Hope Tucker, a 46-year-old mother of an adult son, has been missing for a month. On May 22, 2024, Tucker and Tashawn were driving in Buckeye, Arizona, when their car broke down. The two left the vehicle to find shade. Strangely, Tashawn was found safe two days later.
As authorities continued to search for Hope Tucker, Tashawn informed investigators that he saw his mother close her eyes and stop talking. He believes he saw his mother die.
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Hope Tucker's father said it's hard to believe all of this is happening.
Tashawn, who has autism and limited communication abilities, is now in the care of his maternal grandfather. Leroy Tucker described his daughter as a compassionate person, dedicated to caring for others, particularly her son. “She was a wonderful mother, and she was probably the best mother for him,” he told 12 News.
He’s trying to wrap his mind around his daughter’s disappearance. “It’s really hard to really believe this is even happening,” Leroy Tucker told the news outlet. “You see these things on TV or hear these stories and now here I’m at, you know, wondering where my daughter is and will I see her again?”
Tashawn told his grandfather what happened in the time after the two left the car.
Tashawn, who was the last known person to have seen Hope Tucker alive, told his grandfather that his mother died. “[Tashawn] shared with me that they found some kind of hillside and a tree, and they laid down,” Leroy Tucker said via 12 News. “Then he says she just stopped breathing.”
Authorities have provided a timeline of what they believe may have happened as they continue to search for Hope Tucker.
Tashawn communicated to his grandfather that he tried to go back to the car to find water but got lost. Hope Tucker’s purple Dodge Charger was found abandoned at 11 a.m. May 22 and was towed.
Tashawn was in the hospital for nearly a month before they located his grandfather.
Two days after the car broke down, police found Tashawn outside of a gas station five miles from where the car was abandoned. They reported that he was in bad shape. Police took him to a hospital where he was diagnosed as severely dehydrated with an acute kidney infection. Tashawn remained at the hospital for 27 days, News 12 reported..
The hospital contacted Leroy Tucker only last week to say his grandson was in their care. Leroy Tucker was shocked, according to the news outlet. He immediately flew to Phoenix to pick up his grandson and ask about his daughter.
Leroy Tucker says he's not leaving until he finds out what happened to his daughter.
Leroy Tucker is still optimistic. “I’m just hoping for, Hope,” he told 12 News. “I miss her and I love her.”
In the meantime, he plans to stay in the area to take care of his grandson. “I’m not going anywhere until we know for sure what’s going on,” Leroy Tucker said.
