2003 case of missing woman gets fresh eyes

The disappearance of a woman nearly two decades ago at a fishing spot near Edinburg in Neshoba County is getting a fresh set of eyes put on the case by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Pauline Morris Williams, then 45, was last seen in mid-August 2003 at a bridge on Road 155 over Beasha Creek.

Beasha Creek is tributary of the Pearl River, a name derived from the Choctaw language meaning roughly “mulberries are there.”

Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark said Williams was last seen at the bridge, a spot that was a popular hangout at the time where people would park their vehicles, fish and drink alcohol.

Clark said that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has an investigator in town to “put a fresh set of eyes” on the case.

“If we are able to close this case I can only imagine the closure it can bring to the family,” Clark said.

The Board of Supervisors on Monday approved travel expenses for a deputy to to to Florida to assist in the investigation.

Deputy Mark Flake will travel to Jupiter, Fla., with a BIA investigator to ask some people close to Williams questions. 

“She went missing near the Reservation but it was in the county,” Clark said. “It is still an open case. They are going down to interview members of her family.”

Clark said that in addition to his office and the BIA, Choctaw Police are involved in the case as well.

Clark said that in addition to interviews and other investigative measures, the BIA investigator has submitted a DNA sample of Williams to the FBI crime lab for comparison against Jane Doe cases nationwide.