Ty’kwon Jakarius Smith-Sims was a teenager from Greenwood, Mississippi, when he disappeared on February 15, 2021. Public missing-person listings identify him as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, born on August 31, 2004; although he is now listed as age 21, he was 16 years old at the time he went missing. His physical description varies somewhat across public alerts and databases, with some sources listing him around 5 feet 10 inches and 155 pounds, while early alert coverage described him as 5 feet 5 inches and 140 pounds. Those differences appear to reflect the way information was reported at different points in the case, but the core facts remain consistent: Ty’kwon was a young person from Greenwood who vanished in the early morning hours of February 15, 2021, and his family and authorities have continued seeking answers.
The circumstances surrounding Ty’kwon’s disappearance were deeply concerning from the beginning. According to later reporting, his mother, Sharnessa Smith, said he had begun experiencing possible mental health issues in January 2021, shortly before he disappeared. On the day he was last seen, Ty’kwon was reportedly experiencing extreme anxiety and may have needed medical care. His mother took him to Greenwood-Leflore Hospital for treatment, but after they arrived, he ran from the hospital area toward the river nearby. Public case records place his last known location near the river bank close to Greenwood-Leflore Hospital, in the area of the 1400 block of River Road in Leflore County.
After Ty’kwon ran toward the river, he was not seen or heard from again. The Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons states that few details are available in his disappearance, but it records that he was last seen near the river bank close to Greenwood-Leflore Hospital on February 15, 2021. The Charley Project classifies his case as endangered missing and notes that he was experiencing extreme anxiety at the time, meaning there was concern that he could have needed medical attention. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also maintains a missing-child poster for him under NCMEC number 1414549, listing Greenwood, Mississippi, as the place he went missing from and February 15, 2021, as the missing date.
Authorities issued public alerts as the search for Ty’kwon continued. In May 2021, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued an endangered/missing child alert and a Silver Alert for the Greenwood teen. Early alert coverage said he had last been seen at about 3:30 a.m. on February 15 in the 1400 block of River Road in Leflore County, wearing a blue T-shirt and gray shorts. The alerts asked anyone with information to contact the Greenwood Police Department, and later public listings also identified the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department as an investigating agency. These alerts reflected the seriousness of the case: Ty’kwon was a minor, he had reportedly been in distress, and his last known movements placed him near a river in the early morning hours.
In the years since his disappearance, Ty’kwon’s family has continued to search and ask the public for help. Local reporting two years after he vanished described his mother as still looking for her son and hoping the community could help bring him home. Another report marking five years since he was last seen again emphasized that he had been dealing with extreme anxiety that day and that the last known sequence began with his mother bringing him to Greenwood-Leflore Hospital for treatment before he ran toward the nearby river. The passage of time has not made the case any less urgent for those who love him; instead, it has left his family carrying years of uncertainty while still hoping that someone remembers something that could matter.
Ty’kwon Smith-Sims remains listed in public missing-person databases, with the Mississippi Repository showing the case status as open. The available public record tells a painful and incomplete story: a 16-year-old Greenwood boy, now listed as 21, was in emotional distress on February 15, 2021; his mother took him to Greenwood-Leflore Hospital seeking help; he fled toward the river near the hospital; and he has not been publicly reported found. The case overview is that Ty’kwon Jakarius Smith-Sims disappeared from Greenwood, Mississippi, near the 1400 block of River Road and the river bank close to Greenwood-Leflore Hospital, under circumstances suggesting he may have been vulnerable and in need of care, and investigators and family members have continued to seek information that could explain what happened to him and bring long-awaited answers.
Last Seen: Feb 15, 2021
