Woman still searches for niece after three years, believes she's been killed

A Frankfort woman still searches for her niece who she believes went missing three years ago and shares why she thinks her niece might have been killed.

Stacy Caldwell is a mother to three kids and a grandmother to four grandchildren. She's described by her aunt, Rayma Parks, as having a forgiving and kind spirit.

"She was a very loving person. And friendly, she just never met a stranger. And she's highly missed. She really is," describes Parks. "Bubbly, yes. Friendly, yes. I don't think I've ever seen her mad or upset. When she would come in, when he was mean to her and stuff. She would be upset because she really loved that guy."

Parks says, Stacy loved to spend her time piecing together puzzles, and enjoying a drink and a smoke on the porch with her aunt. Now, those moments have become painful memories the last three years.

"But she's been gone since 2021," says Parks. "She would call me before 10:00 every night, and then everything just quit."

Stacy moved to Alameda, California from Kentucky with her fiance, Matthew Marquez in 2021. According to Parks, Marquez had been abusing Stacy and controlling her throughout the relationship. Parks recalls Stacy being locked in the couples trailer many times while Marquez was at work. Parks describes a time when Stacy returned home "very upset" and told her Marquez was choking her until she passed out because he "enjoyed the look on her face as she came out of it."

Rayma Parks of Frankfort, KY

"She was gonna let us know in some kind of code if she was in trouble, but it would never come about. So I'm guessing he found that out," says Parks. "We started calling when she didn't call for a couple of months. We knew something was wrong then."

Parks says she called California and Kentucky State Police, the FBI and even U.S. Marshals, but she says no one could help find her niece. Parks believes Marquez killed Stacy and hid her body somewhere.

"That if he'd done something to her. That he needs to turn himself in. Him or his dad or both because his dad's got to be in on it. He's the money man," explains Parks. "And that he'd let somebody at least know where she's at. Or where her body is so we can at least get the body home. For closure. Or if anybody knows anything."

Parks states, she won't stop searching until years-long questions are answered.

If you or someone you know needs help getting out of a domestic violence situation, you can contact the Lexington Domestic and Sexual Violence and Prevention Coalition for help or your local police department.