Black Family’s Fears Come to Life After Missing NYC Grandmother’s Phone Sends Suspicious Texts

(Updated on 08/21/2026 @ 3:20 p.m.)

Alisa Goods, a 63-year-old woman from New York City, who disappeared while visiting Las Vegas, has been found dead, bringing a heartbreaking end to the search for her.

“Our hearts are broken. We were notified that my aunt was found–unfortunately, not the way we wanted her to be. This is an unimaginable time,” a statement obtained by New York NBC 4 from Goods’ family read.

Now, authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

(Original story posted 08/18/2026 @11:54 a.m.)

The family of the grandmother of five filed a missing persons report after they were unable to contact her while on a trip to visit a friend. Then they began receiving suspicious messages from her phone.

Alisa Goods traveled to Las Vegas earlier this month to visit a longtime friend, according to CBS News. But on Aug. 8, she left his apartment to catch a bus to a nearby CVS and never returned. It’s been over a week since she was last seen. Still, her family remains hopeful.

At first, there was only uncertainty. Goods’ friend of nine years, Roger John, expected her to come back after shopping. “Last I saw her, she was going down the stairs. And I said, ‘OK, see you later,’” he said in an interview with Fox 8 News. He reportedly left the house about 15 minutes later. But when he returned after three hours, that’s when he started to worry.

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“I was like, ‘she should have been home already.’ I didn’t think much of it, because sometimes she’d go out and she’d shop. She stays out,” he said. “I kept texting and calling and texting and calling.”

Records show that the family reported Goods missing two days later, on Aug. 10. By then, her phone appeared to be disconnected, according to the family. But days after the report was filed, they began receiving text messages from her phone number.

Goods’ niece, Alana Calloway, recalled the texts that immediately raised alarms. “I said, ‘Hey, could you call me back? Something happened to mommy. It’s an emergency.’  And I kind of went on and on trying to get the person to actually call me.  But they kept putting it off and saying, ‘Now my card’s not working,’” Calloway told Fox.

At one point, the sender mentioned someone named Kelly — a person Calloway said does not exist in their family, the New York Post reported. The sender asked for money, requested Bitcoin and claimed to need gas. The problem was that Goods did not have a car in Las Vegas.

“I want to know that she’s OK and that she is alive,” Calloway said. “She has a family that loves her, cares about her. We want her home and want her home safe and alive.”

The family’s fear deepened once Goods’ son, Keven Newton, also received strange messages seeking money, Fox 8 reported. To them, the phone was no longer reassuring evidence that their loved one was communicating. It was another mystery.

Now, the family is facing the terrifying possibility that someone else might have Goods’ phone.

“Every time the person texts back, it just felt like my heart was in my stomach because I knew it wasn’t my aunt,” Calloway said.