CARROLLTON, Mississippi — Authorities are renewing an appeal for information in the disappearance of Lou Emma Stokes, who vanished more than four decades ago, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
Stokes, a 67-year-old Black woman, was last seen about 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, 1983, walking along a gravel road near her home about two miles south of Carrollton, just off Mississippi 17, investigators said. She was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds at the time of her disappearance.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department said it and volunteer firefighters conducted an intensive search in the days following her disappearance but found no trace of Stokes. In the months afterward, the Carroll County Board of Supervisors approved a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, but no arrests have been made and Stokes has not been located.
Family members and community supporters held a memorial celebration and dedicated a monument in 2012, underscoring the lasting impact of the case, officials said. Authorities continue to investigate and urge anyone with information to call the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department at 662-237-9283. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
