NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As 2023 draws to a close, the new year typically marks a time for celebration, but for a number of Tennessee families, it's a more somber occasion as they continue to wonder if their children will ever return home.
As of December, there were at least 40 children still missing from areas across the state, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
Some of these children left home on their own, while others may have been abducted by a family member, officials said. However, in a few cases, it's almost as if they just vanished.
The cases range from as recently as Dec. 17, when 17-year-old Wesley Figures was reported missing from Nashville, to as far back as 15 years ago, when 6-year-old Carlos Edwardo Simon and 1-year-old Maniol Baldimar Pena Castro went missing from their Knoxville home.
Investigators believe the two young boys were likely abducted by their non-custodial mother, Leticia Castro, on May 28, 2008. However, neither of them has been seen since that day.
Other cases listed by the TBI are approaching two years, like that of 16-year-old Malaiya Wrancher, who disappeared on Feb. 26, 2022, after last being seen in the area of Cherrybrook Drive in Knoxville.
For another family in Columbia, the month of December marked a full year since they last saw their 16-year-old daughter, Andry Chavez-Rodriguez. According to the Columbia Police Department, Chavez-Rodriguez was last seen in the 800 block of Rutherford Lane on Dec. 16, 2022.
However, the children listed by the TBI only represent a portion of kids missing in the state. In an interview last year, TBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shelly Smitherman said an average of 500 to 600 kids under the age of 18 go missing each month in Tennessee.
According to officials, the public is often one of their greatest tools in helping find those children, with tips playing a vital role in many cases.
UNSOLVED TENNESSEE: Find more of the state's cold cases, missing persons, and other mysteries →
Below is a full list of the 40 children who were still missing as of December 2023 and details on who to contact if you have any information regarding their whereabouts:
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If you have information about any of the children listed, contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or tipstotbi@tn.gov. There are also several unsolved cold cases involving kids in Tennessee. For a list of unsolved missing children’s cases dating back up to 40 years, click here.
from WKRN News 2 https://ift.tt/ZXWSHya
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