Taffy G. Overstreet

Taffy, circa 2010; Archery Overstreet

  • Missing Since 11/07/2010
  • Missing From Houston, Texas
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Black
  • Date of Birth 06/12/1959 (65)
  • Age 51 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'7 - 5'10, 104 pounds
  • Medical Conditions Taffy suffers from cancer.
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Dark green 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis (accounted for)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Two fingers on Taffy's left hand are stuck in a closed position. Her ears are pierced. Her maiden name is Rawls.

Details of Disappearance

Taffy was last seen at her home in the 6400 block of Micollett in Houston, Texas on November 7, 2010. She has never been heard from again. She vanished along with her husband, Archery Lynn "Archie" Overstreet. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.

Archery had been convicted of burglary, aggravated sexual assault, attempted murder, and attempted capital murder of a police officer in connection with a two-day crime spree he and his brother committed in 1986. He had married Taffy, a longtime friend, while serving a 60-year prison sentence.

He was paroled in 2008, two years before Taffy's disappearance, and was under strict supervision as part of his parole; he was supposed to keep a curfew and wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle which would sound an alarm if he left home between the hours of 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 a.m..

Several times on the day of her disappearance, Taffy called her adult son, Shabocker Rawls, and said Archery was drunk and had assaulted her. Rawls overheard yelling in the background of one of the conversations, and Taffy told him she wanted Archery out of her house. She called her uncle at 12:00 p.m. and asked him to come over and help her make Archery leave.

Taffy's uncle came over at 10:00 p.m., but her car was gone and no one answered the door. At around the same time, someone used Taffy's food stamp card at a nearby grocery store. At 10:18, Taffy spoke to a cousin on the phone and said she'd asked her husband to move out within a month. This is the last time anyone heard from her, although an entry was made on her Facebook page at 12:03 a.m. on November 8.

Rawls called his mother several times over the next two days but she never answered the phone, so he came to her house. When no one answered the door, he broke in and found the residence deserted. Taffy's car, laptop computer, cellular phone and two pistols were gone, as was Archery's clothing.

Investigators searched the residence for blood or human remains, but found nothing; there were no indications of foul play. Archery's ankle bracelet had been cut off at approximately 5:30 p.m. on November 8, the day after Taffy was last seen.

Using cellular phone records, authorities determined Archery had traveled from Texas, to Louisiana, to Florida, to New York, and then back to Florida from November 8 through November 17. Archery used or attempted to use Taffy's debit card in Jacksonville, Florida 25 times during this period.

On December 8, police arrested Archery in Jacksonville for parole violation at a traffic stop. They seized the vehicle he was driving; it was Taffy's dark green 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis. Inside the trunk of the car they found a 9mm handgun and a bloodstained roll of duct tape.

DNA testing determined the blood was probably Taffy's. She wasn't with her husband at the time of his arrest and he said he had no idea where she was and he last saw her asleep at their residence before he left. He admitted he had stolen her belongings, including her debit card and food stamp card, which were her sole means of support.

Archery subsequently pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 35 years in prison. When determining his sentence, the court decided the preponderance of evidence indicated he'd murdered Taffy, and they gave him a more severe sentence than normal because of this. He is still incarcerated. In June 2012, Archery was additionally charged with Taffy's murder. He is awaiting trial.

Foul play is suspected in Taffy's case due to the circumstances involved.

Investigating Agency

  • Texas Department of Public Safety 800-346-3243

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated September 18, 2014; details of disappearance updated.