sarahhod
03-18-2009, 12:58 PM
What Ever Happened To Annie Mae?
By: Evan Jones, Banner Editor
Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:33 am
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Annie Mae Hughes has been missing since 1982.
What ever happened to Annie Mae Hughes has been one of the enduring mysteries in Lake County for over a quarter century. And the missing persons case has generated countless rumors of murder and more that have persisted for 26 years.
Last week, through modern technology, Lake County authorities finally have a major break in the case.
Arkansas Crime Lab authorities, working on cold case files and missing persons reports from the 1980s, matched a body discovered near Marianna, Ark., in March of 1983, with the missing person report of Ms. Hughes.
Mariana is more than 130 river miles from where the truck in which she was last seen was located just west of Tiptonville.
They contacted Lake County authorities last week and the two agencies are working to do a DNA match from remains still in the possession of the Arkansas Crime Lab. Through DNA testing with Hughes’ relatives here in Tennessee, authorities should be able to positively identify the remains as Ms. Hughes or eliminate her altogether.
Annie Mae Hughes, 45, and L.V. Young were reported missing on December 4, 1982. Some 39 days later, the truck they were last seen together in was discovered submerged on a boat ramp just west of Tiptonville as the Mississippi River was on a rapid fall. When sheriff Joe Jones ordered the truck pulled from the river, the body of L.V. Young floated up along side. It appeared his pants leg was hung in the door of the truck.
There was no trace of Ms. Hughes.
Young’s body was recovered on Jan. 11, 1983, and sent to Memphis for an autopsy. Although authorities suspected a homicide at the time, the autopsy did not reveal anything such as bullet wounds on Young, according to the current Lake County sheriff Danny Tippit, who was a deputy working for the late Joe Jones at the time.
And Annie Mae Hughes has been missing since.
“I never had any hope that she was alive,” said her daughter, Velma Hughes of Tiptonville, who was 18 at the time her mother disappeared. “I felt like she was murdered. Why did it take 26 years for them to say it was Annie Mae?”
“There were all those stories about what happened started in town. Would it give me closure knowing it was her? No. Not until I find out what happened.”
Here is what authorities at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department know.
In March of 1983 a fisherman found skeletal remains of what appeared to be an African American woman in the Mississippi River near Mariana, Arkansas. The remains were found on the St. Francis Conservation Society Club near Jack Nash Ridge.
From the remains, Arkansas authorities know it was an African American woman between 30 and 60 years of age and about 70 inches tall. Ms. Hughes was 45 at the time she disappeared and her driver’s license showed she was 69 inches tall.
“We are cautiously optimistic that this is her,” said Lake County investigator Joe Vernon.
Arkansas and Lake County authorities have ordered a DNA kit from North Texas State University for the purpose of trying to match the DNA from the remains with one of Ms. Hughes relatives. That would give authorities an almost a certain ID or eliminate the remains as those of Annie Mae Hughes.
The testing will be done by the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
Although the main campus of North Texas is in Denton, UNT wanted the samples sent to Fort Worth where they will be given high priority.
The Tennessee crime lab either would not or could not do the Mitochondrial testing needed in this case.
However, sheriff Tippit insisted that Lake County investigator Joe Vernon pursue the lead and find an agency to do the DNA testing. Vernon and Arkansas authorities were able to locate one of the top Mitochondrial labs in the nation at UNT.
“We are determined and committed to exhaust all resources and leads in hopes of closing this missing persons case,” said Tippit. “What ever it takes, the Sheriff’s Department will make every effort to get these remains identified and hopefully put an end to Annie Mae Hughes disappearance.”
Ms. Hughes was a well known figure in Lake County at the time of her disappearance. She owned two taverns that closed when she disappeared and also some rental property.
According to the files of the Lake County Banner, she and L.V. Young were last seen in a 1981 black pickup truck around 5:30 p.m. on December 4, 1982.
A missing persons report was placed in the NCIC computer.
According to the newspaper report, speculation at the time of the disappearance was that the truck was in the river and sheriff Jones even had personnel probe several areas with iron rods.
The truck was discovered by Johnny Whitson around 1 p.m. on Jan. 11, 1983, with the river on a rapid fall.
Sheriff Jones then ordered a front end loader to clear the ramp of drift wood so the truck could be towed out.
Billy Kilburn, who would later be convicted of an unrelated double-murder, made four dives in shoulder deep, bone-chilling water to attach a cable to the truck.
Both the cab and the truck bed were heavily sanded.
Then Tiptonville police chief Jack Orr said the truck was in park, both windows were down and the ignition was on. Both doors were locked. The windshield wiper switch was in the on position.
According to the 1983 newspaper report, Ms. Hughes seldom left Tiptonville. She had two large diamond rings but was reported not to have much cash the day she disappeared.
Her two daughters in Tiptonville seemed somewhat dismayed that news of their mother had surfaced after nearly a quarter of a century. “I never held out any hope (she was alive),” said Annette Hughes. “Why would they do this? Something is going on. It has got to be mom for them to come to us.
“I think about my mom every day and every night.”
http://www.lakecountybanner.com/news.php?viewStory=1754
I hope it is Annie. 26 years is an awful long time to be missing.
By: Evan Jones, Banner Editor
Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:33 am
http://www.lakecountybanner.com/files/image/article/full_1754.gif
http://www.lakecountybanner.com/art/null.gif
Annie Mae Hughes has been missing since 1982.
What ever happened to Annie Mae Hughes has been one of the enduring mysteries in Lake County for over a quarter century. And the missing persons case has generated countless rumors of murder and more that have persisted for 26 years.
Last week, through modern technology, Lake County authorities finally have a major break in the case.
Arkansas Crime Lab authorities, working on cold case files and missing persons reports from the 1980s, matched a body discovered near Marianna, Ark., in March of 1983, with the missing person report of Ms. Hughes.
Mariana is more than 130 river miles from where the truck in which she was last seen was located just west of Tiptonville.
They contacted Lake County authorities last week and the two agencies are working to do a DNA match from remains still in the possession of the Arkansas Crime Lab. Through DNA testing with Hughes’ relatives here in Tennessee, authorities should be able to positively identify the remains as Ms. Hughes or eliminate her altogether.
Annie Mae Hughes, 45, and L.V. Young were reported missing on December 4, 1982. Some 39 days later, the truck they were last seen together in was discovered submerged on a boat ramp just west of Tiptonville as the Mississippi River was on a rapid fall. When sheriff Joe Jones ordered the truck pulled from the river, the body of L.V. Young floated up along side. It appeared his pants leg was hung in the door of the truck.
There was no trace of Ms. Hughes.
Young’s body was recovered on Jan. 11, 1983, and sent to Memphis for an autopsy. Although authorities suspected a homicide at the time, the autopsy did not reveal anything such as bullet wounds on Young, according to the current Lake County sheriff Danny Tippit, who was a deputy working for the late Joe Jones at the time.
And Annie Mae Hughes has been missing since.
“I never had any hope that she was alive,” said her daughter, Velma Hughes of Tiptonville, who was 18 at the time her mother disappeared. “I felt like she was murdered. Why did it take 26 years for them to say it was Annie Mae?”
“There were all those stories about what happened started in town. Would it give me closure knowing it was her? No. Not until I find out what happened.”
Here is what authorities at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department know.
In March of 1983 a fisherman found skeletal remains of what appeared to be an African American woman in the Mississippi River near Mariana, Arkansas. The remains were found on the St. Francis Conservation Society Club near Jack Nash Ridge.
From the remains, Arkansas authorities know it was an African American woman between 30 and 60 years of age and about 70 inches tall. Ms. Hughes was 45 at the time she disappeared and her driver’s license showed she was 69 inches tall.
“We are cautiously optimistic that this is her,” said Lake County investigator Joe Vernon.
Arkansas and Lake County authorities have ordered a DNA kit from North Texas State University for the purpose of trying to match the DNA from the remains with one of Ms. Hughes relatives. That would give authorities an almost a certain ID or eliminate the remains as those of Annie Mae Hughes.
The testing will be done by the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
Although the main campus of North Texas is in Denton, UNT wanted the samples sent to Fort Worth where they will be given high priority.
The Tennessee crime lab either would not or could not do the Mitochondrial testing needed in this case.
However, sheriff Tippit insisted that Lake County investigator Joe Vernon pursue the lead and find an agency to do the DNA testing. Vernon and Arkansas authorities were able to locate one of the top Mitochondrial labs in the nation at UNT.
“We are determined and committed to exhaust all resources and leads in hopes of closing this missing persons case,” said Tippit. “What ever it takes, the Sheriff’s Department will make every effort to get these remains identified and hopefully put an end to Annie Mae Hughes disappearance.”
Ms. Hughes was a well known figure in Lake County at the time of her disappearance. She owned two taverns that closed when she disappeared and also some rental property.
According to the files of the Lake County Banner, she and L.V. Young were last seen in a 1981 black pickup truck around 5:30 p.m. on December 4, 1982.
A missing persons report was placed in the NCIC computer.
According to the newspaper report, speculation at the time of the disappearance was that the truck was in the river and sheriff Jones even had personnel probe several areas with iron rods.
The truck was discovered by Johnny Whitson around 1 p.m. on Jan. 11, 1983, with the river on a rapid fall.
Sheriff Jones then ordered a front end loader to clear the ramp of drift wood so the truck could be towed out.
Billy Kilburn, who would later be convicted of an unrelated double-murder, made four dives in shoulder deep, bone-chilling water to attach a cable to the truck.
Both the cab and the truck bed were heavily sanded.
Then Tiptonville police chief Jack Orr said the truck was in park, both windows were down and the ignition was on. Both doors were locked. The windshield wiper switch was in the on position.
According to the 1983 newspaper report, Ms. Hughes seldom left Tiptonville. She had two large diamond rings but was reported not to have much cash the day she disappeared.
Her two daughters in Tiptonville seemed somewhat dismayed that news of their mother had surfaced after nearly a quarter of a century. “I never held out any hope (she was alive),” said Annette Hughes. “Why would they do this? Something is going on. It has got to be mom for them to come to us.
“I think about my mom every day and every night.”
http://www.lakecountybanner.com/news.php?viewStory=1754
I hope it is Annie. 26 years is an awful long time to be missing.