What Happened to Robby Hughes Floyd and Her Family?
Odd details emerge years after five people vanish
Missing Family
In December 1996, Robby Hughes Floyd told a neighbor that she was leaving for an unspecified amount of time to visit her ill father in Alabama. She had a woman with her, whom she claimed was her mother, yet as investigators would later find out her mother hadn’t visited her in several years. So who was with her?
The reason Robby gave for her departure would eventually be called into question as well.
32-year-old Robby was seen putting boxes into her van and was last spotted driving away from her North Carolina home with three of her four children—Sarena, Brent and Brenttany—as well as her younger sister Jennifer. She left behind her husband and the son they shared, Brandon. The group would never return, but wouldn’t be reported missing for nearly two years.
The investigation into their mysterious disappearance would uncover bizarre clues and would ultimately leave those who looked into it with more questions than answers.
What happened to Robby Hughes Floyd, Jennifer Hughes, Sarena Glenn, Brent Hughes and Brentanny Hughes?
Robby Ann Hughes Floyd
Robby Ann Hughes was born on May 27th, 1964. Unfortunately, there are few details available about her life or personality, but it has been said by her relatives that she didn’t graduate from high school or have much job experience. Her children were receiving Social Security checks, so perhaps she had a disability of some sort, but this hasn’t been confirmed publicly.
Robby had four children—Sarena Natoya Glenn (11), Brandon Floyd (6), and twins Brent and Brenttany Hughes (4)—and had reportedly been married three times. At the time she vanished, her husband was Jason Floyd and the two had one child together (Brandon). The family resided in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The couple was having marital problems (the exact nature of which hasn’t been revealed) in 1996, but reconciled later in the year and were living together again. Additionally, Robby’s 17-year-old sister Jennifer was staying in the home as well, but the reason for this is unclear.
It’s also important to note that Brent and Brenttany both had a heart condition that required ongoing treatment.
A Hasty Departure
As previously stated, Robby allegedly told her neighbor in December 1996 (exactly what day is unknown) that she was planning to visit her father in Alabama because he was sick. The neighbor—whose name hasn’t been revealed to the public—was introduced to a woman that Robby claimed was her mother.
It was the opinion of the neighbor that Robby seemed rushed, like she wanted to get out of there quickly. She carried boxes out to her van, then she, Jennifer, Sarena, Brent and Brenttany got into the vehicle and left, marking the final time that all five would be seen together. (Side note: It’s unclear if Robby’s “mother” went with them or if she brought her own vehicle.)
Brandon and Jason remained in the home and would continue to live there until February 1997, when they moved to another part of the state.
Jason’s Account
Jason would go on to say that Robby had contacted him shortly after she reached Sylacauga, Alabama, approximately 20 miles away from where her family lived in Goodwater. She explained that they were staying at a motel near her father’s residence and that she would reach out to Jason again in a few days.
However, according to him, he never heard from her again. And it would later be learned that the group never showed up to her father’s home either.
Yet Jason didn’t report them missing. In fact, he simply told their neighbor that he and Robby were getting a divorce and didn’t elaborate further.
Investigators say that he is not regarded as a suspect in this case, though. It’s also worth noting that he wasn’t the only one who neglected to report them missing. No one who knew them reported the family missing for a significant period of time.
It wouldn’t be until August 1998 that the police were contacted and a missing persons report was filed. Though who made this report or what finally prompted it after so much time had passed is unclear.
Law enforcement interviewed Robby’s relatives and they explained that she was rarely in contact with them even before all of this happened, so it didn’t register as odd that they hadn’t heard from her in a long time.
Her mother said that she hadn’t been to Robby’s home in many years and that she certainly wasn’t the person with her that day in December 1996.
She also stated that, as far as she knew, Robby had never intended to go to Alabama to take care of her father and had instead been planning to move him into the Floyd home in Fayetteville in 1997. Whatever occurred to change this plan is unknown. Law enforcement noted that Robby’s mother refused to cooperate beyond that.
Her father passed away in 1998.
It also came out that Robby had been under investigation for welfare fraud and had disappeared shortly before she was set to be questioned about her alleged crime.
Investigation & Conflicting Information
In 2000, Lieutenant Jimmy Black, of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, said there was no solid evidence to indicate that the family was still alive.
“We’ve checked activity on their social security numbers and there’s no activity. No schools have called for their records. It’s as if they don’t exist anymore.”
However, in 2004, Sergeant Michael Hohan stated that there was reason to believe they were not only alive, but actually hiding out in Alabama.
“One of the ex-husbands had contact with his daughter two years ago, after she allegedly disappeared and was asking why he wasn’t forwarding her SSI checks to her.”
He also confirmed that there had been activity on Robby’s Social Security number and that she appeared to be living under various aliases in rural Alabama—at least for a time. She’d allegedly written some bad checks since she’d left North Carolina as well.
However, it appears that there has been no further activity on her Social Security number since 1999, and she never cashed her children’s Social Security checks again after she went missing. She also never registered her van or renewed her driver’s license.
And although Sarena’s father had heard from her at least once since her disappearance (and some sources say twice), Jerry Glenn believed that foul play might have befallen the group.
“My gut feeling tells me something’s not right. Just for five people coming up missing doesn’t sound good from the start.”
The Hughes family couldn’t understand why Robby would want to cut contact with them so completely.
“They have no reason to hide from us,” said Sue Hamilton, Robby’s aunt. “We’ve never done anything to them. We’ve always been family.”
Sheila—Robby and Jennifer’s sister—missed them and hoped they would return one day.
“We want them to know we love them and care and we are here for them.”
Confirmed Sightings Create More Confusion
Authorities stated that there were at least two confirmed sightings of Jennifer Hughes in 1999. Interestingly, she was spotted in Fayetteville. How these sightings were confirmed hasn’t been said. Were all five of them back in North Carolina that year? Or had Jennifer made the decision to leave on her own? This has never been answered.
Furthermore, law enforcement received word from at least six individuals claiming that they’d seen or spoken with the missing family since 1996. However, most of these reports haven’t been substantiated. The last confirmed contact with any of them appears to have taken place in 2002, when Sarena called her father.
If Robby really had been under investigation for welfare fraud, this might explain why she’d want to stay off the radar. But what about the rest of them? As far as we know, they had no reason to want to remain hidden forever.
Decades have passed and Jennifer Hughes, as well as Robby’s children, would all be well into adulthood by now, yet seemingly none of them have resurfaced since the early 2000s. Since then, there has been no further activity on any of their Social Security numbers or any confirmed sightings or contact.
And what about the twins? Did they continue to receive the medication necessary to treat their heart condition?
There have been no further updates and while the family is still considered missing, their disappearance is no longer being actively investigated.
So for now at least, their case, as well as their current whereabouts and ultimate fate, remains a mystery.
It blows my mind that no one reported them missing for almost two years. Great job!