Hello listeners, I'm your host Amara, and this is Black Girl Gone, a true crime podcast.

On this episode of Black Girl Gone, we tell the story of 24-year-old

Brinwanda Smith, who disappeared from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 18, 1997.

Brinwanda was working as a bus driver for the local transit authority and had just moved into

her first apartment. The day she went missing after completing her shift at around 1.30 pm,

she left the depot, but six hours later Brinwanda came back. A co-worker who saw her offered her a ride,

but Brinwanda said she was waiting for someone. Brinwanda never made it home, and no one ever saw

her again. 25 years later, Brinwanda is still missing. What happened to Brinwanda? And who is responsible

for her disappearance? This is Brinwanda's story. If you've been listening to this show,

then you know that I often cover stories of the missing that are decades old. The obvious reason

is because these women are still missing, and regardless of the outcome, their families deserve

closure. The other reason is because at the time these women vanished, their stories didn't get

the attention that they deserved. I'm from Philadelphia. I lived 10 minutes from where Brinwanda's

apartment was, and I've never heard about her story. Now, granted, it was 25 years ago,

and in a crime-ridden city like this, it's very easy for a missing person's case to just be forgotten.

But for me, Brinwanda's story stood out because she went missing from my city. A young 24-year-old

woman with a good job living in a coveted suburb of Philadelphia just vanished. The families

of all of these women, including Brinwanda's, are still searching for answers. They want to know

what happened to their loved ones. Brinwanda Smith, who was affectionately known as Brenny to her

family and friends, had grown up in the city of Philadelphia, where she was raised by her parents,

Karen, and Henry Smith. The family lived in the Logan section of the city, which is a neighborhood

and the northern part of the city. For those who are not from Philadelphia or not familiar with the

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