WGNO

Florida mom of 4 vanishes, husband desperate for answers

VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) – Christian Rieker says he has been in a panic since last Wednesday when he woke up and his wife, Tracey, was missing from their Venice, Florida home.

It was 6 a.m. and Tracey had left her wallet and cellphone at home, but her car was gone. There was no note, and no one has seen her since.


Tracey Lynn Rieker, 44. (Venice Police Dept.)

Christian made a public plea to his missing wife while speaking with sister station WFLA.

“Tracey, honey, we need you, we love you. You’re so missed. Wherever you are, I pray you’re safe, wherever you are, we just want you back,” Rieker said.

Tracey’s family hopes someone has seen her or talked to her in the days since her disappearance.

“We are concerned about what mindset she’s in. She didn’t get a whole lot of sleep a couple of days prior to that. She wasn’t eating a whole lot,” Rieker said.

(Venice Police Dept.)

Christian says his wife has been in a manic state recently, leaving family and friends even more worried.

“The outreach has been so powerful, there’s literally been hundreds of people who have reached out to help, literally trying to do everything they can,” Rieker said. “We just want to know she’s safe.”

The Venice Police Department is also asking the public for help as the search for Tracey Rieker continues.

Police say Rieker is believed to be driving her husband’s green Nissan Xterra with Florida tag PO8116.

(Venice Police Dept.)

She was known to visit local spots like Lido Beach and Bradenton Beach, as well as nature preserves in the North Port area where she would talk with people about God, according to her husband.

Now that nearly a week has passed, her husband is praying for answers.

“I am beyond desperate to have you back. I can’t imagine life without you,” Rieker said.