Thirty-four years ago, a monster hurricane raged through Mississippi, but it was the chilling disappearance of 13-year-old Leigh Occhi from her Tupelo home that has left an enduring mystery. Leigh vanished on August 27, 1992, just an hour after her mother, Vickie Felton, left her alone for the first time.
Felton returned to a scene of disturbing disarray: fresh blood smeared on walls and carpet, a pool of blood outside Leigh's bedroom, and an unsettling silence. Leigh's blood-stained nightgown and bra were later found in a laundry basket, and signs in the bathroom indicated an attempt to clean up. The case took on further complexity with a trail of unusual clues, including Leigh's glasses found inside a mailed envelope, a skull later misidentified as hers, and a Sunday school teacher convicted of rape months after her disappearance.
Felton herself came under scrutiny, failing three polygraph tests as investigators sought answers. She has never been charged or named a suspect. In 2024, Felton filed a petition to have Leigh legally declared dead, stating, "I just decided that I wanted to do it. I felt it was time to do it."
The Disappearance
On the morning of August 27, 1992, as Hurricane Andrew bore down on the region, Leigh and her mother had breakfast. Felton left for work around 8 a.m., leaving Leigh at home. Growing concerned about the approaching storm, Felton called home less than an hour later, using a pre-arranged signal of two rings followed by a hang-up. There was no answer.
Felton returned home shortly after, noticing the garage door was open and its light was still on, which she found unusual. Inside, she discovered blood on the wall and in her daughter's bedroom. After a search of the house and yard yielded no sign of Leigh, Felton called 911. Tupelo police responded, with Captain Bart Aguirre, one of the original investigators, noting blood and hair on a door frame suggesting Leigh may have struck her head. The blood was still wet, and the splatter pattern indicated head trauma consistent with Leigh's height. A trail of blood led from the hallway to the back door, and fresh blood was found in the bathroom, suggesting an attempt to clean the scene. However, the cleaning implement and any accompanying evidence were missing.
Investigators also noted that a new outfit, including a bra and underwear Leigh had received for her birthday, was missing, as were her glasses and a sleeping bag. The absence of forced entry and the fact that Leigh's parents insisted she would not open the door to a stranger added to the perplexing circumstances. Search efforts with bloodhounds were hampered by the heavy rain and winds of the hurricane, yielding no scent trail.
Investigation and Cold Trails
The investigation initially focused on Leigh's mother, father, and stepfather. Leigh's stepfather, Barney Yarborough, was ruled out after passing a polygraph and providing an alibi. Leigh's father, Donald Occhi, who was stationed in Virginia at the time, was also cleared. He stated he did not learn of Leigh's disappearance until the following day, when Felton told him their daughter had run away, omitting details about the blood and the condition of the house.
Felton underwent three polygraph tests, all of which retired detective Ronny Thomas said showed signs of deception. Felton has maintained that her reactions were due to the stress of her daughter's disappearance. Forensic tools in 1992 were limited, with blood typing being the primary method. All recovered samples matched Leigh's blood type.
Cryptic Clues and Unanswered Questions
In the days and weeks following Leigh's disappearance, several unusual clues emerged. Eight days later, a possible sighting of Leigh at a McDonald's drive-thru in Booneville proved to be a false alarm. Thirteen days after she went missing, an envelope addressed to her stepfather arrived at the family home, mailed from Booneville. Inside were Leigh's glasses. Forensic examination of the envelope yielded no usable evidence, and Aguirre speculated the glasses may have been planted to mislead investigators.
Approximately one year later, a farmer discovered a human skull in Monroe County. It was initially identified as Leigh's through dental records, but was later confirmed to belong to another missing person, Pollyanna Sue Keith. The FBI returned to the area around the Occhi family home last year, searching near a drainage ditch with K-9 units, but authorities have not disclosed what they were seeking or if anything was found.
The disappearance of Leigh Occhi remains a haunting cold case in Tupelo, with questions persisting about whether she is alive or dead, and if anyone will ever be held accountable for what happened on that stormy August morning.