Missing Hilton Head Couple's Car Found

March 7, 2008— -- Authorities in South Carolina have recovered a Mercedes belonging to a prominent Hilton Head husband and wife who were last seen Monday.

John and Elizabeth Calvert's 2006 Mercedes E320 was recovered by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office early this morning in the parking lot of the hotel about six miles from the Harbour Town Yacht Basin they own and operate in Hilton Head Island, S.C., an employee and friend acting as spokesman confirmed to ABC News.

The vehicle did not provide any immediate clues in the case. "We were thinking the car might be a mess," said Tony Gibbus, the general manager of the Mariner's Club at Harbour Town.

Gibbus said the hotel, identified by the sheriff's office as the Palmetto Dunes Resort, has surveillance video trained on the parking lot, but it's unclear whether the footage captured the Calverts -- or anyone else -- leaving the car at the hotel.

Local business owners John Calvert, 47, and his wife, Elizabeth, 45, were last seen Monday evening leaving a business meeting.

John, who with his wife also runs other businesses, failed to meet his employees for morning meetings Tuesday.

Elizabeth, a tax lawyer in Savannah, Ga., also never arrived at work, according to Gibbus.

A search of the couple's yacht, their private plane and a second home in Atlanta have not turned up any evidence of foul play, but there is also no indication that those places were visited since Monday.

Inclement weather forced the sheriff's office dive team to postpone a search of the marina waters today.

The recovery of the car provided friends searching for the Calverts with a "little boost of hope," Gibbus said, adding that John is the type of person who could get the couple out of trouble if necessary.

"John Calvert makes his own luck," Gibbus said. "If you had to get out of a sticky situation, he'd be the guy you want with you."

In Hilton Head, the couple, who Gibbus said do not have children, live on the 45-foot motor cruiser Yellow Jacket. The boat is tied up and secure, according to Gibbus, and it does not appear that the couple slept in the cabin Monday night.

The Calverts' second car was parked in town. Their private plane sat at the Hilton Head Airport. Elizabeth earned her pilot's license in 2006, Gibbus said.

Also left behind are a dog and a cat, another sign that something could be wrong. "Liz would never leave her animals unattended," Gibbus said.

Sheriff P.J. Tanner told the Beaufort Gazette that the disappearance is "raising eyebrows." Tanner would not rule out that the couple may have been victims of a crime.

The Harbour Town Yacht Basin operates slips and offers charter boat trips. The couple also own a company that handles villa-style rentals on Hilton Head Island, a popular vacation destination known for boating, beaches and golf.

Elizabeth worked as a lawyer for UPS in Atlanta for 14 years, most recently as head of legal department operations, according to her attorney profile on the Hunter Maclean law firm Web site. She also served on the board of trustees for the Georgia Conservancy and Converse College, her undergraduate alma mater.

John is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with blue eyes and gray hair. His wife is 5 feet 4 inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair.