robert “alex” easterling

Missing since: April 20, 2022

White male

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Height: 5’9’’

Weight: 160 lbs.

Age (at time of disappearance): 30

Last seen wearing: black t-shirt with white Egyptian design on front, blue jeans, and tan, military style boots

Tattoo(s): Large cross on back

case details:

On April 20th, 2022, Easterling's mother picked him up and took him to purchase a new phone. Afterwards, the two of them headed toward Easterling's home in Holmes County. As they made their way into Pickens, Easterling asked if they could stop at a convenience store so he could grab a pack of cigarettes. When he returned to the car, he requested that his mother drop him off at his friend's house on Stockyard Road and he told her he would get a ride home from there.

When they arrived at the friend's home, his mother asked who the property belonged to. Easterling told her it was DeEdward Anderson's house. His mother texted herself the name and dropped a pin so that she would have the location. When Easterling exited the vehicle, he told his mother to text him when she arrived home. He walked away from the vehicle at around 8:15 p.m. When she arrived at her home just before 9 p.m., she texted Easterling who did not respond.

By the next morning, Easterling still had not responded to her text. She became even more worried at this point.

On the following day, April 22nd, 2022, Easterling's grandfather contacted the Holmes County Sheriff, Willie March, and asked that a welfare check be conducted for Easterling at the home on Stockyard Road. March went out to the home and asked DeEdward Anderson about the whereabouts of Easterling. He stated that when Easterling was dropped off at his home, the two of them stood on the porch and talked for a bit before he went back into the house to grab a shirt. He said when he came back out Easterling was gone.

Later that day, Easterling's grandfather went out to the property and Anderson gave him a different story about the events that took place on the day Easterling went missing. He stated that he went inside to get his phone and when he came back to the porch, Easterling was gone. The third conflicting statement of events from Anderson would come later, when he told a deputy that he had gone inside to retrieve a cigarette. The only piece of Anderson's story that remains unchanged is that he comes back out to the porch and Easterling is no longer there.

An official missing person report was filed for Easterling. At that time, Sheriff Willie March, told Easterling's family that he was going out there to conduct a search on the property to include outbuildings. As of today, three years later, a full search of that property has never been conducted and a search warrant has never been sought or obtained by the Holmes County Sheriff's Department.

After obtaining cell phone data from Easterling's phone, pings confirm that he was at Anderson's home between 8:15 p.m. and 9:27 p.m. At 9:27 p.m. Easterling's phone pinged at a location further up Stockyard Road, which is near the gates of a large farm. The phone remained there until around 3:21 a.m. when the data stops.

Easterling's family requested geofencing be done on his phone. Holmes County Sheriff's Department requested data beginning at 10 p.m. on April 21st, 2022, which is well after the time of last contact and the time of last transmission for the cell phone.

On April 28th, 2022, a search was conducted at Anderson's home, with two teams of tracking and cadaver dogs. Anderson did not want the search to be done but eventually allowed it after making a few phone calls. He said that the search could be done but that nobody was allowed to go in his back yard stating that Easterling had never gone back there. As the search dogs began searching, they began to follow a trail into the backyard, showing interest towards the back of the property. Anderson began getting irate and searchers feared for their safety and terminated the search.

On April 29th, 2022, Easterling's family received a call from the Goodman Police Chief stating that buzzards were flying low around exit 146 which is very close to the property on Stockyard Road. Mississippi Highway Patrol flew drones over the area but were unable to see anything.

On May 2nd, 2022, Holmes County Sheriff's Department requested that Anderson voluntarily come in for questioning and a polygraph test. He agreed to meet but was over an hour late and refused to be questioned or to undergo a polygraph. He stated he would be hiring an attorney and left. He has not been questioned or polygraphed at this time.

On May 4th, 2022, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued a search warrant for surveillance equipment and Anderson's phone records. It was discovered that much of the surveillance equipment at the home had been removed, but the hard drive was still available. Easterling's family reviewed the footage in February 2023 and noted significant gaps. There were missing segments between 8:26 p.m. and 8:54 p.m. and again between 9:03 p.m. and 9:54 p.m. Texts and calls from Anderson to Easterling were recorded from before Easterling's arrival, and one minute before the footage resumed, Anderson sent a text to Easterling. At 8:36 p.m. there was an outgoing call from Easterling's phone to another individual that lasted 26 seconds.

On May 7th, 2022, a large search was conducted with over 100 volunteers, 9 certified canine search and rescue handlers, the Lexington Police Chief, and several off-duty law enforcement officer from outside the area. No handlers or volunteers were allowed on Anderson's property during the search though dogs showed interest from the back of the property, which would have been considered the backyard of Anderson's home. There were no personnel from Holmes County Sheriff's Department on the search and deputies with the department have told the Easterling family that they were ordered to refrain from participating in the search or communicating with the family.

On September 3rd, 2023, a fire broke out at the property at Stockyard Road, ironically destroying the area the search dogs had showed interest in previous searches.

Holmes County Sheriff's Department has not named a person of interest or a suspect in Alex Easterling's disappearance at this time. The last man he was known to have contact with and the location in which all of his phone data stops, has never been questioned and the property has never been fully searched.

Contact Information:

Crime Stoppers

(888)827-4637

NamUs ID#: MP93737

Additional Resources:

Darkhorse Press // Investigation: Homicide (Interview with Alex Easterling’s Mother)

True Crime Mama (Alex Easterling)