In 2022, 38-year-old Chelsea Woods lived in Clinton, Arkansas. Her son was 12-years-old at the time, and she was suffering from bipolar disorder when she sadly vanished on August 28 of that year.
Two days before she went missing, Chelsea spoke on the phone with her mother, Sherry Lawrence– who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. The pair would routinely talk on the phone each day. However, the end of this particular conversation was different.
“She said, ‘Momma, I just want to let you know if anything happens to me, I love you.’ And she hung up,” Sherry recalled of Chelsea’s last words to her.
Sherry claimed that she wasn’t able to travel to check on Chelsea in Arkansas at that point. But she now wishes she could’ve been there because the next phone call her daughter placed was to the police on August 28, 2022.
That Sunday morning, Chelsea dialed 911 at 7:03 a.m. and claimed to be afraid of someone who was inside her home, according to a report from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office (VBCSO). The report also stated that Chelsea’s call “was in reference to a domestic that had already occurred.”
Furthermore, the report noted that witnesses alleged Chelsea had been “talking all sorts of crazy” before she ran out the front door of her home and went into the woods.
Once the police arrived at the scene, they found Chelsea down the street. But, she was adamant about speaking with one specific officer– no one else. Unfortunately, that particular officer was not present, so Chelsea ultimately ran further into the woods. According to deputies, she was holding “a big knife over a foot long.”
This prompted officers to spend nearly an hour trying to convince Chelsea to return home. However, these efforts were unsuccessful, and she has been missing ever since.
“It’s just messed up. Everything from beginning to end,” Chelsea’s aunt, Tracey Hale, said.
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“A lot of accusations have been thrown around, but we don’t know anything,” added Renee Hastings Hall, another aunt of Chelsea’s.
Three days later, Tracey actually contacted the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a wellness check after being unable to contact Chelsea. Upon arriving at her home, officers found Chelsea’s front door wide open and her pet cat still inside. But, there was no sign of the 38-year-old mother.
Once an investigation into her disappearance was launched, Chelsea’s driver’s license, purse, and other personal belongings were located on a nearby property. Multiple search efforts in the surrounding area were also put underway, but no further evidence was uncovered.
So, Chelsea has not been seen or heard from since, and her loved ones have continued searching for answers. Her mother, Sherry, refuses to quit looking.
“We’ll never stop looking until we know what has happened,” she stated.
She has also issued pleas to the public and her daughter, begging for anyone to come forward with information.
“Please contact us and let us know if they see my daughter and Chelsea, if you’re out there, I just want to let you know that I love you so much, and we miss you so much,” Sherry said.
Chelsea is five foot nine, weighs 180 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. It is unknown what she was wearing at the time she vanished, and there is currently a $5,000 reward being offered for information that leads to her location. You can also check out the Facebook page Chelsea’s loved ones created for her here.
If you have any information regarding Chelsea’s disappearance or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (501) 745-2112.
