To Know Her Was to Love Her: The Story of Keeshae Jacobs

On a Monday night in September 2016, 21-year-old Keeshae Jacobs left her Richmond, Virginia home after telling her mom she was going to spend the night at a friend’s house. She promised she’d be back the next morning to make breakfast for her brother—pancakes. Around 11 p.m., she sent a text to say she’d arrived safely.

She ended it with three words her family heard often: I love you.

That was the last time anyone ever heard from her.

In our latest Vanished Voices episode, we’re sharing Keeshae’s story—not just her disappearance, but her life. Who she was. What she meant to her family. And why her case matters in a landscape where far too many missing women of color are met with indifference.

A Daughter, A Sister, A Light

Keeshae was small in stature but huge in spirit. The kind of daughter who gave hugs just because. The kind of sister who promised pancakes. She loved scary movies, quiet nights in with her mom, and she checked in so often that even a few hours of silence felt strange.

Her family, especially her mother Toni Jacobs, knew something was wrong almost immediately. But when Toni called police, she wasn’t met with urgency. She was met with doubt.

“Maybe she just doesn’t want to be bothered,” one officer said.

That assumption would follow Keeshae’s case for years.

The Last Known Location

It was later revealed that Keeshae had been dropped off at a house in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood—home to a man named Otis “Omar” Tucker, a friend-of-a-friend who was known to at least one woman in Keeshae’s circle. That woman left Keeshae there. Alone.

She never made it out of that house alive.

It would take years for police to confirm what Toni already knew in her gut: foul play was involved. And even longer before anyone took responsibility.

What Took So Long?

For nearly eight years, Keeshae’s mother did what the system wouldn’t—she searched. She put up flyers, organized community events, called media outlets, and begged law enforcement to treat her daughter’s case with the urgency it deserved. She fought for attention in a media environment that so often overlooks missing Black women.

And then, in 2024, everything changed.

Otis Tucker, already serving a life sentence in Florida for the murder of another woman, confessed to being with Keeshae the night she died—and admitted to disposing of her body. He was granted immunity from prosecution in her case in exchange for the truth. But to this day, her remains have not been recovered.

Why Her Story Still Matters

Keeshae’s name may not have dominated headlines. But her story echoes thousands of others—young women of color whose disappearances are met with silence, whose families are left to carry the weight of justice on their own.

Toni Jacobs never stopped carrying that weight.

Now, with this episode, we’re asking you to carry part of it too. By listening. By sharing. By remembering.

Help Bring Keeshae Home

While authorities now believe Keeshae is no longer alive, her family still doesn’t have her remains. Closure remains just out of reach.

If you know anything—no matter how small—please come forward.

📞 Richmond Police Major Crimes Division: (804) 646-5984
📞 Crime Stoppers (Anonymous): (804) 780-1000

And if you don’t know anything, but you’re moved by Keeshae’s story, here’s what you can do:

Share her episode.
Say her name.
Support the families still searching.
Demand better—for Keeshae and for every woman whose voice has vanished before the world cared to listen.

Thank you for helping us keep Keeshae’s story alive.

Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media, @VanishedVoicesPod, share your thoughts, and let us know what you’d like to hear about in future episodes. And as always, Refuse to let these voices vanish.

See you in the next episode of Vanished Voices!

Resources:

Keller, R. (2022, Nov. 7). Mom of missing Virginia woman says suspect is same man arrested for Florida murder. QC News.

Battle, M. (2017, March 28). What Happens When People Think Your Missing Daughter Is A Joke. Elite Daily.

Sobell, C. (2021, Sept 20). A Mother’s Mission | Where is Keeshae Jacobs? Medium.

Web Staff. (2024, May 6). Mom’s heart is ‘broken and heavy’ after Richmond Police update on missing daughter Keeshae Jacobs. WTVR CBS 6 News.

Web Staff. (2024, July 12). Person of interest in Keeshae Jacobs case confessed to disposing of missing woman’s body, police say. WTVR CBS 6 News.

Tron, G. (2021, November 23). Begging Them To Please Help Me,’ Who is Keeshae Jacobs And Why Was Her Disappearance Ignored?. Oxygen.

Sriraman, S. (2024, July 11). Richmond Police announce major update in Keeshae Jacobs murder case. WRIC News Now.

WRIC Staff. (2024, May 8). Keeshae Jacobs remembered by family, community nearly 8 years after disappearance. WRIC ABC 8 News.

Jacobs, T. [@tonijacobs119]. (n.d.). Keeshae’s foundation and updates. Facebook.

The Charley Project. (n.d.). Keeshae Jacobs.