Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers is asking for the public's help tracking down a man Charlotte County deputies say was involved with the 2001 murder of 19-year-old Tara Sidarovich.
Phillip Barr, 43, faces the charge of first-degree murder in Sidarovich's death. Barr remains on the run.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office announced Monday the arrest of 39-year-old David Ray McMannis, who has been taken into custody in Cumberland, Md., on the same murder charge.
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Phillip Barr
Barr's felony record dates to his teen years. In September 1987, Barr was committed to the Price Halfway House in Fort Myers after crimes, including felony burglary. Barr soon fled the facility but was arrested for escape in May 1988.
Barr has arrests in Lee and Charlotte counties for theft, drugs and related charges.
He was arrested in Lee County for violating his probation eight days after Sidarovich went missing. Barr spent nearly six months in state prison in late 2008 and early 2009, and was deemed a career offender in 2009. Barr also has an outstanding felony warrant out of Lee County issued two years ago for violating his probation following an arrest for fleeing and eluding officers.
Sidarovich's case had been profiled for years by Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, with television segments and billboards strategically placed near the area where her remains were found, off Burnt Store Road, nearly a year after she went missing. Her skeletal remains were found in a deeply wooded area, nearly a mile off the road.
Her family and friends created a memorial in the woods near the site where her remains were found, and a cross remains in place today along the busy highway as a constant reminder Sidarovich would not be forgotten. She had been planning to study to become a crime scene investigator.
Police say Barr likely has left the area. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Phillip Barr is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tips may also be made online at www.swflcrimestoppers.org or by texting a tip to CRIMES (274637) Keyword: REWARD.
