Key facts
- Name: Tabitha Lynn Franklin
- Born: September 15, 1980
- Age at disappearance: 28; a mother of three
- Last seen: August 13, 2009
- Location: 1140 County Road 1136, Vinemont, Cullman County, Alabama — the home she shared with Keith Floyd
- Height / build: Details not widely published; tattoos reported on her body
- Clothing: Last seen wearing a black dress
- Status: Still missing — 17 years; NamUs MP4247; case with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office
- Reward: $20,000 (doubled by an anonymous donor in October 2025)
- Investigating agency: Cullman County Sheriff’s Office — (256) 734-0342
August 13, 2009
On August 13, 2009, Tabitha Lynn Franklin — 28 years old, a mother of three — was at the home at 1140 County Road 1136 in Vinemont, Alabama, where she was living with Keith Floyd.
That day, her ex-boyfriend, Chris Poore, picked her up. What happened after that is the disputed heart of the case: Poore has said he dropped Tabitha off at his business in Hueytown, in Jefferson County. She was never seen again.
Tabitha struggled with drug addiction, a fact her family has spoken about openly. She had tattoos on her body. She was last seen wearing a black dress. None of the people in her orbit that day — Floyd, Poore — has been charged in connection with her disappearance, and the presumption of innocence applies fully.
The searches
The investigation has included some of the most concrete search activity of any case in this batch:
- 2014 — Dive searches were conducted in Smith Lake, and investigators excavated the porch at the County Road 1136 home where Tabitha was last living. Nothing belonging to Tabitha was found.
- 2016 — A cadaver-dog search was conducted at a home in Jefferson County. No trace.
- October 2025 — In a push to generate new leads, the reward in Tabitha’s case was doubled to $20,000 by an anonymous donor, announced through District Attorney Champ Crocker’s office, with support from Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s office.
Her case is carried in the NamUs database as MP4247 and listed by Alabama Cold Case Advocacy. Her family has kept the search alive for seventeen years.
The people keeping her name alive
- Her family, who have searched for seventeen years and continue to appeal for information.
- Alabama Cold Case Advocacy, which lists her case among the state’s unsolved disappearances.
- The Shrouded in Darkness Podcast (host Marlena Burris, a Cullman native), which profiled her case on September 28, 2026 — episode 50, “The Disappearance of Tabitha Lynn Franklin” — drawing on the victim’s family, the Cullman Times archives, and Uncovered’s case database. The episode is verified as published on YouTube.
- The Unforgotten Podcast and Uncovered.com, the crowdsourced cold-case platform, which hosts her case file.
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play by someone in her orbit. The disputed account of her last day — picked up by an ex-boyfriend, dropped off at his business, never seen again — is the thread investigators have never resolved. What supports examining it: a mother of three with no reason to vanish leaving no contact for seventeen years. What is unproven: no one has been charged, and the presumption of innocence applies to everyone named.
An accident or overdose with a hidden body. Tabitha’s family has spoken openly about her drug addiction. What keeps this possibility on the table: the 2014 dive searches of Smith Lake, the excavations, the cadaver-dog search — all efforts to find a body, none successful. What undercuts it: seventeen years with no body, no confirmed sighting, no answer.
Voluntary disappearance. Seventeen years with no contact from a mother of three whose family is actively searching points strongly away from this. It is carried here for completeness, not as a supported theory.
Have information?
Contact the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office at (256) 734-0342 (NamUs MP4247), or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST). You can also reach Alabama Cold Case Advocacy with information about this case. A $20,000 reward is offered. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- September 15, 1980 — Tabitha Lynn Franklin is born.
- August 13, 2009 — Last seen at 1140 County Road 1136, Vinemont, Alabama; picked up by ex-boyfriend Chris Poore, who says he dropped her at his Hueytown business. She is never seen again. She is 28, a mother of three.
- 2014 — Dive searches in Smith Lake; excavation of the porch at the CR 1136 home. Nothing found.
- 2016 — Cadaver-dog search at a Jefferson County home. Nothing found.
- October 2025 — Reward doubled to $20,000 by an anonymous donor; announced through DA Champ Crocker’s office, with Gov. Kay Ivey’s support.
- September 28, 2026 — Shrouded in Darkness podcast, episode 50: “The Disappearance of Tabitha Lynn Franklin.”
- Today — Still missing, 17 years on.
FAQ
Is Tabitha Lynn Franklin still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Tabitha Lynn Franklin has been missing for 17 years. She was last seen August 13, 2009, in Vinemont, Alabama.
Was Tabitha Lynn Franklin ever found?
No. Despite dive searches, excavations, and a cadaver-dog search, no trace of Tabitha has ever been found.
When did Tabitha Lynn Franklin disappear?
August 13, 2009, from Vinemont in Cullman County, Alabama — not “around 2009.” She was 28 years old.
Who last saw Tabitha Lynn Franklin?
Her ex-boyfriend, Chris Poore, who picked her up from the County Road 1136 home on August 13, 2009, and said he dropped her at his business in Hueytown. He has not been charged in connection with her disappearance.
What is the reward in the Tabitha Franklin case?
$20,000 — doubled in October 2025 by an anonymous donor, announced through District Attorney Champ Crocker’s office with Governor Kay Ivey’s support.
How can I help?
Share this case file. If you have any information — no matter how small or how old — contact the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office at (256) 734-0342, NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678, or Alabama Cold Case Advocacy.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Cullman County Sheriff’s Office — (256) 734-0342; NamUs MP4247; District Attorney Champ Crocker’s office (reward announcement, Oct 2025); Governor Kay Ivey’s office.
- News: The Cullman Times (via podcast sourcing).
- Reference: The Charley Project, “Tabitha Lynn Franklin”; Uncovered.com case file; Alabama Cold Case Advocacy.
- Media: Shrouded in Darkness Podcast, Episode 50, “The Disappearance of Tabitha Lynn Franklin” (Sept 28, 2026, verified via YouTube); Unforgotten Podcast.
Corrections note (fact-verification pass, October 2026 — material corrections): The original file described the case as “circa 2009” with “no widely published timeline” and omitted all identifying detail. That was wrong. Verified records (The Charley Project, Uncovered, the Cullman Times, Alabama Cold Case Advocacy) establish: (1) Date: Tabitha was last seen August 13, 2009 — not “circa 2009.” (2) Age/birth: born September 15, 1980; she was 28, a mother of three. (3) Last-seen details: at 1140 County Road 1136, Vinemont, wearing a black dress, living with Keith Floyd; picked up that day by ex-boyfriend Chris Poore, who said he dropped her at his Hueytown business. (4) NamUs MP4247 and the Cullman County Sheriff tip line (256) 734-0342 — added. (5) Searches: 2014 Smith Lake dive searches and porch excavation at CR 1136; 2016 cadaver-dog search of a Jefferson County home — added. (6) Reward: doubled to $20,000 in October 2025 via an anonymous donor, DA Champ Crocker, and Gov. Kay Ivey — added. (7) Shrouded in Darkness episode 50 was verified as published on YouTube on September 28, 2026. No one named in this file has been charged; presumption of innocence applies.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.