In the early hours of June 8, 1991, in Macon, Georgia, a mother received a telephone call from her 30-year-old daughter, Janice Hughes. Janice said she was on her way over to her mother's house, but she never arrived. That phone call was the last time anyone in her family would ever hear from her. Two weeks after she was last heard from, on June 22, 1991, her family reported her missing to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. At the time of her disappearance, Janice was the mother of five daughters who were living with an aunt in Brunswick, Georgia.
The evening before she vanished, Janice was with her live-in boyfriend at their residence in the 1500 block of Oglethorpe Street. Her boyfriend later told investigators that he last saw her at 10:00 p.m. on June 7th, just a few hours before her call to her mother. He stated that she asked for $10 before she left. He also discovered later that she had taken his gun when she left the house. The firearm was eventually located at another residence. There was a history of domestic violence between Janice and her boyfriend, and her mother expressed her belief that he was involved in her daughter's disappearance, though he was never officially named as a suspect in the case. The boyfriend is now deceased.
Over the years, the investigation into Janice Hughes's disappearance has explored various possibilities. Authorities have considered that she could have been a victim of a serial killer. There is little evidence available to support any single theory, leaving her family with unanswered questions. Janice had a minor criminal record, with four arrests for shoplifting, the last of which occurred on her birthday in 1991. Her case remains an active missing person investigation with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. The circumstances surrounding her last known moments—a late-night phone call with a promise to visit her mother that was never fulfilled—continue to be the final, haunting chapter in the known story of her life.
Last Seen: Jun 08, 1991