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

Brooke Leigh Henson









Henson, date, approximate 1999; Esther Elizabeth Reed; Ricky "Shaun" Shirley in 2005
Date Missing 07/04/1999
Missing From
Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 04/17/1979 (43)
Age 20 years old
Height and Weight 5'4, 104 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A tan tank top, dark green or brown shorts, black sandals, a silver bracelet on her right wrist, and a silver watch with a velcro band on her left wrist.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Henson's ears are pierced and her hair was dyed brown at the time of her disappearance. She smoked Marlboro cigarettes at the time of her 1999 disappearance, and did not normally wear makeup. Her nickname is Brookey.
Details of Disappearance Henson resided with her family in Travelers Rest, South Carolina in 1999. She hosted a party with several friends during the evening of July 3, 1999. Henson's parents returned from a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina at approximately 2:00 a.m. on July 4. She was sitting on their front porch at the time of their arrival.
Henson said that she and her boyfriend, Ricky "Shaun" Shirley, had a disagreement earlier that night. She told her family members that she planned to walk to a Willis's store on the corner of Hawkins Road and Poinsett Highway to purchase cigarettes.
Henson departed from the house at approximately 2:30 a.m. after another verbal dispute with Shirley, and was last seen walking along Henderson Drive. The store is approximately two blocks from her residence. She left a note for Shirley, saying, "Follow me if you care." Henson never returned home and has not been heard from again.
Shirley had a volatile relationship with Henson, and he and his friends refused to cooperate with the investigation into her disappearance. He had a criminal record for drug-related offenses and assaults, and he is considered a person of interest in Henson's disappearance, but has never been named as a suspect. Many of the people in Henson's life were involved in criminal activity.
In New York City, a woman registered registered for graduate classes at Columbia University's School of General Studies using Henson's name, date of birth and Social Security number. She took criminology and psychology courses for two years before anyone noticed.
The ruse was discovered in June 2006, when the woman applied for a job under Henson's name and her prospective employer did an internet search and found out Henson was missing. Investigators subsequently identified the student as Esther Elizabeth Reed. A photograph of Reed is posted with this summary.
When authorities confronted Reed, she claimed she was actually Henson and had left her home voluntarily. Investigators doubted her story and arranged for her to take a DNA test, but she never showed up to have the test done; instead, she fled, taking nothing except her cat and her toothbrush, hairbrushes and combs.
Reed has a history of stealing other people's information and using their identities to enroll in colleges and universities. Although she did coursework at reputable colleges under her stolen identities, Reed herself never completed high school. She passed her GED exam and took the SAT test under Henson's name before enrolling at Columbia. She also claimed she was a European chess champion. Reed took out over $100,000 in student loans, ran up credit card debt and obtained a passport under her stolen identities.
Reed was on the run for two and a half years before she was arrested in Chicago, Illinois in February 2008 and charged with mail and wire fraud, possession of false identity documentation, and identity theft. In August, she pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges. In February 2009, she was sentenced to four years in prison.
Reed stated she never meant to harm anybody and only took Henson's identity to rise above a painful past. Authorities believe she was an opportunist who didn't actually have anything to do with Henson's disappearance.
Henson's loved ones stated that it is extremely uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. Her family said that authorities did not begin a search of the area until three weeks after her disappearance.
Investigators reportedly believed that Henson left of her own accord and expected her to return shortly afterwards, but now they suspect foul play. Her family describes her as a fun-loving woman who enjoys hiking and being outdoors. She dropped out of high school in the tenth grade.
Shirley died in September 2019. Investigators stated his death was under investigation and the autopsy results may not be back for months, but there were no indications of foul play at the scene. A photo of him is posted with this summary.
Investigators believe Henson was murdered and they have a suspect in her disappearance, who has not been publicly named or charged. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Travelers Rest Police Department
864-232-7463
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
803-737-9000
Other
WYFF-4
Brooke Henson: Forever In Our Hearts
The Brooke Leigh Henson Official Website
North American Missing Persons Network
The New York Post
America's Most Wanted
The Seattle Times
WLS Chicago
The Columbia Spectator
Fox News
The New York Times
The Huffington Post
Rolling Stone Magazine
Facebook Page for Brooke Henson
True Crime Mavens
South Carolina Arrests
SC Unsolved Missing or Murdered Cold s* USA

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.

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