Account
Dec 22, 2009
Nov 10, 2021
Joseph
Edwards
85
25
60 inches
72 inches
100 lbs
300 lbs
Black / African American
Male
In the summer of 1964, a 25-year-old Black man named Joseph "JoeEd" Edwards vanished from Vidalia, Louisiana, leaving behind a life and a family who would spend decades searching for answers. Known for being a sharp dresser who was popular with women, Edwards worked multiple jobs, including as a porter at the Shamrock Motel. This motel was a known gathering place for members of the Ku Klux Klan, including a violent offshoot known as the Silver Dollar Group. In the days leading up to his disappearance, tensions reportedly escalated after Edwards allegedly attempted to kiss a white female registration clerk at the motel. The woman reported the incident to her boyfriend, who then informed the Vidalia Police Chief. Although the clerk declined to press charges, the incident is believed to have made Edwards a target in a community fraught with racial animosity. On the night of July 11, 1964, Edwards was seen heading to the Shamrock Motel, reportedly to meet a white woman in what may have been a setup. He was last seen leaving the motel around midnight on July 12, 1964. He was never heard from again. A few days later, his recently purchased 1958 Buick was discovered abandoned near a bowling alley on the Ferriday-Vidalia Highway. Inside the vehicle, some accounts reported a possible bloodstain and a necktie tied in the shape of a noose on the steering wheel, while others saw a belt looped around it. A witness later reported seeing a car matching Edwards's being pulled over by a white Oldsmobile, a vehicle similar to those used by the Vidalia Police Department and one owned by a leader of the Silver Dollar Group. The witness described seeing two white men standing by the driver's side of the Buick. The initial investigation into Joseph Edwards's disappearance was minimal. His mother reported him missing to the local police and the FBI, telling them she believed the Klan was responsible. However, a full-scale FBI investigation did not commence until 1967, spurred by information suggesting Edwards was a victim of the Silver Dollar Group. Over the years, the investigation identified seven likely suspects, including local law enforcement officers and known Klan members, all of whom are now deceased. Numerous theories and rumors surfaced about Edwards's fate, with some informants claiming he was murdered and his body disposed of in the Mississippi River, while others alleged he was brutally attacked by Klansmen. Despite extensive interviews and a voluminous case file, no charges were ever filed, and his body has never been found. The Department of Justice officially closed the case in 2013, concluding there was insufficient evidence to proceed, leaving his family with unanswered questions and a painful legacy of the civil rights era's violence.
Jul 12, 1964
Vidalia
Louisiana
Concordia Parish
3391
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge
Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish
70809
18134 East Petroleum Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, Louisiana
2252915159
Federal
Law Enforcement
WHARBOM #44-2044
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
6416
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
05/18/2026
