MS MS - Jessica Stacks, 28, missing from boat on Tallahatchie River, 1 Jan 2021

[lonetraveler]

My thoughts are: This is possible because there is nothing that surprises me anymore. Lol. I feel they sound pretty confident about the footprints and that sounds weird when the sheriff says, they saw them but not on land?? If it was flooded, how did they see them on the rivers edge?

May be that the sheriff saw the footprints in the bottom of the boat.

 

[lonetraveler]

..

 

[Warwick7]

Search continues for Mississippi woman last seen boating on Tallahatchie River on New Year’s Day

"She didn’t just walk away and if she was hurt, we would’ve found her,” Cathy’s mother told Dateline. “Someone did something to her. I know it.”

 

[Spartygirl]

My hnky meter is rising. I have all the same questions as you!

Same here. I just found this case but after reading about the first 3 posts, my hinky meter went sky high. JMO

 

[Spider92]

Well LE seems to be treating this very seriously so I take back my earlier comment that cast doubt on their efforts. Will the river bottom recede further making recovery efforts easier? The sheriff says there is no evidence of foul play but I guess he may still suspect it.

 

[Spartygirl]

Can I please add an isles?

4. She wasn’t there at all

But I think LE would know this already after speaking with the guy who sent them on their way in the boat. Yes???
Of course, we may not be privy to that info.

 

[Spartygirl]

ITA! I’m gonna ask hubby when he gets home, but it sure sounds like that would be illegal? Unless of course they had proper hunting licenses and all. I guess I need to do some research.

Not sure if you had time to look or not, but I found some hunting license info online.
Looks like most hunting time ends in December except for gun hunting WITH DOGS--ends Jan 20th and Archery/Primitive Weapon ENDS JAN 31st.
So unless they had archery with them OR had gun WITH dogs with them, they would be hunting illegally.
Unless I am reading this wrong, and that is possible because MS is divided into zones but I tried to match up counties with proper zones and time frames for hunting season.
Mississippi Hunting Seasons 2020-2021 - Outdoor Lawyer
Mississippi deer hunting: feeding, CWD zones changed. Limits altered (clarionledger.com)

 

[Warwick7]

"Her boots were later found; they had been cut off her. Her coat and gloves were found near her boots. She didn’t have her cell phone with her at the time she left the boat; it was later located and turned in, Jones said."

"Her purse was in the boat, according to Jones."

Vanished New Albany woman has Chickasaw ties

 

[alexwood]

Search continues for Mississippi woman last seen boating on Tallahatchie River on New Year’s Day

"She didn’t just walk away and if she was hurt, we would’ve found her,” Cathy’s mother told Dateline. “Someone did something to her. I know it.”

[BBM] More from the same article:
"They were on the water for a couple of hours when Jessica reportedly got out of the boat and made her way toward the north river bank in the direction of State Highway 30, Baggett told the sheriff’s office. Her purse and car keys were left behind, he confirmed. Sheriff Edwards told Dateline that Jessica’s cell phone was later turned in by an individual who stated that he had it because Jessica and Baggett had planned to call him on it to be picked up at the end of their boating trip that day."

They were on the water for "a couple of hours" (after putting the boat in at daybreak, or shortly thereafter, from previous accounts), when she bailed out of the boat -- minus her purse and car keys -- according to the boyfriend. Then, he reported her missing at 10:15 p.m. that night. What did he do from, say, 9:00 A.M. until he reported her missing -- that's over 13 hours later?

 

[alexwood]

"Her boots were later found; they had been cut off her. Her coat and gloves were found near her boots. She didn’t have her cell phone with her at the time she left the boat; it was later located and turned in, Jones said."

"Her purse was in the boat, according to Jones."

Vanished New Albany woman has Chickasaw ties

... and no foul play suspected.

 

[Coppertop15]

Her boots were cut off?! That's incredibly weird and frightening.

 

[whitelilac]

"Her boots were later found; they had been cut off her. Her coat and gloves were found near her boots. She didn’t have her cell phone with her at the time she left the boat; it was later located and turned in, Jones said."

"Her purse was in the boat, according to Jones."

Vanished New Albany woman has Chickasaw ties

Why on earth would her boots be cut off? Why not just pull them off? And why? Bizarre. Cut off how? cleanly with a knife? makes no sense.

 

[TroutMask]

Why on earth would her boots be cut off? Why not just pull them off? And why? Bizarre. Cut off how? cleanly with a knife? makes no sense.

You might need to cut the boots off if the body had rigor mortis.

 

[Underdogga]

Since they were most likely hunting illegally I wouldn’t be surprised if they were going to field dress a deer. Take the meat they want back to a cooler on the boat and leave the carcass.

 

[Spider92]

"Her boots were later found; they had been cut off her. Her coat and gloves were found near her boots.
Vanished New Albany woman has Chickasaw ties

I don't recall seeing this previously reported. Why would she, or anyone else cut her boots off? Maybe her feet were swollen from frostbite or injury? If it were rigor mortis, why take off the boots from a deceased person?

 

[LadyL]

Did she have waders on? Because if she did and she stepped into a deep hole full of water, she would sink. Maybe that was the plan?

what are waders and how do they make one sink?

 

[Spider92]

what are waders and how do they make one sink?

They are almost like boots that go all the way to your waist....or think of them as rubber pants with built in boots. If you walk through water that is higher than your waist, you run the risk that they will fill with water and pull you under with the weight of the water that fills them up.

 

[LadyL]

They are almost like boots that go all the way to your waist....or think of them as rubber pants with built in boots. If you walk through water that is higher than your waist, you run the risk that they will fill with water and pull you under with the weight of the water that fills them up.

ok yeah that makes sense
thanks

 

[Spartygirl]

[BBM] More from the same article:
"They were on the water for a couple of hours when Jessica reportedly got out of the boat and made her way toward the north river bank in the direction of State Highway 30, Baggett told the sheriff’s office. Her purse and car keys were left behind, he confirmed. Sheriff Edwards told Dateline that Jessica’s cell phone was later turned in by an individual who stated that he had it because Jessica and Baggett had planned to call him on it to be picked up at the end of their boating trip that day."
the whole "left her phone with an individual so they can call him to pick them up" is hinky enough for me.
If you rent a boat, you get the company's number and call them..if it is individual, you get that person's number to call to pick you up. Plus... pick up from where?? do they not return the rental to where they picked up?? that is always how we have done it.
I'm sorry, but this whole story sounds made up to me. IMO
Unless the "boat" company can verify that is how they run things, I just dont believe it.
I have rented a canoe before and the company/person knows where we end at so he can account for our rentals. We dont call him and we dont give him our cell phones. Maybe things are done differently there, IDK--just does not sound right to me

They were on the water for "a couple of hours" (after putting the boat in at daybreak, or shortly thereafter, from previous accounts), when she bailed out of the boat -- minus her purse and car keys -- according to the boyfriend. Then, he reported her missing at 10:15 p.m. that night. What did he do from, say, 9:00 A.M. until he reported her missing -- that's over 13 hours later?

 

[Spartygirl]

what are waders and how do they make one sink?

we all wear waders here when we put in our dock and take out our dock as water is usually cold at that time.
of course, if we would take it out in warmer weather, we would not need them....LOL but we always hope for an Indian summer for that one last boat ride.