Missing
Terri Jo Hamm
Terri, approximately 2015; Jeffrey "Scott" Hamm
Date and time person was reported missing : 01/26/2015
Missing location (approx) :
Lancaster, Ohio
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 52 years old
Height / Weight : 5'6, 148 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Terri's ears are pierced. She normally wears a false tooth in public, but it was left behind.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Terri was last seen in Lancaster, Ohio on January 26, 2015. Her husband of seventeen years, Jeffrey "Scott" Hamm, reported her disappearance on January 31, stating she simply "walked out" without her clothes, medication or vehicle.
Scott stated Terri's disappearance was very uncharacteristic of her behavior; she didn't work and spent most of her time at their home in the 1400 block of east Chestnut Street. She has never been heard from again. Her husband was arrested for heroin possession when police searched the couple's home after her disappearance.
Police had visited the home ten times in the year before her disappearance for various reasons, including responding to domestic disputes. Terri accused her husband of multiple assaults against her and said he abused drugs. She wanted to get a restraining order, but never followed through. At one point, Scott accused his wife of attacking him with a knife and said she had an alcohol problem and needed help, but police determined he had in fact harmed himself and tried to blame her for it.
A photo of Scott is posted with this case summary. Almost two months after Terri's disappearance, he was charged with kidnapping, robbery, evidence tampering, gross abuse of a corpse and aggravated murder in his wife's case. The indictment claims he strangled her with a belt, disposed of her body in an unknown location, and discarded her phone, purse, eyeglasses and the murder weapon.
In 2016, Scott reached a plea agreement with the prosecution and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison. In court, Scott admitted he had killed Terri, saying he had "snapped" and lost his temper. He told several different stories as to how the murder happened.
He tried to lead police to the location of the body, but he said he was unable to remember where he'd put it. He apologized for his actions and said he deserved the death penalty. Terri's body has never been found.
Other information and links : ncy
Lancaster Police Department
740-687-6680
September 2021 updates and sources
Ohio Attorney General's Office
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
ABC 6
October 12, 2004. February 26, 2018; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
