Search continues for missing Hamilton woman

*The following story is based on the most up-to-date information as of the Journal-Record’s press deadline on Monday evening, Jan. 20.
The search for Chastity Ann Terry continues, as of Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, after she was declared missing just over a week before.
Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams said on Jan. 16, first responders of various departments and agencies were coming together to begin a grid search of the wooded areas near the site where they believe she might have gone missing.
The search is focused around County Highway 45, off of exit 22 on I-22, where it is believed that Terry may have been seen walking along the road after the vehicle she was travelling in ran off into a ditch on the morning of Jan. 10.
Police found the vehicle and arrested its driver, Charles Williams Jr., 49, of Hamilton, on charges of conspiracy to commit a controlled substance crime. But Terry was nowhere to be seen at that time.
Terry’s last known location was the Love’s Truck Stop in Jasper, where she appeared on surveillance footage with Williams leaving the store at 2:04 on Friday morning, Jan. 10.
Williams told reporters on Jan. 13, that investigators had information indicating Williams and Terry were on their way back from Birmingham that morning after purchasing narcotics, possibly fentanyl, which meant Terry could have potentially been under the influence of some sort of controlled substance.
The vehicle ran off the road on Jan. 10, and Terry’s family reported her missing on Saturday afternoon when they hadn’t heard from her. The Hamilton Police Department posted a notification on Facebook Sunday night asking the public for any information about her possible location.
The Hamilton Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, state troopers and numerous other agencies and departments joined in the search last week, focused on the areas surrounding County Highway 45 and nearby exits off of I-22.
The Hamilton Police Department posted an update on  Jan. 14.