HALE CENTER, Texas – It’s been more than two years since Traci Boston of Hale County went missing. Her family said the 61-year-old was last seen on Dec. 18, 2020.
“I actually spoke to her on Christmas,” said Brandon Cooley, Boston’s son. “That’s the last time I spoke to her.”
Christmas 2020 would be when Brandon would have his last conversation with his mother. Her family started to become skeptical of the cryptic messages Boston would send, so her brother went to check on her.
“Our uncle stopped by there to check and see what was going on, and they found this guy, Corey, on-site,” said Grath Cooley, Boston’s son. “He said that he knew where our mom was and that he was going to lead our uncle to her, but then when they got on the highway, he just took off.”
Human remains were found in Hale County on Jan. 21, 2021, after 26-year-old Corey Webster was found driving Boston’s pickup truck. Webster was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence (human corpse). At the time, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported Webster as a “person of interest” in Boston’s disappearance.
“As soon as I was told that human remains were found inside the burn barrel when he was caught, I automatically knew because there were pieces of her purse and stuff that were also found in there,” Grath said. “That’s the day that we definitively knew that she was no longer with us.”
To this day, the family said her remains have not been positively identified, but they presume the ones found in Hale County belong to Boston, and they believe Webster is responsible for her death.
“We haven’t heard from her in two years, so we know she’s gone,” Grath said. “We know he [Webster] was the last one with her. He had her truck, he had her phone and he used her credit cards. I mean, it’s pretty easy to put it together for me.”
The family said the only evidence they’ve been given is results from a DNA test, that still aren’t clear.
“At this point, there’s not a lot to go on other than the DNA results, and they are matched to my uncle and my aunt.”
A lot of time has gone by, and the family still hasn’t been able to memorialize Boston. Brandon said he and his family are still holding out hope for answers and justice for their loved one.
“My mother was the victim, and we’re sitting here in limbo just trying to come to grips and get a little bit of closure,” Brandon said.
As of now, Webster remains in Hale County custody, pending prosecution for murder. When EverythingLubbock.com asked for additional details on Webster, Hale County District Attorney Wally Hatch said he couldn’t release any information, citing that the documents are sealed since Webster’s case is still under investigation.
