In August of 1996,

11-year-old Trudy Appleby disappeared from her quiet Illinois neighborhood on the late summer

morning. There was no evidence of a struggle, no clear witnesses, no answers.

And for decades, her disappearance was one of the Quad City's most haunting mysteries.

But behind the headlines, the missing girl's father insisted from the very beginning that he knew who was responsible.

While police were chasing tips, organizing searches, and following

leads that went nowhere, this father pointed to a small circle of men he believed had lured his

daughter away that morning. He continued to repeat their names for years, even when no one

else seemed to listen. It would take decades before investigators publicly confirmed those same names as persons of

interest, and the distraught father, who had tirelessly been looking for his daughter,

have been right all along.

From a story that began in 1996, an arrest was finally made just last month at the recording of this episode in

August of 2025, almost exactly 29 years later. And for nearly 30 years, this father repeated

the same names, convinced that he knew who stole his daughter's life, and he was right all along.

So why did it nearly take three decades for anyone to listen?

This is the story of Trudy Appleby, a child gone without a trace,

her family's relentless search for answers,

and a father who never stopped chasing the people he believed were responsible.

Thank you. never stopped chasing the people he believed were responsible. Trudy Leanne Appleby was born on September 4th of 1984 and was described as a kid who was vivacious,

lively, bold, and instantly social.

She was the kind of child who would walk up to a new neighbor

and ask if they had any kids to play with,

...