Annie Laurie Hearin disappeared from her home in the Woodland Hills subdivision of Jackson, Mississippi, on July 26, 1988. She was 73 years old and had spent the afternoon hosting her regular bridge club. After her guests and the housekeeper left, she was alone at the residence. Her husband, prominent businessman Robert Hearin, returned home around 4:30 p.m. and initially believed she had gone out. As the evening passed and she failed to return, he became concerned. Around 9:50 p.m., he contacted the Jackson Police Department to report her missing. 

Investigators found several unusual pieces of evidence inside the home. Annie's purse, eyeglasses, and shoes were still there, indicating she had not planned to leave. A small amount of blood was discovered on the front door and on the carpet inside the house. Police also found a typewritten ransom note addressed to Robert Hearin. The note claimed Annie had been kidnapped and demanded that Robert settle financial disputes with twelve individuals connected to his School Pictures business. Rather than asking for money, the kidnappers wanted Robert to compensate people they claimed had been financially harmed by his company. 

Several weeks later, Robert received another letter that investigators determined had been written by Annie herself. In it, she pleaded with him to do what the kidnappers demanded, saying they had threatened to leave her sealed in a cellar with only a small amount of water if he did not comply. Robert attempted to satisfy the demands by sending payments to the individuals named in the ransom note. Some of the recipients returned the money, but Annie was never released, and no further confirmed communication from her was ever received. 

The investigation eventually focused on Florida attorney Newton Alfred Winn, one of the franchise owners involved in a bitter legal dispute with Robert Hearin's company. Evidence presented in court showed Winn had possessed maps of the Hearin property, a typewriter consistent with the one used to prepare the ransom note, and had arranged for a woman to mail Annie's handwritten letter. In 1990, Winn was convicted in federal court of conspiracy to kidnap, mail fraud, extortion, and perjury in connection with the case. However, because Annie's body has never been found and there was no direct evidence establishing her fate, Winn was never convicted of murder. He maintained his innocence until his death in 2012.

Despite decades of investigation, Annie Laurie Hearin has never been found, and no one has ever been charged with her murder. Her disappearance remains one of Mississippi's most well-known unsolved kidnapping cases.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Annie Laurie Hearin, contact the Jackson Police Department at (601) 960-1234 or the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation at (601) 987-1530.