Family Still Holding Out Hope After Tonetta Carlisle's 1989 Abduction And Disappearance

Thirty years after Tonetta Carlisle’s 1989 abduction, Cold Case investigators have renewed their efforts to figure out what happened in her case.

“It’s essentially over 30 years ago that she was abducted, but more importantly it is something we believe can be solved,” said District Attorney Neal Pinkston, “We just need the public’s help in doing that. Contact any of us with all information.”

The investigators have focused on Jefferey Lamar Jones as the person of interest in this case. According to the district attorney, witnesses saw Carlisle being forced into a vehicle by a black male at the intersection of Hamilton and North Market Street.

The license plate number was traced back to Jones, a convicted rapist who killed himself two days after the abduction.

While the case has been cold for years, Ms. Carlisle’s birthday was the impetus for a renewed investigation by the department. As the investigation was renewed, detectives began to look through their older sources in a new light.

Investigator Vincent Holoman said, “The information was that the family just wished we take another look at it, while looking for new leads. So we recollected DNA samples from her mom and brother, and we’re going to resubmit that and possibly get a match.”

Mr. Pinkston said, “The other lead was the illumination of other theories that focused back on this person of interest. That would be some of the newest information.”

Ms. Carlisle’s mother, Nonie Sturdivant, and her brother, Darrell Stewart, were at the press conference, and asked anyone with information about Jones or the case itself to let the police or investigators know about whatever information that person might have.

“We know somebody knows something,” said Ms. Carlisle’s brother, “And we’re really just asking for that person or whoever knows anything to come forward." 

Ms. Carlisle’s family has spent the last three decades dealing with not knowing what happened to their daughter and sister, and all they want is some amount of closure.

“It’s been really hard for me, because I haven’t had no kind of closure,” said her mother, “I couldn’t sleep, or eat, or anything like that. I’ve just really been trying to deal with it.”

Like every missing person’s case, Ms. Carlisle is assumed to still be alive.

“We’re keeping hope alive,” said her family, “We hope to see her one day.”

Anyone with information about Ms. Carlisle, Jones, or the case itself is urged to contact the District Attorney’s office or the Chattanooga Police Department.

Authorities said, "Tonetta Carlisle was 15 years old when she was last seen walking home from City High School, where she was a freshman, at approximately 2:55 p.m. on March 16, 1989. She was headed to her family's residence in the 600 block of Hamilton Avenue at the time. An eyewitness told Chattanooga police that she observed Tonetta's abduction approximately half a block from Tonetta's home at approximately 3:00 p.m. The woman said she saw unidentified suspects jumped out of a tan and yellow vehicle with the Tennessee license plate number LKH 920, forcibly pull Tonetta inside the vehicle and then drove away. 

"The witness told authorities that she and her husband chased the vehicle and called the police department with its license plate number. Tonetta's mother filed a missing child report with Chattanooga police eight hours later when her daughter failed to return home from school. The plate number of the vehicle involved in the abduction was traced back to Jeffrey Jones. Jones was previously convicted of rape and aggravated sexual assault and served eight years in prison. He was released about a year before Tonetta disappeared. Jones committed suicide and was found deceased inside his van on March 18, 1989, two days after Tonetta was last seen. He had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

"There has been no trace of Tonetta since that time, but Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston has directed his Cold Case Unit to re-open the case because he believes it is solvable. “I believe Jeffrey Jones is an important piece of the puzzle,” said Pinkston. “We would like to hear from anyone who has any knowledge of Jeffrey Jones, specifically within his last year or so before he committed suicide.”

 

"Anyone with information about Jeffrey Jones, or the disappearance of Tonetta Carlisle, is urged to call the cold case hotline at 423-209-7470. You can also send information via email at Coldcases@hcdatn.org."