A week later, police found Billy, who’d left the state. He claimed he dropped Tracy off at a pawnshop. Mysterious messages on Tracy’s mom’s answering machine claimed Tracy was coming home to change clothes, but the voice wasn’t familiar. Tracy’s shoes were left behind at her friend’s apartment. A neighbor reported seeing a young girl running and screaming, “Get away from me!” the morning after the party. Another witness saw someone cleaning a van matching Billy’s near Carthage.

Billy had a criminal record. A year after Tracy disappeared, he was convicted of kidnapping, rape, and sodomy in Oklahoma for attacking another woman. Though police strongly suspect Billy was responsible for Tracy’s disappearance and likely murder, they lack the evidence to charge him. A search of a mining pit in 2005 yielded nothing. Tracy’s case remains unsolved, with her mother still hoping for answers.