TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - A Tifton family is speaking out more than five years after their mother vanished without a trace.

Patricia Clifton, 48, was last seen in January 2020 after being released from the Tift County Jail. Her son and daughter-in-law said they are frustrated and still searching for answers.

Kyle and Rebecca Sumner have spent six years trying to find Kyle’s mother, posting on social media, chasing leads and reaching out to investigators. But so far, they said, the answers are not coming.

“Pretty upset that more hasn’t been done than what could have,” Kyle Sumner said.

Last known trace

Patricia Clifton was last seen Jan. 5, 2020, the day she was released from the Tift County Jail. Nine days later, according to Rebecca and Kyle, a Tifton Police Department detective told them her driver’s license was renewed on Jan. 14, 2020. It has since expired. That is the last known trace of her.

“Every time we reach out, all we hear is no updates, no updates. The only thing that anyone has done is the BOLO that has been put out,” Rebecca Sumner said.

That Be On the Lookout alert was issued by Tifton Police in November 2025, more than five years after Clifton vanished. Rebecca Sumner said she has searched national missing persons databases and found no Jane Does matching Patricia’s description anywhere in the state of Georgia. The family believes Patricia is being treated as a statistic, not a person, because of her past.

Three grandchildren she doesn’t know

Rebecca Sumner never got the chance to meet her mother-in-law. But that has not slowed her down. She said Patricia has three grandchildren she does not even know about: twin boys and a girl.

“It upsets me as a wife to not be able to do more than what I can do to not be able to find his mom. I have my mom, you know, doing Mother’s Day and everything. And, you know, it’s just like, dang, I feel bad because now like my husband doesn’t even know where his mom’s at. So it’s just, it’s kind of been an emotional rollercoaster,” Rebecca Sumner said.

TIFTON POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMENT

Tifton Police Chief Steve Hyman said he had nothing to add at this time.

After more than five years with no answers, Kyle Sumner said he just wants closure.

Clifton is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, approximately 120 pounds, with blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tifton Police Department at (229) 382-3132.

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