10 years later, the Calvert case remains unsolved, the questions it raised unanswered

A decade after they disappeared, the case of John and Elizabeth Calvert continues to fascinate and horrify Hilton Head Island. While the cold case remain open, 10 years on, there remain many more questions than answers. This is the fifth and final excerpt from ”Deceit, Disappearance and Death on Hilton Head Island,” a new book on the Calvert case by Charlie Ryan and island author Pamela Martin Ovens.

Ten years after the disappearance of John and Elizabeth Calvert, a complex and intriguing mystery remains. Family and friends have waited all that time for their questions to be answered and no answers have been given.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office refused to close the case, but it is a case the office had not solved. And prospects for future answers appeared to be dim. On June 12, 2008, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Bob Bromage wrote in a Supplemental Incident Report: “An investigation has yet to reveal their whereabouts.”

The Calvert case dragged on, and it was so frustrating that Sheriff P.J. Tanner even lent an ear to former law enforcement retirees who lived in nearby Sun City. The group had, on its own, decided to review the case. They asked to meet with Tanner. To the surprise of some, the sheriff agreed.

The retired enthusiasts called themselves the “Lowcountry Retired Law Enforcement Officers Association,” consisting of retired police officers, investigators, and attorneys. They invited Tanner to come to the retirement mecca of Sun City, near Okatie, halfway between Bluffton and the access to I-95.

Tanner not only accepted the invitation; he listened intently when the seniors asked him how they could help. He did not hesitate to take their offer seriously. He looked over the membership roster. He studied credentials and then selected participants from the enthusiastic group and gave them the sobriquet “The Cold Case Review Team.”

The missing Calverts had become a community obsession. John Varone, the Sun City volunteer group vice president, told media, “It’s too cold to fish. Hunting season is over. Why not?”

And Tanner is still on the hunt. He said many times that no one had been identified throughout the investigation as a second party to Dennis Gerwing.

Tanner conceded to a reporter the possibility of another party’s involvement, especially since it would help explain Gerwing’s untraceable movements on the day and night of March 3, and further resolve how John Calvert’s car ended up at the Marriott Resort at Palmetto Dunes.

“Cab services and taxis in Hilton Head didn’t pick anyone up. That would lead anyone to believe that there was a second party, which very well could be. You just hope someone with some loyalty to Dennis Gerwing at some point will decide, ‘OK, well, he’s dead,’” Tanner said.

Tanner told Unresolved Mysteries, “My feeling has always been (the Calverts) are three, four, five hours from here because there is an 11-hour window where Dennis Gerwing’s phone is powered off, and we couldn’t find him.”

The Calvert’s bodies may or may not be on Hilton Head. But in a beautiful and tranquil area of Sea Pines Plantation, there is a reminder that John and Elizabeth were once vibrant names on the barrier island that called to them.

In Six Oaks Cemetery, beneath tall and stately oak trees, is a tribute to the missing couple that Hilton Head Island cannot forget. There, just off Greenwood Drive in the gated community of seaside dwellers, a lone marble bench has been placed. It is engraved with two names — John and Liz Calvert.

The smooth, shiny bench, where one can rest and contemplate, is a poignant memorial that speaks of two people who, by most accounts, led good lives.

There are other reminders of the lost island couple.

TC, the Calvert cat, now lives with a charter operator and his family.

The Calvert dog, Sadie, also lives with a new family.

The ten years since the disappearance has seen other changes.

Liz’s brother, David White, sold the 40-foot Hatteras Calvert yacht, Yellow Jacket in 2009. He remained on Hilton Head, engaged in the management of former Calvert businesses until he sold them to Sea Pines Resorts.

Gerwing’s yacht Big Girl was lost in foreclosure.

Tanner remains sheriff.

Bromage and Lt. Angela Viens remain with the Sheriff’s Office.

Former Island Packet Reporter Tim Donnelly moved on to Inc. Magazine, The New York Post, Brokelyn Magazine — a webmag about living big on small change in Brooklyn, N.Y. —and is now a researcher for The Presidents Show on Comedy Central in NYC.

Former Packet Reporter Daniel Brownstein moved from reporting to become communications director for the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, working for Solicitor Duffie Stone. He then became a freelance writer. From there, he became director of marketing and communications for Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickham, LLC in Mount Pleasant.

The favorite Hilton Head haunts of both the Calverts and Gerwing continue to do a flourishing business.

Attorneys Chuck Scarminach, Dan Saxon, Peter Strauss and Cory Fleming continue to practice law on the island.

Captains Peter Ovens and Ray Morris sail the Calibogue Sound and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Mark King continues as CEO and the driving force of The Club Group.

Nancy Berry continues to live in Columbia with her dachshund Heidi, named for Dennis’ dearly departed dachshund Heidi.

There was never a search of the house in Columbia after the Calverts’ disappearance.

Dennis gave Nancy a $30,000 life insurance policy on his life in the case of his death. The insurance company did not want to pay. Insurance agent John Carswell stepped in and insisted she be paid. The company relented. “It helped me reconstruct my life,” Nancy said.

Capt. Toby McSwain left the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to accept the position of chief of security at Sea Pines Plantation.

The Sun City Cold Case Review Team is still working to solve the Calvert mystery.

Tanner hopes to solve it one day.

But the Calvert cold case file remains open.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 6:00 AM with the headline "10 years later, the Calvert case remains unsolved, the questions it raised unanswered."