Match! TX - Dallas, BlkFem, 13-18, UP14047 found nude at Trinity River Levy, June 89 - Triquika Shorts

[Aurora90]

If she has no family, who was she last seen by on the same day she died? Thats what I want to know... who else besides her family reported a 13 year old missing right away?

 

[Savemecastiel]

Following

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

Its sad to hear that a 13 year old had 1 dollar bills surrounding her... that certainly implies prostitution or sex trade work... so so sad..

The money made me think something more innocent. My first thought was maybe she brought the money herself to buy some ice cream. It was June and she was found with a bathing suit is what led me to that conclusion. I hope so at least it was something that innocent....

 

[evilwise]

To leave a prostitute unconscious and throw the payment down on top of her is something that happens. If she was a full time sex worker it would also explain why her disappearance might have gone entirely unreported. Especially sad at that age but not unfeasible.

 

[beubeubeu]

Leaving 13 years old child prostitute unconscious and close to death after "business" is close enough for me to rape and murder. For sure no conscious or human feelings are involved in this kind of actions.

 

[FlossyMay]

13 is not old enough for consent so this is absolutely rape and murder. This case pisses me off. This poor little girl. I want justice for her. God rest her soul.

 

[beubeubeu]

Nobody would consent to that.
But i can't help but wonder if it was really the case. Are small bills really implying sex work?
I have no idea but i would guess by associating it more with strippers work (which i doubt was likely there) or... Just a kid or young teen's savings. Maybe she took it with her because she had a plan to buy something, like new jeans?

It's been over 30 years. Maybe she came from poor family (so no pics) who wasn't very large - single parent, no siblings, maybe grandma... They might pass away not knowing her fate.

 

[beubeubeu]

And what kind of sex worker goes to work in one piece bathing suit, shorts and slippers?
What 13 yo girl would get naked to swim in not very appealing river while having perfectly approppriate clothes to bath in sun/river?

I would guess that she went there to have some summer fun with friend/friends and things went terribly wrong.

Maybe these one dollar bills were just in the pocket of her jump suit and went scattered around with rest of her belongings during the attack?
She had to have some money to came back home... or someone who took her there and went back well aware that she's not with him/her/them anymore, right?
(it depends on how much is "several one dollar bills" - if it was like 5 then maybe a bus ticker or some beverage, if like 15, then she might have planned to buy something later, but if like 50, just one dollar bills then it would be much weirder, but who describes 50 1$ bills as "several" 1$ bills?)

I hope that lack of info means that LE is on the way to catch her killer.

 

[evilwise]

I'm not saying it wasn't murder. What I'm saying is that considering the circumstances and the subtext this one is probably going to go unsolved or at least unpunished. Even if DNA evidence might have been preserved, this one seems like a low priority to both the family and the authorities.

 

[beubeubeu]

I'm not saying it wasn't murder. What I'm saying is that considering the circumstances and the subtext this one is probably going to go unsolved or at least unpunished. Even if DNA evidence might have been preserved, this one seems like a low priority to both the family and the authorities.

I get that you are not saying that it wasn't murder but circumstances are sketchy as hell. How messy and unwilling to try to solve a case you have to be to miss the fact that on the same day in your county a child went missing and UID child was found deceased? I get that 30 years is a lot of time but come on, as soon as missing person report came in you don't even check out possible UID fitting the description and found in same jurisdiction?
How low these priorities have to be to appear like that? It just blows my mind.

Somebody reported her missing so I wouldn't say that she was low priority for everyone. I have no idea if she was reported missing back in '89 and that got lost by LE or if Triquika's files rested on a pile with stolen bikes but there are two possibilities:
Either someone was trying to find her right after she went missing and kept trying to find her, at least by reporting/asking about her case once more, years later... or someone was missing her, fearing about her fate still, after almost three decades and wanted to find her.

With that level of dedication on LE side I wouldn't bet that there was attempt to conntact the person who reported her missing. It's not long since she was identified and with the pandemic it's not easily disregarded that those looking for her, if still alive may not have a way to learn about her being identified or have absolutely no money to claim her now.

It might seem easy, because if you are into that, you know, that there are people willing to help families of missing or murdered people, especially kids.
If you know that you can ask, and who to ask, you will find people who will post a flyer pleading for possible info about her case on social media, share it, let community know about her, write an article, cover her case on their channel on youtube etc.
But, sadly, not everyone knows that and it doesn't mean low priority. And even more people don't realize how much some families had to fight and push forward for their loved ones to keep their cases alive, so they just wait hoping that if there was something possible to do, LE would do that.

 

[evilwise]

To me, this has all the markings of a family's footnote, "Your great great Aunt Triquika disappeared in 1983" that was finally told to someone who cared enough to go to the comparatively little trouble of entering the info into NamUs.

Families that truly care search. They put up flyers themselves. They get the word into the community and advocates within the community amplify it. They hold rallies. They organize search parties. They turn it into a thing that demands media coverage. The process was the same in 1989 as it is now only the media has changed. The kids that went missing in my community from the 80s had posters up for the duration and even though they're in NamUs and Doe and Charlie and have their own Facebook group with thousands of mostly local members, I STILL see posters for them too sometimes.

To imply that the authorities are the only ones that did not place this case at a high priority is tantamount to accusing them of dereliction of duty and corruption. Newspapers are thoroughly archived now. If anyone can find a single article mentioning this girl's disappearance I will be shocked. That there was an unanswered appeal for even a photograph of her seems very telling to me. At least now we live in an age where people generally document themselves at least to some extent, even 13 year olds.

 

[beubeubeu]

Families that truly care search. They put up flyers themselves. They get the word into the community and advocates within the community amplify it. They hold rallies. They organize search parties. They turn it into a thing that demands media coverage.

If they have enough money to live on then yes.
But if they don't... if all the family and friends are poor, and don't have any luck with finding someone who would help their efforts then they are just hitting one wall after another. Not everyone who tries succeeds, even with noticeable efforts.

What are you saying is just hurtful. It's not like everyone borns with knowledge about how to effectively advertise their search efforts for missing loved one. Even now, and it was much harder back then.
Many people who do these things are doing them because they learned that this is the right way, that other families do that, that even if they can't afford thousands of flyers and walking around to plaster them all around they can ask, and try to find someone who would print them for free, help to distribute it between their friends and acquaintances

The process was the same in 1989 as it is now only the media has changed. The kids that went missing in my community from the 80s had posters up for the duration and even though they're in NamUs and Doe and Charlie and have their own Facebook group with thousands of mostly local members, I STILL see posters for them too sometimes.

Yeah, and I'm saying that not all people and kids who went missing and were loved had that.

To imply that the authorities are the only ones that did not place this case at a high priority is tantamount to accusing them of dereliction of duty and corruption.

I didn't implied that, at least not before you mentioned that Triquika seems to be low priority to both, LE and family. Then I theorized.

IF they placed this case at low priority then accusation of dereliction of duty and corruption is appropriate in my opinion.
Maybe they didn't.
Maybe there was something else at play here to cause such long way for Triquika to wait for her name back and it wasn't in any way LE's fault.
I said that I hope that they are on their way to solve this case now.

But if they knew about her going missing even back then (which I don't know if they do) and somehow messed that up for years in their own jurisdiction there is something seriously wrong with that.

We don't know how Triquika's family situation looked like. What if she had only 60 yo overworked, sickly Grandma caring for her, without the slighest idea how and where to look for her?
What if it was simmilar like with that poor Asian girl, who got murdered near her home after she had a fight with her father who had such overgrown ego that he assumed that she ran away, disrespected him and forbade anyone to even mention her, lying here and there that she moved in with her aunt, simultaneously cutting that aunt out of family basically? She was missed, she was loved, but decades went by before that part of family who cared about her figured that all out.

Saying that family doesn't care or see it as low priority implies that attitude towards whole family - while some could be lied about her whereabouts, cut off from contacts for asking too many questions, threatened, not adjusted to new media or dead since before or not long after her going missing.

As far as LE is concerned, family members could be involved with the fact that child/someone went missing or ended up dead. And if they have a murder victim they know for sure that murderer is out somewhere.
LE can't die out in 30 years, while the only relative of the victim could, so bit more responsibility on them - IF they knew and SINCE they knew, whenever it happened that they learned about Triquika.

 

[evilwise]

What's hurtful to me is that people bring children into this world and don't live them, that a child can disappear and her parents can rest, that they search for her and knock on doors until their feet and knuckles are bloody, that they don't call for her until they have no voice left, that they don't spend every nickel they have in the photocopy machine at the library making signs, that they don't burn up the phone lines to the police stations until their calls aren't taken any more and then year them down brick by brick until THAT makes the newspapers. To me, that's what hurts but I know that's it is the case. I know children who's parents couldn't care less of they lived or died, would probably even prefer it.

I don't see any evidence that this is one of those cases but I sure as hell don't see any evidence that anyone cared and that's the biggest tragedy. I would be glad to be proven wrong. I would be happy to see one photo of this girl having a happy birthday, opening a Christmas present, putting on an elementary school play. I would love to see one family member go to the effort of being a verified insider and sharing a treasured memory. If you think I take any pleasure from all the forgotten kids who suffered alone without even the hope that their daddy or mommy might come save them you're dead wrong.

 

[beubeubeu]

What's hurtful to me is that people bring children into this world and don't live them, that a child can disappear and her parents can rest, that they search for her and knock on doors until their feet and knuckles are bloody, that they don't call for her until they have no voice left, that they don't spend every nickel they have in the photocopy machine at the library making signs, that they don't burn up the phone lines to the police stations until their calls aren't taken any more and then year them down brick by brick until THAT makes the newspapers. To me, that's what hurts but I know that's it is the case. I know children who's parents couldn't care less of they lived or died, would probably even prefer it.

Then we disagree here and there.
You say what you say, I'm saying that there is a possibility that someone cared and did as much as he/she could to find her, even if we don't see any sign of that 30 years later.

If you think I take any pleasure from all the forgotten kids who suffered alone without even the hope that their daddy or mommy might come save them you're dead wrong.

I wasn't thinking about that then, I'm not going to now, but I had a thought about her name.

Of course there is a chance that she was called Triquika just because it sounded good, but maybe it's not the case?
Maybe she was black but also a bit Mexican?
Triqui - Wikipedia
If some of her relatives were illegal imigrants, they likely wouldn't call for LE help to find her.

 

[yurintroubl]

Its sad to hear that a 13 year old had 1 dollar bills surrounding her... that certainly implies prostitution or sex trade work... so so sad..

Not necessarily... There is a "tradition" of sorts where dollar bills are pinned to a person's shirt on their birthday (and it's far more pervasive for females than males). Apparently the celebration originated in the Caribbean Islands and made it's way to New Orleans then spread across the Southern states from there over time. I've seen women as old as late 20s/early 30s doing this in the DFW area... but it's mostly children in grade school. The first dollar is usually pinned with a safety pin to the shirt. Friends, relatives, whoever feels like adding to the celebration add to it with staples or tape.

It's possible the dollar bills were "pin money" that became scattered after their adhesive became wet.

 

[Aurora90]

Not necessarily... There is a "tradition" of sorts where dollar bills are pinned to a person's shirt on their birthday (and it's far more pervasive for females than males). Apparently the celebration originated in the Caribbean Islands and made it's way to New Orleans then spread across the Southern states from there over time. I've seen women as old as late 20s/early 30s doing this in the DFW area... but it's mostly children in grade school. The first dollar is usually pinned with a safety pin to the shirt. Friends, relatives, whoever feels like adding to the celebration add to it with staples or tape.

It's possible the dollar bills were "pin money" that became scattered after their adhesive became wet.

While that may be the case, she has no family to claim her, usually 13 year old girls who are celebrating birthdays, do so with family.

It's important to also keep in mind that she was also found nude....

 

[yurintroubl]

It's important to also keep in mind that she was also found nude....

My brain, apparently, only sees the bright side... I know I read that detail - but somehow defaulted to the bathing suit/short jumpsuit/canvas shoes part.

 

[beubeubeu]

While that may be the case, she has no family to claim her, usually 13 year old girls who are celebrating birthdays, do so with family.

It's important to also keep in mind that she was also found nude....

Guess as good as that with leaving few bucks to "pay" unconscious, naked, underage prostitute. Might be, but there is not enough details to go that far strong. LA for sure knows if it looked like it was placed on her intentionally, or more like it was scattered around, like her clothes.

I'm curious if her autopsy results were indeed mistaken about the time of death.
Of course humidity, sun, temperature and surroundings may impact the speed of decomposition but a person working in that specific area would be rather aware of that, right?
Maybe the date of her going missing was one day off?
And how on Earth could you know the exact date of somebody going missing if it happened over 20/almost 30 years ago if it was not reported and not followed by any kind of search?

 

[whatiknow]

What's hurtful to me is that people bring children into this world and don't live them, that a child can disappear and her parents can rest, that they search for her and knock on doors until their feet and knuckles are bloody, that they don't call for her until they have no voice left, that they don't spend every nickel they have in the photocopy machine at the library making signs, that they don't burn up the phone lines to the police stations until their calls aren't taken any more and then year them down brick by brick until THAT makes the newspapers.

Parents can love their children and still not have the ability to get to a library during open hours, a nickel to place in a copy machine, or a working phone.
Today missing black girls are often ignored by the media. Her parents could have devoted every spare minute until they worked themselves into an early grave.

While that may be the case, she has no family to claim her, usually 13 year old girls who are celebrating birthdays, do so with family.

30 years ago she may have had a family that celebrated her. Her family may have died or maybe no one has put much effort into finding them to let them know she was identified.

 

[beubeubeu]

I don't know what scares me more - thought that she might not have anyone to care about her, or that she did and...

These circumstances don't speak to me "neglected child" or even a runaway. Swimsuit and very appropriate clothes for attempted fun by the river/lake/beach. She couldn't be just snatched from the street and took there, accidentally wearing swimsuit under her jumpsuit.

By the way, if that jumpsuit she wore was one of these with very shallow pockets, that could explain dollar bills around her. I had one of these and keeping bills in, while not having purse or wallet was next to impossible if I would forget about them for a minute.
If she would be attacked while sunbathing or playing in water, that jumpsuit would be most likely safely folded... but if she was brutally stripped of her clothes, these bills would just fall around.

If that jumpsit had no pockets, that would mean that she went there with someone very close to her, who she trusted with bit of her belongings... or that she possibly had a purse with her and that was taken.

What if her family went straight to police early morning of June 14 and heard that classic "she's probably a runway, she will be back eventually" kind of thing and figured that police won't help them?

I had no luck trying to find anything related to her going missing, but search for possible whitnesses or even people who frequented the area and may encounter someone suspicious or threatening don't appear anywhere neither.

Wasn't Dallas going pretty strong with racism in late 1980's?
In 1986 there were big Anti-Apartheid protests in Dallas...