Member-only story
Into the Night: The Toni Lee Sharpless Disappearance
Toni Lee Sharpless was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a mom. After years of personal struggle, things appeared to be improving for the 29-year-old Downingtown, Pennsylvania, woman. But after a tumultuous night of partying, Toni drove off into the darkness and was never seen again.
Did the young nurse leave her old life behind? Did she commit suicide? Was she involved in an accident? Was she abducted? More than 10 years after her disappearance, what happened that night is still a mystery, and no one knows if Toni Lee Sharpless is alive or dead.
Toni the Warrior
Life hadn’t always been easy for Toni. Her father died when she was just six, but she had the love and support of her stepfather, Peter Knebel, who had been married to Toni’s mom, Donna, for 21 years.
Toni suffered from bipolar disorder, a condition that causes rapid mood swings. A person with bipolar disorder can be euphoric one day and suicidal the next. In severe cases, a person’s mood can change in just minutes. However, Toni had been diligent about taking her medication and successfully managed her illness for a lengthy period, including through nursing school.
In the past, Toni struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. People with untreated or poorly treated bipolar disorder often turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. In 2008, Toni was arrested and convicted of driving while intoxicated, and in 2009 she spent a month in rehab. But those days appeared to be behind her, and Toni had found a combination of medications that successfully treated her illness.
The light of Toni Lee Sharpless’s life was her 12-year-old daughter. Life as a single mom was tough, but Toni wanted to make sure her little girl had all the love and support in…
