A Missouri woman set to appear in a Netflix documentary about a historic tornado that devastated her state vanished just two days before its release.
Tara Fleming, 29, was reported missing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by her ex-boyfriend and father of her two daughters, Steven Weersing, 30.
On Monday, Weersing filed a missing person’s report as concern for Fleming’s whereabouts grew.
The pair were high school friends whose lives were forever changed by the 2011 Joplin tornado, which killed 158 people and injured over 1,000. Weersing suffered life-threatening injuries in the storm and developed a flesh-eating infection. Fleming stayed by his side while he recovered, and their friendship eventually turned into romance.
Though the couple later split, their story is set to be retold in The Twister: Caught in the Storm, which premieres on Netflix this Wednesday.
Weersing took to Facebook to express his fears, revealing that he had received a disturbing call about Fleming’s situation in Tulsa. According to the caller, she had been robbed of her phone, purse, and car and was terrified.
“The people who saw her last are acting very suspicious,” Weersing wrote, adding that her disappearance “isn’t making any sense.”
Authorities in Tulsa confirmed a missing person’s report was filed but have not released further details.
Hours later, Weersing updated his Facebook post, announcing that Fleming had been found safe but was stranded in Tulsa and needed help returning to Joplin.
Her disappearance comes just days before the documentary’s release, though there is no evidence linking the two events.
The 90-minute Netflix special captures the terrifying impact of the Joplin tornado, one of the deadliest in U.S. history. Fleming was at home with her mother and brother when the storm ripped the roof off their house. At the same time, Weersing was in a car with friends when they unknowingly drove straight into the monster tornado.
He suffered severe injuries, including punctured lungs, broken ribs, and a flesh-eating infection caused by black mold exposure. Doctors placed him in a medically induced coma, uncertain if he would survive. He woke up three weeks later, underwent multiple surgeries, and had titanium rods implanted in his chest.
In the years after the disaster, Weersing became a stay-at-home dad while Fleming pursued a nursing degree. She once admitted that their relationship might not have happened if not for the tornado.
However, their story took a dark turn in 2017 when Weersing was charged with second-degree domestic assault for allegedly choking Fleming during an argument. The two eventually parted ways and moved on with new partners.
Fleming’s disappearance sparked concern from friends and family, including Weersing’s girlfriend, Lena Dawn, who pleaded for information on Facebook.
“Has anyone seen or heard from Tara Fleming? She was last known to be walking in Tulsa but did not have a location,” she wrote, describing Fleming as 5’9” with bleach blonde hair. She urged anyone with information to contact the Tulsa or Joplin police.
Fleming, who had been in a relationship with a man named Gabe Martin since March 2023, has since been located, though questions remain about what led to her disappearance.
The Joplin tornado remains the deadliest in the U.S. since 1947 and the costliest in history, with damages estimated at $2.8 billion.