October 3, 2025 • 14 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In July 2023, 46-year-old corrections officer and florist Latasha Crump Coleman vanished from her Jackson, Mississippi home—leaving behind her beloved dogs, her Apple Watch, and a trail of unanswered questions. A protective order against her estranged husband, a son desperate for answers, and a shocking twist one year later only deepen the mystery. Two years on, her family is still searching for the truth: what happened to Latasha? Anyone with information about this case should contact the Jackson Police Department at 601-960-1234. Her case number is: MP112690.
This is the story of Latasha Crump Coleman.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that began in July twenty twenty three,
a forty six year old corrections officer and Flores disappeared
(00:21):
from her home in Jackson, Mississippi. Known for her reliability
and love for her family, she never missed work without calling,
but one day she simply vanished, leaving behind her beloved
dogs and her Apple Watch, which she always wore. Not
(00:42):
long before, she had obtained a no contact order against
her estranged husband after he violated a previous order by
kicking in her door. In July twenty twenty two. Divorced
proceedings were under way, but just over a year later,
he would be tragically killed in a gas station shooting,
(01:05):
taking any answers he might have known about her whereabouts
to the grave. This is the story of Latasha Crump Coleman.
Latasha Crump Coleman was forty six years old in the
summer of twenty twenty three. She was living in the
(01:27):
one hundred block of Hidden Valley Lane in Hines County, Mississippi.
Dedicated to her work and to her family, she balanced
two careers, working as a corrections officer and creating flower
arrangements for weddings and funerals. She stood five foot five
and weighed around one hundred and eighty pounds, with black
(01:49):
braided hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance,
she was last seen wearing black jeans and a black
T shirt. Her son, thirty one year old Dexter Crump,
describes her as outgoing and caring. She wants to help everybody.
Everybody loves her, he told Dateline. Latasha always called if
(02:13):
she was going to be late or traveling, especially when
it came to her three dogs, whom she adored. To
understand what happened to Latasha, we need to look at
the circumstances surrounding her life in twenty twenty three. Latasha
had married Derek Coleman in May twenty thirteen, but by
(02:34):
twenty twenty three, their marriage appeared to have soured. She
was in the process of divorcing him and had obtained
a no contact order against him. The relationship had become troubled,
and Latasha's family would later believe that Derek may have
(02:54):
played a role in her disappearance, though investigators could never
make that connection. Monday July seventeenth, twenty twenty three, that
was the last time Dexter spoke to his mother. It
would be a conversation that would haunt him for months
to come. Tuesday July eighteenth, twenty twenty three, around seven
(03:20):
thirty in the evening, that was the last time anyone
saw Latasha. She was at her home going about what
appeared to be an ordinary evening. Wednesday, July nineteenth would
bring about a devastating revelation. July nineteenth began like any
(03:42):
other day, but when her family tried to reach her
at work, they got alarming news. She was a no call,
no show. Latasha's favorite great aunt had passed away and
the family was gathering to mourn. Since she's a correctional officer,
they can't have phones inside the jail, her son explained,
(04:03):
So we called her job to tell her that my
aunt had passed, and they said she was a no call,
no show, and that's not like her. The family waited
throughout the day, hoping Latasha would show up. Maybe there
was some explanation, maybe she was dealing with something and
would return by evening. Dexter had a key to his
(04:27):
mother's house, so he decided to check on her. What
he found when he walked through the door would only
deepen the mystery. Latasha's three dogs were there awaiting her return.
Her Apple Watch, something she would typically wear, was sitting
in the house. But Latasha's car, a two thousand and
(04:51):
two Gray Accurate MDX with Mississippi license plate HPA eight
six three nine, was gone, so was her purse. My
mama has three dogs. She loves her dogs, her son said.
He knew his mother would not just leave them without
arranging care for them. She'll always call and say I'm
(05:15):
going out of town or i'll be late at work.
Can you let my dogs out? He said. When Dexter
tried calling his mother's phone, the calls went straight to voicemail.
Text messages weren't going through. The silence was deafening and terrifying.
I'm calling her phone, texting, the messages aren't going through,
(05:37):
just going straight to voicemail, and I just started panicking.
Dexter recalled. The family had waited long enough. By seven
forty five pm on July nineteenth, twenty twenty three, They
called the Jackson Police Department and reported Latasha missing. The
next day, July twentieth, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations issued
(06:02):
a Silver alert for Latasha. The alert described her as
being last seen Tuesday, July eighteen, twenty twenty three, at
about seven thirty pm, in the one hundred block of
Hidden Valley Lane in Hines County, and noted that she
was believed to be in a two thousand two gray
Accurate MDX displaying the license tag HPA eight six three nine,
(06:29):
traveling in an unknown direction. The search for Latasha Crump
Coleman had officially begun, but as days turned into weeks,
and the weeks turned into months, the investigation would hit
one dead end after another. Dexter and the Crump family
(06:49):
weren't content to wait for answers. They organized their own searches,
calling through areas where Latasha might have gone. Friends and
family members join the effort, spending countless hours looking for
any sign of her. The police department they did two searches,
(07:10):
but all the other searches been me and my aunt,
her sisters and brothers, friends whoever. Dexter explained, We've just
been out here on our own. Despite their efforts, they
found nothing, no purse, no clothing, no car, no tag,
(07:31):
no anything, he said. The case caught the attention of
family friend Candace Bryant, who decided to reach out to
Dateline NBC for help. Please please please help us, she
wrote on their Facebook page. Please help us get the
word out nationally. We miss her, we love her, and
(07:55):
we are lost. Candace had been following the Carly Russ case,
the woman who claimed to have been kidnapped in Alabama
but later admitted to fabricating the story. The incident occurred
around the same time, and Candice worried that the Russell
incident might make it harder for legitimate missing persons cases
(08:17):
like Latasha's to get the attention that they deserved. People
don't want to help until it's national, she said. As
months passed, the weight of uncertainty began to take its
toll on Natasha's son. I try not to talk about it,
but it's really been hard. It's been an emotional year.
(08:41):
It's really been hard to not talk to your mother.
You don't know where she is, don't know anything, and
it's just been hard. By December twenty twenty three, tensions
surrounding Latasha's case reached a boiling point. During a courthouse hearing,
(09:01):
presumably related to the ongoing divorce proceedings, A massive brawl
broke out between Latasha's family and her strange husband's family.
The altercation was so severe that five people were arrested.
The incident highlighted the deep divisions and suspicions that had
formed around Latasha's disappearance. Her family seemed to believe that
(09:26):
Derrick Coleman knew more than he was saying. In June
twenty twenty four, nearly a year after Latasha's disappearance, Congressman
Benny Thompson called upon the FBI to investigate the case,
underscoring serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding Latasha's disappearance. On
(09:50):
July nineteen, twenty twenty four, the one year anniversary of
when Latasha was reported missing, her family held a memorial
balloon release in Jahi in Mississippi. Family and friends, dressed
in purple, gathered in the parking lot of the Family
Dollar Store at the intersection of Sewell and Robinson Rhodes
(10:12):
to release purple balloons in her honor. The event was
a somber reminder that three hundred and sixty five days
had passed without answers, without closure, and without Latasha. Her
son Dexter, expressed the family's determination to keep her name
(10:32):
alive and to continue seeking justice. Derreck Coleman was released
from jail on June twenty eight, twenty twenty four, after
serving time for violating a protective order. He had been
jailed on the twenty twenty two conviction for violating the
no contact order with Latasha, and although ordered to wear
(10:57):
an angle monitor after his bond was reaching, Derreck Coleman
was never fitted with one. Two days after the memorial
balloon release, on July twenty one, twenty twenty four, the
case took a shocking and tragic turn. Derreck Coleman, Latasha's
(11:21):
estranged husband, was killed during a shooting at a gas
station in Jackson, Mississippi. The shooting also claimed the life
of Jazz Vere Saying, the gas station owner, and left
four others wounded. Any answers about Latasha's disappearance seemed to
(11:41):
have left with him. Her family would never get confirmation
or denial from the person they wanted answers from the
most Today, more than two years after Latasha vanished, her
case remains open. The Jackson Police Department contain needs to investigate,
(12:01):
but no arrests have been made. Her two thousand and
two Great Accurate MDX has never been found, her purse
has never been recovered, and there have been no confirmed sightings.
Latasha is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Person
System or NamUs as case number MP one one two
(12:26):
six nine zero. More than two years of past and
a family is still left searching for answers about their
beloved mother, sister, and friend. Despite the efforts of authorities,
Latasha's whereabouts remain unknown. My thoughts and prayers are with
(12:48):
the family and friends of Latasha Crump Coleman, and I
hope they are able to achieve justice for Latasha. Her
loved ones continue to hope for answers, even as the
months turn into years. Her son Dexter said, I'm at
the point now where I'm like, I don't care how
(13:09):
I get her back, just let me get her back.
If Latasha is still alive, she would be forty seven
years old now. If she has been harmed, her family
deserves to know what happened and to bring her home.
Anyone with information about Latasha's disappearance to contact the Jackson
(13:30):
Police Department. You can find their contact information as well
as her case number in the description below. Even the
smallest detail could be the key that finally brings answers
to her family. As we close out this episode, remember
sharing Latasha's story helps spread awareness Anne could help her
(13:54):
family finally find those answers and justice they've been searching for.
Don't forget to click the follow button to stay updated
on Natasha's case and others like it. Be sure to
subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us
on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime content and
(14:15):
case updates. Also, if you're watching us on YouTube, share
your thoughts on this case and the comments below. Thank
you so much for joining us on another episode. Until
next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the
(14:44):
Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black
Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that began in July twenty twenty three,
a forty six year old corrections officer and Flores disappeared
(00:21):
from her home in Jackson, Mississippi. Known for her reliability
and love for her family, she never missed work without calling,
but one day she simply vanished, leaving behind her beloved
dogs and her Apple Watch, which she always wore. Not
(00:42):
long before, she had obtained a no contact order against
her estranged husband after he violated a previous order by
kicking in her door. In July twenty twenty two. Divorced
proceedings were under way, but just over a year later,
he would be tragically killed in a gas station shooting,
(01:05):
taking any answers he might have known about her whereabouts
to the grave. This is the story of Latasha Crump Coleman.
Latasha Crump Coleman was forty six years old in the
summer of twenty twenty three. She was living in the
(01:27):
one hundred block of Hidden Valley Lane in Hines County, Mississippi.
Dedicated to her work and to her family, she balanced
two careers, working as a corrections officer and creating flower
arrangements for weddings and funerals. She stood five foot five
and weighed around one hundred and eighty pounds, with black
(01:49):
braided hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance,
she was last seen wearing black jeans and a black
T shirt. Her son, thirty one year old Dexter Crump,
describes her as outgoing and caring. She wants to help everybody.
Everybody loves her, he told Dateline. Latasha always called if
(02:13):
she was going to be late or traveling, especially when
it came to her three dogs, whom she adored. To
understand what happened to Latasha, we need to look at
the circumstances surrounding her life in twenty twenty three. Latasha
had married Derek Coleman in May twenty thirteen, but by
(02:34):
twenty twenty three, their marriage appeared to have soured. She
was in the process of divorcing him and had obtained
a no contact order against him. The relationship had become troubled,
and Latasha's family would later believe that Derek may have
(02:54):
played a role in her disappearance, though investigators could never
make that connection. Monday July seventeenth, twenty twenty three, that
was the last time Dexter spoke to his mother. It
would be a conversation that would haunt him for months
to come. Tuesday July eighteenth, twenty twenty three, around seven
(03:20):
thirty in the evening, that was the last time anyone
saw Latasha. She was at her home going about what
appeared to be an ordinary evening. Wednesday, July nineteenth would
bring about a devastating revelation. July nineteenth began like any
(03:42):
other day, but when her family tried to reach her
at work, they got alarming news. She was a no call,
no show. Latasha's favorite great aunt had passed away and
the family was gathering to mourn. Since she's a correctional officer,
they can't have phones inside the jail, her son explained,
(04:03):
So we called her job to tell her that my
aunt had passed, and they said she was a no call,
no show, and that's not like her. The family waited
throughout the day, hoping Latasha would show up. Maybe there
was some explanation, maybe she was dealing with something and
would return by evening. Dexter had a key to his
(04:27):
mother's house, so he decided to check on her. What
he found when he walked through the door would only
deepen the mystery. Latasha's three dogs were there awaiting her return.
Her Apple Watch, something she would typically wear, was sitting
in the house. But Latasha's car, a two thousand and
(04:51):
two Gray Accurate MDX with Mississippi license plate HPA eight
six three nine, was gone, so was her purse. My
mama has three dogs. She loves her dogs, her son said.
He knew his mother would not just leave them without
arranging care for them. She'll always call and say I'm
(05:15):
going out of town or i'll be late at work.
Can you let my dogs out? He said. When Dexter
tried calling his mother's phone, the calls went straight to voicemail.
Text messages weren't going through. The silence was deafening and terrifying.
I'm calling her phone, texting, the messages aren't going through,
(05:37):
just going straight to voicemail, and I just started panicking.
Dexter recalled. The family had waited long enough. By seven
forty five pm on July nineteenth, twenty twenty three, They
called the Jackson Police Department and reported Latasha missing. The
next day, July twentieth, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations issued
(06:02):
a Silver alert for Latasha. The alert described her as
being last seen Tuesday, July eighteen, twenty twenty three, at
about seven thirty pm, in the one hundred block of
Hidden Valley Lane in Hines County, and noted that she
was believed to be in a two thousand two gray
Accurate MDX displaying the license tag HPA eight six three nine,
(06:29):
traveling in an unknown direction. The search for Latasha Crump
Coleman had officially begun, but as days turned into weeks,
and the weeks turned into months, the investigation would hit
one dead end after another. Dexter and the Crump family
(06:49):
weren't content to wait for answers. They organized their own searches,
calling through areas where Latasha might have gone. Friends and
family members join the effort, spending countless hours looking for
any sign of her. The police department they did two searches,
(07:10):
but all the other searches been me and my aunt,
her sisters and brothers, friends whoever. Dexter explained, We've just
been out here on our own. Despite their efforts, they
found nothing, no purse, no clothing, no car, no tag,
(07:31):
no anything, he said. The case caught the attention of
family friend Candace Bryant, who decided to reach out to
Dateline NBC for help. Please please please help us, she
wrote on their Facebook page. Please help us get the
word out nationally. We miss her, we love her, and
(07:55):
we are lost. Candace had been following the Carly Russ case,
the woman who claimed to have been kidnapped in Alabama
but later admitted to fabricating the story. The incident occurred
around the same time, and Candice worried that the Russell
incident might make it harder for legitimate missing persons cases
(08:17):
like Latasha's to get the attention that they deserved. People
don't want to help until it's national, she said. As
months passed, the weight of uncertainty began to take its
toll on Natasha's son. I try not to talk about it,
but it's really been hard. It's been an emotional year.
(08:41):
It's really been hard to not talk to your mother.
You don't know where she is, don't know anything, and
it's just been hard. By December twenty twenty three, tensions
surrounding Latasha's case reached a boiling point. During a courthouse hearing,
(09:01):
presumably related to the ongoing divorce proceedings, A massive brawl
broke out between Latasha's family and her strange husband's family.
The altercation was so severe that five people were arrested.
The incident highlighted the deep divisions and suspicions that had
formed around Latasha's disappearance. Her family seemed to believe that
(09:26):
Derrick Coleman knew more than he was saying. In June
twenty twenty four, nearly a year after Latasha's disappearance, Congressman
Benny Thompson called upon the FBI to investigate the case,
underscoring serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding Latasha's disappearance. On
(09:50):
July nineteen, twenty twenty four, the one year anniversary of
when Latasha was reported missing, her family held a memorial
balloon release in Jahi in Mississippi. Family and friends, dressed
in purple, gathered in the parking lot of the Family
Dollar Store at the intersection of Sewell and Robinson Rhodes
(10:12):
to release purple balloons in her honor. The event was
a somber reminder that three hundred and sixty five days
had passed without answers, without closure, and without Latasha. Her
son Dexter, expressed the family's determination to keep her name
(10:32):
alive and to continue seeking justice. Derreck Coleman was released
from jail on June twenty eight, twenty twenty four, after
serving time for violating a protective order. He had been
jailed on the twenty twenty two conviction for violating the
no contact order with Latasha, and although ordered to wear
(10:57):
an angle monitor after his bond was reaching, Derreck Coleman
was never fitted with one. Two days after the memorial
balloon release, on July twenty one, twenty twenty four, the
case took a shocking and tragic turn. Derreck Coleman, Latasha's
(11:21):
estranged husband, was killed during a shooting at a gas
station in Jackson, Mississippi. The shooting also claimed the life
of Jazz Vere Saying, the gas station owner, and left
four others wounded. Any answers about Latasha's disappearance seemed to
(11:41):
have left with him. Her family would never get confirmation
or denial from the person they wanted answers from the
most Today, more than two years after Latasha vanished, her
case remains open. The Jackson Police Department contain needs to investigate,
(12:01):
but no arrests have been made. Her two thousand and
two Great Accurate MDX has never been found, her purse
has never been recovered, and there have been no confirmed sightings.
Latasha is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Person
System or NamUs as case number MP one one two
(12:26):
six nine zero. More than two years of past and
a family is still left searching for answers about their
beloved mother, sister, and friend. Despite the efforts of authorities,
Latasha's whereabouts remain unknown. My thoughts and prayers are with
(12:48):
the family and friends of Latasha Crump Coleman, and I
hope they are able to achieve justice for Latasha. Her
loved ones continue to hope for answers, even as the
months turn into years. Her son Dexter said, I'm at
the point now where I'm like, I don't care how
(13:09):
I get her back, just let me get her back.
If Latasha is still alive, she would be forty seven
years old now. If she has been harmed, her family
deserves to know what happened and to bring her home.
Anyone with information about Latasha's disappearance to contact the Jackson
(13:30):
Police Department. You can find their contact information as well
as her case number in the description below. Even the
smallest detail could be the key that finally brings answers
to her family. As we close out this episode, remember
sharing Latasha's story helps spread awareness Anne could help her
(13:54):
family finally find those answers and justice they've been searching for.
Don't forget to click the follow button to stay updated
on Natasha's case and others like it. Be sure to
subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us
on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime content and
(14:15):
case updates. Also, if you're watching us on YouTube, share
your thoughts on this case and the comments below. Thank
you so much for joining us on another episode. Until
next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the
(14:44):
Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black
Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.