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Florida investigators have expanded their search for missing mom Cassie Carli beyond the state and revealed Thursday they located the last person to allegedly be seen with Carli – her child’s father – in Birmingham, Alabama, earlier this week.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson called the disappearance of 37-year-old Cassie Carli "very concerning" as he revealed that investigators who discovered her car behind Juana’s Pagodas restaurant in Navarre Beach also found her purse inside.
"There were things in the purse … we don’t think she would just up and leave," Johnson said during a Thursday press conference. He later added: "Usually you don’t go four days without hearing from them, or them using a credit card, cell phone…so yeah, we’re concerned."
FLORIDA MOM CASSIE CARLI MISSING SINCE SUNDAY; SEARCH INTENSIFIES AS DAUGHTER, 4, FOUND SAFE
Cassie was last seen on Sunday when she left to meet with Marcus Spanevelo, the father of her daughter, in the parking lot of Juana’s, police said. She never returned home, and her family told Fox News Digital a text message sent from her phone that night described how she was experiencing car and cell phone trouble.
Carli’s father reported her missing on Monday. Police located her vehicle on Tuesday, Johnson said. The sheriff added that about five or six witnesses have come forward so far and said investigators are still examining surveillance footage from the area.
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Police later tracked Spanevolo to Birmingham, Alabama, where they questioned him and located the pair’s daughter, 4-year-old Saylor, safe. When asked why Spanevelo would be there, Johnson said he had work in the area.
Johnson said the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office’s entire Major Crimes Unit, which consists of 10 detectives, is working the case. He said investigators believe Spanevelo was "the last one to see her that we're aware of."
"We are intent on speaking with him again," Johnson said. He would not discuss Spanevelo’s recollection of events. Spanevelo did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request seeking comment on Thursday.
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Johnson said the FBI volunteered to get involved in the investigation and is now among law enforcement agencies handling the case. He would not divulge specific search areas and said investigators now have Carli’s vehicle in their custody.
"When we look at this, we consider her missing endangered. We don’t know what happened to her…we just know that the way she has gone missing concerns us greatly," Johnson said. "We don’t have enough evidence to determine if she’s alive or if she’s deceased."
The sheriff’s office has said the investigation remains "very active." They ask anyone with information to call their Major Crimes Unit at 850-983-1190.
