One year later Vincia James’ absence still hurts

One year after a New Winthropes woman mysterious vanished without a trace, Jeriann Haywood said the absence of her daughter has left a void in her heart.
Vincia James, who was 26-years-old at the time of her disappearance, was captured on surveillance camera leaving her Old Parham Road workplace, Dixie Betting Company, on April 7, 2017, around 1 p.m.
Since then, the mother said she has been left devastated and she is praying that James’ now eight-year-old son, the missing woman’ family and friends, will get closure.
“It was very, very hard yesterday [Saturday].” Haywood told OBSERVER media on Sunday. “I just sat down and cried all day…I went through old photos and remembered our last interaction and just cried a lot. It has been really tough on all of us. But, we are not giving up.”
A day after James’ disappearance, police issued a missing person’s bulletin, however, the New Winthropes woman was never found despite expansive search parties sent to track her down.
A reward of $10,000 was offered by the government for information that leads to finding her, while the family and a businessman have put up $6,500.
A month after her disappearance, police charged her ex-boyfriend, Mikhail Gomes, of Pigotts with her murder.
Haywood lamented that even with all the time that has passed, she wants the details of James’ disappearance to be revealed.
“We need answers. Not knowing what went wrong or what happened to her is the hardest part. But, we are not going to give up, we are not going to give up on her at all,” she stated.
Haywood added that she is very thankful for the public’s support.
“I appreciate it a lot that people have not forgotten. When I see her friends post pictures and talk about her, I feel so good to know that they haven’t forgotten about her, and they love her and that they are still thinking about her.”
The police said the investigation is still open. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Vincia James of New Winthropes should contact the Criminal Investigations Department at 462-3913/4.