The Empty Cradle: The Unsolved Murder of Lori Hill

On a cold Mississippi night in January 1993, 18-year-old Lori Hill vanished from the quiet gravel road leading to her family home in the Pine Grove community of Ellisville in Jones County. Seven months pregnant and just weeks away from giving birth to a baby girl she planned to name Tess, Lori's disappearance shattered the peace of her rural town and began a search that would end in tragedy.

Lori Hill had her future planned. A recent graduate of South Jones High School and a student at Jones County Junior College, she had set aside her nursing dreams temporarily to prepare for the arrival of her baby girl. Described by her family as gentle but strong-willed, Lori wasn't one to wander or take unnecessary risks--especially not while pregnant.

Lori spent most of her time at home or with her boyfriend. That's where she was the evening of January 21, 1993. She rented a movie and went to her boyfriend's house in hopes of watching the movie with him. When she arrived, he wasn't home. She left the home at around 8:15 after telling her boyfriend's sister that her back was hurting and she was going home to rest. Unfortunately, she would never make it home.

Her parents, Mack and Opal Hill, had gone out for the night. When they returned home at around 9:15 p.m. they found Lori's dark blue Oldsmobile parked at the end of the gravel road that led to their house. The lights were still on and the car was running. Her parents weren't alarmed at the time because it wasn't uncommon for Lori to sit at the end of the driveway and wait on them to come home and at times, she would just sit there listening to music like teenagers do.

When her parents awoke the next morning, they realized that Lori had not made it inside. Panic set in. What they believed to be normal and routine turned out to be sinister. When they reached Lori's car that morning, it was still parked in the same spot. The driver's side window was down, the battery was dead, but the ignition was still in the "on" position. Her purse was also located inside the car. It was unclear whether Lori had been forced from the car or if she had gotten out willingly.

The Jones County Sheriff's Department was called, and a search was launched. Volunteers scoured the Leaf River, which was in close proximity to the Hill home. Over 100 volunteers and law enforcement agents also searched the woods and highways over the span of weeks. Helicopters were called in as well. Still no sign of Lori was found.

Three weeks later, on February 10, 1993, two men preparing a field to plant a garden stumbled upon the body of Lori Hill behind a shed in a remote area about a quarter mile off of U.S. Highway 49 in Collins. The shed was close to an abandoned home. Due to her body being badly decomposed, her cause of death was not immediately apparent. An autopsy would later reveal that she had been strangled. Tire tracks, likely belonging to a small pickup truck, were found close to Lori's body. There was no murder weapon or clear motive. Officials considered this a double homicide since Lori was pregnant at the time of her death.

In the months that followed, the investigation appeared promising to the community. On March 29, 1993, Lori's body was exhumed to collect hair samples to compare with hair the crime lab found on her clothing when her body was recovered. Then, on June 12, 1993, investigators told the public that Lori's engagement ring had not been found when her body was recovered. They said they hoped that by locating her ring, which was a one-third carat diamond solitaire ring with six white-gold prongs on a yellow-gold band, may lead them to her killer.

For months, investigators followed leads that led nowhere. Several persons were questioned with plans to administer polygraph examinations on some of those individuals. The shocked Pine Grove community could not fathom that there may still be a killer on the loose among them. They began taking extra security precautions so that they would be less likely to be a victim of the still unknown killer.

In February 1995, Lori's ring was found. It had passed through several hands and was traced back to its original jeweler by identifying marks on the band. That discovery reignited the case. Around the same time, a witness came forward describing a tall, slim man with a Cajun accent who was seen in the company of Lori's acquaintances the night before her disappearance. Investigators hoped he held the answers they needed.

Investigators continued to pursue suspects but were never able to connect anyone to Lori's murder. In October 1998, Jeanene Pacific, the Jones County District Attorney at the time considered taking Lori's case before a grand jury in order to question witnesses who were reluctant to talk. However, that did not happen and Lori's case soon went cold.

In March 2023, evidence from Lori's case were submitted to Astrea Forensics by Jones County investigators. They were hopeful that DNA samples could be obtained to finally lead to the person who took the lives of Lori and her unborn daughter. In May 2025, Jones County Cold Case Investigator Thad Windham asked for anyone who may have information to reach out and provide that information so that this case could finally be put to rest and for justice to finally be served.

Despite early suspects, a $35,000 reward, and six billboards put up across the county, the killer of Lori Hill has never been found. Her case remains unsolved today.

For several years, Lori's mother left her room as a shrine to the beautiful lives taken so suddenly and too soon. She left Lori's shoes under the bed where she had placed them before she left for the night and never returned. Tess's crib and a picture frame with the word "Baby" both remained empty. A constant reminder of what would have been had their lives not been taken from them that January night in 1993.

Someone knows what happened to Lori Hill. There is a possibility that a group of people may know what happened and they have very likely shared that information with someone else. If that person is you, it is never too late to do the right thing. Please contact Investigator Windham at (601)425-7164 or twindham@co.jones.ms.us. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Jones County Crime Stoppers at (601)425-7867 or www.p3tips.com.