By LavandaDolce
MISSING AND ENDANGERED OCOEE WOMAN: TRACY OCASIO LAST SEEN LEAVING ORLANDO BAR WITH MAN ON VIDEO
Posted by Blink | Missing Persons, Tracy Ocasio | Friday 29 May 2009

http://blinkoncrime.com/

Orlando, FL– 27 year old Tracy E. Ocasio has been missing since leaving the Taproom Bar in Orlando at approximately 1:30am Wednesday. (UPDATE: OCASIO WAS SPOTTED ON SURVEILLANCE AND THE MAN WITH HER HAS BEEN QUESTIONED)

Tracy, who resides on New Victor Rd, Ocoee, left the bar at “last call” and her car was found abandoned on Frankin Street in Ocoee. The homeowners on the property where the vehicle was found called Police saying there was a car parked there that did not belong to them.

Elizabeth Ocasio, Tracy’s Mother, is frantic:

“She’s missing. Nobody has seen her or heard from her,” said Ocasio.

“She goes there every Magic game, and she cheers for the Magic, and afterward, she texts everybody she knows and says, ‘Go Magic.’ Apparently, that didn’t happen after this game.”

“I honestly don’t think she would be going on her own. She was so involved in cheering for the Magic. She would definitely want to see the game tonight (Thursday).”

Orlando police will not comment if they consider Ocasio’s disappearance suspicious or if she is in danger. But they ask anyone who has seen her to call police at 321-235-5300.

MISSING AND ENDANGERED OCOEE WOMAN TRACY OCASIO
Posted by Blink | Greg Toole, Missing Persons, Tracy Ocasio | Monday 1 June 2009
Ocoee, FL– Missing since between 1 and 2 am Wednesday morning, Tracy Ocasio, 27, was last seen leaving The Florida Taproom Bar with an as yet unidentified male.

http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/06/01/missing-and-endangered-ocoee-woman-tracy-ocasio-do-ocoee-police-have-a-poi-in-greg-c-toole/#more-1690



Yesterday, in an interview with the My Fox Orlando, a friend of Ocasio’s, Greg Toole, spoke out about his friend Tracy and his personal acquaintance with the man Police have questioned.

Tracy’s friend Greg Toole says he once worked with that man she was seen leaving with, he says he even taught him to be a personal trainer. He remembers the last time he heard from her during one of the basketball games, “Go Magic. She would text me back “Hell yeah,” laugh. That’s about it.”

“I know he’s an all right guy.” “It’s a little disturbing to hear he’s involved in some way or another,” “I was cool with him so I’m gonna remain positive and think that was just the last person she was seen with. That is not the person who was involved. That’s what I’m hoping,” Toole said.

An alright guy he says? Well, let’s hope Ocoee PD has a higher barometer than Mr. Toole and are checking both men thoroughly. Mr. Toole is a registered Sex Offender and convicted drug dealer, currently out on a bond awaiting trial on a new felony charge.



Mr. Toole, his actual name, not a euphemism, was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts in 1994 at the age of 22. He was arrested for intent to deliver/manufacture cocaine in 2003 and sentenced to two years in prison, for which he served about 1.

That’s not all.



Mr. Toole provides 2 addresses, one where his father with the same name resides, and the other, very close in proximity. Both addresses are within 1.3 miles of where Tracy Ocasio’s car was found abandoned on Franklin Street.

Toole was also recently arrested for not registering as a sex offender, with the DMU. He is currently free on a $2500 bond, awaiting trial on that felony charge. His last court date was on 5/18/09.

Not making any accusations here, Mr. Toole has not been named a suspect.

Ocoee Police Searching For Missing Woman
Woods Search Near 'Person Of Interest's' Home
POSTED: 3:07 am EDT June 2, 2009
UPDATED: 7:25 am EDT June 2, 2009

http://www.wesh.com/news/19630001/detail.html

OCOEE, Fla. -- Ocoee Police are searching Tuesday morning for a 27-year-old woman who last seen leaving a bar in MetroWest last week.

Tracy Ocasio was last seen May 27.

There is security footage from the Florida Tap Room Bar that shows Tracy Ocasio leaving the establishment with a man around 1:00 A.M. Tuesday morning. Investigators believe the man seen on that tape with the missing woman is 28-year-old James Hataway.

Ocasio reportedly gave Hataway a ride home.

Ocasio's car was found abandoned in Ocoee, about 15 miles from the bar where she was last seen. The car was found not far from Hataways' home.

Friends and family of Ocasio stepped up search efforts on Sunday, handing out more than 500 fliers with the woman's information.

Ocasio's parents said they plan to request their daughter's cell phone records with the hope of finding new leads.

Police did arrest James Hataway Monday night on drug charges not related to the missing persons investigation. Hataway is described as a person of interest in the case.

The Ocoee Police Department is searching the woods around Hataway’s home Monday, after daybreak, to look for new leads in the case.

Hataway has an initial appearance scheduled for early Tuesday morning. He is in the Orange County jail on a drug paraphernalia charge; his bond set at $500.

Man Seen With Missing Woman Arrested
Police Search For Evidence Near Man's Home
POSTED: Monday, June 1, 2009


http://www.clickorlando.com/news/19628565/detail.html#

OCOEE, Fla. -- Investigators are searching for additional clues in the disappearance of a local woman a day after identifying a person of interest in the case.

VIDEO: Police Look For Missing Woman:
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/19598618/index.html

Detective Mark Olson of the Ocoee Police Department said authorities are searching the area near West Franklin Street and North Kissimmee Avenue for evidence.



The area is near the home of James Hataway, the man last seen with Tracy Ocasio at an Orlando bar.

Investigators said they are using K-9 units to search the area in order to rule it out.

Olson said there is no indication that investigators should be looking for Ocasio's body.

Police said Hataway, 28, has been arrested on drug charges and is a person of interest in Ocasio's disappearance.

Hataway, who police said was with last week at the Tap Room on Raleigh Street, was arrested Monday on drug paraphernalia charges when a search warrant was served at his home near Lyle and Franklin streets in Ocoee.

Ocasio was last seen early Wednesday morning leaving the Tap Room, and police said surveillance cameras showed her walking out with Hataway. He told police that Ocasio drove him home and left at about 2 a.m.

Police said cell phone records place Ocasio in the area of Hataway's home around 8:30 Wednesday morning, despite his claims that she left. Police are not ruling out the possibility she left and had car trouble. A mechanic is investigating her car, which was found abandoned in Ocoee after her disappearance, for any problems.

"I'm innocent. She left. I hung out with my father," Hataway said while being walked by police.

"He knows something, and we hope he tells police what that is," father Joe Ocasio said.

Anyone with information about Ocasio's whereabouts is urged to call Orlando police.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Man Who Last Saw Missing Ocoee Woman Arrested
Posted: 11:25 pm EDT June 1, 2009
Updated: 7:42 am EDT June 2, 2009

http://www.wftv.com/news/19629035/detail.html

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Tuesday morning, Orange County and Osceola County sheriff's deputies used dogs to search a wooded area in Ocoee as they continue to look for a missing 27-year-old woman.

Investigators searched the area near West Franklin Street in Ocoee because that is where Tracy Ocasio's car was found abandoned outside of a home. Ocasio has been missing since last Wednesday and her family has posted fliers throughout the area.

Late Monday night, Ocoee police arrested the last person to see Tracy Ocasio. James Virgil Hataway was booked into the Orange County Jail on drug paraphernalia charges.

Hataway has not been charged in Ocasio's disappearance, but investigators believe he knows something that he's not telling.

One interesting aspect about the man police arrested is that he lives approximately 150 yards from the house where the car was found.

Police arrested Hataway at his home on drug charges. They also searched for Ocasio's cell phone, car keys and wallet.

Hataway was the last person to see the 27-year-old. The two had only known each other about one week when Ocasio gave Hataway a ride home early Wednesday morning after a Magic playoff game.

Investigators say Hataway claims that Ocasio left right away, around 2:30am. However, cell phone records show she was in this area until 8:30am Wednesday morning.

Now, Ocasio's mother fears the worst.

"I'm beginning to think something serious might have happened to her and I'm just praying I'm wrong," said the missing woman's mother, Elizabeth Ocasio.

At this point, investigators are only calling Hataway a person of interest. They did not find any of Tracy Ocasio's belongings in his home. They also hope to get more information out of him before he can bond out of jail.

Woman: Past Assault Similar To Missing Woman Case
Police Say Tracy Ocasio Left Bar With James Hataway
POSTED: 3:07 am EDT June 2, 2009


http://www.wesh.com/news/19630001/detail.html

OCOEE, Fla. -- A Seminole County woman who did not want to be identified said she was assaulted by the man authorities said was the last to see a missing 27-year-old woman.

Ocoee police are questioning the woman.


Tracy Ocasio was last seen May 27.

There is security footage from the Florida Tap Room Bar that shows Tracy Ocasio leaving the establishment with a man around 1 a.m. last Tuesday.

Investigators believe the man seen on that tape with the missing woman is 28-year-old James Hataway.

A Seminole County woman said she gave Hataway a ride home from a house party about a year ago, and that when she hugged him goodbye in front of his house, he tried to break her neck.

"He tried to start breaking my neck, I slipped out of it," she said. "He started strangling me. I got out of my car and I started running down the streets. I ended up slipping and falling, that's why I have these scares, right here. I have them on my knees. He came up behind me. He started slamming my head down on the sidewalk. I started screaming. And then he took his hand and took both fingers and put them in my mouth and tried to snap my neck again. And I'm screaming, 'Somebody please help me. He's going to kill me.' He ended up picking m up, he had his hands around my throat and two people walked outside, thank God, and saved my life."

She said misdemeanor battery charges were filed against Hataway in Seminole County, but that police were unable to find him.

Ocasio reportedly gave Hataway a ride home.

Ocasio's car was found abandoned in Ocoee, about 15 miles from the bar where she was last seen. The car was found not far from Hataways' home.

Friends and family of Ocasio stepped up search efforts on Sunday, handing out more than 500 fliers with the woman's information.

"It's been nothing but silence from Tracy, and there is one thing Tracy is not, it's silent," Tracy Ocasio's mother Liz Ocasio said.

Taryn Anthony, Ocasio's friend, is passing out fliers, vowing not to give up.

Ocasio's parents said they plan to request their daughter's cell phone records with the hope of finding new leads.


James Hataway

Police arrested Hataway Monday night on drug charges not related to the missing persons investigation. Ocoee police call Hataway a person of interest in the case.

Hataway had his initial appearance Tuesday where a judge issued him a public defender and ordered him to be held under no bond.

TRACY OCASIO CASE
New details emerge in case of missing Tracy Ocasio
Newly released reports give details in the Tracy Ocasio case.
Bianca Prieto | Sentinel Staff Writer
1:08 PM EDT, June 4, 2009

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-tracy-ocasio-060409,0,1860517.story

It's been more than a week since anyone saw Tracy Ocasio alive.

While friends and family are holding out hope that the 27-year-old jewelry maker will be found soon, detectives have uncovered no trace of her.

Ocasio went missing early May 27 after leaving a MetroWest bar following an Orlando Magic Playoff game with a man she'd known for less than two weeks. Ocasio gave James Hataway, 28, a ride to his Ocoee home and hasn't been seen since.

Newly released reports show that Ocasio's phone made a call at 4:30 a.m., hours after she allegedly dropped Hataway off at his home. Friends say that police have made contact with the person who Ocasio's phone called, however detectives have not released that person's name.

That was the last outgoing call from her phone, according to police records. The next call came from her mother at 8:30 a.m. when cell towers show it pinged off of a tower about a 1,000 feet from Hataway's Ocoee home. Her phone has not been found.

"I'm keeping my hopes up," said Emily Hamilton, a close friend of Ocasio. "But, I don't think this is going to have a positive outcome."

Hataway claims that Ocasio left after dropping him off, but detectives found her yellow, 2-door Chevrolet Cobalt abandoned and unlocked less than a half-mile from Hataway's house.

Both the driver and passenger seats were leaned forward and a change of clothes were found in the back seat, reports show.

Detectives have scoured the area near Hataway's home in the 100 block of Lyle Street with bloodhounds and cadaver dogs, but have not found any sign of Ocasio.

A search of Hataway's home turned up nothing, but detectives found drug paraphernalia and arrested him. He's being held at the Orange County Jail.

Hamilton said she and Ocasio spent Memorial Day weekend in Titusville, but returned to Orlando on Tuesday, May 26 because Ocasio was scheduled for jury duty.

That evening Ocasio invited Hamilton to watch the Magic game at the Florida Tap Room, 6409 Raleigh Street, where they were regulars. Hamilton couldn't go, but Ocasio went to the bar anyway.

Ocasio told Hamilton that she'd met Hataway at the bar about a week before she disappeared, but hadn't hung out with him outside of the Tap Room until the night she went missing.

Surveillance video shows Ocasio leaving with Hataway sometime after 12:30 a.m., according to police. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black tank top, a black, hooded jacket and a dark green and white baseball cap.

Ex Defends Hataway In Ocasio Case
Police Name Hataway As Suspect In Ocasio's Disappearance
POSTED: Friday, June 5, 2009
UPDATED: 11:38 am EDT June 5, 2009

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/19666096/detail.html

The mother of James Hataway's only child is speaking out in defense of the man who is the primary suspect in the disappearance of an Ocoee woman.

Amanda Case said she has known Hataway for more than five years and there is no way he is involved in Tracy Ocasio's disappearance.

Police believe that Hataway was the last person to see Ocasio early on the morning of May 27 after a night at the Tap Room, a bar in Metro West.

Hataway has not been charged in Ocasio's disappearance.

Case said she is outraged at the allegations that the father of her child may be a kidnapper or murderer.

Case said Hataway is a good dad to their daughter and was never violent around their family.

Hataway has an extensive criminal record, including violent crime arrests dating back to when he was 10 years old, but Case said his record proves nothing.

"We all have a juvenile time in our life, doesn't mean we're all criminals. Both parents were deaf, never focused on him, for a long time nobody cared, mother not around for 4 years," Case said.

Since Hataway's arrest, two other women have come forward and said that he previously attacked them.

Man Involved In Ocasio Case Charged With '08 Battery
Tracy Ocasio Last Seen Leaving Metrowest Bar With Hataway
Pat Clarke, Sports Director
POSTED: 2:54 pm EDT June 8, 2009
UPDATED: 4:50 pm EDT June 8, 2009

http://www.wesh.com/news/19693058/detail.html

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A person of interest in the disappearance of Ocoee woman Tracy Ocasio was charged Monday with battering a Seminole County woman last August.
The search also continued for 27-year-old Ocasio who has been missing since May 27.

Police said Hataway was the last person seen with Ocasio when she left a bar in Metrowest after watching an Orlando Magic game. A surveillance video showed Ocasio leaving the bar with Hataway.
Ocasio’s family hopes the surveillance video will help generate more leads
A Seminole County woman contacted police after hearing of Ocasio's disappearance and said Hataway tried to killed her last year when she gave him a ride home after a party. Police said Hataway was not prosecuted at the time because the woman could not be reached.

Search For Ocasio Reaches 2-Week Mark
Hataway To Face Additional Charges If He Bonds Out
POSTED: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
UPDATED: 7:41 am EDT June 10, 2009

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/19711149/detail.html

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It has been two weeks since an Ocoee woman was last seen at a metro west bar and police are continuing their search for evidence.

Tracy Ocasio disappeared on May 27 after last being seen at the Tap Room with James Hataway.

A Tap Room employee said the incident has caused a change in tone at the bar.

"Everybody does know about it. To me, there is a more quiet tone. I have noticed the women do not leave by themselves here," Jenny Sheehan said.

Hataway is being held at the Orange County Jail on unrelated charges. If he bonds out, the Seminole County Sheriffs Office said it will book him on charges of attacking other women who have come forward since Ocasio disappeared.