Missing Since: 1994-04-02 Location: Carthage, Texas
Jeanie was last seen in Carthage, Texas on the afternoon of April 2, 1994. She disappeared after borrowing her mother’s brown Ford Tempo so she could pick up her sick baby’s prescription at Eckerd Drug Store. She has never been heard from again. Later that day, Jeanie’s mother’s car was found unlocked and abandoned near Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church on FM 2517. Her purse, sunglasses, keys and her baby’s prescriptions were still inside it. There were no indications of a struggle. At the time of Jeanie’s disappearance, she was separated from her husband, Charles Lofton, and they were in the process of a divorce and custody battle over their two toddler sons. The couple had married while Lofton was still in high school, and were together for four years. Their relationship had been stormy and each of them had been in jail for domestic violence against the other. Charles was scheduled to take a polygraph in connection with Jeanie’s disappearance on May 3, but the day before, he claimed he’d been shot on Forsyth Street in Carthage by an unidentified White man driving a black car. When police investigated his claim, they accused him of lying and charged him with filing a false report, a misdemeanor. Experts determined that Charles had been shot from less than one foot away, and gun shot residue was found on his hands. In 1995, Charles was convicted of filing a false report. Jeanie’s disappearance was investigated by a grand jury in the spring of 1994 and again in the summer, but no indictments were issued. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Panola County Sheriff’s Office 903-693-0333 Source Information Texas Department of Public Safety The Doe Network The Longview News-Journal Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated July 20, 2020; picture added, distinguishing characteristics and details of disappearance updated.