MD MD - Mariah Mozingo, 2 mos, Baltimore, 3 Sep 1993

[Deleted member 252820]

Mariah, circa 1993

• Missing Since: 09/03/1993
• Missing From: Baltimore, Maryland
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Sex: Female
• Race: White
• Date of Birth: 07/09/1993 (27)
• Age: 2 months old
• Height and Weight: 1'0, 10 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes.

Details of Disappearance:
Mariah was last seen in Baltimore, Maryland on September 3, 1993. She has never been heard from again. Very little information is available in her case.

Source: Mariah Leigh Mozingo – The Charley Project
NamUs: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
NCMEC: missingkids.org/poster/USMD/934i02234/1/screen

 

[Deleted member 252820]

From the Baltimore Sun, 4 September 1993:

BALTIMORE CITY: Mother reports infant abducted from her car

BALTIMORE City police were searching last night for a 2-month-old baby, who was reportedly snatched from a car in the Erdman Shopping Center parking lot in the 3900 block of Erdman Ave.

Joyce Mozingo, 29, called police from her home in the 3900 block of Erdman Ave about 1 p.m. yesterday and reported that her daughter, Mariah L. Mozingo, had been abducted a short time earlier by a strange man who pushed her aside and grabbed the child from the car. Ms. Mozingo said that when the man ran off with the baby she went to her house to call police.

 

[mlhenn]

Mariah Leigh Mozingo – The Charley Project

Last updated June 9, 2021; details of disappearance updated.

Details of Disappearance
Mariah was last seen in Baltimore, Maryland at 1:00 p.m. on September 3, 1993. Her mother stated they were at the Erdman Shopping Center parking lot in the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue, near their home, when a strange man shoved her aside and grabbed Mariah out of the car. He ran away with the baby while her mother went to her house to call police. Mariah has never been seen from again. Little information is available in her case.

 

[Murkywaters]

Just saw the update on The Charley Project, how very strange.

I have a couple of questions... If Mariah was abducted by a strange man in a shopping center parking lot, how long did her mother wait to report it? Is there a reason she went back to her house to call police instead of running into shopping center for help?

I can find no other news articles on this case and no age progressions have ever been done...

 

[Deleted member 252820]

Just saw the update on The Charley Project, how very strange.

I have a couple of questions... If Mariah was abducted by a strange man in a shopping center parking lot, how long did her mother wait to report it? Is there a reason she went back to her house to call police instead of running into shopping center for help?

I can find no other news articles on this case and no age progressions have ever been done...

Regarding why she may have run home: it's very close either way. They lived on the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue, which is pretty much right next to the Erdman Shopping Center. Depending on where she was parked, the house may have actually been closer than the shopping center.

For age progressions, can they make an age progression using photos from when Mariah was that young? I am also surprised that there wasn't further news coverage.

 

[cvaldez1975]

why even drive if u live that close?

 

[Deleted member 252820]

why even drive if u live that close?

I wonder about this too -- maybe she was getting groceries or something she didn't want to have to carry?

 

[Hockeyfan158]

Something not right about this I’m not accusing the mother of lying but something doesn’t add up.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Something not right about this I’m not accusing the mother of lying but something doesn’t add up.

Maybe it doesn't add up that there are no news articles to be found online, no age progression, appeals for information from family nor LE, was no attempt to draw a likeness of a suspect, etc.
At least that can be found online at this point...
I realize it was back in 1993, but there are older cases still much more active online.

This case needs to be reported on as a cold case by MSM or at least a podcast, IMO.
Maybe someone can find archived articles?

 

[Deleted member 252820]

Maybe it doesn't add up that there are no news articles to be found online, no age progression, appeals for information from family nor LE, was no attempt to draw a likeness of a suspect, etc.
At least that can be found online at this point...
I realize it was back in 1993, but there are older cases still much more active online.

This case needs to be reported on as a cold case by MSM or at least a podcast, IMO.
Maybe someone can find archived articles?

I have tried looking quite a bit at this point and I have never found any archived articles about Mariah besides the one I posted. Baltimore's main paper is the Baltimore Sun and looking through their archives, apparently they only ever did the one blurb on her the day after her disappearance. Never any more coverage. I've looked on both newspapers.com and newslibrary.com. Nothing. The only thing I haven't checked at this point is contemporary TV news archives of local stations like WBAL (which aren't really easily accessible for so long ago, though you can find them on archive.org for the last decade or so). I have no idea why there was apparently such a lack of media attention in this case. A child of this age being abducted by a stranger would usually get a lot of public interest.

Age progressions are usually done by NCMEC forensic artists, and NCMEC does have a file on Mariah's case. Under their guidelines she should definitely qualify to have one made as a long-term missing child, so I'm not sure why there isn't one. I know the photos of her were taken when she was very young, but they've even done age progressions/composites of children kidnapped so young there ARE no photos (e.g. Tavish Sutton, Marlene Santana). Those are usually based on what siblings or other close family looked like at that age.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Great efforts and info., @ep1999.

For a brief moment I wondered if Mariah's mother was a minor and the case was actually resolved shortly thereafter in a hushed manner because of her age, but then I checked your link again, and Mariah's mother was 29-years-old.
Yes, this case is very curious in its lack of info, follow-up, and interest...IMO

 

[Nate_Bro]

A baby matching the description was found in Montreal the following year... wonder if there is any connection.

Canada's Missing | Case details

 

[ChatteringBirds]

A baby matching the description was found in Montreal the following year... wonder if there is any connection.

Canada's Missing | Case details

I'm interpreting the information as they believe the Canada baby was placed in the water in the Fall of 1994 and is a male, do you agree? So not a match for Mariah. Interesting find, though.
JMO.

 

[Nate_Bro]

I'm interpreting the information as they believe the Canada baby was placed in the water in the Fall of 1994 and is a male, do you agree? So not a match for Mariah. Interesting find, though.
JMO.

Oops sorry, here's a bump anyways

 

[TSL7584]

bump

 

[Deleted member 326769]

Went home to call the police? Yeah, something VERY fishy here IMO. Even if the home was that close to the mall. You wouldn’t jump in your car and drive home, you’d run home to call. IMO. That moms story makes no sense.

 

[DS2021]

Bump

 

[Amstorrs]

Just learned about this case. Can’t believe I’d never heard of it before.