Missing
Stacey Lynn Hazelton
Hazelton, approximately 2004; James Fannings
Date and time person was reported missing : 05/21/2004
Missing location (approx) :
Bolivar County, Mississippi
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 12/20/1982 (38)
Age at the time of disappearance: 21 years old
Height / Weight : 5'1, 150 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Some Age at the time of disappearance: ncies spell Hazelton's first name "Stacy." Her ears are pierced.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Hazelton was last seen at the Alligator Place Apartments in Bolivar County, Mississippi on May 21, 2004. She had moved to Mississippi earlier that year with her boyfriend, James Arthur Fannings Jr., but maintained close contact with her family in Pennsylvania and called them frequently.
They lived with Fannings's childhood friend, Chevaun Pierre Mack. Within a month of their arrival in Mississippi, the couple began running out of money. Fannings and Hazelton's relationship deteriorated: he was repeatedly unfaithful, physically abused her and sometimes locked her in their bedroom.
Hazelton last spoke to her parents in May 2004. She asked for money so she could leave Fannings and return home to Pennsylvania. They sent her the money, but she never came home and never contacted them again. Her parents reported her missing that December, after months passed without them being able to reach her.
A photo of Fannings is posted with this case summary. He was arrested and charged with Hazelton's murder in January 2006. Mack said he saw Fannings shoot Hazelton in the head during an argument. After her death, Fannings made Mack help him dispose of the body.
The men put Hazelton's body in a plastic barrel and loaded the barrel into her own green Chevrolet Blazer. They drove around in the vehicle with the body for two or three days, then attempted to burn it inside the barrel. Mack said he and Fannings took what was left and buried it in the woods near a creek in Duncan, Mississippi.
Fannings and Mack then drove Hazelton's Blazer to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sometime later, both men were arrested on unrelated charges and Hazelton's vehicle was impounded. Following his release from custody, Fannings began seeing another woman and they shared an apartment in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
After Hazelton's parents reported her missing, the police interviewed Mack about her disappearance and he told them about witnessing her murder. He stated he hadn't come forward earlier because he'd been afraid for his life.
Fannings was tried late that in 2006. Except for Mack's testimony, the case against him was largely circumstantial. The jury deliberated only sixteen minutes before convicting him of first-degree murder.
He was sentenced to life in prison and is presently incarcerated in a maximum security facility in Mississippi. He appealed, but the courts upheld the conviction in 2008.
Hazelton's family still hope to be able to find her remains. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance due to the circumstances involved.
Other information and links : ncy
Bolivar County Sheriff's Department
662-843-5378
September 2021 updates and sources
Texas Equusearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team
The Stacey Hazelton Foundation
The Lancaster New Era
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
