Disappearance of Hilton Head Island couple baffles friends, police

A Hilton Head Island businessman and his wife, who is an attorney, have disappeared, baffling friends, neighbors and the authorities.

John and Elizabeth Calvert were last seen around 5:30 p.m. Monday at a meeting in Harbour Town, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

John Calvert, 47, owns the company that manages the Harbour Town Yacht Basin and Harbour Town Resorts, which has 125 rental properties.

Elizabeth Calvert, 45, is a Savannah business attorney at HunterMaclean, the state's largest law firm outside Atlanta.

Neither reported to work or meetings as scheduled Tuesday.

They were reported missing that evening by Elizabeth's brother, David White of Decatur, Ga., said Lt. Glenn Zanelotti of the Sheriff's Office. Attempts to reach White on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Late Wednesday night, seven detectives were still working the case, chasing down "anyone and everyone" who might have information on the couple's past or current whereabouts, said Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner, who led the late-night effort. Officers interviewed family members, friends and business associates. Sea Pines Security combed parking lots, side streets and the forest preserve.

The couple's disappearance, Tanner said, is "raising eyebrows."

"This is suspicious because no one has had any contact with them in the past couple of days, which is in unlike the Calverts because they're active in the community," Tanner said. "Right now the only thing we can say are there are definitely suspicions here."

Asked if the disappearance was part of a criminal investigation, Tanner said authorities haven't ruled that out.

"At this point, I would not be at liberty to say other than we're looking at every angle," Tanner said. "We're collecting all the information we can before we make that determination."

The couple, who own a home in an exclusive Atlanta neighborhood, primarily live on their yacht, "The Yellow Jacket," which was still moored to its Harbour Town slip Wednesday night. An unopened Tuesday Island Packet was visible on the deck, still inside its plastic bag. A light was on in the cabin and a television could be heard inside. No one answered the locked door.

Detectives searched the yacht, but found nothing to indicate the couple's location or fate, authorities said.

Elizabeth Calvert has had a pilot's license since March 2006, and frequently flew out of Hilton Head Island Airport. Her love of flying was chronicled in a Forbes magazine advertising supplement.

Her plane, a Cirrus SR20, was still on the tarmac at the island airport Wednesday night, Tanner said.

The Calverts' neighbors in Atlanta haven't seen them since late last week, when Elizabeth Calvert stayed overnight with the couple's dog. They also have a cat, but no children, neighbors said.

The pets are both accounted for. The dog's at an Atlanta kennel and the cat's on the island.

A light was on inside their Atlanta home Wednesday, which is rare when they're away, said Goodloe H. Yancey III, a neighbor.

"This is very distressing," she said when told by a reporter of the disappearance.

Calls to the Atlanta home went to an answering machine Wednesday night.

The couple owns at least three vehicles, a Porsche, a white truck and a silver 2006 Mercedes E320, with Georgia tag GT821B, which detectives have not yet found.

Their cell phones and Blackberries have not been turned on since Monday evening so authorities can't use cell phone towers to locate them.

"John and Liz Calvert are not the type of people to walk away from their responsibilities," said harbormaster Nancy Cappelmann, who has known the couple for years . "They are very committed to the businesses here and are always available by cell phone.

"Liz was supposed to be at work in Savannah on Tuesday morning, but didn't call in," Cappelmann said.

At the docks, marina employees were tight-lipped about the disappearance and called a security guard when an Island Packet reporter began asking questions. They reluctantly agreed to let him listen in on a television interview with Cappelmann. Asked where the two people may be, the harbormaster said, "I have no way of knowing. I just know something is not right."

News of the disappearance spread Wednesday afternoon through the HunterMaclean law firm offices in Savannah.

Elizabeth Calvert has worked there for less than a year. She works in the firm's Tax Practice Group, specializing in employee benefits and executive compensation.

"We hope she's alright," said W. Brooks Stillwell, a partner in the firm, who then referred all other questions to the Sheriff's Office.

Before joining HunterMaclean, Elizabeth Calvert worked as an attorney and vice president in the UPS legal department in Atlanta. She is a 1984 graduate of Converse College in Spartanburg and frequently hosts cocktail parties to raise money for the all-female school. She graduated from the University of Georgia law school in 1987.

She has served on the board of the Georgia Conservency, an environmental group. "She has a passion for the environment," said her Atlanta neighbor Lynn Johnston.

John Calvert seemed to keep a lower profile.

He is a member of the Hilton Head Marketing Partnership Alliance, a partnership between the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and local hospitality businesses who work together to raise money for marketing.

"(John) has a passion and an affection for Hilton Head Island," said Bill Miles, president and CEO of the chamber.

Sheriff Tanner seemed to capture the dark mood of those who know the Calverts.

"We're trying to find a reason for all of this," he said. "Right now, there's no explanation for it."