Transcription
On this episode of Black Girl Gone, I tell the story of Latrice Armstead, a mother of three who vanished from Memphis, Tennessee on July 28th, 2012. At the time, she was in the process of rebuilding her life, leaving behind a troubled marriage and looking forward to a fresh start. But that new beginning never came. Her abandoned car was found burned an hour away in Mississippi, but Latrice was nowhere to be found. Nearly 13 years after she was last seen, Latrice is still missing, and her family is desperate to find the truth behind what really happened to her. This is Latrice's story.
Imagine the heartache a family faces when a mother disappears without a trace. The sudden absence of a nurturing presence leaves a void that's hard to fill. Children left behind may experience a whirlwind of emotions, sadness, confusion, even anger as they try to understand where their mom has gone. This uncertainty can lead to challenges in school, difficulties in forming relationships, and leave a lingering sense of loss that doesn't easily fade.
In today's episode, we delve into the story of Latrice, a 38-year-old mother from Memphis, Tennessee, whose sudden disappearance in 2012 left her family and community searching for answers. Latrice's journey to build a better life for her children took a tragic turn that left them and her family on a search for closure and justice that continues to affect those who knew and loved her.
Latrice Sheay Armstead was born on November 2nd, 1973 in Crenshaw, Mississippi, and grew up in a family that was all about love and support. Latrice, whose family and friends called her by her middle name, Sheay from the start, was known for her warm and caring personality, and she had a way of making everyone around her feel at home. "She was family oriented. If she had something and you were a friend, it's as good as yours," her sister told a local news station. Her bond with her siblings was especially strong, and even as she grew up, those close-knit family ties stayed with her no matter where her life took her.
Once Latrice was an adult, she made the move to Memphis, Tennessee, where she settled down and started a family of her own. She became a proud mom to three young boys, and being their mom was the most important thing in her life. Her kids were her world. She put everything into raising them, making sure that they had all the love and care that they needed. Anyone who knew Latrice would tell you there was no way she would ever leave her children behind or just disappear. She was their rock and they were her everything.
Latrice's marriage to Tony Bledsoe, the father of her three boys, started out like many do, full of love, hope, and the dream of a future together. At first, everything seemed stable. They were a young couple building a life and Tony appeared to be a devoted father who was good to Latrice and the kids. It looked like they were on the path to something happy and lasting. People who knew Tony thought that he was a good guy. But over time, things started to change in their marriage. The relationship that once felt full of promise started to unravel. What began as small disagreements slowly grew into arguments that felt more intense and frequent. At first, it was easy to brush off as just the stress of life or misunderstandings, but it didn't take long before those arguments turned into something darker. The tone in their home began to shift, and what had been a place of comfort for Latrice and her children slowly became more hostile.
As the years went by, Tony's behavior became increasingly more erratic and violent. The arguments escalated, but now there were also pushes, shoves, and threats that accompanied. The love and respect they once shared were replaced by fear and tension. Latrice was no longer in a relationship that made her feel safe. It was a toxic environment, one that was slowly wearing her down emotionally and physically. And then came the moment that would change everything. In a brutal act of violence, Tony attacked Latrice in a way that she could have never imagined. He beat her so severely that he broke her jaw. The damage was so intense that doctors had to wire her jaw shut, leaving her not only physically broken, but also emotionally shattered.
That moment was a turning point for Latrice as she lay in pain, unable to eat or speak properly because of the injury. She realized that she could no longer stay in a relationship where her safety and the safety of her children was at risk. The woman who had spent so much time and was so determined to protect her family understood that staying in this relationship was dangerous and it was potentially life-threatening. For the first time, Latrice knew that she had to do something. She couldn't keep pretending that everything was okay. She had to leave, not just for her own well-being, but to make sure that her kids grew up in a safe environment. And that was the moment that Latrice made the decision to file for divorce and take steps to separate herself from Tony and the abuse that had come to define their relationship for far too long.
After everything that happened, Latrice knew that it was time to make that change. And so she filed for divorce, got a restraining order against Tony, and started planning for her escape from Memphis for good. She was ready to take control of her life, and create a more stable environment for her kids. The decision was made. She was going to start fresh. And so she packed up her boys and headed to St. Louis, Missouri, where she had family to help get her settled. Her plan was to live with her sister until she got on her feet and found a place of her own. It was the new beginning that she had been dreaming of, a chance to leave all the hurt behind and build a new future for herself and her children. But before she could completely leave Memphis behind, she needed to make one last trip. On July 28th, 2012, Latrice drove back to Memphis to pick up her youngest son. And that was the last time anyone in her family would hear from her and the last time anyone would see her.
By the end of July 2012, Latrice had already taken the bold steps to leave her abusive past and move to St. Louis, and it was nearly complete. She had temporary custody of her three boys and she was filled with the hope for her new life. But before she could fully leave Memphis, there was one final thing that she had to do. She had to go pick up her youngest son. Now, it was supposed to be a routine trip that she had to make to complete the process of getting her children settled into their new life. On the morning of July 28th, 2012, Latrice left St. Louis and made the drive back to Memphis. She was determined and looking forward to the end of a chapter in her life and the start of something new. But it's not clear exactly what Latrice did while she was in Memphis. Her sister said in an interview that Latrice's youngest son was at a family friend's house and that the friend said that Latrice had stopped by, but then she left because her son wanted to stay and go to church. But at around 11:00 a.m., she was spotted near the 4200 block of Spring Leaf Lane in Memphis. But she wasn't alone. She was with her estranged husband, Tony, who just a week prior had been released from jail for assaulting her. The sighting was brief, but it would become the last confirmed moment anyone would see Latrice alive. After that, everything went silent. Latrice stopped responding to calls and texts. Hours passed and then an entire day slipped by without any word from her. Her family, who had been waiting for her, began to grow concerned almost immediately. It wasn't like Latrice to just disappear. "When I realized that I hadn't heard from her, I started looking around for her," her sister Brenda said. "Then by the next morning, when I hadn't heard anything, I really knew something was wrong. She would call quite often to check on her kids."
By July 29th, a full day had gone by since anyone had heard from Latrice, and her family knew that something was terribly wrong. They had no choice but to take action. They feared the worst, knowing that the woman they knew would never leave her kids behind without contacting anyone. The silence was deafening, and the search for Latrice had just begun. On July 30th, 2012, just 2 days after Latrice was last seen, her family reported her missing, alarmed by her sudden disappearance. Their search for her and any attempt to get in contact with her had failed and was completely out of character for Latrice, especially because she had gone to Memphis to pick up her son and then she never returned. And given the troubling history she shared with her estranged husband, they had every reason to be worried.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities learned that Latrice had an active order of protection against Tony after he assaulted her. The order was a direct result of years of escalating tension, threats, and abusive behavior that ended with Latrice's broken jaw. They also learned that she was scheduled to appear in court that following Wednesday. But despite the protective order, witnesses reported seeing Latrice and Tony together on the day she vanished, raising questions about whether the order had been violated. In the days that followed, investigators uncovered unsettling details about Tony's behavior towards Latrice before her disappearance. With the pressure mounting, the mystery deepened. Was Latrice's disappearance a result of her toxic and abusive relationship with Tony? Or was there another dark truth lurking beneath the surface?
On July 28th, 2012, Latrice Armstead disappeared after going to Memphis to pick up her son. Investigators quickly learned that her soon-to-be ex-husband Tony, who had a history of abuse, was the last person to see her. The search for Latrice intensified as police worked to uncover the truth behind her disappearance. After Latrice's family reported her missing, the urgent search for her began. Police searched the area she was last seen, following leads and speaking with anyone who might have seen her. Her family had also been searching on their own for any sign of Latrice. But as days passed without a trace, the tension grew. Latrice's loved ones feared the worst, especially given her relationship with Tony.
In the days following Latrice's disappearance, detectives had been trying to find Tony to speak with him regarding the disappearance, but he was nowhere to be found. Witnesses reported seeing them together the day she vanished despite the protection order. And so a warrant was issued for his arrest for violating that order. With the clock ticking and no sign of Latrice, the case took on an eerie urgency. Investigators began to piece together a picture of the couple's troubled past, hoping it would lead them to the truth. The search for Latrice became not just a matter of finding her, but also finding Tony and uncovering the secrets that may have led to her disappearance.
On July 31st, 2012, 3 days after Latrice was last seen and a day after she was reported missing, investigators got a break in the case when her car, a black Acura, was located. The vehicle was found abandoned in a secluded area in Clarksdale, Mississippi, an hour away from Memphis, near a stretch of road that was remote. Initially, reports of the discovery of the car sparked renewed hope that the case could be solved and Latrice would be found. But that hope would be dashed almost immediately because the car was found on fire. However, it did raise more questions. Why had Latrice's car been left in such a remote location? And how did it get there? Investigators began canvassing the area surrounding where the car was found, hoping to find any clues that could lead them to Latrice. Her family also went to the area where her car was found to search for themselves. "We got the report about where the car was found, and so we went down there, me and some of my friends. We did a search on four-wheelers in about a five-mile area, checking the ditch, bank, and the fields to see if we could come up with any type of clue." Her brother told a local news station. But they found nothing that would help them locate Latrice.
But once the burnt car was found, the investigation kicked into a new gear. It became clear that Latrice's disappearance was no ordinary missing person's case. It was increasingly becoming a mystery marked by manipulation, fear, and the dark history of her relationship with Tony. And he quickly became a prime person of interest for police, and they wanted to find him immediately. But they weren't the only ones. Latrice's family had also become suspicious of Tony. They knew that Latrice was trying to leave him and was taking the kids to another city, and he had just assaulted her and broken her jaw. But in the days following her disappearance, Tony had also disappeared. Detectives tried to locate him, but he was clearly not trying to be found. In an attempt to locate him, they interviewed several of his family members. But for several days, Tony was nowhere to be found.
Days after her disappearance, Tony was finally arrested during a traffic stop. He was taken into custody and finally detectives were able to question him about Latrice. But Tony denied any involvement in her disappearance and claimed that he had no idea where she was. Although he was not charged with anything connected to her disappearance, investigators hoped that this arrest would buy them time to find more information, or even better, maybe Tony would tell them what happened. As the day stretched on, the hope was that the pressure of the arrest would crack his silence. But Tony remained tight-lipped, offering nothing to help authorities understand what really transpired that day and declaring his innocence. The investigation continued with detectives piecing together any evidence that they could find. But Latrice's disappearance remained a mystery and her family was left to wonder if they would ever get the answers that they so desperately needed.
Her family, however, didn't give up looking for her. They called hospitals, checked shelters, and begged the public for any leads. The scary thought that kept bothering them was that Latrice was diabetic and had left her insulin behind. If she was out there, she needed her meds, and every day without them made things even worse. Cops had a hunch that something was off, and all signs pointed to Latrice's estranged husband. The past abuse, the active restraining order, him being the last to see her, and the burned car were all red flags. But without a body, and solid proof, they couldn't make a move. And so, despite all the suspicion, he walked free, leaving Latrice's family heartbroken and still searching for answers.
In the years that followed, her family and investigators tried to search for any evidence that would lead them to Latrice. But sadly, they have found nothing. The local media in and around Memphis have throughout the years covered Latrice's disappearance, interviewing her family and asking the public for help. But the case eventually went completely cold. Despite the lack of information coming in, Latrice's family continued to hold on to the hope that she was still alive. They kept hoping that one day she would just walk through the door. Her three boys had a difficult time dealing with their mother's disappearance. As you can imagine, what was supposed to be a fresh start for them in St. Louis turned into a life-altering moment that would leave them without their mom.
As for Tony, it's not clear what happened to him. Like I said before, investigators did not have enough evidence to hold him after his arrest in August 2012. And despite their belief that he had something to do with Latrice's disappearance, he was never arrested and charged in connection to it. Her family, however, along with the police have long suspected Tony's involvement. "I absolutely suspect him. At the time that she left, her mouth was wired shut because he had broken her jaw." Her sister told ABC24. "No one else around her that we know has a motive. Everyone that the police wanted to question, they came in for questioning without any fear or anything except for him," she also told the local news.
But sadly, in recent years, there's been no new information released about Latrice's disappearance. The case was eventually moved to the Memphis Cold Case Unit, but it's not clear what work is currently being done. The disappearance of Latrice Shea Armstead remains a haunting mystery underscored by the pain of her children and family. Her sister Brenda noted the lasting pain of not knowing her whereabouts. "Every day, every year without a break in the now cold case becomes heartbreaking for the family." The discovery of Latrice's burned vehicle and the subsequent lack of evidence have left more questions than answers. The unresolved nature of her case serves as a reminder of the challenges families face in such investigations. Yet, it also highlights the dedication of those who, despite the passing of time, continue to seek justice and closure for their loved ones. As the years continue to go by, the hope for new leads or breakthroughs in Latrice's case continues, driven by the relentless pursuit of truth and the love of those who knew her best.
Latrice's disappearance is a tragedy. She was a devoted mother of three who vanished without a trace amidst a backdrop of domestic violence and an impending divorce. Her sister encapsulates the family's pain when she said that each day without answers intensifies their heartbreak. And this sentiment is echoed by Latrice's brother, who recalls the last time he saw his sister just weeks before her disappearance. The family remains haunted by the suddenness of her disappearance and the unanswered questions that continue to linger. The emotional toll on Latrice's three young sons has also been profound. Her youngest, in particular, struggled with the absence of his mother, and he would frequently ask, "Where's my mom?" Relatives used to tell him that she was simply working. A heartbreaking explanation for a child who at the time simply wanted his mother back. As the years pass, the hope for new information continues. And as we reflect on Latrice's story, it's crucial to acknowledge the broader issue of domestic violence and its devastating consequences. Latrice's experience serves as a reminder of the potential outcomes of domestic abuse and the importance of vigilance within our communities and her families.
Latrice Armstead was last seen on July 28th, 2012 in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time of her disappearance, her jaw was wired shut. If you have any information about this case, you can contact the Memphis Police Cold Case Unit. Thank you for listening to this week's episode. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Threads.
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