Account
Jun 07, 2018
Jan 12, 2024
Bernice
Hayslip
83
75
65 inches
128 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the summer of 2016, a 75-year-old woman named Bernice Hayslip vanished from the small community of Latham, Ohio. The precise date of her disappearance remains uncertain, with some accounts suggesting she was last seen on June 27, 2016, and others pointing to a date in August of that year. A mother and grandmother, Bernice had recently undergone a heart procedure and was reportedly released into the care of her daughter, 44-year-old Tracy Sowards. Following the medical procedure, it is believed that Sowards brought her mother from Adams County to Pike County. For over a year, Bernice's absence went unnoticed, at least officially, as no one had filed a missing person report. During this time, her financial affairs, including her pension and social security payments, continued as usual. The silence surrounding Bernice Hayslip's whereabouts was broken in the fall of 2017 when authorities received a disturbing tip. The information, which emerged from a drug-related arrest, suggested that Bernice may have been the victim of a homicide. This prompted the Pike County Sheriff's Office to launch an investigation into her disappearance. As detectives began to look into her life, they uncovered that her credit card had been used as recently as July 2017 at a Walmart in Waverly. The person making those purchases was not Bernice, but her daughter, Tracy Sowards. This discovery led to Sowards' arrest on a felony charge of misuse of a credit card, and she was identified as a person of interest in her mother's disappearance. The investigation intensified in November 2017 when law enforcement, aided by cadaver dogs, searched a property on Lapperell Road where Sowards had resided. The search led to a grim discovery: human remains were found in a fire pit on the property. In connection with the remains, authorities arrested a 24-year-old man named Brandon Friend on charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. However, these charges were later dismissed by a judge who cited a lack of probable cause based on the evidence presented. The discovery of the remains brought a somber tone to the case, with foul play being considered a distinct possibility by the Pike County Prosecutor. The remains were sent to a lab for identification, but the results of that analysis have not been publicly released. As of today, the case of Bernice Hayslip remains unresolved, with many questions still unanswered. The Ohio Attorney General's Office continues to list her as a missing person, a poignant reminder of a life that seemingly vanished without a trace.
Jul 01, 2016
Latham
Ohio
Pike County
45646
37496
Pike County Sheriff's Office
Waverly
Ohio
Pike County
45690
116 South Market Street, Ohio
7409472111
Local
Law Enforcement
Pike County Sheriff's Office
10251
Gray or Partially Gray
Blue
Blue
05/22/2026
