Anderson family disappearance: Investigators search Fulton property 26 years after mother, three children vanished

Investigators are searching a property in the Scenic Hills area of Fulton as authorities pursue answers in the disappearance of Lesley Anderson and three of her children, a case that has remained unresolved for more than 26 years. WTVA reported that investigators, including FBI personnel, were digging in the backyard of a home Wednesday, Sept. 23, in connection with the family’s disappearance.

Itawamba County Sheriff Mitch Nabors has described the investigation as active and is asking residents to give law enforcement room to work while continuing to share anything they remember about the family. Lesley was 45 when she disappeared in April 2000. Her daughter Rachel was 13, and her sons Cameron and Kyle were 12 and 9. At the time, they were living with a family friend in Fulton.

In a Sept. 23 statement, Nabors alerted residents to an increased law enforcement presence in Scenic Hills and asked for patience as investigators worked.

“We ask that you allow law enforcement the space to conduct this investigation and will update you as soon as there is information to share,” Nabors said. The statement did not disclose what investigators were looking for at the property or announce any findings.

A disappearance that left a family searching for answers

The Mississippi Repository for Missing and Unidentified Persons lists April 11, 2000, as the date Lesley and her three children were last seen in Fulton. Her case remains listed as missing, with the repository also documenting that her vehicle was later found in a field near her residence.

Family appeals have identified their last known address as 757 Scenic Hills Drive in Fulton. That location has remained part of the public effort to find someone who remembers seeing the family or knows something about the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.

According to previous reporting by Darkhorse Press, Lesley and the children’s father, Jeff Anderson, separated in 1997. Rachel, Cameron and Kyle subsequently lived with their mother in Fulton and maintained contact with their father through regular telephone calls. Over time, Jeff noticed that contact becoming less frequent.

School attendance records later obtained by Jeff provided additional dates from the weeks surrounding the disappearance. According to Darkhorse Press, Rachel’s last recorded day at school was April 5, 2000. Kyle’s was April 7, while Cameron did not return after April 10. Those reported attendance dates help establish portions of the timeline, but they do not explain what happened to the family afterward.

An unexpected call from Cameron

One memory has stayed with Jeff Anderson throughout the years: a telephone call from Cameron that broke their usual routine.

In a video released by the FBI and described in a Sept. 22 report by Darkhorse Press, Jeff recalled that Cameron called him on a Wednesday shortly before the family disappeared. Jeff said he ordinarily initiated their conversations on Saturdays, making the midweek call unusual.

“I always called on a Saturday,” Jeff said in the video. “The kids never called me except that one day.”

He said he and Cameron spoke for several minutes before he told his son he would call again that weekend. When Saturday arrived, he could not reach the children.

“When I called that Saturday they were gone,” Jeff said.

Jeff has continued to question why Cameron called that Wednesday and what might have happened between that conversation and his next attempt to reach the family.

“I was always wondering in the back of my mind why did Cameron call that Wednesday?” he said. “So it kind of haunted me for a long time. What could happen in three days?”

His recollection remains an account of a conversation he remembers, rather than an explanation of the disappearance. The reason for Cameron’s call remains unknown in the information publicly described about the case.

A reported departure — and a vehicle found nearby

Another part of the case centers on what Jeff was told when he tried to locate the family.

According to Darkhorse Press’ reporting based on his account, Lesley’s roommate told him she had left during the night with a truck driver, taking Rachel, Cameron and Kyle with her. The roommate reportedly said they departed in a brown station wagon. That description was an account given to Jeff, not an independently established explanation of where the family went.

The vehicle was later found near the residence where Lesley and the children had been staying. The Mississippi repository identifies it as a brown 1981 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon and records that it was discovered in a field near the home months after the disappearance.

The discovery did not resolve the family’s whereabouts. It also left unanswered whether they had departed in the manner described to Jeff.

In the FBI video, Nabors said investigators have no indication that Lesley and the children ever left Fulton. He also said their families had not heard from them in 26 years. That assessment underscores the continuing uncertainty surrounding the reported departure; it does not establish what ultimately happened to the four missing family members.

Investigators say community information is helping

As law enforcement works in Scenic Hills, Nabors is renewing an appeal to people who knew the Andersons, lived nearby or may remember something from the period surrounding their disappearance.

In his public statement about the investigation, the sheriff emphasized that information does not have to seem significant to be worth reporting. An observation, conversation or memory from years ago could help investigators better understand the case.

“Something you saw, heard, or remembered years ago may be the piece of information investigators need today,” Nabors said.

In the FBI video, the sheriff said information from the community was already helping law enforcement pursue leads. He also encouraged people who have since moved away from the area to contact investigators with anything they know.

The increased activity has brought renewed attention to the disappearance, but the sheriff’s public announcements have not provided an explanation for what happened to Lesley, Rachel, Cameron and Kyle. His message has instead focused on the continuing investigation, the importance of public cooperation and the commitment to finding answers.

“We have not forgotten the Anderson family,” Nabors said. “We will continue to look for answers, and we are grateful to everyone who continues to help us keep their names and their story from being forgotten.”

How to share information

Anyone with information about Lesley, Rachel, Cameron or Kyle Anderson is asked to call 800-225-5324, or 1-800-CALL-FBI, the number provided in the sheriff’s renewed appeal. It is the FBI’s tip number, rather than the sheriff’s office’s direct telephone line.

The Itawamba County Sheriff’s Department can also be reached directly at 662-862-3401. That number is listed on the department’s website and in Lesley Anderson’s missing-person record.

Nabors is urging anyone who has held onto a detail — even something they have long considered too small to matter — to share it with investigators.