On a warm evening in Aliceville, Alabama, Shelia Diane Hughes, a 29-year-old woman eagerly awaiting the birth of her first child, vanished without a trace. It was September 1, 2000, and Shelia, who was nine months pregnant and due to deliver any day, was at her sister's home. Her boyfriend and the father of her unborn son, Renard Simmons, arrived at the residence around 10:30 p.m. and asked her to go for a ride with him.
Before leaving, Shelia said something to her sister that would later seem both poignant and ominous: 'If you don't ever see me again, don't worry because I have lived my life to the fullest.' This was the last time her family would ever see her.
The last confirmed sighting of Shelia was in the early morning hours of September 2, 2000. At approximately 1:00 a.m., police stopped Renard Simmons' car at a roadblock in Pickensville, Alabama, about ten miles from Aliceville, and confirmed that Shelia was a passenger in the vehicle. According to Simmons, he dropped Shelia off at her sister's home around 3:00 a.m., but her sister, who was home at the time, maintains that Shelia never returned. Concern for Shelia grew when her due date passed with no word from her. Hospitals in the area had no record of her admission. Her family's worry turned to dread, and they reported her missing. A month later, a discovery was made in a cotton field in Noxubee County, Mississippi, just west of the Alabama state line. Shelia's brown purse and white slippers were found under a tree, but an extensive search of the area yielded no further clues as to her whereabouts.
Years have passed since Shelia Hughes and her unborn son disappeared, and the case has grown cold, leaving her family with unanswered questions. Family members have stated that Simmons was not pleased about the pregnancy and had wanted Shelia to have an abortion. Despite this, Shelia was reportedly still in love with him and planned to name their son Renard Simmons Jr. After her disappearance, Simmons showed little interest in the search efforts to find her. While authorities considered him a person of interest, no charges were ever filed in connection with the case. In February 2008, seven and a half years after she was last seen, Shelia Hughes was declared legally dead. Renard Simmons passed away in 2013, taking with him any potential answers he may have had about Shelia's fate. The disappearance of Shelia Hughes is a story of a young life, and that of her unborn child, cut tragically short. The case remains a painful mystery for her loved ones, who continue to hope for the day they will finally know what happened to Shelia.Last Seen: Sep 2, 2000
