Silver Alert IN - Donna Gail Hatfield, 72, Boonville, 13 June 2019 *endangered*

[Luckyzmom]

That time period between June 13 when ex husband last saw here and when family (not son) reported her missing is critical. Very troubling. Sure does not help the effort to locate Donna. Did that not raise worry among family and friends I wonder ? JMO

 

[PommyMommy]

That time period between June 13 when ex husband last saw here and when family (not son) reported her missing is critical. Very troubling. Sure does not help the effort to locate Donna. Did that not raise worry among family and friends I wonder ? JMO

Oh, I'm sure it did.

If I understand correctly, Donna's ex-husband believes he saw her (and TR) on June 13 but they can't be certain because he (Donna's ex) also has memory issues.

Could someone else have seen Donna alive after that? I'd have to go back through the articles here but I'm wondering if LE ever said that the ex-husband or TR was the last person to see Donna? MOO

From August 28:
Daughter shares thoughts on the disappearance of her Boonville mother
Donna lives with her son in Boonville, according to SM, and Donna’s ex-husband believes it was the morning of June 13th when he last saw her.

“That’s what we’re thinking,” SM calculated. “I’m concerned because his health isn’t that good and I don’t know for sure if his memory is correct to know that for sure. But he said that he saw my brother and mom at their house that day. He goes to Boonville for doctors’ appointments.”

 

[Steelslady]

SEP 6, 2019
‘I don’t believe my mother is alive’: Missing Boonville woman’s family shares concerns after meeting with lead detective

1. A few of Hatfield’s family members met with the lead detective in the case Thursday. Her son, the one she was living with, was not in that meeting.
   
2. The family admits there has been some separation between them.
3. “I don’t believe my mother is alive,” Hatfield’s daughter, RA, said.
4. There have been no signs of Donna in nearly three months.
5. “There is no evidence of bank transactions, phone records, or reaching out to anybody,” Hatfield’s brother explained.
   
6. She has Alzheimer’s and was living with her son in Boonville.
7. The Chief said that her son, TR, has not been very cooperative.
8. TR told 14 News police searched his home and took his cell phone.
9. He also said Donna was not home when we stopped by, but also said she’s not missing and that she is being cared for.
10. "That she left, somebody picked her up and she left with him is the story he (TR) is giving me,” Arnold recalled. “When I asked why he couldn’t just give me the information, he said ‘mom’s wishes were to be left alone.’ Later on, he proceeded to tell me he doesn’t know where she is.”
11. “She disappeared with her suitcase and a large sum of money,” RA says TR told her.
12. When asked if that was something her mother would do, RA said, “No, she is physically able to walk, but at that time, my brother, the last two times I talked to him in March and May, he thought it was time to put her in a nursing home. She wasn’t eating very well.”
13. RA, who now lives in TN, says she spent more than 4 hours with TR on Thurs.
14. “He talked about caring about my mom and how much he loved her,” RA said. “And didn’t want to see her suffer. He was emotional about that. He kept saying ‘I took care of her for four-and-a-half years’ and it just got to the point where she was sitting around and she wasn’t doing anything.”
15. 14 News reached out to the detective but he was not working Friday.
16. “I believe he knows what has happened to my mom,” RA added. “I believe that. He lived with her. He took care of her. He was very protective of her. He wouldn’t let her wander off or just leave with anyone.”
17. Boonville police continue to investigate this as a missing person case.

Well I think we have our answers as to what happened to poor Donna.

It's just a matter of finding the poor lady.

 

[PommyMommy]

Well I think we have our answers as to what happened to poor Donna.

It's just a matter of finding the poor lady.

Yes, I agree, Steels.

You know, the babies tear us all to pieces but these seniors break my heart as well.

Donna should have been enjoying her golden years with frequent visits from friends, family, and a professional caretaker. Her daughter hadn't talked to her since Spring but wanted to move her into a nursing home.

Donna gave her house to her son in return for taking care of her. She deserved so much better than this. This is just awful. MOO

 

[Luckyzmom]

Betrayed just hard to fathom. Hope LE can put it together. Criminals generally believe they are smarter than the rest of us, that's a plus. Thanks Ladies

 

[Steelslady]

Yes, I agree, Steels.

You know, the babies tear us all to pieces but these seniors break my heart as well.

Donna should have been enjoying her golden years with frequent visits from friends, family, and a professional caretaker. Her daughter hadn't talked to her since Spring but wanted to move her into a nursing home.

Donna gave her house to her son in return for taking care of her. She deserved so much better than this. This is just awful. MOO

This is so heartbreaking for sure. I can't imagine ever treating my parents this way.

If she was having a tough time with her Alzheimers, I could understand the daughter's reasoning- sometimes, there isn't a choice in the matter when they get to a certain point where they need constant supervision round the clock. Yet how would she know that, if she hadn't seen her since spring?

 

[PommyMommy]

This is so heartbreaking for sure. I can't imagine ever treating my parents this way.

If she was having a tough time with her Alzheimers, I could understand the daughter's reasoning- sometimes, there isn't a choice in the matter when they get to a certain point where they need constant supervision round the clock. Yet how would she know that, if she hadn't seen her since spring?

I'm not even sure her daughter saw her in the Spring. One article said she "talked" to her several months ago. One says RA last talked to her brother in March or May. And then, there are two sisters...

Do we know if they live nearby? Maybe they are out of state?

I probably need to read this thread again. MOO

 

[YaYa_521]

Who did what with Donna and where is she? Why no updates?

 

[YaYa_521]

Donna Gail Hatfield – The Charley Project

 

[PommyMommy]

This is the most recent news I can find. Other than the reward, I don't see any new information.

APR 30, 2020
Family of missing Boonville woman offering reward for information | Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW) (tristatehomepage.com)
[...]

... Hatfield’s family is offering $5,000 for information leading to the location of her or her remains or $10,000 if the information also leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.

[...]

The only post on the PD's page is from Aug 28, 2019 when the Silver Alert was declared: Boonville Police Department

 

[Luckyzmom]

Dang, the son needs to talk to LE !!!! Have they searched the area for her ?? WTH !!!!!! No one looking out for this lady ? Friends, neighbors ??? Not Good ....

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Longshot?:
The Boone County Medical Examiner's Office is currently handling the investigation into human remains found in Cooper County on Thursday, April 14.

A Facebook post from the Cooper County Sheriff's Office says the investigation could take several more days because of the condition of the remains.
UPDATE: Remains found in Cooper County being investigated

This is an update on the investigation regarding the human remains recovered west of Boonville on Thursday, April 15, 2021. The remains are and have been in the custody of the Boone County Medical Examiner's Office. They are in the process of their investigation, which could take several days, due to the condition of the remains. As soon as more information is received from the Boone County Medical Examiner's Office, I will put out another press release. Until then, I have no further information on this incident.
Log into Facebook

 

[YaYa_521]

Longshot?:
The Boone County Medical Examiner's Office is currently handling the investigation into human remains found in Cooper County on Thursday, April 14.

A Facebook post from the Cooper County Sheriff's Office says the investigation could take several more days because of the condition of the remains.
UPDATE: Remains found in Cooper County being investigated

This is an update on the investigation regarding the human remains recovered west of Boonville on Thursday, April 15, 2021. The remains are and have been in the custody of the Boone County Medical Examiner's Office. They are in the process of their investigation, which could take several days, due to the condition of the remains. As soon as more information is received from the Boone County Medical Examiner's Office, I will put out another press release. Until then, I have no further information on this incident.
Log into Facebook

I believe these remains were located in Missouri. Did Donna or anyone close to her have connections to MO?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I believe these remains were located in Missouri. Did Donna or anyone close to her have connections to MO?

Oh my. I’m so sorry. There are six states with the city of Boonville. My error. I should have been more careful. Thanks for the catch. You saved me from further embarrassment.

 

[YaYa_521]

Oh my. I’m so sorry. There are six states with the city of Boonville. My error. I should have been more careful. Thanks for the catch. You saved me from further embarrassment.

Oh, don't be. It happens. I was one step away from adding a post w/ Boone County, IN NamUs profiles & all. It was a comment on LE's FB post that had me doing a double take.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Oh, don't be. It happens. I was one step away from adding a post w/ Boone County, IN NamUs profiles & all. It was a comment on LE's FB post that had me doing a double take.

It had me going and I live in Boone County IN - which is nowhere near Boonville.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Family pleads for answers in Boonville woman's 2019 disappearance

Donna Hatfields' family and Iaw enforcement officials gathered Friday to issue a renewed call for information that could help solve her disappearance.

www.courierpress.com

May 9, 2025

More than five years after Donna Hatfield's disappearance from Boonville, Hatfield's family and Iaw enforcement officials gathered Friday to issue a renewed call for information that could help crack the unsolved case.

*****
As part of the effort to rekindle interest in Hatfield's case, FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans said new billboards would go up around Boonville to help solicit tips and information.

*****
There was one notable absence at Friday's news conference: Hatfield's son, Thomas Rainey Jr., who lived with his mother and served as her caretaker at the time of her disappearance in 2019, by which point Hatfield was battling Alzheimer's disease.

**
Warrick County Prosecutor Michael Perry, speaking to reporters after the news conference, said Rainey Jr. was "definitely one of the people of interest."

In part, that's because Rainey Jr. has given wildly different accounts of what happened to his mother since she was last seen, according to family members, law enforcement and witnesses.

*****
Lengthy article -- see link for more.

‘She deserves to be found’: Renewed push to find missing Boonville woman

The Boonville Police Department held a news conference Friday morning, to reenergize the public in the case of Donna Hatfield. She’s been missing since August of 2019.

www.14news.com

“We truly believe there are people out there that have information that will help us find Donna Hatfield,” said Prosecutor Michael Perry.

While detectives say there’s no evidence to suggest Donna is still alive, there is hope for closure for the family.

“Whether Ms. Hatfield died of natural causes or under criminal circumstances is still unclear,” Perry said.

 

[Pennysmom1]

 

[Pennysmom1]

Aug 12, 2025

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article311677077.html

<<Nearly four years later, on March 14, 2023, an FBI agent saw that Hatfield’s vehicle was listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, the lawsuit said. After determining the vehicle was still in Hatfield’s name and would need her signature to sell, investigators said “the only way someone else could sign for her is if they had a duly appointed power of attorney executed by her in front of a notary,” the complaint said.

Detectives learned that Hatfield’s son, Thomas Rainey Jr., sold the car for $600, the lawsuit said. Rainey had been a person of interest in his mother’s disappearance ”for some considerable period of time,” the lawsuit said.

Investigators learned that a document naming Rainey as power of attorney for his mother was prepared by an attorney. An FBI agent also told a detective he recalled seeing a power of attorney document at Rainey’s home during an earlier search, according to the lawsuit.

However, investigators never asked Rainey if he indeed had power of attorney for Hatfield and instead arrested him on fraud charges for signing his mom’s name on the car’s title, the lawsuit said.

After his arrest, agents searched Rainey’s home and found the power of attorney document, which had been notarized in 2015, years before Hatfield went missing, according to the complaint. Despite learning Rainey “had not committed a crime,” the complaint states, the detective “decided to continue the false arrest and incarceration of [Rainey] based upon an arrest warrant that he knew was critically flawed so that he could interrogate Thomas, while in custody, regarding the disappearance of Mrs. Hatfield.”>>




Aug 11, 2025

Son of missing Boonville woman files federal lawsuit against city and police department

The son of missing Boonville woman Donna Hatfield filed suit against the city's police department in federal court alleging wrongdoing in 2023 arrest.

www.courierpress.com

Boonville City, Police named as defendants in lawsuit from son of missing woman

The son of a missing Boonville woman has filed a lawsuit against the city’s police department, claiming he was falsely targeted as a suspect in her disappearance.

www.14news.com

 

[curvicular]

Aug 12, 2025
Nearly four years later, on March 14, 2023, an FBI agent saw that Hatfield’s vehicle was listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, the lawsuit said. After determining the vehicle was still in Hatfield’s name and would need her signature to sell, investigators said “the only way someone else could sign for her is if they had a duly appointed power of attorney executed by her in front of a notary,” the complaint said.

Detectives learned that Hatfield’s son, Thomas Rainey Jr., sold the car for $600, the lawsuit said. Rainey had been a person of interest in his mother’s disappearance ”for some considerable period of time,” the lawsuit said.
...

Yikes. As the last person who saw his mom the day of, he likely already has this baseline layer or vibe of suspicion coming from LE. Moves like these remind me (and probably LE) of other cases where the spouse/caregiver/child feels like enough time has passed and they are free to begin throwing away or selling a loved one's possessions... because they know that their loved one isn't coming back to reclaim them.

I hope this really is a misunderstanding, maybe the car was a piece of crap or whatever and isn't running anymore. It's the only way I can imagine justifying the listing of her car on FB Marketplace for $600 in 2025. If it was a functioning vehicle, it's then suspicious to me that he didn't at least try to get a couple of G's out of it in this economy.