Closed but Missing: The Disappearance of the Hughes Family
“Why would a missing persons case be closed when the person hasn’t been found?” It’s a question I’ve been asked a few times. There’s no one answer to that question. Sometimes law enforcement loses contact with whoever is looking for them. Other times it’s because they think the person is dead and that it’s impossible to locate the body (this is one reason I think makes some sense). And sometimes I can’t find a reason at all.
The disappearance of the Hughes family is one of those cases. Family are still looking for them, there’s no reason to think they are dead, but the case is dead.
The Hughes family consisted of Robby Ann Floyd, her children Sarena Glenn and twins Brent and Brenttany Hughes, and Floyd’s younger sister Jennifer Hughes. I have not been able to find a reason Jennifer was living with her sister, and this is especially interesting considering some other details about the case. They lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina with Floyd’s current husband and their son together. There isn’t an exact date for their disappearance, and the details are a little fuzzy. A neighbor later reported that sometime in December 1996 she saw Floyd outside her home loading boxes into a blue van. A woman was with her, and Floyd said the woman was her mother. She told the neighbor she was going to Alabama to look after her ailing father. The neighbor noted she seemed to be in a hurry. Floyd’s husband later said she called him and said they were in Alabama and she would call him later. He reported she never contacted him again.
All of this sounds fairly straightforward. They just left, right? Except that Floyd’s mother said she hadn’t seen her daughter in years, and she hadn’t been with her at all. She also said that Floyd’s father was in fact ill, but Floyd planned to move him to North Carolina. Her husband left the area, but they had been having marital problems and it’s possible he just assumed they didn’t want to stay in contact with him. (Law enforcement says he is not a suspect, so I will not treat him as one.) I have not seen any details about the father of the twins, but Sarena’s father says he has not heard from her since 1996.
The whole family was on NCMEC for a while, but around 2004/2005, their case vanished from the site, with the exception of Jennifer’s case. By 2008 or so, even her poster was gone. Jennifer did have a profile on the Namus site for a short period of time, but it’s gone now. LE says the case is closed. There’s been no activity on any of their social security numbers since 1996.
One of the reasons I can’t give this case a straightforward account is because there are so many baffling details. Why was Jennifer living with her sister and not with her parents, and why hadn’t Floyd’s mother heard from her daughter in years? Floyd’s son with her husband is older than the twins, but the twins have their mother’s maiden name; why? Who was the woman with Floyd that December day? Floyd’s van is missing too, but the fact she called her husband later on to say she was in Alabama isn’t consistent with driving into a body of water. The twins both have/had heart conditions that needed medical attention, but they seemingly haven’t gotten it.
And why is the case closed? I’ve never found out. Family members are still openly looking for them, and it’s certainly not a case where they’re clearly dead and recovery of their remains would be impossible. If they’re fine and want to be left alone, LE would just say that, since it’s not a crime to disappear.
But with no open case, everyone who knew and cared about the Hughes family is in limbo. And that’s a tragedy, because they deserve better.
Robby Floyd on the Charley Project
Robby Floyd on the Doe Network
Sarena Glenn on the Charley Project
Sarena Glenn on the Doe Network
Brent Hughes on the Charley Project
Brent Hughes on the Doe Network
Brenttany Hughes on the Charley Project
Brenttany Hughes on the Doe Network