A late-night trip to help a relative became the last known movement of a retired Army veteran who disappeared from Halifax County, Virginia, in 2009. Surveillance cameras captured Hattie Gertrude Brown, 48, with her nephew at a Sheetz gas station outside South Boston in the early morning hours of May 16.
According to the Virginia State Police Cold Case Database, Hattie was seen at the intersection of Routes 501 and 58 shortly after 2 a.m. with her silver 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. Her family reported her missing after several days passed without contact.
She had left home without her purse or medication she needed, and her financial accounts showed no activity after she vanished.
Hattie’s sister, Preteasta Barksdale, told WDBJ7 that helping family was characteristic of Hattie. She had served 18 years in the U.S. Army, reached the rank of Sergeant First Class, and served during Operation Desert Storm.
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Her Burned Car Was Found Near The North Carolina Line
Nearly two months after Hattie disappeared, investigators found her Volkswagen Jetta abandoned and burned behind a barn in southeastern Halifax County near the Virginia-North Carolina border.
The Virginia State Police states that information developed during the missing person investigation eventually led authorities to open a homicide investigation in 2011. Neither Hattie nor her remains have been recovered.
Her nephew, Derek Brown, was the last person publicly known to have been with her. In 2024, Virginia State Police told WDBJ7 that he remained a person of interest in the investigation. He has not been charged in connection with Hattie’s disappearance.
Special Agent Kevin George told the station that investigators believe there are still people who know something about what happened to Hattie. Her case remains an active homicide investigation.
Hattie Brown: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Hattie Brown stood 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed approximately 155 pounds. She had black, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She had pierced ears and a scar on her abdomen.
Hattie was last seen wearing a sleeveless top and pants with stripes along the sides.
The Virginia State Police agency case number is 11-22827. Anyone with information can contact the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Appomattox Field Office at 434-352-7128; Virginia State Police Division Three Area 21 at (434) 414-4450 (case no. 09-83-02-5007); or bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.
Please share Hattie Brown’s story in the hope that someone who knows what happened after she left that South Boston gas station will finally come forward. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Case Number: 09-83-02-5007
Agency: Virginia State Police Division Three Area 21
Phone: (434) 414-4450
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