IL IL - Trudy Appleby, 11, Moline, 21 Aug 1996

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    • Missing Since 08/21/1996
    • Missing From Moline, Illinois
    • Classification Non-Family Abduction
    • Sex Female
    • Race White
    • Date of Birth 09/04/1984 (36)
    • Age 11 years old
    • Height and Weight 4’8 - 5'0, 75 - 85 pounds
    • Clothing/Jewelry Description A shirt, black stretchy bicycle shorts, white socks and dark blue Nike deck shoes with white shoelaces.
    • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue/green eyes.
    Details of Disappearance
    Trudy's father departed from their family's residence to report to work at approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 21, 1996 in Moline, Illinois. A neighbor saw Trudy enter a silver or gray four-door box-style vehicle, similar to a Chevrolet Celebrity, in the driveway of her home between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.

    The driver of the vehicle is described as being Caucasian and in his twenties at the time with curly brown or black hair worn long to his shoulders. The suspect was wearing a baseball cap. Neither Trudy nor her suspected abductor have been seen again. Her father reported her disappearance when he could not find her after he returned home from work.

    Authorities believe that Trudy may have known the vehicle's driver. Her family's residence was located off of the main road and was not visible from the street. Her case was initially investigated as a possible runaway, but investigators now believe Trudy was abducted. She took a swimsuit and a towel before departing from her home. She left approximately $200 behind, which her father said she saved for an upcoming vacation.

    William "Ed" Smith was identified as the prime suspect in Trudy's disappearance in 2017. Smith, a friend of Trudy's father, died in 2014. A witness (reportedly his son-in-law, David Whipple, who lived across the street from Smith in 1996), had seen Trudy in his car, and Smith threatened to kill him if the witness told the police about this. Smith was seen alone later on the day of Trudy's disappearance, but Trudy was never seen again. He had his car scrapped within a week of Trudy's disappearance, and he acted "despondent" whenever her name was mentioned.

    Trudy's father theorizes that Smith and Whipple took Trudy out on a boat on the Mississippi River and something unexpected happened, perhaps an accident, that lead to the child's death. Trudy was friends with one of Whipple's children and frequently accompanied their family on the boat. On the day of her disappearance, she had asked her father for permission to go swimming and he told her no; however, it's possible she went anyway. Whipple has refused to cooperate with investigators in Trudy's disappearance.

    A third person of interest, Jamison A. "Jamie" Fisher, was named Trudy's case in 2020. He was a lifelong friend of the Smith family. Photos of Fisher, Whipple and Smith are posted with this case summary. Smith died in 2014. Whipple has refused to cooperate with investigators in Trudy's disappearance.

    Police are appealing to anyone who might have seen any suspicious activity in the areas of Campbell's Island, Black Bird Island, Dynamite Island, or the boat launch at Empire Park in East Moline, Illinois on the day Trudy disappeared. Her case remains unsolved.
    Investigating Agency
    Source Information

    Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated August 19, 2020; details of disappearance updated.
    Click to expand...

    trudy_leann_appleby_6.jpg
  • trudy_leann_appleby_7.jpg
  • appleby_trudy8.jpg
  • trudy_leann_appleby_8.jpg

  • Trudy, circa 1996; Age-progression to age 30 (circa 2014)
    Trudy Leann Appleby – The Charley Project
 
Last edited:
  • Missing Since 08/21/1996
  • Missing From Moline, Illinois
  • Classification Non-Family Abduction
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 09/04/1984 (36)
  • Age 11 years old
  • Height and Weight 4’8 - 5'0, 75 - 85 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A shirt, black stretchy bicycle shorts, white socks and dark blue Nike deck shoes with white shoelaces.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue/green eyes.
Details of Disappearance
Trudy's father departed from their family's residence to report to work at approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 21, 1996 in Moline, Illinois. A neighbor saw Trudy enter a silver or gray four-door box-style vehicle, similar to a Chevrolet Celebrity, in the driveway of her home between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.

The driver of the vehicle is described as being Caucasian and in his twenties at the time with curly brown or black hair worn long to his shoulders. The suspect was wearing a baseball cap. Neither Trudy nor her suspected abductor have been seen again. Her father reported her disappearance when he could not find her after he returned home from work.

Authorities believe that Trudy may have known the vehicle's driver. Her family's residence was located off of the main road and was not visible from the street. Her case was initially investigated as a possible runaway, but investigators now believe Trudy was abducted. She took a swimsuit and a towel before departing from her home. She left approximately $200 behind, which her father said she saved for an upcoming vacation.

William "Ed" Smith was identified as the prime suspect in Trudy's disappearance in 2017. Smith, a friend of Trudy's father, died in 2014. A witness (reportedly his son-in-law, David Whipple, who lived across the street from Smith in 1996), had seen Trudy in his car, and Smith threatened to kill him if the witness told the police about this. Smith was seen alone later on the day of Trudy's disappearance, but Trudy was never seen again. He had his car scrapped within a week of Trudy's disappearance, and he acted "despondent" whenever her name was mentioned.

Trudy's father theorizes that Smith and Whipple took Trudy out on a boat on the Mississippi River and something unexpected happened, perhaps an accident, that lead to the child's death. Trudy was friends with one of Whipple's children and frequently accompanied their family on the boat. On the day of her disappearance, she had asked her father for permission to go swimming and he told her no; however, it's possible she went anyway. Whipple has refused to cooperate with investigators in Trudy's disappearance.

A third person of interest, Jamison A. "Jamie" Fisher, was named Trudy's case in 2020. He was a lifelong friend of the Smith family. Photos of Fisher, Whipple and Smith are posted with this case summary. Smith died in 2014. Whipple has refused to cooperate with investigators in Trudy's disappearance.

Police are appealing to anyone who might have seen any suspicious activity in the areas of Campbell's Island, Black Bird Island, Dynamite Island, or the boat launch at Empire Park in East Moline, Illinois on the day Trudy disappeared. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Source Information

Updated 10 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated August 19, 2020; details of disappearance updated.
Click to expand...


  • appleby_trudy_smith.jpg
  • appleby_trudy_fisher.jpg
  • appleby_trudy_whipple.jpg
William "Ed" Smith; David Whipple; Jamison "Jamie" Fisher

Trudy Leann Appleby – The Charley Project
 
*breaking my heart. so sad:

A vigil will be held for Trudy on Saturday, August 21, the 25th anniversary since she vanished. The event will be at 6:30 at First Baptist Church in East Moline, 167 Avenue Of The Cities. Her family says all are welcome to attend and light a candle in her memory.

For her old neighbor, Kelly Carlson, it's hard to believe how much time has passed.

"I never would have dreamed we'd still be here looking for an answer 25 years later," she told News 8. "I was 37 when Trudy went missing. I am 62. Trudy would be turning, this year she would be turning 37."

Carlson remembers Trudy as a smart, vibrant, loving child. The first day she met Trudy, Carlson looked out her window and saw a girl jumping around her yard.

"I said, 'Can I help you?' And she said, 'My name is Trudy. You guys have kids?' And I sent my daughter out to play with her. She was just a fixture from then on out," said Carlson. "She was here all the time. She was a very trusting child."

It's that memory of Trudy, forever frozen as an 11-year-old that loved to rollerblade and skip down the road, that Carlson plays in her mind.

"We never got to experience her growing up. We never got a teenage Trudy or a young adult Trudy," she said. "She doesn't have a voice anymore. Somebody stole that from her. So we all have to be her voice until we find out what they did with her."

Being that voice has meant countless interviews and years of vigils. Every year Carlson writes a letter to the editor, and she constantly helps update Trudy's group Facebook page. It's heartbreaking, tiring work. But it's something Carlson says she'll continue... for as long as it takes.

"I'll keep this up till I'm dead. Unless we find her before then. If I got to go to the grave looking for it, that's what I'm gonna do."
Remembering Trudy Appleby, 25 years after she disappeared | wqad.com
 
I was a student at the time of her disappearance. I recall a friend of mine indicating that Trudy had secretly moved in with a boyfriend. I think it was in Milan, but my memory is likely wrong. In any event, I don’t think there is any truth to that. Although I wonder if the younger suspect was her ‘boyfriend’. But she was so young, too young, so it can’t be possible.
 
In 2017, William “Ed” Smith, a friend of Trudy’s father, was identified as a person of interest. What he knew is lost forever: Smith died in 2014.

In August of 2020, two more men were named persons of interest: David Whipple of Colona and Jamison Fisher of Silvis.

Investigators believe Whipple and Fisher have knowledge of what happened to Trudy, and are possibly involved in her disappearance and its coverup.
Vanished QC: A little girl disappears in 1996 | OurQuadCities
 
Trudy Leann Appleby – The Charley Project

Last updated January 28, 2022; details of disappearance updated.

Details of Disappearance
Trudy's father departed from their family's residence to report to work at approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 21, 1996 in Moline, Illinois. A neighbor saw Trudy enter a silver or gray four-door box-style vehicle, similar to a Chevrolet Celebrity, in the driveway of her home between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.

The driver of the vehicle is described as being Caucasian and in his twenties at the time with curly brown or black hair worn long to his shoulders. The suspect was wearing a baseball cap. Neither Trudy nor her suspected abductor have been seen again. Her father reported her disappearance when he could not find her after he returned home from work.

Authorities believe that Trudy may have known the vehicle's driver. Her family's residence was located off of the main road and was not visible from the street. Her case was initially investigated as a possible runaway, but investigators now believe Trudy was abducted. She took a swimsuit and a towel before departing from her home. She left approximately $200 behind, which her father said she saved for an upcoming vacation.

William "Ed" Smith was identified as the prime suspect in Trudy's disappearance in 2017. Smith, a friend of Trudy's father, died in 2014. A witness (reportedly his son-in-law, David Whipple, who lived across the street from Smith in 1996), had seen Trudy in his car, and Smith threatened to kill him if the witness told the police about this.

Smith was seen alone later on the day of Trudy's disappearance, but Trudy was never seen again. He had his car scrapped within a week of Trudy's disappearance, and he acted "despondent" whenever her name was mentioned.

Trudy's father theorizes that Smith and Whipple took Trudy out on a boat on the Mississippi River and something unexpected happened, perhaps an accident, that lead to the child's death. Trudy was friends with one of Whipple's children and frequently accompanied their family on the boat. On the day of her disappearance, she had asked her father for permission to go swimming and he told her no; however, it's possible she went anyway. Whipple has refused to cooperate with investigators in Trudy's disappearance.

A third person of interest, Jamison A. "Jamie" Fisher, was named Trudy's case in 2020. He was a lifelong friend of the Smith family. Photos of Fisher, Whipple and Smith are posted with this case summary.

Smith died in 2014. Whipple, a registered sex offender, has refused to cooperate with investigators in Trudy's disappearance. In May 2021, Fisher was sentenced to two years in prison on an unrelated charge of auto theft. Investigators believe Fisher and Whipple "have knowledge" of what happened to Trudy and may have helped cover up whatever caused her disappearance.

Police are appealing to anyone who might have seen any suspicious activity in the areas of Campbell's Island, Black Bird Island, Dynamite Island, or the boat launch at Empire Park in East Moline, Illinois on the day Trudy disappeared. Her case remains unsolved.
 
poor baby was a pretty girl full of life and a worm snatched her away..
rest in peace little one
 
Earlier today, people acting on a tip started digging in a yard in Colona, on the southeast edge of the Quad Cities, and revealed no new information.
 

Family says Tuesday’s search in Trudy Appleby case comes up empty​

OLONA, Ill. (KWQC) - Dozens of police officers were on the scene at a house in Colona on Tuesday morning looking for clues in a 27-year-old mystery.

According to Moline Police, they issued a search warrant near the 600 block of 8th Street for evidence related to Trudy Appleby’s disappearance.

They were seen digging in the backyard of the house into the early afternoon.

Ray Eddleman, Trudy’s uncle, stood just beyond the crime tape on Tuesday.

He said investigators told him they had a lead on his niece, who has been missing since 1996.

“They came up empty. They didn’t find what they were hoping to find,” Eddleman said. “[This time of year is] hard enough as it is ... The detective told me that they had something they were working on this week. That’s all I’ve been thinking about.”

Anytime Eddleman’s dad John — Trudy’s grandfather — would hear that law enforcement was following a tip, he would be there watching, hoping for answers.

“My dad passed away,” Eddleman said. “I kind of feel like me being here is for my dad, because he passed away and not knowing what happened to Trudy.”



Childhood friend Amber Dunlap is also looking for closure. The then 11-year-old was at Dunlap’s house, the night before she disappeared.
 
AUG 21, 2024
www.kwqc.com

‘We are coming for you’: Family and police vow justice for Trudy Appleby’s disappearance

For many, Aug. 21 is just an ordinary day, but for those who know Trudy Appleby, it’s a day they will never forget.
www.kwqc.com www.kwqc.com
[...]

“It’s a reminder to them about what they did and what they know,” Eddleman said. “And what they choose to keep secret.”

And it’s not just Eddleman that has a message for those responsible.

The Moline Police Department does as well, particularly Det. Michael Griffin, the lead detective on the case.

“We are coming for you,” Griffin said. “Your time is up, and we will see you soon.”

[...]
 
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