1 year after disappearance, family of Charlotte Lester wants answers

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — It’s been one year since Charlotte Lester’s family reported her missing.

It’s a case that rocked the community, with developments that have prompted more questions than answers.

The East Greenwich native was last seen in the area of Arnold’s Neck Drive and Staples Avenue in Warwick on the evening of May 16, 2022.

Within a week after she went missing, her beloved dog was found abandoned along Elmwood Avenue, and her red truck was found inexplicably parked at Kent Hospital.

A missing person flyer for Charlotte Lester, who has not been seen since May 2022. (WLNE)

Her family told ABC 6 News she was a fierce animal lover and would never do such a thing.

“That’s why, with her dog being found, it’s alarming,” her brother, Mark Lester, said last summer. “That was her baby.”

As for the truck, ABC 6 News confirmed with the hospital that no one by the name of Charlotte Lester had checked in.

Soon after, police executed a search warrant at a Staples Avenue home, where Charlotte was known to frequent.

Warwick police cruisers sit in the driveway of a home on Staples Avenue, Monday, May 23, 2022. (WLNE)

The owner of the home, Mark Perkins, told police he didn’t know where Charlotte was.

He later faced assault charges for attacking radio host John DePetro with a lawn mower while he was doing a Facebook live on the case. DePetro also faced a trespassing offense in connection to the incident but the charge was later dropped.

Charlotte, now 45, has not been in contact with any family since she’s been missing.

Her loved ones increased a reward for any information in the case multiple times.

They organized search parties across the state, focusing on Warwick, Cranston, and Providence, hoping for any sign of her.

One year later, her loved ones haven’t given up hope.

This is a missing person flyer for Charlotte Lester, who was last seen in May 2022. (WLNE)

A vigil will be held to commemorate the one-year anniversary of her disappearance at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Arnold Neck Waterfront Park in Apponaug.

“We will gather to honor Charlotte and pray for justice to be served,” her loved ones wrote on social media.

Charlotte is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a slim to medium build. She has alopecia and often wears wigs.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Warwick police at 401-468-4200, or the Lester’s private investigator at 617-512-1008.