|
Missing Jessica Suzanne Gutierrez 
Jessica, approximately 1986; Age at the time of disappearance: -progression at Age at the time of disappearance: 32 (approximately 2013) Date reported missing : 06/05/1986 Missing location (approx) : Lexington, South Carolina Missing classification : Non-Family Abduction Gender : Female Ethnicity : White DOB : 12/03/1981 (39) Age at the time of disappearance: 4 years old Height / Weight : 3'0, 32 pounds Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A pink and white t-shirt and white panties. Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Jessica has a small scar on her upper forehead, ear-piercing scars on both of her earlobes and a small brown birthmark on her right buttock. She had a wart on her left hand at the time of her 1986 disappearance, and her fingernails were painted. Jessica's nickname is Jessie. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Jessica was sleeping in a bedroom with her two sisters in her family's Lexington, South Carolina mobile home during the evening hours of June 5, 1986. An unknown intruder or intruders entered into the house sometime between 11:30 p.m. that evening and 9:00 a.m. on June 6, the following morning. The intruder(s) apparently broke in through the living room window and removed the screen and curtains. The abductor(s) then removed Jessica from the bedroom and left the residence through the front door. Jessica's mother discovered the crime scene and her disappearance on the morning of June 6; her six-year-old sister, Rebecca, stated she had been taken by "the man with the magic hat and the beard." She has never been heard from again. Rebecca, now an adult, remembers seeing a man lift Jessica out of the bed and carry her away. She stated the man was able to do this without waking Jessica. Rebecca had been too frightened by what she saw to tell anyone until the next morning, when Jessica was discovered missing. Just a few days before Jessica disappeared, her mother, Debra, had broken up with her boyfriend and kicked him out of the house for alcohol use and what she described as possessive behavior. Debra accused her ex-boyfriend of abducting Jessica, but he said he had no idea where she was. The man was questioned repeatedly by police, but never charged. Jessica's father was ruled out as a suspect in the case, as he had been living in California at the time of her abduction. Debra believes a family friend may have kidnapped the child. Debra found fibers in an abandoned car that she says were linked to her daughter. The vehicle belonged to a 27-year-old friend of the family, who has served time in a North Carolina prison for rape. In 1987, the man told a cellmate that he had kidnapped a girl in Lexington County and buried her body in a landfill there. He mentioned that he was wearing a tall cowboy hat at the time of the kidnapping. The man's cellmate told authorities about his statements, and when police confronted the suspect, he offered to confess if he got immunity from prosecution for the crime. Immunity was denied and the man did not speak any further on the subject. Investigators have not publicly identified the man or charged him with any wrongdoing in connection with her abduction due to lack of evidence, but he is considered the prime suspect in her disappearance. His fingerprint was found on the window of Jessica's bedroom. Debra still believes her ex-boyfriend is somehow involved in the case. The ex-boyfriend and the prime suspect denied knowing each other, but Debra says they met each other at a gathering several months before Jessica disappeared. Jessica's case remains unsolved. Foul play is suspected. Other information and links : ncy Lexington County Sheriff's Office 803-359-8230 September 2021 updates and sources The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children |