Convicted killer Reer now tied to Florida disappearance

NORWALK — Frederick "Fred" Reer, a Collins man, was sentenced Monday to a 14-year prison term for the 2017 killing of his girlfriend, Amanda Dean, in Huron County. One day later, law enforcement identified him as a person of interest in an out-of-state disappearance, according to a Florida cold case detective. Reer, 42, was sentenced after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, two counts of tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of Dean, whose body has never been recovered. Ohio investigators said Reer killed Dean inside a residence and then dismembered, burned and disposed of her remains in a local creek. Since Reer's arrest and subsequent incarceration, law enforcement in other states have been revisiting cases in which his name previously surfaced, including the 2018 disappearance of a Florida man last seen alive with Reer. No law enforcement agency has yet charged Reer with any other crime, and it wasn't clear whether or not charges would be forthcoming. It also wasn't clear if, following his sentencing, Reer retained an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Florida disappearance One case now drawing renewed attention is the disappearance of Joseph Andrew Phillips, a Florida man classified as "endangered missing." Phillips, who went by the nickname "Jo," was 54 years old when he vanished. He was last seen on March 31, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to missing persons records, Phillips spent the evening at Gandy Beach with friends. At some point, he misplaced his cell phone and was later left alone near the south side of Gandy Boulevard with his service dog, Trouble. The following day, April 1, 2018, Trouble was found wandering in traffic near the west end of the Gandy Bridge. Phillips has never been seen or heard from again. He missed a scheduled flight a few days later and did not return to his residence in Tampa. According to Detective Ron Chalmers with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in Florida, Reer is officially considered a person of interest in Phillips' disappearance. "Fred Reer is a person of interest in the disappearance of Joseph Phillips," Chalmers told the newspaper. "By his own admission, he was the last known person to see him." Reer's account of last encounter According to Chalmers, Reer told investigators that he drove Phillips to the beach in an attempt to locate Phillips' missing phone. "Reer said he drove him to the beach to find a lost cell phone, and Phillips was reportedly never seen after that," Chalmers said. Investigators have focused on the short time window between Reer's admitted contact with Phillips and the discovery of Phillips' dog. "The time between when Fred Reer admits he was with Phillips and when Phillips' dog was found was a very short window of time," Chalmers said. Phillips' service dog being found alone on the shore edge is considered a critical detail in the case, according to Chalmers. When asked directly whether investigators believe Phillips is still alive, Chalmers was unequivocal that he believed Phillips was dead. While emphasizing that the case remains open, he stated that he believed Reer was involved in some way. Chalmers did not say whether charges against Reer are imminent or whether additional evidence is currently under review, but confirmed that Reer's Ohio conviction has heightened scrutiny of his past movements and associations. Additional reviews With Reer now serving a prison sentence, Chalmers said that investigators and missing-persons advocates will continue to examine other cold cases from the years surrounding Dean's death and Phillips' disappearance, including reports from multiple states where Reer previously lived or traveled, including California. Authorities encourage anyone with information related to the disappearance of Joseph Andrew Phillips to contact the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit at 727-582-6138; all calls can remain anonymous.