11 replies to this topic

[Dan]

Originally Posted by Denise
on 08/21/06



Age Enhanced

TRUDY LEANN APPLEBY
Case Type: Non Family Abduction
DOB: Sep 4, 1984
Missing Date: Aug 21, 1996
Sex: Female
Race: White
Age at time of disappearance: 11
Height: 4'8" (142 cm)
Weight: 75 lbs (34 kg)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Missing City: MOLINE
Missing State : IL
Missing Country: United States

Case Number: NCMC822441

Circumstances: Trudy's photo is shown age-progressed to 19 years. She was last seen getting into a silver or grey, box-type vehicle with an unknown white male. The male was described as being in his 20's with brown, curly hair.

Printable poster: http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Marilena Sassi

[Dan]

Originally Posted by Denise
On 08/21/06

Posted online: August 21, 2006 12:27 AM

10 years later, Trudy's family still seeks answers

By Brian Krans

Trudy Appleby was last seen Aug. 21, 1996, getting into a silver car driven by a white man in his 20s. Ten years later, her father knows he won't find her alive.

( Editor's note: First Baptist Church of East Moline will hold a prayer vigil for Trudy Appleby and all missing children at 7 p.m. at Kmart, 5000 Avenue of the Cities, Moline. On Aug. 21, 1996, 11-year-old Trudy Appleby vanished from her Moline home. A candle-lighting ceremony will be at 8 p.m.)

A decade later and still no answers.

What happened to Trudy Leann Appleby? She was last seen Aug. 21, 1996. It was a few weeks before her 12th birthday.

Her father, Dennis Appleby, got home from work. No Trudy. His street-smart, firecracker kid was gone.
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sec...play&id=302255

[Lori Davis]

http://www.charleypr...leby_trudy.html

Trudy Leann Appleby


Top Row and Bottom Left: Appleby, circa 1996;
Bottom Right: Age-progression at age 19 (circa 2003)

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: August 21, 1996 from Moline, Illinois
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: September 4, 1984
Age at time of disappearance: 11 years old
Height and Weight: 4'8 - 5'0, 75 - 85 pounds

Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue/green eyes.

Clothing/Jewelry Description: A shirt, black bicycle stretch shorts, white socks and dark blue Nike deck shoes with white shoelaces.

Details of Disappearance

Appleby's father departed from their family's residence to report to work at approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 21, 1996 in Moline, Illinois. A neighbor saw Appleby enter a silver or gray four-door box-style vehicle, similar to a Chevrolet Celebrity, in the driveway of her home between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. The driver of the vehicle is described as being Caucasian and in his twenties at the time with curly brown or black hair worn long to his shoulders. The suspect was wearing a baseball cap. Neither Appleby nor her suspected abductor have been seen again. Her father reported her disappearance when he could not find her after he returned home from work.

Authorities believe that Appleby may have known the vehicle's driver. Her family's residence was located off of the main road and was not visible from the street. Her case was initially investigated as a runaway, but investigators now believe Appleby was abducted.

Appleby took a swimsuit and a towel before departing from her home. She left approximately $200 behind, which her father said she saved for an upcoming vacation. Her case was initially treated as a runaway by police, but her parents never believed she left of her own accord and investigators now admit it is unlikely.

Appleby's parents believe that David Whipple, the father of one of her friends, was involved in her case. He was convicted of child molestation charges after Appleby vanished; his victim was a girl close to Appleby's age. Whipple took several of his family members to Credit Island Park near Davenport, Iowa on August 21. Appleby frequently accompanied Whipple's relatives to the river. Her parents theorize that she may have been injured in an accident or was the victim of foul play during the excursion. Investigators have been unable to determine if Appleby accompanied Whipple's family to Iowa. He has never been named as a suspect in her disappearance, but authorities said he remained a person of interest.

Appleby's case remains unsolved. Investigators stated that had little evidence and no solid suspects in her disappearance.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Moline Police Department 309-797-0401
OR
Federal Bureau Of Investigation Washington, D. C. Office 202-324-3000

[Lori Davis]

http://www.whbf.com/...y.asp?s=6512455

QC Cold Case: Trudy Appleby
Special Assignment - Kegan Feeny
Last Modified 11/08/2007 08:52:14 AM

I will never forget the look on Brenda Gordon's face as she tried to imagine what life would be like if Trudy Appleby had never disappeared. She couldn't image. Even trying was too painful.

Time doesn't heal all wounds. Nearly twelve years after her daughter went missing Brenda's pain seems so strong, so persistent it's as though she has lived August 21, 1996 every day for more than a decade.

As I studied tapes of candle light vigils and birthday gatherings my heart broke over and over for Trudy's family. Amazingly, the police say they still get leads.

Because Trudy's photo is all over the country, unconfirmed Trudy sightings have turned up all over the country as well. But police still say all they know for sure, is that neighbors saw the eleven-year old leave her father's Moline driveway in the back of a gray/silver car. The driver was a white man in his twenties with brown curly hair. Trudy had a bathing suit and a towel.

There have been so many rumors and theories about what happened to Trudy, but police say they have exhausted all possibilities and turned up nothing. If you know anything about Trudy's disappearance, even if it seems insignificant, call the Moline police department or CrimeStoppers at 309-762-9500.

[Denise]

http://qconline.com/...y.php?id=351156

Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2007; 10:23 p.m.
Print date: 08/22/2007

Family, friends remember Trudy

By Nicole Harris, staff writer

EAST MOLINE -- About 30 family members and friends met again to memorialize the little girl who disappeared 11 years ago, sending balloons with prayers and hopes attached into the sky.

The balloons and a candlelight vigil Tuesday night at East Moline's First Baptist Church were in memory of Trudy Appleby, along with all other missing children.

The vigil has been held annually since the Moline girl vanished Aug. 21, 1996. She last was seen entering a silver or gray "boxy" vehicle with an unknown white male who appeared to be in his 20s.

"If I had my druthers, I'd let it pass quietly," Trudy's mother, Brenda Gordon, said. "Once August gets here, I bring her out of the closet."

Ms. Gordon said she continues to press on with the vigils -- which she described as numbing and tiring -- in hopes of someday moving forward with her daughter's still-open case.

Despite the years that have passed, Ms. Gordon said she hopes she's found a new way to aid in the search for her daughter. She has plans to enroll in computer classes to learn about how she can get more publicity of her daughter's story, as well as connect with others who have endured similar tragedies.

Among the possible connections she hopes to make, Ms. Gordon said, is with the mother of Johnny Gosch, a Des Moines newspaper boy who disappeared in 1982.

Ms. Gordon said the Moline Police Department continues to receive leads in Trudy's disappearance.

Although it's been 11 years with no answer to Trudy's whereabouts, the Rev. Brian Fischer of First Baptist Church -- who led the vigil -- said he was devoted to continuing the vigils with her family.

"It's been a long journey, and we'll continue to be on this journey for as long as the family wants to be here," he said.

Before the balloon release, he encouraged attendees to write prayers for Trudy, her family and her abductor or abductors on the attached cards.

Family friend Judy Wieskamp, who has attended all of the previous vigils, said the annual event is difficult but crucial.

"For me, it's remembering Trudy, getting the word out, whether to her, or people that she's still out there," she said.

Anyone with information about Trudy's whereabouts is asked to call the Moline Police Department at (309) 797-0401, the FBI at (309) 764-9559 or Crimestoppers of the Quad Cities at(309) 762-9500.

[Jenn]

http://www.wqad.com/...01&nav=1sW7HpRn

Family, friends hold vigil marking Appleby's birthday

UPDATED: 9/5/03 7:27 AM

EAST MOLINE - Every year Trudy Appleby's friends and family hope this vigil is the last.

Trudy's 19th birthday was Thursday. Birthday candles were lit in her honor at First Baptist Church in East Moline.

Her disappearance is one of the saddest mysteries in this area. She was only 11 when she vanished in 1996.

The police file on Trudy continues to grow, tips are coming in and a new chief investigator took over in April. Still, Trudy's father, Dennis, has given up hope that his daughter will ever come back home, though he'll never stop searching for answers.

"It's been seven years and there's been no word in any shape or form," says Appleby. "I'm being realistic and you got to pray the good Lord will give us some answers some day."

Dennis Appleby believes his former friends may hold the key to the case. Police have treked hundreds of leads, but the trails cold.

[Lori Davis]

https://www.findthem....org/cases/2300
NamUs profile for Trudy Appleby

[Jenn]

http://www.wqad.com/...0,1984492.story

Mom needs support after 12+ yrs without daughter

Pam Cunningham Reporter
May 4, 2009

MOLINE, Illinois - In a very real drama here in the Quad Cities a missing girl has turned into a missing woman.

August 21st is the anniversary of Trudy Appleby's disappearance. It's an emotionally draining day for her mom, who holds an annual vigil.

In 2006, Brenda Gordon said, "We'll bring her home somehow in some way, shape or form."

In 2008, they released balloons.

Gordon explained why she keeps having displays, "We're not going to give up, but it's better than nothing. I don't know what else to do."

Brenda Gordon sits and shows the scrapbook her mother has accumulated over the years, filled with newspaper articles and missing posters.

"There's no closure on a cold case. So, I'm trying to get that for others. I know I'm not the only one."

Her Pastor Brian Fischer explains why his church helped Gordon start a support group.

"Brenda has had a hard time. This has been just devastating for her and the family. And she wanted to be able to meet with others maybe in a group to be able to work through the issues they all had in common."

The group met at the First Baptist Church, but has not been very successful.

Gordon says, "Mostly, it's been me and mom and it's been wonderful counseling for us."

It's been almost 13 years and she can't let go of the pain.

"That's where I have a lot of guilt. I feel very responsible, but I also hold Dennis responsible."

Her ex-husband is Dennis Appleby. They both struggled to find their little girl and worked with police to get her back. Gordon's pastor says sometimes there are no answers.

"The police can't give anymore than they have and nobody can give them any closure. And that's the hard part after so long you start to figure maybe that person is not alive anymore but some people just do not want to believe that."

Brenda Gordon was sure to say that she wasn't giving up. She wants proof of whatever happened to her daughter.

[Lori Davis]

15-year anniversary of Trudy Appleby disappearance

Chris Minor, Reporter
August 18, 2011

EAST MOLINE— This weekend marks the 15th anniversary of the disappearance of Trudy Appleby, a missing young woman from Moline who vanished in 1996.

''The family is facing reality right now in terms of hope, and the odds she'll ever come back'', said Pastor Brian Fischer. He heads the First Baptist Church in East Moline, where the family will hold a remembrance on Sunday, the day Trudy went missing so long ago.

Trudy was 11, about to turn 12, when she was seen leaving her house with an unidentified man.

Read more: http://www.wqad.com/...0,1146537.story

[Shannon]

http://wqad.com/2012...y-applegy-case/

Police: New lead followed in Trudy Appleby case

Posted on: 12:21 pm, August 2, 2012,
updated on: 10:16am, August 3, 2012

by Shellie Nelson

Police continued to work Friday as they followed a new lead in the 1996 disappearance of 11-year-old Trudy Appleby.

Appleby disappeared from her home August 21, 1996.  She was last seen getting into a silver or gray vehicle along with a man in his twenties.  The man had brown curly hair.

Police said they have followed hundreds of leads in the case, and that a recent review of the case revealed a new lead.

Investigators from the Moline Police Department, Henry and Rock Island County sheriffs’ departments, Illinois State Police and the FBI were searching an island in the Rock River near the Route 84 bridge Thursday morning, August 2, 2012.

Investigators returned to the island Friday morning, August 3 to resume their work.

Trudy Appleby would turn 28 years old this September.

A Facebook page was established to help gather information and leads in the case.  It contains photos of Trudy and images of what she might look like as her age progresses.  It’s at this link:  http://www.facebook....125842640824074

Anyone with information about Trudy’s disappearance is asked to contact Moline Police at (309) 797-0401.  Anonymous tips are eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities at (309)-792-9500.

[Lori Davis]

http://qctimes.com/n...19bb2963f4.html

GIRL MISSING SINCE 1996
Police return to river to investigate new lead in Trudy Appleby case

08/03/2012  •  Brian Wellner and Kay Luna

UPDATE: A police boat is back at the Rock River island near Colona , Ill., as investigators for a second day follow a lead in the 1996  disappearance of Trudy Appleby.  Also investigators are bringing earth-moving equipment to the island.  — Times reporter Brian Wellner reporting from the scene.

UPDATE: Law enforcement officials brought an excavator across a narrow channel of the Rock River today to continue work on a wooded area near Colona as new leads are investigated in the case of Trudy Appleby.

Trudy, 11, went missing from her father’s yard in Moline in 1996 and was never found.

This morning, Trudy’s grandmother, Ann Eddleman of East Moline, watched the work from afar.

She said that for a long time, her family heard stories about the Colona area that “weren’t good.” One of those stories was that the girl’s remains might be found on the Rock River at the location being searched.

“I’m not going to give up,” Eddleman said. “If I give up, there’s nothing.”

Eddleman said Trudy’s mother, Brenda Gordon, is taking it “day by day.”

Law enforcement officials provided no updates this morning.

On Thursday, Moline Police Department Detective Scott Williams said this is one of hundreds of leads officers have followed since Trudy’s disappearance.

EARLIER STORY: A police boat is back at the Rock River island near Colona , Ill., as investigators for a second day follow a lead in the 1996  disappearance of Trudy Appleby.  Also investigators are bringing earth-moving equipment to the island.  — Times reporter Brian Wellner reporting from the scene.

EARLIER STORY:  Almost 16 years to the day that 11-year-old Trudy Appleby went missing from her father’s yard in Moline, her grandfather stood Thursday on the weed-covered shoreline of the Rock River, watching law enforcement officials travel by boat to a wooded area downriver from the Illinois 84 bridge near Colona.

With tears in his eyes, John “Jack” Eddleman, 76, of East Moline said he was told this is where multiple law enforcement agencies had launched an investigation into a new lead in the unsolved case.

Officials with the Moline Police Department were investigating that lead with help from the Henry County and Rock Island County sheriffs’ departments, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Illinois State Police, a news release issued by Moline police said.

About noon Thursday, law enforcement officials emerged from the wooded area, carrying shovels. They returned to a boat and rode back to an area on shore where law enforcement vehicles and others waited.

After getting out of the boat and talking to each other for several minutes, officials soon returned to the boat carrying a large cardboard box, a white bucket and some bags. Then, they rode back to the investigation site to continue their work.

Later in the afternoon, the boat twice ferried people from the search site to shore. Authorities then packed up, put the boat on a trailer and left the scene.

Trudy last was seen Aug. 21, 1996, in the yard of the Moline home of her father, Dennis Appleby. An unknown male in his 20s with brown curly hair picked her up in a silver or gray vehicle, according to police reports at the time.

The girl’s grandfather said his daughter, Brenda Gordon, Trudy’s mother, called him Thursday morning to say police had notified her about the new lead.

Instead of waiting at home to hear more about the investigation, Eddleman said he decided to go to the scene, scaling down a steep weed-filled ravine to stand under the Illinois 84 bridge with members of the media.

Watching the boats move along the river, he talked about Trudy.

“I hope they find out something so it comes to an end,” Eddleman said. “Not knowing is what the problem is. Even if it’s bad news, we’re prepared for it now.”

Eddleman said he isn’t familiar with the investigation area, and he doesn’t think Trudy spent any time there before her disappearance.

“I guess they went swimming that day,” he said. “They said she took a bathing suit.”

“She was a happy little girl,” he added later, with tears in his eyes.

Gordon said she had nothing to say about Thursday’s developments.

Although he would not characterize what type of lead investigators are following, Moline Police Department Detective Scott Williams said it is one of hundreds officers have followed since Trudy’s disappearance.

He said many of the threads are followed up quietly and not visibly. This one is different because it is in a relatively exposed area, Williams added.

“We’ve followed up on literally hundreds of leads,” he said. “We don’t want to get the family on a roller-coaster ride.”

(Kurt Allemeier contributed to this story.)

UPDATED: Times reporter Kay Luna and photographer Kevin Schmidt are at the scene of a law enforcement investigation on the Rock River near Colona, Ill.

Investigators from a number of Quad-City law enforcement agencies have been seen on an island downriver from the Illinois 84 bridge. Several people have been seen carrying shovels out of wooded areas on the island.

Jack Eddleman, the grandfather of Trudy Appleby, who was 11 years old when she disappeared in 1996 from the yard of her father’s home in Moline, is watching from shore.

Eddleman, of East Moline, said he was told the investigation is regarding Trudy, adding that “not knowing” what happened to his granddaughter is the hardest part.

Although he would not characterize what type of lead investigators are following, Moline Police Department detective Scott Williams said it is one of hundreds officers have followed since Trudy’s disappearance.

He said many of the threads are followed up quietly and not visibly. This one is different because it is in a fairly exposed area, Williams added.

“We’ve followed up on literally hundreds of leads,” he said. “We don’t want to get the family on a roller-coaster ride.”

EARLIER REPORT: Moline police are working a new lead in the 1996 missing person case of  Trudy Appleby.

Here’s the news release from the department.

The Moline Police Department with assistance from area law enforcement agencies continue to follow up on leads regarding Trudy Appleby. Trudy, who went missing from her home August 21, 1996, was last seen getting into a silver or gray vehicle with an unknown male in his twenties with brown curly hair. She was 11-years-old at the time.

A recent review of the case has uncovered a new lead. This lead, like the hundreds of leads the Moline Police Department has investigated regarding Trudy’s disappearance, will find detectives making all efforts to follow the new information as far as it takes them.

Today the Moline Police Department with assistance from the Henry County and Rock Island County Sheriff’s Departments, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Illinois State Police are investigating that lead.

Police ask anyone with information about Trudy’s disappearance or specifically about the individual or individuals responsible for Trudy’s disappearance call the Moline Police Department 309-797-0401. If you wish to remain anonymous and collect a reward you may also call Crime Stoppers of the Quad-Cities 309-762-9500.

[Lori Davis]

http://kwqc.com/2015...g-for-19-years/

 

Trudy Appleby missing for 19 years

By Tiffany Liou

Published: August 21, 2015, 7:55 pm

 

MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) — 19 years later, the disappearance of Trudy Appleby is being marked by an annual prayer vigil. The 11-year-old Moline girl was last seen on August 21, 1996 from her driveway on 41st Street.

 

Family and friends gathered at First Baptist Church in East Moline, including her father, grandfather, uncle and aunt. Her uncle, Jay Eddlemen was in tears as he remembered his then 11-year-old niece. Appleby’s father, Dennis Appleby, says he is still angry about whoever took his daughter. This is the first year the vigil was held without Appleby’s mom and grandmother. They both past away over the last year, but the tradition continues to make sure no one forgets about the missing girl.

 

Trudy Appleby would be 30 years old now. Age-progressed photos are still shared with hope that someone will find her.

 

Amber Dunlap, Appleby’s childhood best friend, remembers the last time she saw Appleby on August 20, 1996. “We walked from my house to her driveway and I walked her halfway down her driveway like I did every night when it was time for her to go home,” said Dunlap in tears. Appleby disappeared the next morning.

 

Dunlap never thought it would be the last time she saw Appleby. “The worst part is not knowing, no answers.”

 

Appleby was last seen by a neighbor getting into a gray box-shaped vehicle with a white male in his 20’s. Moline Police Department says it is still an active investigation, and in no way is this a cold case.

 

Detective Michael Griffin is the new lead detective. He says to this day, the department receives multiple calls a week on the Appleby case. “There is investigative theories regarding what happened to her that day and there are people that are stronger persons of interest than others.”

 

“We just need our final chapter. I do think we are closer,” said Detective Griffin.

 

It’s the final piece of the puzzle that friends and family are hoping police will find.

 

“Somebody knows the truth and that is what we want even if it is anonymous,” said Dunlap. She wonders every day if her best friend is still alive. “She was my first friend and it didn’t take us long to become inseparable.”

 

On the 19th anniversary of Appleby’s disappearance, Dunlap took a walk down that familiar driveway, full of mystery and memories of Trudy Appleby.

 

Anyone with information on Appleby’s case can call the Moline Police Department of Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500.