Originally Posted by Denise
on 05/03/06
http://www.newschannel5.com/content/news/18991.aspPolice Look Back on Decade-Old Missing Child Case
Age Progression 13 years
Posted: 5/2/2006 6:06:00 PM
Updated: 5/2/2006 6:26:44 PM
The eight-day-old disappearance of little Analyce Guerra from Smyrna brings back memories of another girl who vanished without a trace.
It was in 1996 when 3-year-old Lucy Meadows disappeared from the Rivergate Mall.
Nearly 10 years later, Goodlettsville detectives continue to question what really happened that day.
There are pages and pages of investigative work about a little girl whose picture never made it off Detective Harry Bell's desk.
"She's been there for the last 10 years,†Bell said.
It was July 1996 when Lucy Meadows disappeared.
"You know, you put skepticism into anything until you can narrow it down to find some facts in it,†Bell said.
So, what happened to Lucy Meadows? Her mother said she disappeared while here at the Rivergate Mall.
Was Lucy abducted by a stranger? Ten years later, police have more questions.
"The mother indicated to us that the child was let out of the back door, and she walked around the other side of the car, and within 10 to 15 seconds, the child disappeared,†Bell said.
Authorities came up empty as they searched the mall's parking lot and even Lucy's home in Montgomery County.
The case took a turn about a year and a half ago when a family member claimed Lucy never went to the mall.
"At home, he saw two other individuals standing over Lucy. Lucy was laying in the floor. Lucy had a blanket covering her,†Bell said.
The witness, who was 12 years old at the time, also told detectives that two family members had taken the child into the bathroom.
He heard someone ask for a Bible, and, the next thing you know, Lucy was lying on the floor.
Detective Bell isn't sure what happened but one thing that is for sure is he's not giving up.
"You hope somebody call and say: ‘Hey, here's Lucy,’†Bell said.
Now Goodlettsville Police are working with the Montgomery County sheriff's department.
They are hoping the district attorney will review the case and take it to the grand jury.
In the latest interview with Lucy's mother, Jung Meadows, detectives said she declined to make a statement about the case.
Detectives said they continue to track leads about Lucy Meadow's disappearance.
If you have information, you're urged to call the Goodlettsville Police department.
