Mother of missing man tells Jackson council she’s received limited police communication; asks for renewed attention

Melody Vaughn addressed the Jackson City Council on Sept. 9 to seek help in her search for her son, Donald Hewitt, who she said has been missing since June 2022.

Vaughn said she and family members met with Sergeant Sacernia Banks in May 2025 and were told a new detective, identified in her remarks as Detective Collins, would be assigned to the case. Vaughn told the council she has not received follow-up from either Sergeant Banks or Detective Collins and that a previous investigator, Detective Joanna Archer, had been on the case for about a year before being removed. Vaughn told the council she provided DNA samples to the Jackson Police Department in August 2022 and that she was recently informed her son’s information was uploaded to NamUs (the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) and CODIS; she said the NamUs upload was completed with assistance from a relative.

Vaughn asked the council to help restore consistent police follow-up and requested a meeting to discuss the investigation’s status.

Nut graf: Vaughn’s public comment raised concerns about perceived gaps in police communication and detective assignment in a long‑running missing‑person case; she asked elected officials to press for renewed attention and clearer information from the police department.

Details and context: Vaughn said initial investigative steps were delayed after the report was filed and that some case file entries and contact information were incorrect when first recorded, which she said hampered early investigative leads. She said the family has not been kept updated after the recent personnel changes and that she fears the case could become a cold case without renewed attention.

Ending: Vaughn concluded by asking council members to help secure a meeting with police leadership to review the case; the council took the comment as a public‑comment item and did not vote on any action during the meeting.