Charlie Neely was 67 years old when he disappeared from Yazoo County, Mississippi, on October 25, 1996. He was a Black man with gray hair and brown eyes, and the available public records list his height and weight as unknown. The Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons gives his date of birth as January 1, 1929, and lists his case status as Missing, with the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Department identified as the investigating agency. The repository also associates his last known location with Yazoo City, Yazoo County, Mississippi, and records the case as open.
That morning, Charlie went to Panther Swamp Wildlife Refuge to squirrel hunt with a friend. It was not described as an unusual outing for him; sources characterize him as a veteran, lifelong hunter who knew the woods and practiced caution. He and his hunting partner had a plan: Charlie stayed near the truck while he finished putting on or arranging his hunting gear, and he told his friend to go ahead into the woods. He was supposed to catch up with him shortly. The last reported sighting placed Charlie around 7:30 a.m., standing by his truck near the large Panther Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Yazoo County.
Charlie never met his friend in the woods. When the agreed-upon time came and the friend returned to the truck, Charlie was not there. The friend reportedly blew the horn several times to signal that he had returned, then searched around the area, but there was no sign of Charlie. After that unsuccessful search, authorities were notified. For Charlie’s loved ones, the situation was immediately troubling because this was a man who understood hunting, safety, and the importance of meeting back at a planned time. His children later said that if he had been safe and able, he would have returned to the truck as expected.
Authorities and volunteers searched for Charlie extensively. Public summaries describe a 10-day search led by local authorities, including the late Sheriff E.O. “Buddy” Passons, with volunteers assisting in the search effort. Reporting also states that dogs and helicopters were used, but the search did not produce a trace of him. A later article summarized by Darkhorse Press said Charlie’s gun and clothing were never found, and that searchers found no sign of him, not even a scent. The lack of physical evidence left his family with very few answers and added to their fear that something more than an accident may have happened.
Charlie’s hunting partner was investigated and, according to public case summaries, took and passed a polygraph examination related to the disappearance. Sources also report that a man from the area allegedly told multiple people he had killed Charlie, but that person was not publicly named as a suspect, and no public source establishes that the claim was ever confirmed by evidence. That individual has since died, and Charlie’s family has expressed concern that the truth about what happened may have died with him. The available information does not show that Charlie was ever found, and his case remains listed as missing and unresolved.
Charlie Neely’s disappearance is the story of an experienced 67-year-old hunter who went into a familiar routine on a fall morning and never came home. He was last known to be at Panther Swamp Wildlife Refuge after separating briefly from his hunting partner, intending to meet him soon afterward. When he failed to appear, and when the search of the refuge and surrounding area found no evidence of where he had gone, the case became a painful mystery for his family and community. The available public record leaves the case with unanswered questions: Charlie was last seen near his truck, he did not return at the planned time, a broad search found no trace of him, his hunting partner was ruled out in public summaries, an unverified claim by another man complicated the case, and the disappearance of Charlie Neely remains an open missing person case in Yazoo County, Mississippi.
Last Seen: Oct 25, 1996
