LAS VEGAS — A New York woman who disappeared while visiting Las Vegas in early August has been found dead, her family announced Friday, closing nearly two weeks of agonizing uncertainty that included suspicious text messages and a recorded phone call from someone claiming to be her.
Family alerted authorities after she didn't return from a short errand
The family identified the woman as 63-year-old Alisa Goods, a Newark native who had been living on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Relatives said Goods was staying at a friend's home in Las Vegas and told that friend she was going to a CVS on Aug. 8. She never returned.
According to family members, Goods' friend — who had been housing her during the trip — alerted the family when she did not come back, and two days later made a missing persons report with Las Vegas police.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug. 8 | Family says Goods told a friend she was going to CVS and did not return. |
| Aug. 10 | Friend reportedly filed a missing persons report with Las Vegas authorities (family account). |
| Aug. 21 | Family announced Goods had been found deceased. |
Family alleges phone contact from an imposter while she was missing
As days passed with no sign of Goods, her family said they began receiving text messages sent from her phone. The messages demanded money and bitcoin, the family said, prompting fears that someone was impersonating Goods to solicit funds.
Relatives described also receiving a phone call to Goods’ son during the disappearance. The family said the son recorded part of the call; the caller identified themselves as Alisa and asked whether money was being sent. Family members said the voice on the recording was not Goods'. The family turned the texts, the phone call recording and other information over to Las Vegas police.
"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," the family said in a statement shared by her niece, Alana Calloway.
Goods' sister, Mielle Stone, told reporters the family feared a ransom situation after receiving the messages. "Yes. But we don’t have any money," Stone said, according to earlier family statements.
Authorities, family seek answers
At the time the family announced Goods' death, they said they were still trying to learn the details surrounding her death and requested continued prayer. The family has also organized a fundraiser to help with burial expenses, according to prior reports.
- Age: 63
- Home: Manhattan's Upper East Side (family account)
- Last known action: Told a friend she was going to a CVS in Las Vegas and did not return
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has not publicly released details about the location where Goods was found or the cause and manner of death. Investigators typically withhold certain details in active inquiries; family members say they provided police with the messages and recorded call they received.
Goods' relatives had traveled from New York to Las Vegas to assist in the search, distributing flyers and appealing to the public for any information. The case drew attention on social media and in local pleas for assistance during the nearly two weeks before the family confirmed her death.
As police continue to investigate, the family's account of apparent impersonation and ransom-style requests raises concerns about scams and criminal opportunism that can occur when individuals are missing. Las Vegas residents and visitors who receive suspicious messages or calls should report them to local law enforcement and avoid transferring money or cryptocurrency without independent verification.
WE NEWS will update this report as officials release additional information about the circumstances surrounding Goods' death and any related investigation in Las Vegas.
