Once an investigation into her disappearance was launched, authorities determined that the man who left the bar with Tracy was James Hataway, 28. Investigators subsequently took him in for questioning, and he claimed to have met Tracy two weeks prior to her disappearance at the same restaurant and bar.
James reportedly told police that Tracy had given him a ride to his house located in the 100 block of Lyle Street. Then, she left not long afterward alone.
However, Tracy’s phone records reportedly suggested otherwise. They showed that, until 8:30 a.m. on May 27, she’d been in the West Franklin Street area of Ocoee. Her car was also found abandoned just 150 yards away from James’ house.
So, in June 2009, investigators obtained a search warrant for James’ home, but no evidence connected to Tracy’s case was found.
Just under two years later, James was ultimately convicted of the attempted murder of another woman – Rachel Clarke – and sentenced to life in prison. Additionally, he was found guilty of other charges, including robbery, burglary, and false imprisonment.
After Rachel gave James a ride home from a party in 2008, he tried to strangle her.
James is also the primary suspect in the disappearance of a man named Chris George, who went missing in February 2009. Chris was reportedly last seen with James, and his bones were recovered from a lake in Apopka, Florida, in July 2011. His cause of death remains unknown due to the decomposition of his remains.
Still, James has not been charged in relation to Tracy’s disappearance – despite being the sole suspect – and is serving his life sentence behind bars at Blackwater River Correctional Facility located in Milton, Florida.
The exact circumstances surrounding Tracy’s disappearance are unclear, and her case remains unsolved over 15 years later.
At the time she vanished, Tracy was five foot five, weighed 120 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing jeans, a black tank top, a dark-colored sweatshirt or jacket, and a green and white baseball cap.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Ocoee Police Department at (407) 554-7210.
