Florida mother of four missing for a week, police seek public's help - UPDATED

WTSP-TV reports divers with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and North Port Police Department found a green Nissan Xterra submerged in a large pond in the Toscana Isles subdivision in North Venice on Saturday.

Divers found a dead woman inside the SUV and believe it is 44-year-old Tracey Lynn Rieker, who's been missing since Sept. 30. The case is currently being treated as a traffic homicide. Her cause of death was not immediately determined.

The Venice Gondolier Sun reports a friend of Rieker's said she and two others had been fasting for spiritual reasons. She said she had just fasted for a day while Tracey told her in a conversation she was going to continue the fasting through the weekend. The friend said she is worried the extended fast and the fact Rieker hadn't been sleeping well in recent months was a bad mix that may have lead to her death.

MORE:

• Venice Police Department Facebook

• Autopsy underway in death of Venice woman - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

• Autopsy set for body of Tracey Lynn Rieker - Venice Gondolier Sun

• Body found inside submerged SUV believed to be missing Venice woman, police say - WTSP

Oct. 8, 2020:

via WFLA:

VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) -- The Venice Police Department is searching for a 44-year-old woman last seen Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Venice Police said Tracey Lynn Rieker left her home in a green Nissan Xterra with Florida license-plate number PO8116.

Rieker has recently been frequenting local beaches to talk with people about God, police said. She was seen at Lido Beach and Bradenton Beach last Monday.

Rieker weighs about 120 lbs and is listed at 5 feet 4 inches tall. She has a heart tattoo on her ring finger.

Tracey's husband Christian Rieker said she left her wallet and cellphone at home, but her car was gone about 6 a.m. on Sept. 30.

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

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.

Anyone with information about Tracey Rieker's whereabouts is asked to contact the Venice Police Department at (941) 486-2444.

MORE:

• Mother of four vanishes in Venice, husband desperate for answers - WFLA

• Venice police searching for missing 44-year-old woman - WFLA