In the spring of 1988, the life of a young mother and aspiring police cadet from Warner Robins, Georgia, tragically vanished, leaving behind a void of unanswered questions for her family and community. Valerie Coates, a 22-year-old with a promising future, was last seen on April 8, 1988. At the time of her disappearance, she was a mother to a small child and was actively involved in a cadet program with the Warner Robins Police Department, a testament to her ambition and desire to serve. The last known sighting of Valerie was at the Houston Mall on North Houston Road. She was reported missing the following day, April 9, 1988, by her boyfriend, Terrence Eugene Mobley. Valerie was described as a Black female with black hair and brown eyes, standing at approximately 5'6' and weighing around 125 pounds. When she was last seen, she was reportedly wearing a light blue t-shirt, brown checkered shorts, and tennis shoes.
For years, Valerie's case remained a painful mystery, a cold case with few leads to offer solace to her loved ones. However, a significant development emerged in January 2010 when law enforcement announced they believed Valerie had been murdered. The focus of the investigation turned to Terrence Eugene Mobley, the same man who had initially reported her missing. Mobley, who was already serving a life sentence for an unrelated murder, made a startling confession to investigators. He claimed that Valerie had been killed in the kitchen of a house they once shared in Hawkinsville, Georgia. In a chilling account, he implicated an ex-girlfriend in the act of murder but admitted to burying Valerie's body himself. Investigators, following up on this lead, examined the Hawkinsville home and discovered bloodstains under the kitchen floor, which were consistent with Mobley's story.
Despite Mobley's confession and the discovery of physical evidence, the search for Valerie's remains proved to be a heart-wrenching and ultimately unsuccessful endeavor. Mobley directed authorities to a wooded area in Pulaski County, not far from Hawkinsville, where he claimed to have buried her. For several days, investigators tirelessly dug in the specified location, a former pig farm, but found no trace of Valerie. The passage of time and environmental factors may have contributed to the difficulty of the search; the area had experienced significant flooding years earlier, in 1994, which authorities believe could have washed away any remains. Although police were confident in their belief that Valerie was the victim of a homicide and had a primary suspect, no charges have ever been filed in connection with her disappearance and presumed murder. The case officially remains an unsolved, endangered missing person case, a lingering tragedy for a family still waiting for justice and the chance to bring their beloved Valerie home for a proper farewell.
Last Seen: Apr 09, 1988
