Unsolved cases always come with a taste of frustration as investigators, friends, and families work valiantly to find answers. But there are very few cases that I’ve encountered that are as frustrating as the unsolved murder of Tracy Sissom.
Tracy was born on December 27th, 1970, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she lived her entire life. She graduated highschool in 1989, and fell headfirst into a career working with animals at various veterinary clinics, where she was happiest. There were very few things that Tracy enjoyed more in life than animals.
Tracy married young, and had two children with her husband. In October of 2000, they filed for divorce, which was granted in December of 2001. They were each awarded joint custody of the children, and maintained an amicable relationship for their sake.
Through the course of the divorce, Tracy met her second husband, Michael Sissom. The two were married in 2003, and had a son. Shortly following the birth of their son, Tracy and Michael became estranged from each other. Tracy moved into an apartment on her own, and continued to work hard to support herself, and her children.
Rumours and gossip speculated that the relationship between Michael and Tracy was toxic, and that he was controlling. Many believed that they weren’t a good match. Others believed that Michael, who was an addict, used his addiction to control Tracy, and influenced her addiction as well. By the time Tracy and Michael had separated, she’d been in recovery, and was doing very well for herself.
On September 20th, 2004, 33-year-old Tracy was packing up her apartment with the intention of moving back in with her mother. This would offer her additional support both financially, and with her children. To help with her move, Tracy borrowed her father’s vehicle, a 1995 black Chevy Trailblazer.
At around 7:30 PM that evening, Tracy called her mother and let her know that she was on her way home to her with one more load. Tracy’s mother waited for Tracy to arrive, and grew increasingly concerned the more and more time went on.
Tracy’s mother called her father, and expressed her concerns. The following day, on September 21st, 2004, the two proceeded to inform the Indianapolis Police Department that their daughter, Tracy Sissom, was missing. Along with her being missing, they couldn’t find a single trace of the Trailblazer.
Some of Tracy’s neighbours told investigators that a suspicious vehicle had been seen around the apartment complex the night Tracy disappeared. They described a dark SUV, but also acknowledged that they hadn’t gotten a good look at the vehicle, and it could have been anything. Investigators did note that the vague description did match the Chevy Trailblazer Tracy was using for the move, and that it would have been unusual to see within her apartment complex.
Police followed up on the very few leads they had, and kept coming up empty. Then, they thought they found their best chance at finding Tracy.
On October 4th, 2004, the black Chevy Trailblazer was spotted driving around very erratically. A deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over, and noticed that two unidentified people could be seen int he vehicle. Witnesses saw the Trailblazer taking multiple sharp turns before pulling to a stop on North Oakland Avenue.
The two unidentified individuals had enough time to ditch the Trailblazer, and take off on foot. The two individuals in the trailblazer have never been identified, though investigators have asked the public for assistance in identifying them.
When the vehicle was brought in for processing, investigators were really hopeful that there would be DNA or fingerprint evidence that could lead them in a direction – any direction.
The Trailblazer offered very little. There was no DNA, and there were no discernable fingerprints to be found in, or on, the vehicle. However, a box of ammunition was found sitting on the backseat, though that also offered very little in terms of forensic evidence.
A few days after the Trailblazer was found, Pete Jones was driving down a rural road in Brown county, near the small town of Gnaw Bone, when he hit a deer. His truck came to a stop, and the deer seemed to run off, unfazed. Cautiously, Pete drove home.
When he arrived home, he realized that his running light was damaged. Trying to avoid paying for a replacement, Pete decided to go back to the scene of the accident the following day to look for his running light.
When Pete returned to the scene, he searched the area where he hit the deer, and began searching around. When he got to a ravine near where he’d parked for the search, Pete smelled something truly atrocious. Upon further investigation, he found something large wrapped in what has been described as a quilt. Pete unwrapped the quilt, and found a very severely decomposed body.
Authorities were called to the scene immediately. Officers from both Brown and Bartholomew counties worked the scene together, as the road straddled both counties. The scene was secured, and the road was blocked off, but very little evidence was collected that would help investigators in identifying the body itself, or theorizing as to how it got there.
The body itself was so severely decomposed, identification was near impossible. On scene investigators couldn’t even make out an age range, or a gender. However, they did believe that the body had been killed somewhere else, and had been dumped in the ravine.
The body was taken for autopsy at the Indiana University School of Forensic Science, where they were able to determine that the body was that of a woman, aged between 25 and 35 years old. Further identification proved extremely difficult.
Authorities decided to ask the public for help, and released a statement. They stated that the body had a tattoo around the ankle of a chain, with a flower, possibly a rose. This did not garner any further leads as to an identification.
On October 15th, 2004, a missing person’s report from the Indianapolis Police Department crossed the desk of the Indiana State Police, who had taken charge of the case. The report was for a 33-year-old woman named Tracy Sissom. Despite the severely decomposed state, Tracy fit the description of the body found. Her dental records were obtained from the family, and sent to the authorities to assist in the possible identification of the body.
It took over two months, but on December 17th, 2004, the body was officially identified as Tracy Sissom. Her death was determined to be a homicide. However, investigators have never released the official cause of death, though some sources state that the death certificate states the cause of death as “strangulation”.
Now having a positive identification, investigators were very hopeful that they would be able to follow up on leads and solve the case.
This was not the case.
Investigators could not find any link between Tracy and Brown County, nor could they pursue suspects with any semblance of a solid lead.
In 2006, Tracy’s family offered a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest in the murder of Tracy Sissom. No leads ever really followed.
Investigators have hit every dead end possible in the disappearance and murder of Tracy Sissom.
If anyone has any information regard the murder of Tracy Sissom, they’re asked to reach out to the Indiana State Police at the following number:
(812) 332-4411
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Sources:
Tracy Sissom – A Study of Indiana Cold Cases blog
Family puts up reward in unsolved murder case – Rich Van Wyk – wthr.com
Murdered: Tracy Sissom – Uncovered
True Crime Garage podcast – Tracy Sissom – Episodes 514 and 515