Tracy Ocasio -- Missing 5/26/09

Boot Found In Woods Could Belong To Missing Woman

August 28, 2009

Eyewitness News obtained a picture of a boot that investigators said could be a lead in a finding missing woman Tracy Ocasio. Investigators believe the boot (see the boot) belongs to 27-year-old Tracy Ocasio.

Ocasio, from Ocoee, has been missing since May and the boot could be the biggest break in the case. The boot was found by deputies on horseback on Highway 50 and Bluford Avenue (see map) earlier in the week.

"The boot was shown to the Ocasio family, who distributed [pictures] to her friends, asking, 'Hey, did Tracy ever have a boot like this?' And one of the friends said, 'Yes,'" explained Sgt. Mike Bryant, Ocoee Police Department.

Eyewitness News reporter George Spencer spoke with a friend of Tracy who is sure the boot is hers.

"As soon as I saw the picture, I drove down to the Ocoee Police Department and identified it and, sure enough, it was her boot. I mean, the same material, I'll give it a 99 percent, because you got to give a one percent because there are companies that make more of those boots. I am positive this is Tracy's boot," Tracy's friend said, who did not want to be identified (watch interview).

The friend said the boot was one of Tracy's favorite pair and that Ocasio kept them in her car to slip on at any time.

The boot was found recently in a wooded area that had been searched before. The friend who identified the boot says, when she saw it in person, she knew it was Tracy's because of the stretchy fabric it's made out of.

Police agree it is probably the most viable piece of information to date in the three-month search and presently their best lead.

Meanwhile, Crimeline received a call Wednesday night that Ocasio's body might be inside a freezer at an old animal crematory (read report) in west Orange County, but after investigating they found only animal bones. The abandoned property was an animal farm where people would drop off their dying pets, but it has not been in business for two years.

Tracy Ocasio's family, friends and police are now focused on the boot tip. Ocasio was last seen leaving a bar with person of interest, James Hattaway, who is in jail on unrelated charges.

The surveillance video is grainy, but it looks like Ocasio was wearing jeans and dark-colored shoes. Friends say Tracy often wore the boots paired with jeans.

Deputies said they stumbled on the boot while doing routine training in the wooded area. Beginning Thursday, Florida Department of Law Enforcement laboratory investigators will spend a couple of days analyzing the boot found in the woods. They plan on testing the boot for DNA evidence that could link it to Ocasio.
http://www.wftv.com/news/20578666/detail.html

This is so sad, and my heart goes out to Tracy's family. I've been following this story. Based on the background of the guy last seen with Tracy, I was certain that she wouldn't be found alive.

That picture in itself speaks volumes, very startling. Hopefully, more information will surface soon to bring her home.

DNA Results: Boot Found Likely Not Ocasio’s

Updated: 6:53 pm EDT August 31, 2009

OCOEE, Fla. -- Some disappointing news came Monday afternoon in the search for missing Ocoee woman Tracy Ocasio. A DNA lab determined a boot (see the boot) that was found in some woods in Ocoee was probably not Tracy's.

There was much hope the boot would lead detectives to Ocasio. Sources told Eyewitness News there was not DNA on the boot and therefore, they don't don't think the boot was Tracy's.

Tracy’s mom, Liz, left the police department Monday knowing another promising lead in her daughter’s disappearance will go nowhere.

"It had actually had an ant colony in it. It had been there for some period of time,” Liz told Eyewitness News.

Eyewitness News also learned the sole of the boot was not worn; it was most likely too new and had been there too long to be Tracy's.

“We try not to get too excited about anything anymore,” Liz said. “We don't want to ride that rollercoaster."

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/20649082/detail.html

Search for Tracy Ocasio gets help from family of another missing person

By Dave D'Marko, Reporter
Last Updated: Saturday, November 20, 2010 4:36 PM



~Snipped~

Just a few weeks ago, the Ocasio's say a friend of Hataway's, who was arrested for drugs, told investigators to search the areas of Fullers Cross and the 429 and woods along Clarcona Ocoee Road.

The most disturbing part of the tip, that took them to the woods, is they didn't just say that's where they would find Tracy Ocasio.

"It said if Hataway would have done anything, he would have put bodies, plural, in this area," said Ocasio's father, Joe.

The other missing person is Chris George, a man who knew Hataway and disappeared 15 weeks before Ocasio.

"From the area where Chris was last seen to area where we are searching is not that far, and its an area where Hataway was known to hang out," Joe Ocasio said.

Read more: http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/november/175036/Volunteers-searching-for-Tracy-Ocasio

New tip in Ocasio case?

Updated: Tuesday, 23 Nov 2010, 3:05 PM EST

ORALNDO Fla. - There is a new possible tip in the case of a missing Ocoee woman Tracy Ocasio.

The woman’s mother confirmed Tuesday that they have received a letter from a man who claims to have knowledge of several murders.

The letter is from a man who alleges that he once dated Amanda Case who is the mother of James Hataway’s daughter.

Read more: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/orange_news/112310-possible-new-tip-in-ocasio-case

Letter May Provide Clue In Tracy Ocasio Case

Updated: 2:43 pm EST November 23, 2010

~Snipped~

The letter was written by a man who claims he dated the mother of Hataway's daughter. The man who wrote it claimed he knew about three murders committed by her and even provided a map to lead police to evidence. The man sent the letter and map to a Tampa TV station and Ocasio's parents.

The letter states he dated the mother of Hataway's daughter and, during their relationship, she admitted to being involved in the three murders and showed the tipster two Orlando lakes where the bodies and a gun were dumped; Lake Susannah and Little Lake Barton are the two lakes mentioned.

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/25893254/detail.html

~Snipped~
WFTV tracked down that ex-girlfriend Tuesday. She does not want to be identified.

"That's hilarious," she told WFTV.

"It's a joke to you?" WFTV reporter Liz Artz asked.

"Yeah, five seconds of fame. That's what he wants," she said.

The woman said the man making these claims is addicted to drugs and for a long time wanted to get back in a relationship with her. They dated in 2007 and she can't figure out why now he's going public with what she calls false accusations.

"There's obviously no bodies, there's no guns, there's nothing. I'm not even worried about this," she said.

Regardless, Ocoee police are still following up on the lead. They said a detective was driving to Lakeland to interview the tipster Tuesday.

The guy sounds a little off his rocker, maybe he was the one that helped Hataway. That is so cruel to inflict something like that on her family if he's made this up. Why didn't he just go to the police?

Judge: No mention of Tracy Ocasio in Hataway's other trial

By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel
4:04 p.m. EST, January 18, 2011

SANFORD – A judge today ruled that when the man suspected in the disappearance of Tracy Ocasio stands trial in Seminole County in an unrelated attempted murder case, prosecutors can not say a word about Ocasio.

She is the 27-year-old woman who was last seen leaving a MetroWest bar with Hataway in May 2009 following an Orlando Magic playoff game.

Hataway has not been charged in that case, but he's in jail in Seminole, accused of choking and banging the head of another woman into the ground repeatedly after she refused his advances.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-james-hataway-hearing-20110118,0,7379168.story

Tracy Ocasio to be featured on Nancy Grace this week

The Nancy Grace show will highlight Tracy Ocasio's case Thursday night.

By Bianca Prieto, Orlando Sentinel
5:59 a.m. EST, February 21, 2011

The disappearance of Ocoee woman Tracy Ocasio will get some national media attention this week by the Nancy Grace show.

Ocasio disappeared in May 2009 after leaving a Metrowest bar with James Hataway. She has not been seen or heard from since then.

The Nancy Grace Show is showcasing 50 missing persons cases from around the country in 50 days.

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-tracy-ocasio-missing-nancy-grace-20110221,0,3307552.story

Human skull found after search teams drain Lake Carter

By Stephanie Coueignoux, Mark Jenkins and Nick VinZant, Team Coverage
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 6:14 AM

~Snipped~

Investigators said they believe the remains could belong to Onda Christopher George, who has been missing for two years, but they could not say for sure yet.

Detectives first found a human bone Monday night in the same area where George's car was found in February 2009.

That prompted a larger search in the area around Keene Road and Ocoee Apopka Road.

Tests results on the bone should determine whether the bone belongs to one of two people missing from Orange County for about two years:

* Onda Christopher George, of Apopka, has been missing since Feb. 12, 2009. He was 29 at the time.
* Tracy Ocasio, of Ocoee, has been missing since May 26, 2009. She was 27 at the time.

The two disappearances were 15 weeks apart, but investigators said they believe both George and Ocasio were last seen with the same man: James Hataway.

Read more: http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/february/210513/Human-skull-found-after-search-teams-drain-Lake-Carter

Hopefully this will be enough to charge Hataway with something more than attempted murder.

Amid Bones Search, New Person Of Interest Emerges

Updated: 6:10 pm EST February 23, 2011

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Bones may help solve a 2-year-old mystery in Orange County in the search for two missing people. Crews may have found more than bones in an Apopka lake, and only WFTV has learned there may now be a second person of interest in the case.

Both Chris George and Tracy Ocasio have been missing for two years, and crews are searching through the marsh at Lake Carter (see map) for their bones.

Until now, jail inmate James Hataway was the only suspect in the case. Wednesday, WFTV learned they are also looking at another man who was with James Hataway and George at the site.

SEARCH IMAGES: Search On 2/23 | Search On 2/22
02/23 INTERVIEWS: Ocasio's Mom | George's Mom | Apopka Police
STORY ARCHIVE: Previous "James Hataway" Stories

Of course, their main focus right now is digging up more evidence. Crime scene investigators have been driving in and out of the area all day Wednesday, scouring the lake for bones.

As water pumped out, bones become more visible Wednesday. From Skywitness 9 HD, WFTV spotted what appears to be a human skull just below the surface. Later in the day, investigators pulled out what look like leg bones.

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/26970621/detail.html

911 Call, Documents Released In Hataway Case

Posted: 6:35 pm EDT March 22, 2011

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- Hundreds of pages of new documents, along with several DVDs, were made public Tuesday in the attempted murder case against James Hataway. He's the prime suspect in the disappearances of Tracy Ocasio and Chris George, and is about to stand trial for allegedly trying to kill a Seminole County woman.

911 CALL: Caller Reports Rachel Clarke Beating

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/27285548/detail.html

'He wouldn't let go of me,' woman says at James Hataway trial

By Bianca Prieto, Orlando Sentinel
8:33 p.m. EDT, March 30, 2011

SANFORD — Rachael Clarke thought she was just giving a friend a ride home, but she said it quickly turned into a brutal attack that left her bruised, scraped up and scared for her life.

"He wouldn't let go of me," Clarke said. "I felt like he was trying to break my neck."

Clarke testified Wednesday in the attempted-murder case against James Hataway, who is charged with attacking her in August 2008 near his home in Fern Park.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/os-james-hataway-trial-20110330,0,3160783.story

James Hataway Stated On Stand: "I Guess I Hurt Her"

Updated: 6:34 pm EDT April 1, 2011

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- James Hataway, the man suspected in the disappearance of two people and the attempted murder of a woman, took the stand for the first time Friday. He testified in his defense, during his trial on attempted murder charges.

HATAWAY TESTIFIES: Part 1 | Part 2
WOMAN'S TESTIMONY: Part 1 Of 2 | Part 2
ALLEGED VICTIM: Photos Of Injures | On The Stand
ARCHIVE: Previous "James Hataway" Stories

Hataway said he was drunk that night, and everything was hazy. He claims he never tried to strangle Rachel Clarke and doesn't know how she got her injuries. Clarke alleges that he tried to break her neck in 2008.

"I guess I hurt her. I don't know what happened," Hataway said. "I cared about her. I wasn't trying to kill her."

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/countybycounty/27399066/detail.html

I saw part of Hataway's testimony and thought, Wow! He cleans up nice! He isn't believable nonetheless.

The jury definitely didn't believe him.

James Hataway Found Guilty Of Attempted Murder

Updated: 7:21 pm EDT April 1, 2011

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- James Hataway, the man suspected in the disappearance of two people was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder on Friday. The defense said Hataway is only guilty of battery, but the jury found him guilty on all charges, including burglary, false imprisonment and attempted first-degree murder.

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/27399066/detail.html

Good! Now where is Tracie?

Unfortunately, they don't really have any leverage to make Hataway reveal where Tracy is. If they find find Chris's body and can pin the murder on Hataway, then they could offer to take the death penalty off the table in exchange for the location of Tracy's body.

James Hataway gets life in prison after apologizing for attack on woman

By Gary Taylor, Orlando Sentinel
3:31 p.m. EDT, May 9, 2011

SANFORD — James Hataway, the only named suspect in the disappearance of Tracy Ocasio, was sentenced today to life in prison in an unrelated case in Seminole 'County.

Hataway was found guilty in April on charges of attempted first-degree murder, robbery, false imprisonment and burglary with battery – in the attack on Rachael Clarke in August 2008.

Circuit Judge Donna L. McIntosh today handed down the life sentence in the attempted-murder charge, making it clear she was only considering the circumstances of the attack on Clarke.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/crime/os-hataway-sentenced-seminole-20110509,0,4673817.story

Wow, that's good news. Maybe he will confess what he did with Tracy.

Tracy Ocasio missing for 3 years

Last Updated: Saturday, May 26, 2012 @ 11:28AM

OCOEE --

It was three years ago Saturday that Tracy Ocasio left a Metrowest bar and was never seen again.

The Ocoee woman has been missing since May 26, 2009.

Now, three years later, Ocasio's father said thoughts of what could have happened to his daughter still haunt him every day.

Read more: http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/5/26/tracy_ocasio_3_years.html

Justice4all wrote:Tracy Ocasio missing for 3 years

Last Updated: Saturday, May 26, 2012 @ 11:28AM

OCOEE --

It was three years ago Saturday that Tracy Ocasio left a Metrowest bar and was never seen again.

The Ocoee woman has been missing since May 26, 2009.

Now, three years later, Ocasio's father said thoughts of what could have happened to his daughter still haunt him every day.

Read more: http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/5/26/tracy_ocasio_3_years.html

From the above Link posted by J4A:



Tracy Ocasio was last seen May 26, 2009, leaving a Metrowest bar with James Hataway.
(Photo: TracyOcasio.com)

Appeals court upholds Hataway's attempted murder conviction

By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel
11:43 a.m. EST, July 9, 2012

An appeals court has upheld the attempted murder conviction of James Hataway, sent to prison for life for a deadly crime but not the most prominent one to which he is associated: the disappearance of Tracy Ocasio.

Hataway, 32, was convicted last year by a Seminole County jury of attempted first-degree murder in the case of another woman. She told jurors that after she drove Hataway home from a party, he gave her a good night hug then wouldn't let go of her.

Read more: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-07-09/news/os-hataway-appeal-denied-20120709_1_james-hataway-hataway-home-metrowest-bar

Search for Tracy Ocasio to continue Sunday

Search and Rescue of Central Florida is canvassing a 400-acre area in Ocoee

By Arelis R. Hernández and Desiree Stennett, Orlando Sentinel
6:17 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2012

Tracy Ocasio

After about eight hours Saturday, teams of volunteers and human-detection dogs ended the first half of a two-day weekend search in Ocoee for evidence of Tracy Ocasio, missing for more than three years.

The search was to resume Sunday. Ocasio disappeared in 2009 after leaving a MetroWest bar with felon James Hataway.

At the request of her parents, Search and Rescue of Central Florida initiated the weekend search on land along Ocoee-Apopka Road and State Road 429 that had previously been inaccessible, said Joseph St. Cyr, a spokesman for the non-profit organization.

Read more:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-tracy-ocasio-search-20121027,0,704849.story

Search resumes for missing Florida woman Tracy Ocasio

Published October 28, 2012
FoxNews.com

A search has resumed in the case of a Florida woman who disappeared in 2009, MyFoxOrlando.com reports.

Tracy Ocasio, then 27, was last seen with a man named James Hataway after leaving a MetroWest bar. He told police he dropped her off and has not been charged with a crime in connection with the case, according to MyFoxOrlando.com.

The group Search and Rescue of Central Florida focused on a piece of land Saturday that had previously been inaccessible. The search resumed Sunday in that area in a section not previously searched.

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/28/search-resumes-for-missing-florida-woman-tracy-ocasio/

Human skull discovered near Ocoee

Orange County homicide detectives are treating the discovery like a homicide until they get more information from medical examiners.

By Arelis R. Hernández, Orlando Sentinel
5:04 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2013

Detectives and deputies are treating Friday's discovery of a human skull near Ocoee with all the care of a homicide investigation until medical examiners determine what happened.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office is bringing out cadaver dogs, sending a helicopter into the area for an aerial search and will dispatch deputies on the ground to comb every inch of the wooded area in the 8300 block of Hackney-Prairie Road where the human remains were found.

Road crews spotted the cranium about 11:15 a.m. Friday along the north side of the rural road, which will remain closed into Saturday afternoon, said sheriff's office spokesman Capt. Angelo.

~Snipped~

The father of missing Ocoee woman Tracy Ocasio traveled to the scene, identifying the area where the remains were found as a focal point of their previous search efforts.

~Snipped~

Hataway, the man suspected in Tracy Ocasio's disappearance, used to hang out in the area and his home is about five miles southwest of the discovery site, Ocasio said. Her car was found abandoned blocks away from his home.

Read more:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-human-skull-found-orange-20130920,0,5955744.story