Tracy Pickett vanished after a sleepover in Webb City, Missouri — and 33 years later, justice still hasn’t been served.
On the night of August 11, 1992, 14-year-old Tracy Pickett did something countless teens do — she went to a sleepover with friends. But by the next morning, Tracy had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a grieving mother and a community haunted by unanswered questions.
This unsolved disappearance remains one of Missouri’s most disturbing cold cases, with key suspects, suspicious sightings, and a chilling voicemail, but still no body — and no closure.
A Mother’s Worst Nightmare Begins
Glenda “Kay” Blaser, Tracy’s mother, never imagined she would be living every parent’s worst fear. She agreed to let her daughter spend the night with friends. But someone else showed up that night — two convicted felons. One of them, Ernest “Michael” Hensley, was dating one of the girls. He brought along a man known only as “Al.”
That “Al” was later identified as Lowell Andrew Billy, a convicted $ex offender with a dark past and a disturbing future.
The Chilling Voicemail and Tracy’s Sudden Disappearance
On August 12, 1992, Blaser received a bizarre, possibly pre-recorded voicemail:
“Tracy is on her way home to change her clothes.”
The message came twice. But Tracy never came home.
When Blaser went to the friend’s house, she found Tracy’s shoes in the closet — but no sign of her daughter. Witnesses say “Al” had given Tracy a ride home that morning in a distinctive black van with Oklahoma plates, louvers on the windows, and two sunroofs — a vehicle later tied to multiple sightings.
One witness reported hearing a girl scream, “Leave me alone!” in a nearby alley. Another saw “Al” cleaning out the van near Carthage, Missouri, around noon on the day of Tracy’s disappearance.
A Prime Suspect with a Violent History
Police eventually identified “Al” as Lowell Andrew Billy, a man with a violent record. He told investigators he dropped Tracy off in front of a pawn shop in downtown Joplin, but no witnesses or evidence support that claim.
A year later, Billy was arrested for kidnapping and $exu@l assault of another woman in Oklahoma. He served time but was later re-arrested for failing to register as a $ex offender. Despite being labeled the prime suspect in Tracy Pickett’s disappearance, insufficient evidence has kept authorities from charging him.
Renewed Investigations and Ongoing Search for Justice
In 2005, investigators drained a local mining pit, hoping to uncover evidence. In 2018, the Joplin Police Department searched several ponds linked to the other man who was at the sleepover — Ernest “Michael” Hensley, who has since passed away.
Police believe Hensley and Billy may have both been involved, but decades later, Tracy Pickett remains missing, and her case is still unsolved.
Help Bring Tracy Pickett Home
If you have any information about the disappearance of Tracy Pickett, please contact the Joplin Police Department at
(417) 623-3131.
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