Another woman is missing in Orlando, Florida, she was last seen leaving a bar early on May 27th with a man she had known for two weeks.
Tracy Ocasio, 27 and James Virgil Hataway, 28, had met the week before and were seen kissing at the bar on the night of May 26th right before video surveillance captured them on tape leaving the bar together at about 1:30am early on the morning of May 27th.
James told police that Tracy offered to give him a ride home and asked for marijuana. He says once they arrived at his home he showed her what drugs he had and Tracy changed her mind and left.
Newly released reports show that Tracy's phone made a call at 4:30 a.m., 3 hours after James says he was allegedly dropped off at his home, the call caused a ping from one of the cell towers in his neighborhood. Reports state the Law Enforcement has contacted the person the call was made to and no other information has been released. This confirms that Tracy was still near his home at 4:30am, or at least her cell phone was.
Tracy’s car was found the very next morning with the two front seats pushed forward after her cell phone pinged again in the neighborhood at 8:30am. The car was found a block away from James’ home, however no cell phone was discovered in the car and Tracy was gone.
At first authorities did not rule out the possibility that she may have left James’ apartment and then met with a grim fate at the hands of someone else.
Oh but James Hataway is quite the character, he has been arrested before and has had a few run-ins with other women who have in the past offered him rides home.
As soon as the story broke several women came forward to tell their stories about James. One woman said after she offered him a ride home from the bar she worked at, he tried to strangle her in her car after she refused to give him oral sex.
Another woman barely escaped after walking him to his door and saying goodbye where he then tried to break her neck and shoved his fingers in her mouth to break her jaw. She still carried the scars from the fall she succumbed too after running away from him.
More friends have come out of the shadows to tell of his violent anger and behavior and yet there are other’s like Tracy’s best friend who said he seemed so “nice”.
Even his own mother states she has not spoken to her son in several years and spent most of his teen years in juvenile court with him.
James is currently in police custody on other charges and has failed a lie detector test regarding Tracy’s disappearance.
There is more, it seems a friend of James disappeared in March and James was seen walking out of the woods near the friend’s abandoned car just as police arrived to investigate the vehicle. There has long been suspicion around his involvement in that case. His friend has yet to be found.
James has often threatened people by saying he could make them disappear and no one would ever find them. (Why do people say these things? Do they want to be suspected of murder?)
James also works for his dad’s pond, shoreline drainage company and was arrested and has many complaints for dumping debris in secluded areas where dumping is not allowed.
Ocoee police seized a computer from the home of James Hataway. Police served a search warrant after detectives discovered Hataway is obsessed with "murder, suicide, cannibalism, vampires and serial murders," according to a press release. (This means nothing to me, because if anyone searched my computers they would find my research for this blog, which at times is very morbid).
I sincerely hope they find Tracy soon and that this again serves as a lesson learned that not all “nice” guys are nice. Nor are all cute guys worth risking your life.
I do not blame Tracy, because she should be able to live in a world where it is safe to meet a new guy and assume he is what he seems to be and after two weeks offer him a ride home without worrying about being killed.
Law enforcement is asking anyone with information about Ocasio or Hataway to call CrimeLine at (800) 423-TIPS.