Katharina Buczek
“At that point, we didn’t get a response except several of them saying, ‘We don’t want anything.'”
So, twelve days after the 72-year-old wife and mother’s abduction, Robert held a press conference and issued a plea to the public.
“My name is Robert Hearin. My wife, Annie Laurie, was taken from our home over 10 days ago. My children and I have done everything humanly possible to obtain her release. My children and I appeal to whoever has my wife that she may be safely returned to us. Thank you,” he told the community.
After news of this high-profile crime hit headlines, the Jackson area was rocked. Coverage of Annie’s abduction also made national news, but there were no developments until eight days after Robert held the press conference.
On August 15, 1988, he received yet another letter. This time, though, he immediately recognized the author’s handwriting and realized the note had been penned by his wife.
According to WLBT3, Annie’s letter urged her husband to cooperate with “these people.” She claimed that if he did not, then they would put her in the cellar of a home with just a few jugs of water.
“Please save me, Annie Laurie,” the note ended, which was postmarked from Atlanta.
Annie and Robert Sr.’s son, Robert Jr., revealed how the note did bring his family some hope. But it still left him and his father perplexed about what to do next.
“This [the note] gave us quite an emotional lift because it meant that mother apparently had survived the initial struggle,” Robert Jr. explained.
“But it still was extremely vague as to what we were to do.”
At that point, Robert Sr. decided to conduct an act of “good faith” to show his compliance with the demands. More specifically, he instructed his attorneys to determine how much his company, School Pictures, had sued the 12 franchisees for.
