Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos

Allyson Kathleen Dalton
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Allyson, date, approximate 1998; Age-progression to age 20 (date, approximate 2018); Sylena Dalton
Date Missing 07/27/1998
Missing From
Strasburg, Virginia
Missing Classification Non-Family Abduction
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/17/1998 (24)
Age 2 months old
Height and Weight 1'8, 8 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes.
Details of Disappearance Allyson was last seen at approximately 7:45 a.m. on July 27, 1998, at her mother's second-floor apartment in the 100 block of Charles Street in Strasburg, Virginia. She was with her mother, Sylena Jo Dalton, at the time. A photo of Sylena is posted with this summary.
At 2:25 p.m., one of Sylena's coworkers found Sylena's body on a couch inside the residence. She had been stabbed five times in the chest. Allyson was missing and so were several of her baby bottles. She is presumed to have been abducted by the murderer(s).
Authorities believe Sylena was killed between 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Her neighbors stated they did not hear screams or any disturbance that morning, although one reported seeing a man putting a baby in a truck. The murder weapon had been taken from the scene.
At the time of the murder, Sylena was seeking child support from her sometime boyfriend, Daniel E. Pompell, and he was supposed to take DNA tests to determine paternity. Pompell told police he'd been at Sylena's apartment at about 9:00 a.m., shortly before the murder. He said he knocked on the door and no one answered, so he left.
In 2000, Sylena's mother filed a suit against Pompell, seeking $1.5 million in damages for Sylena's wrongful death. The suit was later dismissed for lack of evidence, and Pompell has never faced criminal charges in connection with Sylena's death or Allyson's disappearance, although authorities did search his home after the murder. He has cooperated with the investigation.
Allyson's whereabouts remain unknown and Sylena's homicide remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Virginia State Police
540-829-7766
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Winchester Star
The Daily News-Record
The Washington Post
CrimeWatch Daily

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos