Missing Person

Sherry Milton

Sherry Ann Milton, 26, disappeared in August 2005. News reports place her last known movements in Ensley and say her car was later found in Midfield, while NamUs lists Tuscaloosa as the last-seen location. Her NamUs record is open and identifies the Birmingham Police Department as the primary investigating agency.

Incident date: August 14, 2005
Location: Birmingham, Jefferson County
Independent sources: 3

The record

Sherry Ann Milton was 26 when she disappeared in 2005. Her NamUs record, MP4166, remains open and unresolved. NamUs says she was last seen in Tuscaloosa and identifies the Birmingham Police Department as the primary investigating agency.1

News accounts provide a different last-seen location. NBC News and The Tuscaloosa News reported that Milton was last seen at a gas station in Ensley, a Birmingham neighborhood, on Aug. 14, 2005.23 The discrepancy between Tuscaloosa in the official NamUs record and Ensley in the news reports remains unresolved in the supplied sources.

According to both news organizations, Milton had traveled to Birmingham with a friend.23 NBC reported, based on an account from Milton’s ex-husband, Michael Milton, that authorities said the two argued while returning toward Tuscaloosa and stopped at an Ensley gas station. The friend reportedly said Milton drove away alone around 2 a.m.2

The Tuscaloosa News offered additional details not independently confirmed in the supplied material. It reported that Milton and the friend stopped at an Exxon near 10th Street and Avenue V for matches. The newspaper said Milton’s last known contact was about 30 minutes later, when she called a friend in Montgomery and said she was lost. It also reported that witnesses gave police an account differing from the friend’s version, saying Milton had asked the friend to return to the car before the friend arranged another ride.3

NBC reported that Michael Milton tried unsuccessfully to contact her and reported her missing to the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 15, 2005.2 According to NBC, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Milton’s yellow 1994 Mustang convertible was found the next day in Midfield, with Milton absent.2 The Tuscaloosa News likewise reported that the vehicle was found in Midfield, about five miles southwest of Ensley.3

At the time of her disappearance, Milton was a mother and worked for A&B Electric in Tuscaloosa, according to both news reports.23 NBC described her as approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.2

NBC reported in 2018 that Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon said police had searched numerous places without success and that the Birmingham Police Department had taken over the case.2 NamUs also lists Birmingham police as the primary investigating agency.1

Timeline

August 14, 2005Reported
NBC News and The Tuscaloosa News reported that Milton traveled to Birmingham with a friend and was last seen at an Ensley gas station.
August 15, 2005Reported
NBC News reported that Michael Milton reported her missing to the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office.
August 15, 2005Confirmed
NBC News, citing the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, reported that Milton’s yellow 1994 Mustang convertible was found in Midfield the day after the gas-station encounter; The Tuscaloosa News also reported the Midfield recovery.
August 12, 2018Reported
NBC News published a report on Milton’s disappearance and said the Birmingham Police Department was handling the case.
August 15, 2018Reported
The Tuscaloosa News published additional reporting on Milton’s last known movements and the recovery of her car.
Current in supplied NamUs recordConfirmed
NamUs lists MP4166 as open and unresolved, with the Birmingham Police Department as the primary investigating agency.

Documented claims

Sherry Ann Milton was 26 at the time of the incident.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/son-looking-answers-13-years-after-mother-sherry-milton-disappeared-n900011, https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/15/loved-ones-seek-answers-on-sherry-ann-milton-missing-since-2005/11051505007/
NamUs case MP4166 for Sherry Ann Milton is open and unresolved.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Single-source claim.
The last-seen location is disputed: NamUs says Tuscaloosa, while NBC News and The Tuscaloosa News say Milton was last seen at a gas station in Ensley, Birmingham.
Disputed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/son-looking-answers-13-years-after-mother-sherry-milton-disappeared-n900011, https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/15/loved-ones-seek-answers-on-sherry-ann-milton-missing-since-2005/11051505007/
NBC News and The Tuscaloosa News reported that Milton was last seen on Aug. 14, 2005.
Reported
Source: NBC News · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/15/loved-ones-seek-answers-on-sherry-ann-milton-missing-since-2005/11051505007/
Milton had traveled to Birmingham with a friend before she disappeared.
Reported
Source: NBC News · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/15/loved-ones-seek-answers-on-sherry-ann-milton-missing-since-2005/11051505007/
NBC reported, through Michael Milton’s account of what authorities told him, that Milton and her friend argued, stopped at an Ensley gas station and that the friend said Milton drove away alone around 2 a.m.
Reported
Source: NBC News · Single-source claim.
The Tuscaloosa News reported that Milton and her friend stopped at an Exxon near 10th Street and Avenue V to obtain matches.
Reported
Source: The Tuscaloosa News · Single-source claim.
The Tuscaloosa News reported that Milton’s last known contact was a cellphone call to a friend in Montgomery about 30 minutes after the gas-station stop, during which she said she was lost.
Reported
Source: The Tuscaloosa News · Single-source claim.
The Tuscaloosa News reported conflicting accounts of the gas-station encounter: the friend said Milton drove away while the friend was inside, while witnesses reportedly said Milton asked the friend to get back into the car before the friend arranged another ride.
Disputed
Source: The Tuscaloosa News · Single-source claim.
Michael Milton reported Sherry Milton missing to the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 15, 2005.
Reported
Source: NBC News · Single-source claim.
Milton’s yellow 1994 Mustang convertible was found in Midfield after her disappearance, and she was not with the vehicle.
Confirmed
Source: NBC News · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/15/loved-ones-seek-answers-on-sherry-ann-milton-missing-since-2005/11051505007/
Milton was a mother and worked for A&B Electric in Tuscaloosa.
Reported
Source: NBC News · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/15/loved-ones-seek-answers-on-sherry-ann-milton-missing-since-2005/11051505007/
NBC described Milton as approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Reported
Source: NBC News · Single-source claim.
The Birmingham Police Department is the primary investigating agency.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/son-looking-answers-13-years-after-mother-sherry-milton-disappeared-n900011
Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon told NBC in 2018 that police had searched many places without success and that Birmingham police were then handling the case.
Confirmed
Source: NBC News · Single-source claim.

Sources

NamUs case MP4166: Sherry Ann Milton — U.S. Department of Justice NamUsOpen
Son looking for answers 13 years after mother Sherry Milton disappeared from Alabama — NBC NewsOpen
Loved ones seek answers in disappearance — The Tuscaloosa NewsOpen