Mother of four vanishes in Venice, husband desperate for answers

VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) – Christian Rieker has been in a panic since last Wednesday when he woke up and his wife, Tracey, was missing from their Venice home.

It was 6 a.m. and Tracey had left her wallet and cell phone at home, but her car was gone. There was no note, and no one has seen her since.

Christian made a public plea to 8 On Your Side as he continues to search for her.

“Tracey, honey, we need you, we love you. You’re so missed. Wherever you are, I pray you’re safe, wherever you are, we just want you back,” Rieker said.

The family of Tracey is desperate for answers, hoping someone has seen her or talked to her in the days since her disappearance.

Christian has been searching non-stop for his wife, worried sick.

“We are concerned about what mindset she’s in. She didn’t get a whole lot of sleep a couple of days prior to that. She wasn’t eating a whole lot,” Rieker told 8 On Your Side.

The question remains, what happened to this wife and mother-of-four?

Christian says his wife has been in a manic state recently, leaving family and friends even more worried.

“The outreach has been so powerful, there’s literally been hundreds of people who have reached out to help, literally trying to do everything they can to parks and beaches,” Rieker explained. “We just want to know she’s safe.”

The Venice Police Department is also worried and is asking the public for help.

Police say Rieker is believed to be driving her husband’s green Nissan Xterra with Florida tag PO8116.

She was known to visit local spots like Lido Beach and Bradenton Beach, as well as nature preserves in the North Port area where she would talk with people about God, according to her husband.

Now that nearly a week has passed, her husband is praying for answers.

“I am beyond desperate to have you back. I can’t imagine life without you,” Rieker said.

At this point, both the family and the Venice Police Department are hoping someone has seen or spoken with Tracey.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Tracey Rieker, please call the Venice Police Department at 941-486-2444.