JSU Chief: Missing student may have purchased a Greyhound bus ticket to NYC

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A missing 21-year-old Jackson State University student may have purchased a bus ticket to New York City, according to authorities.

Jackson State University’s Department of Public Safety held a press conference Friday to give an update on the search for Kamilah Fipps, a student who went missing on April 19.

Chief Herman Horton, director of public safety for Jackson State, said his office is still working to find her.

He asks anyone with information on Fipps to call JSU Police at (601) 979-2580.

“We received this information yesterday afternoon and, once again, immediately started taking action, as far as taking investigative steps to determine where Ms. Fipps was located,” he said. “One thing we do know is she or someone purchased a ticket from our Greyhound bus station and that destination ended in New York City.”

“We’re reaching out to our law enforcement partners in that part of the country to determine if she arrived in that location by herself or if she was with someone,” he said.

Horton said his department received information around 1 p.m. Thursday that Fipps was missing.

“We determined she had been missing since the 19th, and we started backtracking, taking those steps to (set a) a timeline,” he said. “We’re still developing information based on those leads to help locate Ms. Fipps.”

“We’re in constant contact with the mother. Any information she’s received, we’ve been constantly encouraging her to give us a call and she’s been doing that,” he said. “I really appreciate her in helping us resolve this situation.”

Horton said authorities cannot confirm why Fipps went to New York. “As of right now, that is the destination (of) the ticket that was purchased.”

Fipps or someone purchased the ticket on Wednesday afternoon, the day after she was last seen.

A Silver Alert was issued for Fipps Thursday.

She is described as a Black female who is five feet, five inches tall, and weighing 130 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

She is a senior at JSU from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She was last seen Tuesday around 6:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of J.R. Lynch Street in Hinds County walking in an unknown direction.

Family members say Fipps suffers from a medical condition that may impair her judgment.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.