AZ AZ - Amy Yachimec, 13, Phoenix, 6 Nov 1981

[Richard]

25 years have passed since this little girl disappeared. Very sketchy information on the Doenetwork. Does anyone have more information?

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Amy M. Yachimec
Missing since November 6, 1981 from Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona.
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: February 24, 1968
Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 105 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; blue eyes.
Dentals: Not Available
Clothing: Blue terry cloth short sleeve shirt, maroon colored slacks, blue slip on shoes.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Yachimec was last seen November 6, 1981 in Phoenix, AZ. Foul play is suspected.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Maricopa County Sheriff's Department 602-256-1000

Agency Case Number: 88-10402
NCIC Number: M-369727705
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
California Department of Justice
The Doe Network: Case File 1354DFAZ

LINK:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=37

 

[LisainWV]

This one makes me wonder about the family. looks like limited info was provided about what she had been doing, where she was going.... and then the only photo they can provide is one of such poor quality? Maybe all this means nothing, but...

 

[hewinkedatme!]

http://doenetwork.org/cases/72uftx.html

The one thing that got my attention was the terry cloth shirt. I think they were pretty popular in the 70's/early 80's, but I can't recall any other uids that were found wearing one. It says that Amy's shirt was blue, while the uid was found in a blue and white shirt, but maybe there was only a little white trim or edging that didn't make its way into Amy's clothing description. Everything else matches up pretty close, with what little info there is. I just wish there was more to go on in both cases.

 

[meggilyweggily]

This one makes me wonder about the family. looks like limited info was provided about what she had been doing, where she was going.... and then the only photo they can provide is one of such poor quality? Maybe all this means nothing, but...

Unfortunately, that's true with a lot of older cases. It doesn't necessarily mean the family didn't provide any info -- a lot of times the cops lose the paperwork. I know one family with a missing foster sister from 1980 and they gave the police lots of photos and every last one of them, except one really cruddy picture, were lost. More recently, the police investigating the case of a missing guy in I think Connecticut asked for a DNA sample from his family three times, and each time misplaced it.

 

[coco]

Thanks for bringing this case to our attention. I see what you mean by the info...

 

[Rle7]

Amy is also listed as a possible match for Blairstown Princess Doe.

http://www.princessdoe.org/matches.html

 

[Richard]

bumping case up...

LINK:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1354dfaz.html

 

[jazzbo13]

Giving this one a long overdue bump.

 

[forthelost]

http://www.forthelost.org/calikids/AYachimec.doc

 

[coco]

yet another bump up

 

[Melyanna Maidstone]

I'm not sure what a bump up means but I may be able to give you all a little information. I knew Amy when she went missing but I will be honest it was a long time ago and we were both young.

Amy was not into drugs or even dating at that time so neither were involved. I remember her telling me about them having a block party that evening and she didn't want to go. Amy was really shy and not into being around huge crowds. She was also afraid of one of her neighbors. I'm not sure why or the details but this individual threatened a few times to kidnap her and sale her into the sex trade in Mexico. I think she honestly believed them but she didn't really talk about it, only that she was scared of this couple.

(The following information are things I heard after being interviewed by the police the following day at school. What is truth and what is rumor I can't tell for sure since it was all so long ago)..If my memory serves me right I later learned she went to the party for a while and then decided to go back home. Her grandmother I think was the last one to see Amy when she said she came in and said she was going to bed and went into her room. That was the last time anyone seen her. I think there was a door leading outside in her room but it was locked from the inside as were the windows. She just simply vanished from a locked room.

There was talk and news articles about them investigating the neighbor and some sort of proof (A hair or something) in a car owned by the neighbors brother-in-law I think. Apparently the neighbor had borrowed the car. There should have been NO reason Amy would have ever been in the car but I remember something about there not being enough evidence to go after them. I used to have all the news articles but haven't seen them since right after high school.

As I said I was young and although I still think of Amy constantly and wonder what happened (And pray the neighbors threats weren't the reason) it's all really jumbled. I plan on talking to my mother in the next few days to see what she remembers and if she knows what happened to all the articles. I will pass on any information I find out or can remember.

Amy was the sweetest, shyest girl I've ever known. Whatever happened was out of her control and I know in my heart she never would have gone with anyone willingly. She loved her family more then anything and wouldn't hurt them by running away nor would any of them ever hurt her. This tore not only her family apart but everyone who knew her and changed all our lives. I haven't spoken to her family since high school and after her brother graduated (he was one grade ahead of us and we hung out occasionally my junior year) I don't know what happened to them. Only that her mother had never given up hope she would come home. Please help find out what happened to her.

 

[Melyanna Maidstone]

As for her family being involved not a chance and I don't know why there isn't any info on her. The case was publicized here during the time as well as republished a few years later int he local papers.

Also the photo used is actually our class photos and I'm not sure why it looks so terrible online but I can guarantee it was a good photo at the time.

Anything else I can do just let me know.

 

[Richard]

...Also the photo used is actually our class photos and I'm not sure why it looks so terrible online but I can guarantee it was a good photo at the time.

Anything else I can do just let me know.

Welcome to Websleuths, Melyanna. And thank you for your first hand comments about Amy's disappearance. Any and all information that you can post to this forum would be of interest and perhaps even helpful in resolving the case.

As to the photo, if you have other photos or a better quality one, you can submit it to the Doenetwork or post it to other websites and put links here on Websleuths to the photos.

Oh, and the term "bumping up" is used here on Websleuths when someone wants to bring a case which was posted long ago or which has not had any comments lately to the front page of the Cold Case forum. Each time someone posts to any topic, it goes to the top of the front page as the most recent posting. Sometimes I "bump" a case that I have been thinking about, or maybe because someone refers to the case in another post and I want to make it easier for folks to find it.

 

[Melyanna Maidstone]

Thank you and thanks for explaining the meaning to me. Being half a lifetime ago and 8 moves most of my childhood items have either disappeared or still packed away in a box somewhere. Having just finished the last move a week ago I'm up to my elbows in boxes but will try my best to see what pictures I can come up with.

I've tried searching myself over the years online for information and old archived newspaper articles and had no luck but then again I've never done anything like this before. Maybe some of you would have a better chance finding some info. The papers at that time that ran the articles were The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette both located in Phoenix Arizona (Maricopa County). The Phoenix Police Department Investigated the disappearance.

As I've said I don't know where to find her family and even though we walked home together and talked at school neither of us ever visited the others homes. I know she lived with her grandma, mother and older brother. She never mentioned a father so I'm assuming he was out of the picture. Although her brother hung out with me occasionally in high school I can't for the life remember his name and it's driving me crazy. For some reason Michael keeps coming to mind but I'm not sure if that was it or not. Am hoping to run into my old yearbooks while unpacking and renovating. Hopefully he had his pictures taken. I'll try to come up with whatever else I can as well and post them.

Thank you again

 

[coco]

those nieghbours sure sound like creeps. that must have been so awful for Amy, were they serious?

 

[Melyanna Maidstone]

I pray each day they weren't but Amy sure believed them. It happened more then once and then finding evidence she had been in the car makes one wonder since there was no way in hell Amy would have gotten into anything car, apt etc with them.
I have to believe something else happened though because the thought of that happening is worse then the alternatives.

 

[Julessleuther]

Melyanna:

Where in Phoenix did this happen?

 

[Melyanna Maidstone]

Melyanna:

Where in Phoenix did this happen?

DO you mean our major crossroads?

 

[Melyanna Maidstone]

If you mean the area it was 35th Avenue and Van Buren. As for her exact address that I don't know. I'm not even sure if the property she lived at is still there. The area wasn't the greatest back then and has really gone down hill from there. Things rundown, torn down, burned down. It's changed a lot.

 

[delighteyes3]

Our address was 3540 W. Van Buren, and it was not the best area to live in. The apartments that my grandmother and grandfather built have since been torn down and is now a parking lot for the telephone company.

There is more information on this case that was not public do to the fact that they were trying to catch the couple. I have the grim details of that night, but unfortunately without her body they were not able to convict the guy or woman. He is currently in jail and she is basically mentally challenged. I was told I could go and see him in jail and try to talk to him, but I do not have the inner strength to do this. I have a TON of pictures of her, and the picture that was used was the most recent one we had of her. Unfortunately she went with these people willingly, they befriended her and she tried to wake me up the night she disappeared for good, but I didn't want to go. This was the second night that she had gone with them, and the only reason she was not murdered the first night is because they were stopped by the police, so they brought her back home.

If you mean the area it was 35th Avenue and Van Buren. As for her exact address that I don't know. I'm not even sure if the property she lived at is still there. The area wasn't the greatest back then and has really gone down hill from there. Things rundown, torn down, burned down. It's changed a lot.