Essie Valentine Missing Person Case

Oct 27, 2017

Jan 12, 2024

Essie

Valentine

64

57

65 inches

68 inches

170 lbs

180 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the late spring of 2017, in the small community of Evensville, Tennessee, 57-year-old Essie Elaine Valentine, who often went by her middle name, Elaine, was living a life that had become increasingly turbulent. She resided in a home on Medlin Pike with her live-in boyfriend, Robert Doyle Eatmon. Their relationship was fraught with difficulty, a fact underscored by legal interventions in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. On April 29, 2017, Eatmon was arrested for domestic assault against Valentine, leading to a no-contact order intended to keep her safe. Despite this, law enforcement was called to her home on May 29 and again on June 10 for reported violations of this protective order. Estranged from many of her relatives who lived in Florida due to her struggles with substance abuse, her local support system was limited. With a suspended driver's license, she depended on walking or getting rides from acquaintances to get around Rhea County. The last confirmed contact anyone had with Essie was on July 10, 2017, when police responded to a noise complaint at her residence and spoke with her directly. After that day, the quiet life she knew, however complicated, appeared to cease. The timeline surrounding Essie's disappearance is marked by the volatile actions of her boyfriend. The day after police last saw Essie, on July 11, 2017, Robert Doyle Eatmon was arrested on theft charges. He was booked and released that same day. Immediately upon his release, Eatmon moved to Florida. Before leaving Tennessee, he gave his green GMC Jimmy to his landlord as payment for back rent. The landlord later sold the vehicle, sending the remaining $80 from the sale to Eatmon in Florida. In the preceding weeks, Eatmon's daughter, who had been living with the couple, had also moved to Florida, a move that involved Eatmon's ex-wife returning his truck to Tennessee. This series of events and departures left Essie seemingly alone in the Evensville home, with her last known interaction being with the very authorities who had been called to her home multiple times due to her tumultuous relationship. Months passed without a word from Essie. While it was not entirely out of character for her to go for periods without contacting her family, the silence eventually became deeply concerning. Her daughter officially reported her missing on October 12, 2017. Her daughter-in-law had been pleading with the Rhea County Sheriff's Department to list her as a missing person for some time before an official report was filed. The investigation that followed uncovered a complex web of relationships and circumstances but provided few clear answers. The circumstances of Essie’s disappearance remain unclear. Her case is characterized by a history of domestic turmoil, the abrupt departure of her boyfriend immediately after she was last seen, and the prolonged period before she was officially reported missing. To this day, her loved ones are left with unanswered questions, holding onto hope for a resolution in the disappearance of Essie Elaine Valentine.

May 29, 2017

Evansville

Tennessee

Rhea County

37332

No

34949

Rhea County Sheriff's Department

Dayton

Tennessee

Rhea County

37321

Chris Hall

CID Detective

444 2nd Avenue, Tennessee

4237757837

County

Law Enforcement

http://rheacountytn.gov/

17-24317

2017-10-16

Rhea County Sheriff's Department

Brown

Brown

Brown

06/28/2026