In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, August 11, 2019, 52-year-old Tracey Barnes vanished from the area near her home on Haydenburg Road in rural Jackson County, Tennessee. The night before her disappearance, those around her noticed she was behaving in an unusually paranoid and fearful manner, expressing that someone was after her. This distressing behavior continued throughout the night, leading to a series of strange events. Believed to be wearing only a blue nightgown and no shoes, Tracey’s disappearance has left her family and community with a number of unanswered questions. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation joined the Jackson County Sheriff's Office in the search for the missing woman.
Tracey is described as a white female, standing between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighing approximately 130 to 135 pounds. She has green eyes and brown hair, which was dyed blond at the time she went missing. A significant detail for identification purposes are her distinct tattoos: a Rebel flag with the name 'Russel' on her lower back, a cross on one of her legs, and a wolf on her left shoulder. Family members have noted that Tracey has connections to the Opelika, Alabama area, though it is unknown if this has any relevance to her disappearance.
The hours leading up to Tracey's disappearance were marked by erratic behavior. Her fiancé reported that on the evening of August 10, she was acting paranoid and was hiding behind furniture. In the early morning hours of August 11, she visited a neighbor's house at 12:15 a.m., still appearing very distressed. That neighbor walked her home around 4:15 a.m., but Tracey left again soon after. She went to another neighbor's home at 4:30 a.m. asking for a cigarette, which was odd because she had a full pack at her own house. At 5:00 a.m., her brother, who was staying with her, let her back into the house and told her to get some rest. Just eight minutes later, at 5:08 a.m., Tracey made a phone call to her grandchild's mother, leaving a voicemail when the call went unanswered. She has not been seen or heard from since that moment. The overview of the case suggests a woman in a state of extreme distress vanishing from her rural home in the very early hours of the morning, leaving behind a series of puzzling encounters and a final, unanswered phone call.
Last Seen: Aug 11, 2019
