Home » Emmetta Jean Dumas, 32: Missing Woman’s Baby Found Alone In 1980
Emmetta Jean Dumas, 32: Missing Woman’s Baby Found Alone In 1980

Alabama was at the center of a missing person mystery in 1980 after Emmetta Jean Dumas vanished from Fairfield. On August 1 that year, Emmetta reportedly readied herself to meet with her estranged husband Leroy. The two were set to go shopping for their daughter, a baby, who needed new shoes. The Charley Project states that the next day, Emmetta was supposed to do a bit more shopping, this time with her mother and sister. However, she was never seen or heard from again.
The Scene At Emmetta’s Home The Day She Vanished
The day they were to get together, Emmetta’s sister made her way to the 32-year-old secretary’s home. When she arrived, she came across an alarming scene. The sister believed Emmetta was at the residence because her car was in the driveway. However, upon inspection, Emmetta wasn’t there, and her baby girl was alone, aside from a dirty diaper and an empty feeding bottle nearby. The infant was reportedly “naked and crying… on the floor inside.”
There were other personal belongings missing from the home that gave Emmetta’s sister—and later investigators—pause. Her keys couldn’t be located, and a bedspread was also mysteriously missing. A smell described as a “chemical odor” was present, along with “fresh stains” on the carpet. However, when police analyzed the evidence, the stains were not blood. To add to the puzzling scene, the house was locked both from the inside and the out.
An Estranged Husband’s Version Of Events
Quickly, the Fairfield Police Department tracked down Leroy to get his story. He claimed he did see his wife and daughter when he picked them up at approximately 6:30 p.m. They bought the baby shoes at Brookwood Village, then stopped for something to eat along Green Springs Highway. He took Emmetta and their daughter home and admitted to being there for upwards of 30 minutes. Leroy further stated that during their time together, he and Emmetta did not argue. However, he said she told him she planned to meet with a man named Warren King. He was her first husband before Leroy.
Police Question The First Husband
Meanwhile, investigators wanted to speak with Warren King for more insight, but it wasn’t fruitful. King confirmed he did have dinner plans with his ex-wife, but she was a no-show. He claimed he repeatedly called her on and off until 6:30 a.m. but could not reach her. Police would clarify that they did not consider King to be a suspect in Emmetta Jean Dumas’s disappearance.
Unfortunately, King would take any information he may have had with him to the grave. By the 1990s, he was entangled in legal troubles. King was reportedly indicted in a case involving “trial-rigging conspiracy.” In 1994, he was shot and killed. The status of that murder case is unclear.
Emmetta Jean Dumas: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Emmetta Jean Dumas had black/dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her height and weight were not shared in databases. Any distinguishing marks are unknown. She was known to go by her middle name, Jean. What she was last seen wearing is unclear.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact their local authorities or the Fairfield Police Department in Alabama. Emmetta Jean Dumas’s case is not listed in the National Missing & Unidentified Persons System, and her agency case number has not been included in reports.
Please share this story about Emmetta Jean Dumas to help ignite an investigation into her missing person case. She is our sister, and her life matters.
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