Family asking for public’s help finding Henderson woman missing for 16 years

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - A family in Henderson is working to uncover what happened to their mother, who disappeared more than 16 years ago.

It’s a cold case we’ve been following since 2006.

Tiffany Phelps’s family says they last saw her in January of 2006. Her kids were young at the time, and say they don’t have many memories of her, despite that they’re still hoping to find out what happened to her.

Gabrielle McNease was six years old when her mom disappeared. She says it’s hard to see how people don’t seem to remember anymore.

“Nobody is looking for her, nobody is trying to find her, nobody is talking about it anymore. I’m her daughter, so I feel like it’s my responsibility to make it known again,” said McNease.

Tiffany was 28 when she disappeared. Her family says they know she struggled with drug addiction, and she didn’t have a permanent residence at the time. As we said in 2006, she didn’t access any of her money after disappearing.

Tiffany’s family says one of the hardest things about their situation is not knowing if Tiffany is even still alive.

“I’ll go around people and I’ll see somebody that I’ll think that it’s her,” said Tiffany’s daughter Heather Phelps. “What if I’m walking past her every day and I just don’t know? I just don’t know.”

Another thing that’s changed in the past 16 years, is McNease became a mom herself.

She says what happened to her mom affects how she is as a parent.

“I’m more cautious, and I’m very protective over my kids, so nothing like that happens to me, nothing like that happens to them, so we don’t have to deal with this again,” said McNease.

Tiffany’s family says they’re reaching out to the public for help. They’re eager for any piece of information that could lead them to what happened to their mom.

“I have other brothers and sisters, and we are without a mother and my kids are without a grandmother,” said McNease. “We just want to find her. We just want to find her.”

If you have any information that could help find what happened to Tiffany Phelps, contact the Henderson Police.

Copyright 2022 WFIE. All rights reserved.