Who is Cassie Compton? Viral TikTok of Haley Grace Phillips gets mistaken for Arkansas girl missing since 2014
On Thursday, January 14, news reports claimed that federal authorities confirmed they were investigating whether a video spreading on social media may be that of a missing Arkansas girl called Cassie Compton. The FBI's Little Rock field office said in a statement: "We are following up on the video and taking all investigative steps, but we cannot say anything further at this time.”
As per news reports, a TikTok video recently surfaced featuring a young woman who supposedly resembles Cassie. This video has left its viewers speculating that she may still be alive. As per KATV, Tina Storz, a private investigator who has been searching for her for years, said that the young woman in the TikTok video strongly resembled Cassie. She, however, could not confirm it was her.
As per reports, the video shows a young woman sitting in the backseat of a car with two men. She appears to have bruised eyes as she stares into the camera while the men speak to each other.
guys pls spread this! This could be someone who has been missing since 2014 pic.twitter.com/ZzBtG1Yw7t
— lulu🤍 (@p0vlulu) January 14, 2021
The Stuttgart Police Department released a statement regarding the video: "We appreciate all the tips and information about Cassie Compton. We have the video from TikTok and have seen the Facebook posts. We are working diligently with the Arkansas State Police and FBI right now. Since this is still an open investigation we can’t release any further information right now." Stuttgart is a city in the northern district of Arkansas County.
On Twitter, however, many claimed the person in the video was not Cassie but rather it was another young woman called Haley Grace Phillips, whose cousin wrote on social media that she had been missing for a few days. Her cousin added, however, that no missing persons report had been filed and that they were just unable to contact her.
Shortly afterward, the cousin updated that they had been able to get in touch with Phillips, and soon afterward, she logged into Instagram and made a video on her Instagram Story to prove that she was fine. She also said that she was robbed and that’s how her eyes got bruised. She thanked people for their concern but reiterated that she was not kidnapped. So, the TikTok video lead on Compton appears to be a bust.
haley grace phillips claims she’s fine and safe. pic.twitter.com/u6iAxv8waq
— Kaylee Edge (@BabyKaay239) January 14, 2021
this girl’s name is haley grace phillips and she’s been located and been in contact with her mother!!! twitter saving the day again https://t.co/uLBHrHtfwg
— dum ethot (@rahmonaflowers) January 14, 2021
Who is Cassie Compton?
On Sunday, September 14, 2014, Cassie Compton went missing. The then 15-year-old was last seen outside her Stuttgart home. On the day of her disappearance, she went to a demolition derby in Dewitt with a family friend and returned home just before 7 p.m. She left a few minutes later and hasn't been seen since.
Stuttgart Police Chief Mark Duke, who was a lieutenant in 2014, said in 2019 that the date was stuck in his mind. "I was there the morning she was reported missing,” he said. “And you know, it’s like anything else. You think, ‘alright, she’s mad, she left, we’ll find her.’ And then it went sideways from there."
"She had stayed the night with family friends and came home, on Sunday,” Duke told KATV. “The mother and the boyfriend were there. She went in, she left a few minutes later, and that’s where the mystery starts.”
Cassie's mother, Judy Compton Kimsey, said she has no idea what happened to her daughter. “I’ve questioned people, friends, that she hung out with, and they hadn’t seen her,” she said in 2019. "I can’t imagine where she could have went. I don’t even know if she even left the driveway.”
Judy and her son Chris Newcomb suspect foul play in Cassie’s disappearance. And they believe Brandon Rhodes -- Judy’s fiance then, they later broke things off -- might have had something to do with it. Duke said in 2019 that nobody had been ruled out as a suspect in Cassie's disappearance but Rhodes was someone they've kept their eyes on over the years.
Rhodes, who spoke to the press, said in 2019: "I am willing to do whatever it takes to bring closure to Judy and once and for all put this Cassie case to a close. There's only so much a man can keep bottled up inside of him. It's time the truth was presented to everyone."