Billie Jo Hughes, known as BJ and possibly using the surname Beam-Hughes, was 20 when she vanished after being dropped off at the intersection of Highway 8 and Highway 20 in Pelzer, South Carolina, on July 6, 2000. That afternoon she had visited friends in Williamston and accepted a ride from the Williamston Curb Market; the last confirmed sighting has her walking toward a pay phone at that intersection. Her sister Laney received a voicemail from Billie Jo that same day in which Billie Jo only said her name.

Billie Jo lived with and cared for her blind, disabled mother and checked in with her daily. It was uncharacteristic that Billie Jo left without her personal belongings; initially her mother believed Billie Jo had gone on a planned weeklong beach trip and did not learn otherwise until the friend returned without her. Reports say Billie Jo had recently been grieving her father’s death, was associating with new friends, and may have been trying to cut ties with a former boyfriend. The disappearance is considered suspicious and remains an active investigation with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Does anyone remember seeing Billie Jo near the Highway 8 and Highway 20 intersection in Pelzer on July 6, 2000, or have information about who she might have been trying to reach from the pay phone?