More state, federal help coming to Hilton Head as search for missing couple expands

This story originally was published in The Island Packet on March 11, 2008.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office asked for and received more help from state and federal agencies Monday in what has become a difficult investigation into the disappearance of a prominent couple that split time between Hilton Head Island and an affluent Atlanta neighborhood.

The increase in manpower reflects the expanding focus of the case.

At this point, there seem to be more questions than answers about the fate of John and Elizabeth Calvert.

Just hours before the one-week mark since the couple were last seen near their yacht, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division upped its role in assisting local detectives.

The state police force had been providing only forensic analysis and equipment support, supplying a helicopter for an aerial search of the island and combing the Calverts’ 2006 Mercedes for clues. Now, SLED will also provide a team of agents, as many as the Sheriff’s Office needs, said Special Agent Bobbi Schlatterer, the division’s spokeswoman.

“If it’s one they need, we’ll give it to them. If it’s five they need, we’ll give it to them,” said Schlatterer. “As the investigation moves forward, we’ll give them whatever they need.”

The FBI is also on the case. Special Agent Dave Calore said multiple agents are assisting the search.

“We just assist them in anyway they need help,” Calore said.

The lead agency continues to be the Sheriff’s Office, where Elizabeth Calvert’s only sibling, Dave White of Decatur, Ga., filed a missing persons report one week ago tonight. John and Elizabeth Calvert had missed business engagements and their cell phones were turned off.

John Calvert has no immediate family. He is an only child and both of his parents are dead, friends say.

Again Monday, authorities released few details and didn’t directly answer questions pertaining to any evidence detectives may have uncovered. They would not comment on whether any financial transactions have occurred or whether a forensic audit of the couple’s assets had been conducted.

“We’re still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” said Sheriff P.J. Tanner. “The only thing I can tell you is that it’s still an ongoing investigation. There’s a lot that we can’t reveal due to maintaining the integrity of the investigation.”

Tanner said investigators from several agencies in South Carolina and Georgia are “meticulously” sorting through the Calverts’ lives.

“We’re looking for resources everywhere,” the sheriff said. “We know we can’t do it by ourselves.”

Those who know the couple are also banding together — in business, in optimism and in prayer.

John L. Calvert, 47, is owner of the company that operates the Harbour Town Yacht Basin, where his yacht and part-time home is still moored. He also owns Harbour Town Resorts, which rents out 125 vacation properties.

His wife of 20 years, 45-year-old Elizabeth W. Calvert, is a Savannah business attorney at HunterMcLean and a trustee of Converse College in Spartanburg.

John Calvert’s employees say they are keeping the yacht basin and associated businesses going.

“We are attempting as best we can to continue business as usual, because that’s what they’d want us to do,” said Laura Tipton, the marina’s operations manager. “When they come back, they’ll be very proud of us.”

Tony Gibus, manager of The Mariner’s Club at Harbour Town and the last person confirmed to have seen John Calvert, said there haven’t been too many questions at the club about the Calverts’ disappearance.

“Generally, a lot of people aren’t making the connection,” Gibus said.

Gibus, one of the primary spokesmen for the Calverts’ friends, said there is some concern among staff that the disappearance might be giving Harbour Town, and by extension, the island a bad name since it is playing out in the national and international media.

“We don’t want to bring negative publicity to the island,” he said. “But we want our friends found.”

Travelers know that the Calvert case is an isolated incident and is not something that will affect tourism, said Charlie Clark, vice president of communication for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.

The media coverage is, in fact, a good thing, she said. “It’s important to get the word out that somebody’s missing,” Clark said. “It has been proven time and time again that (media coverage) does help” find people.

Tipton said it was odd to be helping tourists find a way to enjoy vacation time, but that’s what the yacht basin staff has to do as hospitality professionals.

“You’ve still got to smile at them because that’s your customer base,” she said.

Prayer vigil

A prayer vigil is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town. It will be run by the Calverts’ pastor, the Rev. Carmen Fowler of Providence Presbyterian Church on Hilton Head.

Tips

If you have information about the Calverts, call the Sheriff’s Office at 843-524-2777.

This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 10:46 AM.