Sandoria Hartwell hoped Nov. 28, 2001, would be a day that changed her life.
She had a job interview lined up at a nearby hospital, and her older sister, Stephanie, had agreed to watch her infant daughter.
Before that, though, 25-year-old Stephanie Hartwell walked her four children — a girl, twin boys, and a younger boy — to the bus stop and sent them off to school. Stephanie and her children lived in a housing project in Columbia, Mississippi. Sandoria says most of their family lived in or near the complex.
That same morning, Sandoria got up, got dressed, and brought her daughter to Stephanie’s apartment. When she arrived at the complex, Stephanie’s neighbors stopped her before she could go in. Sandoria says the neighbors told her that her sister had just left. They said they had seen Stephanie get into the front seat of a green 4-door Saturn sedan with tinted windows.
“She said she’ll be right back,” Sandoria remembered being told. “They said she got in the car with her friend, and she’ll be right back.”
Sandoria waited for a minute, but anxious not to miss her interview, she made other arrangements. She took her daughter to an acquaintance’s house and headed to the meeting. On the way, Sandoria tried calling her sister over and over. “I was constantly trying to get in contact with her as I was going, and she never answered the phone or anything like that,” she said.
As soon as the interview was over, Sandoria called their mom, who lived in the same complex as Stephanie and the kids. She hadn’t heard from Stephanie either. They both went to the apartment.
They walked into a strange scene. “Her purse and jewelry, everything was still at the home,” Sandoria said.
Concerned, Sandoria went further inside, looking in each room. She says the bathtub in Stephanie’s bathroom had water in it, and there were two outfits laid out on her bed, one for an adult and one for a girl. Sandoria assumed the girl’s clothes were for her daughter, whom Stephanie was planning to watch.
To Sandoria, it looked like Stephanie had been getting ready for the day. “Like they was going to get dressed and put clothes on,” she told “Dateline.” “Everything was there, like, her intentions was to come right back.”
Stephanie didn’t come back.
As the day passed with no word from Stephanie, Sandoria says the family realized something was very wrong. They decided to call the police to file a missing person’s report.
“They told us we had to wait,” she said. “It was either 48 or 72 hours.”
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of the investigation into Stephanie’s disappearance. The administration has changed since then, but the case is still open.
Sheriff’s Deputy Jamie Singley told “Dateline” via email that a storage facility that housed a large portion of older case files burned several years ago, and many files were destroyed or damaged. They believe Stephanie’s file was among those lost, as they have spent years going through what remains and have not found hers.
Stephanie’s family is certain she didn’t disappear willingly. They believe someone, or possibly two someones, close to her had something to do with her disappearance, or at least knew more than they previously shared. Since the files were lost, the sheriff’s office can’t say what individuals were interviewed or investigated. Deputy Singley told “Dateline” they are still hoping to get more information.
“This family has suffered enough, and they need answers, and we would do whatever we can to give them those answers,” Singley wrote in his email. “If anyone does have information on this case, we would plead with them to come forward so that the family could have answers and justice could be served for Stephanie.”
Nov. 28, 2001, was indeed a day that changed Sandoria Hartwell’s life, but not in the way she had hoped. She did land the job, but she lost her sister.
Their mother adopted Stephanie’s daughter. Sandoria adopted the three boys. Jaron Anderson was 5 years old when his mother vanished. He still remembers seeing her that morning a quarter century ago. “I still have a few memories of her,” he told “Dateline.” “She was outgoing and pretty and fun. Vibrant. I remember she used to dye her hair a lot.”
Sandoria says Stephanie would be a grandmother now. Her family is still hoping they can bring her home.
“Whichever way it is, we still need her here with us, if she’s able to be home with us, and if she’s not,” Sandoria said. “I just need to know where she’s at. We need to know.”
Stephanie was about 5’5” and 145 lbs. when she vanished. She would be 49 years old today. She has several tattoos: the initials R.J.J.T. on her outer right forearm; a butterfly on her right bicep; the name “Steph” on her left bicep; and a heart with three to four drops below it on her left thigh.
Anyone with information about the Hartwell Case should contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 601-731-3782.
If you have a story to share with “Dateline,” please submit it here.
