6-year Missing person case possibly solved

By Jeff Byrd

Editor

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The agonizing saga of the missing person’s case involving Hyshawn Curry might finally be on the road to resolution.

First Judicial District Chief Investigator Ron Baggette and a team from the Texas Equine Search team found a deceased body Saturday off Big Buck Road near Dixons Mills.

Baggette cautioned that it could take up to three months to determine if this was Curry who was 28 at the time of his disappearance. Curry’s father is a prominent minister from Thomasville.

“We did find some remains, and evidence in this case, led us to this area,” Baggette said. “We feel pretty good, based on evidence, about the ID, but it’s going to take some time for identification. That’s why I had the body sent to the FBI national lab in Quanitico, Virginia. Not only is it a national forensics lab, but they also have an anthropologist who handles cases like this.

“We had hope to use dental records, but Curry’s dentist has since retired and burned his records.”

For Curry’s family, the discovery of the body was a big relief.

?“Finally found him. Thanks to these wonderful people and some others. Ron was the detective that never gave up. Appreciate everyone who was invested and helped my family in any way,” said Derrick Antonio Curry, Hyshawn’s brother, through Facebook.

Derrick Curry confirmed to the Thomasville Times the body was found off Big Buck Road near Dixons Mills.

For Baggette, the Curry case has been the longest in terms of time, he has been involved with.

“It will be six years as of Jan. 31,” Baggette said.

Baggette was thankful for the help of Texas Equine Search team.

“They were awesome,” Baggette said. “They have been down here numerous times. They have gone to other potential sites. They know what to do. They have solved more than 400 missing person cases already in the U.S.”

Tim Miller from the Texas team’s Executive Director said persistence is a key.

“We had been there a couple of times before,” Miller said. “Yeah, it’s always good to find something for the family.”

Miller said his group has worked on the nation’s most famous missing person’s case, Natalie Holloway, an Alabama student who went missing on a school vacation trip in Aruba.

“I’ve been to Aruba nine times,” Miller said. “In fact, I just talked to Dave Holloway, Natalie’s dad, just a few weeks ago.”

Dave Holloway is a State Farm agent in Meridian.

As for the Capital Murder case involving Curry’s death, Baggette said the state’s case against Tremaine Nickerson is still pending.

In January of 2020, Nickerson, 26, of Pine Hill was arrested for Capital Murder in the Curry case. Curry was declared missing on Jan. 31, 2016.

According to evidence presented by Fifth Judicial District Attorney Michael Jackson, Nickerson was seen driving the victim’s BMW around the time of his disappearance. While Curry’s blood was found in the vehicle, his body had not been found.

In the preceding years after his disappearance, Baggette led an investigation covering three counties, Wilcox, Clarke and Marengo. Enough evidence was presented to Jackson for the arrest of Nickerson on Jan. 8.

Nickerson has held without bond in the Wilcox County Jail since his Jan. 8, 2020 arrest on Capital Murder.