Two investigators and a crime scene technician from the Memphis Police Department were in Tallahatchie County recently, seeking leads in the case of a woman missing since Thanksgiving.
In a bulletin, MPD said Ashley McDonald, 27, was last seen Nov. 25, 2021, at her apartment on Knight Trail Circle in southeast Memphis. Police said it was believed she was headed to Batesville, Mississippi, to meet an unknown male.
A 2013 black Ford Fusion that McDonald is thought to have been driving was discovered abandoned Dec. 15 near Pamplin Road in the Tippo community of Tallahatchie County — about 55 miles southwest of Batesvile — explained Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly. The location and placement of the car suggest that it was not meant to be easily found, Fly said. He did not say who discovered the automobile, nor did he reveal anything about its condition.
When the Ford's vehicle identification number did not raise any flags in a law enforcement database, Fly said the auto was towed to a local salvage yard where it had remained since.
The sheriff said only recently did Memphis police learn of the car’s whereabouts through a report from the vehicle’s finance company and contact Tallahatchie County officials.
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This missing persons poster featuring Ashley McDonald was produced and distributed by the Memphis Police Department.
On Jan. 25, the three MPD officers visited Tallahatchie County and were shown the location where the vehicle was found. Fly said that area and the car itself were processed for potential evidence.
The sheriff said his office and agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation used cadaver dogs to search in the Tippo area on Jan. 26. The dogs did not alert to any hits, he noted.
McDonald, whom Fly said has no known ties to Tallahatchie County, is described as a Black female with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5.05 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds, with curly, shoulder-length hair. Memphis police said it is unknown what clothing she was wearing at the time she went missing.
Anyone who has any information about the case may contact the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Office at 662-647-5511 or 662-647-3700, or the Memphis Police Department’s Missing Persons Bureau at 901-636-4479.
