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 Case Updates with Photos

Monica Lynn Appleton








Appleton, date, approximate 1999
Date Missing 10/13/1999
Missing From
Pampa, Texas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/21/1970 (52)
Age 29 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 100 - 111 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Blue jeans.
Medical Conditions Appleton has a history of drug abuse.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes. Appleton may use the names Monique Larue, Monica Larua and/or Monica Lynn Larua. Some agencies refer to her as Monica Larue Appleton. Her ears are pierced. She may have a small scar on one of her knees. Appleton's hair was waist-length at the time of her disappearance.
Details of Disappearance Appleton was last seen by her mother at approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 13, 1999 in in the vicinity of the 100 block of northeast 9th Avenue in northwest Amarillo, Texas. Appleton's mother said her daughter appeared to be frightened about something, but refused say what was disturbing her, or to accompany her mother back to their family's residence in Pampa, Texas. Appleton has never been heard from again. Her relatives reported her missing from their home in Pampa in November 1999.
Appleton was last known to be in the company of Ivory Tealer, also known as T and/or T-Baby. When he was interviewed by investigators, Tealer stated that he did not know Appleton's whereabouts. He has since refused to speak any further about to the police about her disappearance.
Appleton left behind her son and daughter, which her loved ones said is extremely uncharacteristic of her. She had been divorced from her husband for about a year prior to her disappearance, and her children lived with her mother. She saw them regularly prior to going missing, but has not had contact with them since she vanished. She has also not picked up her child support checks from her ex-husband; he stopped paying support less than a year after Appleton disappeared.
Appleton's mother received a phone call from an unidentified man on August 20, 2000. The individual claimed that he was a gang member and witnessed Appleton's alleged murder at a hog farm in Amarillo, Texas shortly after her disappearance. He said that another member killed Appleton, then disposed of her remains at the farm. The individual claimed that her body would never be located. The man terminated the call before Appleton's mother could learn additional details. The information he provided has never been confirmed and no supporting evidence has been located.
Appleton's brother, a law enforcement officer in the Pampa area, told reporters that he learned his sister may have been involved with gang members, prostitution and the drug culture in 1999. Appleton frequently visited the Amarillo area at the time. Her brother stated that it would be uncharacteristic of Appleton to leave her children without warning. She may have traveled to El Paso, Texas; Houston, Texas; or Baltimore, Maryland after her disappearance. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Pampa Police Department
806-669-5700
Other
Texas Department of Public Safety
Officer Donny Brown's Web Site
The Amarillo Globe-News
NamUs
Find Monica Appleton
The Child Seek Network

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 Case Updates with Photos