Annie Dobbs knew something was wrong when she didn’t hear from her daughter Nashieka “Shieka” Dobbs for a few days.
“If she’d go out and stay, even two days, she’d call me,” Annie Dobbs told The Dispatch on Tuesday. “She’d call me and say, ‘I’m alright Momma.’ But I never did hear (from her). I told my other daughter, I said, ‘Something ain’t right about Shekia.’ She’d usually call me, but she didn’t call me.”
Nashieka Dobbs went missing Nov. 6, and five days later, Columbus Police Department alerted the public to be on the lookout for her and her boyfriend Jamar Hughes, who was reportedly the last person with whom she was seen.
Nashieka, 34, was the youngest of her mother’s five children and had four children of her own – the oldest being 14. Annie describes Nashieka as someone who always liked to “play around” and have fun.
“She ain’t bother nobody,” Annie said. “She didn’t ever bother nobody.”
Shortly before she went missing, Nashieka stopped by to check on her mother, Annie said. She was wearing green camouflage overalls and an orange T-shirt.
Annie said those were the same clothes Nashieka’s father and her older sister recognized when the pair discovered a body Thursday at the old Sanderson Plumbing plant off Seventh Avenue North during a search party organized by family.
“It’s just a hard pill to swallow,” Annie said. “That was my baby.”
Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said the body was taken to Jackson on Tuesday for an autopsy, expected to be completed after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Shortly after the body’s discovery, police detained Hughes and his brother, Jonathan Hughes, as persons of interest. Jamar was charged on Friday with Nashieka’s murder, while Jonathan has not yet been charged with anything.
But when asked if justice has been served, Annie said “it doesn’t look too good,” noting her concern there’s more to the story than just Jamar Hughes’ involvement.
‘I could have gotten her some help’
When she realized Nashieka was missing, Annie first checked the county jail log, with no luck. Her next stop was at the Hughes’ residence – where Annie said Jamar lived with his brother and their mother.
Annie claimed the family said Nashieka had left the home, and they didn’t “know where she went to.”
“I said, ‘Who’d she leave with?’ ‘She left by herself,’ that’s what (Jamar) said to me,” Annie said.
Hughes’ mother continued calling Annie, she said, asking if the family had received any updates on Nasheika’s whereabouts. As other family members searched for Nashieka on Thursday, Annie stopped by the home again.
“While they were out there searching, I went by the momma’s house, and I asked (Johnathan), I said, ‘Y’all seen my daughter?’ ‘No we ain’t seen her,’” Annie said. “I said, ‘Well they’re searching for her.’ He said, ‘What end of the property (are they searching)?’”
In a press conference on Thursday, Police Chief Joseph Daughtry confirmed the body was found “in close proximity” to the Hughes residence. Annie said authorities told her they suspected Nashieka was killed at the Hughes’ home with her body later being moved to the Sanderson Plumbing property.
“Maybe if they could have told me where she was, I could have gotten her some help or something. I don’t know.” Annie said. “Jamar Hughes told me, ‘She’s alright. You’ve got to have faith. She’s alright,’ knowing my daughter was laying out there dead in those weeds.”
Investigation concerns
Aside from the efforts of one detective who was devastated at the discovery of the body, Annie said she has been unhappy with CPD’s handling of her daughter’s case, particularly with what she feels was a lack of urgency in searching for Nashieka and a lack of communication with the family.
“The first time I called the police, they came out there, and (an officer) said, ‘We’ll get this in action,’” Annie recalled. “It was two or three more days before I heard anything from them. They weren’t doing what they were supposed to do.”
Since Jamar and Johnathan were arrested, Annie said “nobody’s been in touch,” referring to the police department.
“It makes me feel kind of bad because they should keep me updated on what’s going on,” she said. “But ain’t nobody come and said nothing to me since her body was found.”
During the Thursday press conference, Daughtry said the department was still “trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” noting investigators had followed tips from different people who had called Nashieka’s family members.
When asked to comment Tuesday on Annie’s claims, Daughtry declined due to the case being an ongoing investigation.
While she said it’s hard to live without many clear answers, Annie said she’s determined to make sure all parties involved are held accountable for Nashieka’s death.
“They think I’m going to let it go like that, but … I’m not going to do it,” she said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
