of unexpectedly leaving and was not known to have been experiencing personal problems that would explain an abrupt departure.

The Charley Project currently states that investigators suspect foul play.

Conflicting Historical Accounts

There is an important complication in reconstructing Weaver’s disappearance: historical information discussed publicly does not always match the modern case summary.

A Websleuths discussion preserving references to 1976 newspaper coverage notes that one contemporary account reportedly described Weaver as leaving the apartment with two suitcases. The same discussion references a March 19, 1976 Pensacola-area newspaper article that apparently presented investigators’ thinking at that time differently from the foul-play classification reflected in modern case summaries.

Because the original newspaper material is presented through images and discussion posts rather than a complete searchable official investigative record, those historical claims should be treated cautiously. They nevertheless highlight unanswered questions about what investigators believed shortly after Weaver disappeared and how the understanding of the case evolved.

The same discussion also raises questions about a reported sighting after Weaver disappeared and references documents associated with her family circumstances. Those points have not been established as verified explanations for what happened to her.

The Blue Car Remains a Critical Detail

Among the publicly documented circumstances, the unidentified blue automobile stands out.

The vehicle was reportedly seen around the apartment at roughly the same period Weaver disappeared. Witness accounts included a car backing toward the apartment and another observation at approximately 8:40 a.m. in which the rear of a blue vehicle appeared raised and its trunk was reportedly open.

No publicly available source located for this article establishes that investigators identified the driver or conclusively determined whether the car was connected to Weaver’s disappearance.

That leaves several basic questions unanswered: Who owned the blue car? Why was it at the apartment complex? Who was driving it? And did its presence have anything to do with Weaver vanishing?

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

Cherry Weaver’s disappearance remains unresolved in current public missing-person resources. She continues to appear under NamUs MP21402, and her Doe Network identifier is 2799DFFL.

The most recent concrete public update located during research for this article is from the Doe Network on July 28, 2026, when the organization recorded that case information for Cherry Lee Weaver, 2799DFFL, had been updated. The update log does not itself announce a recovery, identification, arrest or resolution.

The case also remains part of active public discussion. Websleuths continued to list Weaver’s Fort Walton Beach case among its Florida missing-person discussions in September 2026. Community discussion should not be confused with official investigative findings, but it can preserve historical newspaper clippings and other leads that may help researchers locate original records.

No reliable public source located for this article reports that Weaver has been found or that anyone has been charged in connection with her disappearance.

Why Cherry Weaver’s Case Still Matters

Cherry Weaver would be 85 years old in 2026. Fifty years have passed since she disappeared, but the passage of time does not necessarily eliminate the possibility that previously unknown records, photographs, witnesses, family information or forensic comparisons could provide additional answers.

Her disappearance is particularly notable because she seemingly vanished during an ordinary morning. She had sent her daughter to school, reportedly spoke with her husband later that morning and had plans to meet him that afternoon. Her purse and automobile were left behind. Meanwhile, witnesses reported an unexplained blue car near her apartment.

The Fort Walton Beach Police Department remains the investigating agency identified in published case information. Anyone possessing firsthand information should provide it to law enforcement rather than attempting to investigate individuals independently.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: February 23, 1976, approximately 8:30 a.m.
Location: Chula Vista Apartments, Mooney Road, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Age: 35
Status: Endangered missing; case remains unresolved
NamUs: MP21402
Doe Network: 2799DFFL

Main circumstances: Weaver sent her daughter to school that morning. Witnesses reported a blue car near her apartment, including one account of a vehicle with its trunk open. Weaver reportedly spoke with her husband around 9:30 a.m. and was supposed to meet him at 1:30 p.m., but she was gone when he arrived. Her purse and automobile remained behind. Modern case information states that foul play is suspected.

Latest publicly documented update located: The Doe Network recorded a case-information update for Cherry Lee Weaver on July 28, 2026. No public announcement of a resolution accompanied that database update.