Restaurant offers reward for missing employee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The owner of Mama’s Blues Restaurant is offering a $5,000 reward in hopes of finding information that will result in the recovery of a Florence woman who has been missing from her motel room since Friday night.

Florence resident Jennifer Lee Hampton, 21, was last seen at the Days Inn in Knoxville, according to reports.

She was with a team of coworkers who traveled to Knoxville to help train employees for the opening of a Mama Blues restaurant in that city. They were staying at the Days Inn.

Knoxville Police Public Information Officer Darrell Debusk said the reward was offered today.

“Hopefully, (the reward) will help develop leads that will result in her being located,” Debusk said.

Debusk said police have set up a command post at the motel and throughout the morning and afternoon have been conducting interviews with Hampton’s friends, co-workers and family.

“This morning we had about four dozen officers and reserves out there searching a wetlands area near the motel, but nothing significant turned up,” he said.

Anyone with any details about the case is asked to contact their local law enforcement office or Knoxville police at (865) 215-7000.