CRENSHAW, Mississippi — Latrice “Shay” Armstead has been missing since July 28, 2012, when she was last seen in Memphis with her estranged husband, Tony Bledsoe, family members and investigators say. Her family reported her missing on July 30, 2012, and the next day her vehicle was found burned near Little Simmons Road in Clarksdale. The case has since been classified as a cold case.
Armstead, 38, had recently moved to St. Louis, Missouri, according to investigators, in an effort to escape an abusive relationship while filing for divorce. Family members said she left her three children with relatives for their safety and had returned to Memphis to retrieve her youngest son before she disappeared. They have said her jaw was wired shut after it had been broken in an alleged domestic assault.
In a 2020 report by ABC24, her sister, Brinda Armstead, described Latrice Armstead as generous and devoted to family. “Family-oriented — if she had something and you were a friend, it’s as good as yours,” Brinda Armstead told reporter Rebecca Butcher. Brinda Armstead has publicly expressed suspicion of Bledsoe, saying investigators found a history of alleged domestic abuse and that authorities have not announced any arrests.
Authorities have urged anyone with information to contact the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department at 662-624-3085 or submit anonymous tips to Memphis CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
