Romance novelist Faleena Hopkins was reported missing by a member of her family over two weeks ago and hasn’t yet been found.
Hopkins was last seen in Jackson, Wyoming, on Jan. 30, when she was released from the Teton County Jail. According to Jackson Hole News, on Jan. 27, she allegedly led police on a 24-mile high-speed chase after an officer approached her because she was parked in the road at Jackson Lake Junction. She was arrested after police used spike strips to deflate her tires.
Hopkins was charged with “stopping or parking on the roadway, operating in excess of the posted speed limit and fleeing or attempting to elude police,” per Jackson Hole News. She was last seen in Jackson on the day of her release.
After her release from jail, she allegedly purchased a new cellphone in Jackson. Fox News reported that Hopkins flew to Salt Lake City International Airport on Jan. 30. Local police confirmed that she arrived at the airport. Then, two weeks later, her new cellphone was pinged in Kauai, Hawaii. Jackson Hole Police Lt. Russ Ruschill told Fox News that her family is concerned about her safety.
A woman who said she is Hopkins’ sister, Shann Maureen, wrote on social media that when Hopkins fled from police in Jackson, she didn’t realize that she was being approached by an officer and that she was trying to drive to a safe place. “Upon exiting the park, there were two (clearly marked) police cruisers and she pulled over. She was not running FROM them… she was running TO them,” Maureen said, according to Fox News.
Hopkins, a Washington resident, is known for her risqué romance novels and for a previous trademarking attempt connected to her novels’ names, per Fox News. She is considered missing and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is asking for information.