After two years, still searching for Jessica Stacks

Two years ago today, Jessica Stacks, then age 28, was reported missing in rural Union County.

Stacks was said to have gotten into a small boat with a male companion on the flooded Tallahatchie River early New Year’s day morning.

Her male companion, Jerry Wayne Baggett, told authorities that Stacks asked to get out of the boat onto the northern bank of the river, after the boat had been in the water only a short while. Baggett said Stacks was going to try to walk through the flooded river bottom to Highway 30, about a mile away.

She was not reported missing until late New Year’s Day night.

Over the following few months, state and local public safety workers made an exhaustive search for Stacks using state-of-the-art electronic equipment, helicopters, and cadaver dogs. Authorities spent thousands of man hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars of public resources trying to find Stacks.

They followed clues and tips, some helpful, some not. The case drew national attention and more than a little in the way of advice from social media sleuths, spiritualists and sooth-sayers.

However, two years later there is not enough physical evidence to even determine whether or not a crime has been committed. Having found no body, authorities do not know whether Stacks is dead or alive.

Certainly, there has been no shortage of suspicions and even silly allegations of official skullduggery.

Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards told NEMiss.News, Saturday evening, December 31, 2022, “It’s still an open case. We welcome any new information that may help us determine what happened to Jessica Stacks.”

Edwards and District Attorney Ben Creekmore met during October, 2022, and carefully reviewed information developed during the long investigation. The sheriff said District Attorney Creekmore determined, “I don’t think we have enough to get an indictment and go to a jury trial with it.”

Around 660,000 people are reported missing in the United States every year. On average, all but about 2,000 of the missing individuals are found, dead or alive, before the year is over.

“We’re still working the case and will pursue it until we get it resolved,” said Sheriff Edwards.

NEMiss.News published about 15 articles about the disappearance of Jessica Stacks and the search for her. Readers may read any or all of those stories by clicking the links below:

1-2-21 5:50pm https://newalbanyunionco.com/search-for-woman-missing-along-tallahatchie-river-to-resume-at-8-a-m-sunday/