RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – More than six decades after a Maryland soldier vanished while hitchhiking home to southern West Virginia, the U.S. Army says it has developed new leads that could finally solve one of the region’s oldest mysteries.
In December 1963, Sgt. James Haynes, a 32-year-old U.S. Army soldier, left his post in Baltimore, Maryland, heading home to visit his parents in the Maben–Saulsville area of Wyoming County. Dressed in his uniform, Haynes was last seen by a woman who picked him up hitchhiking. She dropped him off in Oak Hill on December 7, 1963 — just 49 miles from his destination. He was never seen again.
Investigators believe Haynes may have encountered three local men at a tavern in Raleigh County later that day. An altercation reportedly broke out, and according to long-standing accounts, the men — identified as William Trump, James Cozort, and James Cox — pursued Haynes after he left, striking him with their vehicle.
Authorities were told the men later buried Haynes’ body in a remote area of Bolt Mountain in Wyoming County. Over the years, searches uncovered chilling evidence: Haynes’ wallet, bloody rags stuffed inside a hollow tree stump, and his military chain or dog tags reportedly nailed to a tree. But his body was never found.
In 1971, William Trump was arrested and charged with Haynes’ murder, but the case was dropped months later due to insufficient evidence. Cozort was questioned but never charged, and Cox was never located by investigators.
Now, more than 60 years later, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has reopened the case. In spring 2025, Army investigators contacted Raleigh County authorities to assist with a renewed search effort.
Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman confirmed that his office is working closely with the Army CID and local law enforcement. He said plans are underway for a detailed search of the Bolt Mountain area in hopes of recovering Haynes’ remains and providing long-awaited closure to his surviving daughters.
Adding to the mystery, Sgt. Haynes disappeared the same day a dismembered torso was discovered near Pineville — a case tied to the infamous “Mad Butcher of West Virginia” killings of the 1960s. While investigators say the two incidents are not believed to be connected, the timing and violence of the era have long fueled speculation.
Anyone with information about Sgt. Haynes’ disappearance is urged to contact the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department at 304-255-9300 or the U.S. Army CID at 1-844-ARMY-CID.
