Latoya Tee Brown, 21: Missing Following Alabama Tornado
Plenty of conspiracy theories about what happened to Latoya Tee Brown have existed. On April 27, 2011, a devastating tornado touched down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In the days that followed, an estimated 600 people were reported missing. Today, only four people remain: a woman and her two young daughters, and Latoya Tee Brown. Forty-two people lost their lives in the storm, and some investigators believe this was also Latoya’s fate.
This may seem like a cut-and-dry case; however, several of Latoya’s family members don’t believe she fell victim to the natural disaster. The day before the tornado hit, Latoya was last seen leaving her family’s home in Northport, Alabama, about five minutes from Tuscaloosa. At the time, the 21-year-old was splitting her time between her mother’s and aunt’s homes. What her family didn’t know was that, secretly, Latoya worked as an exotic dancer.
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When she disappeared, Latoya Brown was said to have left her relative’s home to get food with a friend. The shopping center where she was headed was in the storm’s path. Latoya never returned from the outing, but her phone made a call around 5:30 p.m. just before the tornado hit, never to be used again. In the panic following the storm, it was assumed that Latoya might have been affected, but her family expected her to come home.
“I still believe that maybe she hit her head and lost her memory. Maybe she doesn’t know where she is,” Toye Jackson, Latoya’s mother, told Tuscaloosa News in 2015. “I have no idea … no idea.”
As she held out hope, Toye offered another theory. She believes that her daughter’s work as a dancer could have spelled danger. It was reported that Latoya often traveled for work, and some consider that she possibly ran into trouble.
“Maybe she somehow ended up becoming a victim of sex trafficking,” Toye continued. “I just don’t know.” Her husband, Robert Jackson, Latoya’s stepfather, also said, “I want to feel that she’s OK, that she’s alive, but I don’t know. I hope that one day she’ll knock on that door, but I’m a realist and know it may never happen.”
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“If I had spent three minutes setting [up the security cameras], we’d know and would have seen her leaving the house and who she was with,” Robert said. He was out of town working when the tornado destroyed the city. “Some days, I worry and think about what I could have done different.”
Additionally, the investigation into Latoya Brown’s case caused a rift in the family. They visited The Steve Wilkos Show where Latoya’s sisters accused their mother of killing her. They mentioned Latoya’s white tube top, which looked to have blood stains. However, Toye countered by saying the police returned the shirt to her and told her it was tested and the stain was not blood.
“I thought it would be an opportunity to show her picture and maybe do something so we can help find her,” Toye Jackson said. Meanwhile, officials with the Northport Police claim that they have yet to find evidence of foul play. It seems as if they believe Latoya Brown became an unfortunate victim of a natural disaster.
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“It’s still an open case,” department spokesman Lt. Keith Carpenter said. “We’re still trying to locate her and following up on any information that comes in. Unfortunately, we haven’t had a lot of information recently.” Still, an investigating officer is not listed in the government’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database.
Latoya’s sister told police she believed she saw the missing woman at The Playhouse nightclub in Tuscaloosa. However, authorities could not verify or confirm the sighting.
“I miss my daughter each and every day,” Toye stated. The worried mother thinks her daughter may have sustained an injury during the tornado that caused her to lose her memory. “I love her very much, and if she’s out there, I want to tell her to please come home. I love and miss her so very, very much.”
At the time of her disappearance, Latoya Brown stood 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed between 150 to 180 pounds. Her natural hair was dark brown, but it was reportedly blonde or strawberry blonde when she disappeared. Further, Latoya had three tattoos: one on her lower back spelling her nickname “Toya,” another of angel wings just below the back of her neck, and the astrological sign of Virgo on the top of her left foot. Her middle name is “Tee.”
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Northport Police Department at (205) 339-6600. The agency case number is 20110500048.
Please share this story about Latoya Brown to help reignite interest in her missing person case. She is our sister, and her life matters.
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