Found Deceased MS - Gracelyn Vick, 6, Harrison County, 13 April 2025

[Gemmie]

But why would it take six hours to find her? That’s what puzzles me.

Yes, it is puzzling, but I've seen other cases where it's taken longer, and a lot of search was done. Also on less property than this.

What seems obvious is she wasn't out in the open. That's for sure.

 

[Knox]

But why would it take six hours to find her? That’s what puzzles me.

If I had to guess, I would say she was not in plain sight. Perhaps inside of something.

 

[Megnut]

Old well perhaps.

That would explain the delay in finding her.

JMO

 

[iamshadow21]

If I had to guess, I would say she was not in plain sight. Perhaps inside of something.

Yeah, I think there's a good chance her body was hidden.

MOO

 

[swanniee11]

From what I'm reading, we should hear something soon. IMO

 

[Gemmie]

Tons of things to play with on the property, and also what looks like 2 different areas as I mentioned upthread.

“I haven’t slept,” her brother, Robert Pittman said Monday. “It doesn’t feel like reality. I’m just trying to make the timeline make sense.”

https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article304202751.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Gemmie]

Some tidbits from the article.

Gracelynn and her mother spent a lot of time taking care of their assortment of animals on the farm, including dogs, goats, chickens, turkeys and guineas, to name a few.

“So far, no one has been arrested in the case, and it’s too early to determine if foul play is involved,” Haley said. “This is an ongoing investigation.”

A child’s broken spirit after sibling deaths

But Gracelynn had also been struggling in the last few years. Her spirits were still “broken,” her aunt said

Read more at: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article304202751.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Gemmie]

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department will hold a press conference Thursday at Noon to reveal new details in the death of 6-year-old Gracelynn Vick.

You can watch the press conference live on the WLOX Facebook page and the WLOX News Now app.

HAPPENING TODAY: Officials to reveal new details in death of 6-year-old Gracelynn Vick

On Monday, WLOX News spoke to a family member who said they are grieving, and the situation is very raw for them.

www.wlox.com

Noon IN Harrison Cnty is CDT. I'm PST and CDT is 2 hrs ahead of me. So 10am for those in PST. Hopefully that'll help some figure out what time it'll be where you are.

 

[Gemmie]

Gracelynn Vick, the 6-year-old girl found dead after her family reported her missing, had no visible injuries to her body to suggest any foul play, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said. A member of a search crew found Gracelynn, a student at Saucier Elementary School, inside an enclosure on the family’s farm in the area of F. Taylor and Saucier Fairley roads about six hours after she went missing Sunday, Switzer said.

Gracelynn had been outside with her mother, Vickie Lynn (Wedgeworth) Hutcherson, another relative, and his son before everyone but Gracelynn went back inside.

A short time later, Gracelynn went missing. A preliminary autopsy performed Monday confirmed the child’s body had no signs of trauma, and no signs of any type of attack. The results of a full autopsy, which would include the manner and cause of death and the results of toxicology testing, are still pending, Switzer said.

Read more at: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article304386946.html#storylink=cpy

 

[SluethinAway]

I don't understand why no one looked first in the place she was seen last! I mean, c'mon... it would have saved LE a lot of time and money put into the search.

Gracelynn Vick, the 6-year-old girl found dead after her family reported her missing, had no visible injuries to her body to suggest any foul play, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said. A member of a search crew found Gracelynn, a student at Saucier Elementary School, inside an enclosure on the family’s farm in the area of F. Taylor and Saucier Fairley roads about six hours after she went missing Sunday, Switzer said.

Gracelynn had been outside with her mother, Vickie Lynn (Wedgeworth) Hutcherson, another relative, and his son before everyone but Gracelynn went back inside.

A short time later, Gracelynn went missing. A preliminary autopsy performed Monday confirmed the child’s body had no signs of trauma, and no signs of any type of attack. The results of a full autopsy, which would include the manner and cause of death and the results of toxicology testing, are still pending, Switzer said.

Read more at: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article304386946.html#storylink=cpy

Quite puzzling

 

[Megnut]

Gracelynn Vick, the 6-year-old girl found dead after her family reported her missing, had no visible injuries to her body to suggest any foul play, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said. A member of a search crew found Gracelynn, a student at Saucier Elementary School, inside an enclosure on the family’s farm in the area of F. Taylor and Saucier Fairley roads about six hours after she went missing Sunday, Switzer said.

Gracelynn had been outside with her mother, Vickie Lynn (Wedgeworth) Hutcherson, another relative, and his son before everyone but Gracelynn went back inside.

A short time later, Gracelynn went missing. A preliminary autopsy performed Monday confirmed the child’s body had no signs of trauma, and no signs of any type of attack. The results of a full autopsy, which would include the manner and cause of death and the results of toxicology testing, are still pending, Switzer said.

Read more at: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article304386946.html#storylink=cpy

What's that leave? Positional asphyxiation? Accidental suffocation? What sort of enclosure?

This poor child. Poor family. So much loss, it's beyond fathom.

JMO

 

[Gemmie]

What's that leave? Positional asphyxiation? Accidental suffocation? What sort of enclosure?

This poor child. Poor family. So much loss, it's beyond fathom.

JMO

Dunno. I'm thinking it was one of the animal pens. What I wish is that they names ALL of the animals on the farm. One I had wondered about was hogs. They can be mean. Then again, so can roosters, and turkeys are rather large. They can be mean as well as both have spurs. But it doesn't appear that she was attacked by large birds or they'd have mentioned spur marks, yet they said no signs of trauma or any kind of attack. It's quite puzzling. I can't wait to hear what the sheriff's say in their upcoming conference to update folks.

Gracelynn and her mother spent a lot of time taking care of their assortment of animals on the farm, including dogs, goats, chickens, turkeys and guineas, to name a few.

https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article304202751.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Quill]

Adding to other possibilities discussed here, I'm now wondering if she climbed into something like an old fridge or freezer on the property. Some have been known to use them for storage, especially for animal feed because they are airtight. If she was concealed inside of something, that would explain why they took so long to find her.

Now, my question is how long would it take for a child to asphyxiate in something such as that and would that fit into the timeline we have? The whole thing is just heartbreaking.

 

[Megnut]

Press conference

Found in a barrel

Livestream

Watch WLOX Live | Local News, Weather, Sports, Livestream | Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula, MS

www.wlox.com

 

[Megnut]

She went inside the barrel on her own, closed the lid which got stuck.

Surveillance cameras showed it. No one else went in that area.

 

[Megnut]

Exact cause of death still undetermined.

 

[Megnut]

They believe she succumbed like a child left in a hot car.

 

[Megnut]

Live now

Livestream

Watch WLOX Live | Local News, Weather, Sports, Livestream | Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula, MS

www.wlox.com

 

[Megnut]

LE reviewed the video footage that night, that's how they found her.

 

[Megnut]

Lid could only have been positioned as found from the inside.

Combination of ambient temperature and lack of oxygen probably contributed to her death.

50 feet from their door

Animal feed barrel

So so so sad.