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

[TedMac]

I am new here and interested in this case. How do I begin to look deeper?

My suggestion would be go back to Page #1 and read all of the pages up to this one. Also, make note of the sources cited and read all the news article related to this case. Additionally, simply Google her name and see what pops up. Wikipedia normally has info on cases like this. Finally, there are also several YouTube videos covering the case.

 

[Pirdie21]

Don’t know if this is anything but Trudy went missing 8/21/96 & a possible suspect is a young curly haired dude.. just over the Illinois border in Wisconsin a man named Ricky Appleby was arrested on 8/21/96 who fits the description if this radarus is right 4 I think grand theft auto.. dk if there’s any relation, family wise or case wise but just in case I wanna share .

 

[airportwoman]

After all these years, a person of interest has been identified, and indicted. It's believed that the crime happened in an adjoining county to the one where she lived, in west-central Illinois.

Man indicted in Trudy Appleby disappearance

At a press conference Thursday, police said Jamison Fisher was indicted on the murder of Appleby.

www.kwqc.com

 

[airportwoman]

He has a length criminal record, so even if he didn't do this, he's certainly done a lot of other things.

Judici Captcha Page

 

[gregjrichards]

‘An arrest has been made in the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl who vanished 29 years ago after asking her parents if she could spend time with a ‘friend.’

Jamison 'Jamie' Fisher, 50, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with the murder of Trudy Appleby, who was last seen alive near her home in Moline, Illinois, on August 21, 1996.

He is facing three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death, local authorities announced Thursday.’

Arrest made in case of missing girl, 11, who vanished 29 years ago

I really hope that law enforcement can find Trudy’s remains and his whereabouts since he was a teenager can be traced to see if he is connected to other victims. It seems unlikely he allegedly committed a crime like murdering an eleven-year-old girl when he was not even 20 years old, and he stopped without harming any other victims. Hopefully, if he is convicted, he will never be free again. It is a great pity it has taken 30 years for an arrest to be made in Trudy's case, but I hope his arrest sends a message to murderers that they should never feel like they got away with any crime, no matter how long ago they killed a victim. With new developments happening frequently in forensic science, they could be arrested at any time. My thoughts and prayers are with Trudy’s loved ones.

 

[oceanverde]

https://www.facebook.com/MolinePolice/posts/pfbid0e9nPdNekZhVNNj3wFHqjZa3SQxp9BU2y2XkQG5vsQ7MWhoLU7opXxj5hR4R2FgSDl

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1956093713739808787

 

[Richard]

Man arrested in murder of 11-year-old Trudy Appleby, who disappeared in 1996​

MOLINE, Illinois (WBBM) — Nearly 30 years after an 11-year-old girl disappeared in her hometown in western Illinois, a man has been charged with her murder.

Trudy Appleby was last seen on Aug. 21, 1996 near her home in Moline.

Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said witnesses saw her getting into a gray vehicle with an unidentified man. That day, she had asked to go swimming with a friend, but her father had said no, and Gault said phone records indicate she went ahead anyway, then disappeared...

...
On Wednesday, a Henry County grand jury indicted 50-year-old Jamison Fisher on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death, according to Henry County State’s Attorney Catherine Runty.

Fisher is accused of kidnapping and strangling Trudy, and concealing her death. Trudy’s body has yet to be found. Police and prosecutors said Fisher does not face kidnapping charges because the statute of limitations has expired.

Gault said Fisher was already in custody in Iowa on unrelated charges when he was arrested after the indictment. He will remain in jail in Iowa pending court proceedings in Illinois.

“Today is not about celebration, it’s about a resolution, it’s about accountability, and most importantly, it’s about Trudy Appleby. This arrest does not erase the pain, but it does bring us one step closer to closure. We hope it offers a measure of peace to her family and to all of those who have walked this journey with them,” Gault said...

LINK:

MSN

 

[ManicMuggle83]

This is local to my hometown. I was 13 when she went missing. I am 42 now. I never thought this would end up solved. I wish they could find her, but this will do. Justice for Trudy.

 

[airportwoman]

His location, and the jurisdictions where he's being charged, were rather convoluted, so here's the Cliff's Notes version.

He was arrested for an unrelated crime (probably drug-related) in Scott County, Iowa. This is in far-Eastern Iowa.

He lived in Rock Island County, Illinois, right across the river.

He's going to be indicted for Trudy's murder in Henry County, Illinois, which is just east of Rock Island County, because the murder apparently happened there.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1956925882171330762

 

[gregjrichards]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1956925882171330762

I’m afraid if he is guilty I’m not very hopeful that he will do the right thing and reveal where Trudy’s remains are. There is no death penalty in the state of Illinois, and he may believe he has a better chance of prosecutors failing to secure a conviction against him with a jury failing to reach a unanimous verdict of guilty if Trudy’s remains are not found. If the death penalty was on the table, a plea bargain to give him life without the possibility of parole would give him an incentive to reveal where Trudy is. If he reveals where her remains are, and they are found, then this could be viewed as an admission of guilt. It would be very difficult for him to successfully argue that whilst he had knowledge of where her remains were, and he kept silent about it for twenty-nine years, he allegedly had no involvement in her murder.

It is tragic that, as the article linked above explains, his 19-year-old son passed away from drowning in a boating accident when he was with his last month. The island where the accident happened is coincidentally the location where an eyewitness claims to have seen Trudy alive in a car. The obituary for his son makes no mention of his mother and father because, according to family members, his grandparents allegedly raised him. Upsetting comments were left under articles about his father’s arrest, claiming that his son’s death was somehow karma for his father allegedly murdering Trudy. Understandably, the comments are causing distress for family members, and they said in replies to them that his son was the sweetest person who was always there for everyone and nothing like his father. According to them, he was allegedly estranged from his father.

I’m not going to speculate on how he must feel about the death of his son, but his death may not compel him to reveal where Trudy’s remains are like her best friend hopes in the article linked above because, as she says, he now knows the pain of losing a child like Trudy’s parents. I really hope I’m wrong though and Trudy will be found. (I sincerely apologise to the moderators if me mentioning comments made about his son’s death is not allowed).

 

[Blue Girl1991]

Wow! I am in tears . I am so thankful and happy to see these striking updates , I am reading here all the new comments and also watching KWQC through the link, all these wonderful people from law enforcement who never gave up on bringing justice to the sweet girl and to her family, you can see how emotional they are.

I'm following Trudy's disappearance from my first days here, 9 years ago. I continued to believe and hope that one day there would be an update here about an arrest or arrests that will lead to justice and closure. Even though there hasn't been an update for a long time, something in my gut feeling made me check in today to see if there was an update.

Thank you to everyone on Websleuths who didn't let what happened to Trudy be forgotten. My thoughts and heart are with Trudy and Trudy's family, how they longed for this day. I pray and hope that the arrest will bring a complete solution to the terrible crime and that there will be justice and a very heavy punishment for the criminal or criminals, and that Trudy will be laid to rest.

 

[dotr]

August 19, 2025

Trudy Appleby 'Puzzle' Solved? 29 Years After Illinois Girl Vanished, Police Have a Suspect

Jamison Fisher, 50, is accused of killing Trudy Appleby, 11, who disappeared in August 1996, say police

people.com

''Appleby, Gault said, had asked if she could go swimming with a friend on Campbell’s Island, but her father said no.
She went anyway and was never seen again.
On Aug. 13, Gault and Henry County State Attorney Catherine Runty announced that a grand jury in Henry County had indicted Jamison Fisher, 50, on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death for Appleby’s murder.
“For nearly three decades, this case has haunted not only Trudy’s family but every investigator who touched it, and our community,” said Gault, who noted that he publicly named Fisher as a person of interest in the case in 2020.''

 

[SAMS]

Finally, after all of these years, there is justice for Trudy. Rest in peace now angel, it’s over.

 

[oceanverde]

How is it over? He has not been tried and convicted yet.

 

[katydid23]

I was expecting to hear that they found DNA somewhere and did a family DNA search.

But apparently, no DNA. What evidence popped up 29 years later that prompted the arrest?

 

[MrsWatson]

Authorities in Moline, Illinois, make arrest in 1996 disappearance of Trudy Appleby

The 11-year-old was last seen in Moline on August 21, 1996, getting into a gray vehicle with a man in his early 20s with brown, curly hair. Trudy has still not been found, but authorities have now charged a man with her murder.

www.nbcnews.com

In 2020, the chief named Fisher a person of interest in this case. “Fisher was a family friend and associate of another suspect who died back in 2014,” Gault stated last week. Fisher was already in custody in an Iowa jail on unrelated drug and parole violation charges when the Moline Police Department served the arrest warrant. According to Cathy Runty, the Henry County State’s Attorney, Fisher was “indicted with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death.” She also stressed that “anyone charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty.”

 

[dotr]

Aug 25, 2025

Quad Cities Cold Case Suspect To Be Released From Jail | NEWSRADIO 1040 WHO

1040 WHO is Des Moines' go-to station for news, traffic, and severe weather updates. Your mornings kick off with The WHO Morning Show featuring Jeff Angelo at 4:59 a.m., delivering everything you need to start the day. At 9 a.m., tune in to Emery on Iowa for in-depth local discussions, followed...

whoradio.iheart.com

''Scott County, Iowa Attorney Kelly Cunningham filed the motion so that Fisher can be transferred to Henry County, Illinois to stand trial for the nearly three-decade-old murder.

Fisher is being held in Scott County Jail on a drug charge. Cunningham says he'll be returned there after the Appleby trial.''

 

[doublestop]

According to Cathy Runty, the Henry County State’s Attorney, Fisher was “indicted with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death.” She also stressed that “anyone charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty.”

THREE counts of murder?