Jerry Wayne Lackey
Lackey, circa 1985
- Missing Since07/29/1985
- Missing FromRoebuck, Alabama
- ClassificationLost/Injured Missing
- SexMale
- RaceWhite
- Date of Birth01/18/1949 (76)
- Age36 years old
- Height and Weight6'2, 160 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA light and dark brown plaid shirt and blue jeans.
- Medical ConditionsLackey was suicidal at the time of his disappearance.
- Associated Vehicle(s)Silver 1982 Chevrolet pickup truck (accounted for)
- Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian male. Dark blond hair, blue eyes. One of Lackey's fingers is crooked due to a machete accident.
Details of Disappearance
Lackey was last seen in Roebuck, Alabama on July 29, 1985. He went to his sister and brother-in-law's home and gave him three letters. He told his brother-in-law he planned to commit suicide, and showed him a backpack with a sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun and a .357 caliber magnum revolver, a trenching tool and a sketch of what appeared to be a cave or a mine. Then he walked away.
Lackey's brother-in-law immediately called the police, but they refused to intervene. Lackey has never been heard from again.
In his notes, Lackey said he was tired of living. His wife had left him for another man a decade before, and he hadn't dated anyone since. His ex-wife was murdered by her new husband in 1983. Lackey was also traumatized by his experiences serving with the Army in the Vietnam War.
Lackey wrote that he planned to walk into a secluded area in the woods near the St. Clair/Jefferson County line, dig a grave and bury himself, and commit suicide. He wrote he hoped his body would never be found.
The night of his disappearance, his silver 1982 Chevrolet pickup truck was found abandoned on Weaver Avenue, less than 100 yards from Interstate 20, in St. Clair County. A search of the area turned up no sign of him.
Lackey lived with his mother in Roebuck at the time of his disappearance. Before his disappearance, he sold his belongings and left the money to her. He had worked a series of jobs but none of them lasted very long. He did not drink alcohol or use drugs, and he had no prior history of mental illness or bizarre behavior.
Although his body has never been found and his loved ones hope he is still alive, there has been no indication of Lackey's whereabouts since July 1985 and investigators believe he is deceased.
Investigating Agency
- Jefferson County Sheriff's Office 205-325-1450
Source Information
