JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Butler County woman accused of killing her co-worker at a Nassau County hair salon last May was found not competent for trial, Nassau County Judge James Daniel ruled Tuesday.

Kimberly Kessler, 51, will be detained in the Florida State Hospital. There will be a review in six months to determine if she is competent to proceed with the first-degree murder case for the death of Joleen Cummings, whose body still has not been found. At the time of Kessler's arrest 14 months ago, she had been going by the alias Jennifer Sybert.

Kessler, investigators believe, is the last person to see Cummings alive on May 12, 2018. The following day, Mother's Day, Cummings, a 34-year-old mother of three, failed to pick up her children. She was reported missing on May 14 after not showing up for work at Tangles Hair Salon in Fernandina Beach.

A detective was at the salon when Kessler arrived for work that day. After learning law enforcement was inside, Kessler left without going in the salon. She told the owner she was heading out of town. She had only worked at the salon for a month.

Cummings' beige Ford Explorer was found May 15 in a Home Depot parking lot. The state has released footage of a black-clad woman getting out of the Explorer. Surveillance video showed her walking into a Gate gas station. A taxi driver says he picked the woman up and brought her to the Tangles Hair Salon. Investigators believe that woman is Kessler. Other documents released by the state suggest there was a bloody struggle at the salon.

On May 16 Kessler was located in her car at a rest area in St. Johns County. She denied ever being in Cummings' vehicle. Authorities obtained an arrest warrant for the Explorer's theft.

On May 22 Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper announced Cummings was not likely alive. All the while, investigators continued to build a case against Kessler, who has been using aliases since 1996. Officials know of 25 aliases that she has used in 35 cities and 14 states.

This is an excerpt from Wednesday's print edition. Pick up a copy or subscribe online to read more.