Missing Person

Tabitha Franklin

Tabitha Leann Franklin disappeared in August 2009 under circumstances described differently across the supplied sources. NamUs lists her case as open and unresolved under the Cullman County Sheriff's Office. Searches have included a West Point porch excavation, dives at Smith Lake and later efforts in Jefferson County. A news report said the reward reached $20,000 in October 2025.

Incident date: August 2009 (one ABC 33/40 passage says August 2008)
Location: West Point, Cullman County
Independent sources: 5

The record

Tabitha Leann Franklin’s missing-person case remains open in the U.S. Department of Justice’s NamUs database. NamUs lists Franklin as 27 at the time of the incident and identifies the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office as the primary investigating agency.1

The official record says Franklin was last seen with an ex-boyfriend, who claimed he dropped her off at his place of business. She has not been seen or heard from since, according to NamUs.1

News accounts agree that Franklin disappeared in August 2009, but the available sources contain discrepancies. A 2025 report by The Cullman Times says Franklin was 27, was last seen in the West Point area and was believed to be traveling to Hueytown to meet family.3 A 2014 WBRC report says she was 28 and was supposed to travel from Cullman County to Hueytown; it also quotes relatives as saying she had lived at, and was last seen at, a West Point house searched that year.5 ABC 33/40’s 2019 story says she disappeared after an ex-boyfriend gave her a ride, but one passage identifies the disappearance as August 2008, conflicting with that outlet’s own statement and other reports that it occurred in August 2009.4

Franklin was a mother of three, according to three news reports.345

Searches and investigation

In March 2014, Cullman County sheriff’s investigators excavated a concrete porch at a West Point property after obtaining a search warrant. Then-Sheriff Mike Rainey said new information developed during a three-month investigation had established probable cause for the search.5 WBRC reported that investigators removed a concrete slab and planned to examine the soil beneath the porch.5

Rainey said at the time that the matter remained a missing-person case, although investigators believed Franklin had encountered foul play. He said authorities had followed numerous leads and questioned many people.5

Later reporting describes additional searches. ABC 33/40 reported that divers searched Smith Lake and investigators used ground-penetrating radar in Mulga. The station said a March 2016 tip produced no discovery and that Cullman County deputies continued to pursue leads as of 2019.4 The Cullman Times likewise reported multiple dives at Smith Lake and said cadaver dogs searched a Jefferson County home in 2016.3

No supplied source reports that anyone has been charged in connection with Franklin’s disappearance.

Reward increased

In October 2025, The Cullman Times reported that the reward for information had doubled to $20,000 after an anonymous donor contributed funds. District Attorney Champ Crocker said Gov. Kay Ivey’s office had authorized the reward to exceed the state’s usual $10,000 maximum.3

The NamUs record remains open and unresolved.1

Timeline

August 2009Disputed
Franklin disappeared. NamUs says she was last seen with an ex-boyfriend who claimed he dropped her at his business; news reports provide differing accounts of her last-known location and destination. One ABC 33/40 passage instead says August 2008.
March 2014Confirmed
Cullman County sheriff's investigators excavated a concrete porch at a West Point property while searching for evidence.
March 2016Reported
Investigators followed a tip but found nothing, according to ABC 33/40; The Cullman Times separately reported that cadaver dogs searched a Jefferson County home in 2016.
October 10, 2019Confirmed
Cullman County deputies said they continued to follow leads but had no new information, according to ABC 33/40.
October 14, 2025Reported
District Attorney Champ Crocker announced authorization for a reward above the state's usual maximum, according to The Cullman Times.
October 17, 2025Reported
The Cullman Times reported that the reward had doubled to $20,000 through an anonymous donation.
Current NamUs recordConfirmed
Case MP4247 is listed as open and unresolved.

Documented claims

The NamUs record identifies the missing woman as Tabitha Leann Franklin, lists her age at the incident as 27 and shows case MP4247 as open and unresolved.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Single-source claim.
NamUs identifies the Cullman County Sheriff's Office as the primary investigating agency.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Single-source claim.
NamUs says Franklin was last seen with an ex-boyfriend, who claimed he dropped her at his place of business, and that she has not been seen or heard from since.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://abc3340.com/news/local/10-years-missing-family-of-tabitha-franklin-hoping-to-heat-up-cold-case
Franklin disappeared in August 2009, although ABC 33/40 also contains a conflicting reference to August 2008.
Disputed
Source: ABC 33/40 (WBMA) · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://cullmantimes.com/2025/10/17/reward-doubled-in-tabitha-lynn-franklin-cold-case/, https://www.wbrc.com/story/24915691/cullman-investigators-searching-home-in-connection-to-tabitha-franklins-disappearance/
Sources disagree on Franklin's age at disappearance: NamUs and The Cullman Times say 27, while WBRC says 28.
Disputed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://cullmantimes.com/2025/10/17/reward-doubled-in-tabitha-lynn-franklin-cold-case/, https://www.wbrc.com/story/24915691/cullman-investigators-searching-home-in-connection-to-tabitha-franklins-disappearance/
Sources give differing descriptions of the last-known circumstances: NamUs says an ex-boyfriend claimed he dropped Franklin at his business; The Cullman Times says she was last seen in West Point and was believed to be traveling to Hueytown to meet family; WBRC says relatives reported she was last seen at a West Point house.
Disputed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://cullmantimes.com/2025/10/17/reward-doubled-in-tabitha-lynn-franklin-cold-case/, https://www.wbrc.com/story/24915691/cullman-investigators-searching-home-in-connection-to-tabitha-franklins-disappearance/
Franklin was a mother of three.
Reported
Source: The Cullman Times · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://abc3340.com/news/local/10-years-missing-family-of-tabitha-franklin-hoping-to-heat-up-cold-case, https://www.wbrc.com/story/24915691/cullman-investigators-searching-home-in-connection-to-tabitha-franklins-disappearance/
In March 2014, Cullman County sheriff's investigators excavated a concrete porch at a West Point property after obtaining a search warrant based on information developed during a three-month investigation.
Confirmed
Source: WBRC · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://cullmantimes.com/2025/10/17/reward-doubled-in-tabitha-lynn-franklin-cold-case/, https://abc3340.com/news/local/10-years-missing-family-of-tabitha-franklin-hoping-to-heat-up-cold-case
In 2014, Sheriff Mike Rainey said the case remained classified as a missing-person case but investigators believed Franklin had encountered foul play.
Confirmed
Source: WBRC · Single-source claim.
Divers searched Smith Lake during the investigation.
Reported
Source: ABC 33/40 (WBMA) · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://cullmantimes.com/2025/10/17/reward-doubled-in-tabitha-lynn-franklin-cold-case/
Investigators used ground-penetrating radar in Mulga.
Reported
Source: ABC 33/40 (WBMA) · Single-source claim.
Cullman County investigators followed a tip in March 2016 but found nothing, and deputies said in 2019 that they continued to follow leads without new information.
Confirmed
Source: ABC 33/40 (WBMA) · Single-source claim.
Cadaver dogs searched a Jefferson County home in 2016.
Reported
Source: The Cullman Times · Single-source claim.
In October 2025, the reward for information was increased to $20,000 with support from an anonymous donor; District Attorney Champ Crocker said the governor's office authorized exceeding the state's $10,000 maximum.
Reported
Source: The Cullman Times · Single-source claim.
No supplied source reports that anyone has been charged in connection with Franklin's disappearance.
Unknown
Source on file · Single-source claim.

Sources

NamUs case MP4247: Tabitha Leann Franklin — U.S. Department of Justice NamUsOpen
Victim's family pushing 17-year-old missing person cold case in Cullman Co. — WVTM 13Open
Reward doubled in Tabitha Lynn Franklin cold case — The Cullman TimesOpen
10 Years Missing: Family of Tabitha Franklin hoping to heat up cold case — ABC 33/40 (WBMA)Open
Investigators dig up porch in connection to Cullman woman's 2009 disappearance — WBRCOpen