Caldwell Parish woman missing for 16 years, children speak out
Phillis Crockett was reported missing on Aug. 24, 2007, by her mother to the Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office. At the time, she was rearing three children, and they remember their mother as a loving and caring woman.
LA SALLE PARISH (KTVE/KARD)-- In 2007, a Caldwell Parish woman mysteriously disappeared. She was a daughter, a sister and a mother. It's been 16 years since she was last seen, and her children are desperate for answers.
Phillis Crockett was reported missing on Aug. 24, 2007, by her mother to the Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office. At the time, she was rearing three children, and they remember their mother as a loving and caring woman.
"Outgoing, friendly to everybody, never met a stranger. She loved people. She was very loving and caring". This is how Crockett's children Richard Crockett, Josh Zeagler and Terri Crockett Chaplin describe her.
Richard, Josh, and Terri have spent a lot of time trying to put the pieces together regarding their mother's disappearance; sometimes, following their own leads. "Every rumor, every speculation, we've been there on the phone, social media", they explained.
"I'll be driving and something will run through my head and I'll call my brother and sister and say hey 'you know what if this happened? what if that... because you know, we don't know", Josh said.
"Even if somebody told us on the street that they heard a story, we were contacting the detectives just to let them know that we heard it. I mean we've had hundreds of stories that we've heard, but they've all been a dead end", Terri added.
It was reported Phillis had been dropped off at a local convenience store on LA Highway 165, seated on the Caldwell/La Salle Parish line in late August of 2007. The last confirmed sighting of her was on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007, at a residence where she was living at the time; just east of Olla.
Crockett's family says she would have never intentionally walked away from them. "Absolutely not. She wouldn't go a week without contacting somebody", they explained.
After 16 years, the family feels this case is finally getting the attention it deserves. This is the furthest we've come on anything, but you know, I think they could have done a lot more in the beginning", said Josh..
There's a new hope for this family after the La Salle Parish Sheriff's Office released a statement recently asking for information on their mother's disappearance. Their hope is this is a turning point in a mystery that's almost two decades old.
"Every dead-end story has been more and more heartbreaking," Terri said. "Just cry yourself to sleep at night not knowing which one's real and which one's not."
If you have information on this case, call Crime Stoppers of North Delta at 318-388-CASH.