Top 10 Cases of Youngsters Who Disappeared Mysteriously

Children are the apple of their parents’ eyes. It was widely known that children are a hassle to take
care of, from being presented with the most absurd questions to the poop-painted walls parents are
welcomed home to; children are always out to get their parents. However, all the tiredness that
parents face following such antics is immediately shed away once they look at their innocent smiles
and cheerful eyes turn to face them.

But there are times when these very beings of innocence and purity are snatched away from their
parents’ without any explanation and the plan is, no doubt, heart-wrenching. As it has been said
that: A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower.
A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. There is no word for a parent who loses a child.
That’s how awful the loss is.

1. Ayla Reynolds

Ayla Reynolds was born in April 4, 2010 to Trista with her then-boyfriend, Justin DiPietro in
Waterville, Maine, U.S. Following Ayla’s birth, Trista decided to go to rehab and which ultimately led
Ayla to be taken care of by her father, Justin and his mom, Phoebe DiPietro. While initially Trista
initially agreed to this, she suddenly found Ayla being returned back home with mysterious injuries
on her body ranging from bruises on her legs to broken arm. The last Trista saw Ayla was in
December 2011, just days before Christmas. The last time Ayla was seen was at 9 p.m. on 16 th
December, in her bed by a family member. The next morning, her bed was empty.
[http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/31/news/mid-maine/police-highly-unlikely-ayla-reynolds-
will-be-found-alive/?ref=inline]

This led to the largest search for a missing person in Maine’s history and quickly became the third-
largest in all of U.S. history. As police searched every nook and cranny of Waterville, investigators
probed Justin, his sister Elisha, and his girlfriend Courtney, all that were in the house that night.
However, all of them claimed that Alya was abducted. Police began to suspect foul play and the
investigation took a turn to look for a possible killer as traces of Alya’s blood around Justin’s house
were brought out. The traces were found in various areas, from her slippers, car seat, the lower floor
of the house where traces of vomit and saliva was found mixed in the toddler’s blood.
[http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/30/news/state/search-for-ayla-reynolds-continues-into-
another-holiday-weekend/?ref=inline] [http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/30/news/mid-
maine/news-conference-to-be-held-on-ayla-reynolds-case/?ref=relatedBox]
[http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/29/news/mid-maine/aylas-blood-confirmed-among-
samples-taken-from-fathers-home/?ref=relatedBox]
[http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/14/news/mid-maine/police-vow-commitment-to-solving-
ayla-reynolds-disappearance/]

With no one named as an official suspect despite believing foul play was definitely involved and
secrets were being kept, everyone had theories as to what happened that night. Once it was
revealed that more blood was shed by the toddler than safe for a child, the police was adamant that
there was foul play involved and that all evidence led to only one conclusion, that Ayla was dead.
[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/angry-families-missing-maine-toddler-ayla-reynolds-
clash-courthouse-article-1.1469345] [http://www.pressherald.com/2012/05/31/ayla-reynolds-
maine-waterville/]

However, to this day, there has been no suspect under police supervision who could’ve kidnapped or
murdered Ayla despite both Trista and the police being convinced that Justin knows more about
Ayla’s disappearance than he is voicing. Two more searches were conducted in the following years in
hopes of finding Ayla but ultimately led to nothing.
[http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/10/news/mid-maine/aylas-mom-says-toddlers-father-isnt-
telling-the-whole-truth/?ref=relatedBox]

On 17th May 2017, Ayla Reynolds was officially declared dead by the State of Maine.
[http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/missing-toddler-ayla-reynolds-declared-legally-
dead/444112513]

2. Kevin Andrew Collins

Kevin Andrew Collins was one of ten children of David and Ann Collin and he lived with his family on
Sutter Street and was a fourth grade student at St. Agnes School. He was last seen at approximately
6:40PM on 10th February 2984, dressed in a San Francisco Giants jacket over his school uniform. The
last sighting of Kevin was at 7:55PM at the corner of Oak Street and Masonic Avenue, waiting for the
No. 43 bus before witnesses reported seeing him talking to a blond man in his twenties or thirties,
accompanied by a large black dog on the bus stop. [http://www.mistersf.com/notorious/index.html?
notcollins02.htm] [http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/600782/1]

Once Kevin’s disappearance was confirmed, posters with his pictures and details were spread
around San Francisco before the search picked up across country. It was speculated that serial killer
Jon Dunkle may have a connection to Kevin’s disappearance but was never charged with Kevin’s
case. Another suspect was Dan Leonard Therrien who was questioned by police for his known
history of sex crimes against children and his physically appearance matching that of the man with
the dog. After investigation of his house which garnered nothing, the police released him from
custody. However, it was not known to the police at that time that he was wanted for crimes against
children. [http://abc7news.com/archive/8860582/]
[http://www.mercurynews.com/2013/02/06/kevin-collins-disappearance-police-name-person-of-
interest/]

Following this, there were no major developments in the case and it remains an unsolved mystery to
this day for over forty years. If Kevin is alive today, he would be 43-years old.

3. Philip Cairns

Born 1st September 1973, Philip Cairns is one of the six children of Alice Cairns and Philip Cairns Sr.
Philip lived with his family in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland and attended Coláiste Éanna secondary
school which ultimately became the last destination he left home for. On 23 rd October 1986, 13-year-
old Philip left his school at 12:45PM to return home for lunch. After lunch, he left the house at
1:30PM and walked back to school but never arrived. [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/garda
%C3%AD-begin-new-dig-for-missing-boy-1.766222]

The state police of Ireland, Gardai, were informed of the situation and six days after his
disappearance, Philip’s schoolbag was discovered by two girls in an alleyway near his house and was
believed to hold vital evidence. However, no clues were discovered and the bag contained
everything Philip had taken to school except three books; a geography book and two religion books.
Following this, the Gardai led an extensive search operation with the help of hundreds of locals and
sub aqua divers as the covered Dublin’s mountains, rivers, lakes and forests. The Cairns Family did
not give up hope and neither did the Gardai as several searches of lands were conducted.
[https://www.irishtimes.com/news/garda%C3%AD-begin-new-dig-for-missing-boy-1.766222]
[http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/search-for-missing-schoolboy-extended-26537378.html]
[http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/snkfcwmhkf/rss2/]
[http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/search-continues-in-philip-cairns-
investigation-409915.html] [http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/i-hoped-every-day-for-months-
philip-cairns-26420652.html]

There were major developments in the case in May 2016 when a woman contacted Gardai and
informed them of suspecting Eamonn Cooke, a former DJ and convicted paedophile, to have killed
Philip. The Gardai tracked Cooke and questioned him about the case where he was reported to have
confirmed some details regarding the disappearance but never revealed the location of the
schoolboy’s body as he died in June 2016. In months later, Gardai tested DNA samples from Philip’s
schoolbag to that of Cooke but it came out as unmatched although Cooke has not been ruled out as
a suspect. [https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0804/806905-cairns-disappearance-cooke/]
[http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/back-to-square-one-garda-find-no-forensics-linking-
eamon-cooke-to-missing-philip-cairns-34938600.html]
[https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0610/794730-philip-cairns-information/]
[http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-believe-paedophile-dj-eamon-captain-cooke-may-
have-killed-schoolboy-philip-cairns-34790504.html]

Philip’s father sadly passed away on 6 July 2014 without ever knowing what happened to his son.
Recently, Philip’s sister, Sandra Cairns spoke of the pain her family went through and the
detrimental effect of ‘callous and hurtful’ theories proposed online. Philip Cairns has been missing
for over thirty years and if found today, would be 44 years old. [http://www.independent.ie/irish-
news/news/father-of-missing-philip-cairns-passes-away-30412179.html]
[http://www.thejournal.ie/philip-cairns-deeply-hurtful-sister-3127419-Dec2016/]

4. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima

A different situation from others on this list, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was born on 25 th April 1989 in
Lhari County, Tibet, China and was named the 11 th Panchen Lama of Tibetan Buddhism by Dalai Lama
and various other Tibetan Buddhist Leaders on 14 th May 1995 following the death of the 10 th
Panchen Lama in 1989. This was immediately rejected by the Chinese Government as ‘illegal and
invalid’. [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-appoints-panchen-lama-in-tactical-
move-to-quell-unrest-1914309.html] [https://www.dalailama.com/the-dalai-lama/biography-and-
daily-life/reincarnation]

Just days after receiving this title, on 17 th May 1995 at the age of six, Gedhun and his family was
abducted by the authorities and to this day, his whereabouts have been kept a secret by the Chinese
Government. Human Rights Organizations call him the ‘Youngest political prisoner in the World’.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4551425.stm]
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042301349.html]

No foreign party has been allowed to visit him and Chinese Government has ignored demands to
confirm his safety and wellbeing. On requests by Committee on the Rights of the Child to be told
about the whereabouts of Gedhun and his family, Xinhua News Agency denied the request as to
prevent risk of Gedhun from being ‘kidnapped’ or have ‘his security threatened’.
[http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?
id=20897&article=China+Fails+to+Respond+to+UN+Rights+Expert
%27s+Question+on+Panchen+Lama&t=1&c=1]

The Protective Custody of Gedhun, per Chinese Law, should have ended once he turned 18.
However, to this day, Chinese officials have not released the whereabouts nor ended the protective
custody of Gedhun. To this day, Chinese Officials have continuously announced that Gedhun is living
in a normal and healthy life and does not want to have his privacy disturbed.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130606052033/http://www.tchrd.org/2013/04/tibets-stolen-
spiritual-leader-turns-24-china-must-end-enforced-disappearance-of-tibets-panchen-lama/]
[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/06/china-says-panchen-lama-living-a-normal-life-
20-years-after-disappearance]

It has been twenty-two years since the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Kyima, who would have
turned 28 this year.

5. Patrick Warren and David Spencer

Patrick Warren and David Spencer were two best friends from Birmingham town, Solihull, England.
On 26th December 1996, Patrick and David aged 11 and 13 respectively left their homes in Chelmsley
Wood to visit friends. Both boys left riding on their new bicycles, just the next day from Christmas
and were seen later in the afternoon by an officer playing with other children in Meriden Park.

That evening, the boys returned home later that day briefly before leaving once again, informing
their parents that they were going to visit one of Patrick’s brothers that evening and spend the night
there. With Patrick on his new bicycle and David on foot, the two of them made their way towards
Patrick’s brother’s house. The last known sighting of the two schoolboys was that night just after
midnight at 00:45AM in a petrol station that was just minutes from their homes. The petrol station
attendant reported that the two boys asked for a packet of biscuits before they departed the station
and were seen walking off towards the Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre. Neither of the boys
returned home that night…Or any night after that. [http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-
news/special-report-chelmsley-wood-families-167564]
The following morning, David’s older brother, Derek Warren went to look for the two of them once
he was informed that they hadn’t arrived back home. However, he was unable to locate either of the
boys and police were contacted and Patrick’s bicycle was found at the back of the petrol station. The
two boys became the first missing children to be featured on the milk carton ad campaigns and were
also featured on BBC’s Crimewatch in efforts to spread awareness of their disappearance.
[http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37999316]

The first and only suspect officially announced by the police amongst many leads, ten years after the
disappearance, was child killer Brian Field who was working in the area near the two boys’ homes as
a farm labourer. Knowing Brian Field’s criminal history against boys and teenagers, the police
questioned and investigated Field and searched wastelands where Field dumped materials but were
unsuccessful at finding the bodies of the two boys. To this day, Field has never admitted to his
involvement in the abductions and no new suspect has come into light.
[http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/629107/Child-sex-killer-riddle-missing-boys]
[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/nov/11/ukcrime.rosiecowan]

6. Asha Jaquilla Degree

Born 5th August 1990, Asha Jaquilla Degree was the younger child of Harold and Iquilla Degree and
was an exceptional student and basketball player as a point-guard who never disobeyed her parents’
rules. Up until her disappearance, Asha lived with her family in an Oakcrest Street apartment,
located on Shelby, North Carolina and was a 4 th grade student at Fallston Elementary School.
[http://www.shelbystar.com/article/20160213/NEWS/160219532/?Start=1]

On 13th February 2000, Asha and her brother O’ Bryant had a typical Sunday before they returned to
their own home. Both the siblings were in their beds by 8PM that night. Both children were seen in
their room at both 12:30AM and at 2:30AM, February 14 th, before Harold went to bed. O’ Bryant
recalled hearing Asha’s bed squeak shortly afterwards but brushed it off as Asha only changing her
position during her sleep.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080726175918/http://www.shelbystar.com/news/asha_28858___
article.html/county_name.html]

However, it was later revealed that Asha had actually gotten out of her bed and left the house,
taking with her a black Tweety Bird purse and a black book-bag that she had prepared earlier. The
last of Asha was seen by two truck drivers who reported seeing her on Highway 18, on foot, at
around 3:30AM to 4:15AM. By that time, Asha was seen by the truck drivers; she was already a mile
away from her home and was near the intersection of Highway 180. At 4AM, a witness reportedly
saw Asha and turned his car around, seeing Asha leave the highway and disappeared into the woods
nearby. [http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/nc-girl-asha-degree-disappeared-10-years-ago/story?
id=11591506] [https://findingashadegree.wordpress.com/a-ashas-story-a-summary-of-
circumstances/b-ashas-disappearance-the-timeline/] [https://news.google.com/newspapers?
nid=1454&dat=20000315&id=RFhIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ah8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4994,6249297&hl=en]

That morning, at 5:45AM, Iquilla woke up to see that Asha was nowhere to be found . Unable to find
her, Iquilla immediately called the police. Following this was a wide-ranged search throughout the
neighbourhood where everyone from the police to the locality was participating in search for Asha.
Two days later, several belongings of Asha were found in a shed near the highway. One year later,
Asha’s book-bag was discovered in a construction project off the Highway 18 and police speculated
that foul play may be involved.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20020525115501/http://shelbystar.com/news2002/_disc4/00000140.htm
] [https://www.jetmag.com/news/iquilla-degree-where-is-my-daughter/]
[https://newspaperarchive.com/anonymous-crime-clipping-aug-10-2001-241852/]
[https://news.google.com/newspapers?
nid=1454&dat=20010807&id=DA5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Rh8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5633,1930339&hl=en]
[http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article79804767.html]

To this day, Asha’s family still resides in the same house and has also kept their phone number the
same, hoping that Asha may one day return home. It has been seventeen years since Asha’s
disappearance and if found today, Asha Degree would be 27-years-old.

7. William Tyrrell

William Tyrrell was born on 26th June 2011 in Sydney, Australia. On 11 th September 2014, William,
along with his parents and five-year-old sister, travelled from Sydney to Kendall to visit his
grandmother, whose house was located near Kendall State Forest. The next day, William and his
sister were playing hide-and-seek in the front and backyard.

William’s mother realised that she hadn’t heard of William for a while and went to search for him,
looking in both the house and the backyard. Unable to find their son, William’s mother called the
police and reported him as missing. Initial search efforts including hundreds of police, members of
the community, State Emergency Services and Rural Fire Service all came together to search for
William day and night in addition to over two hundred volunteers who covered everything from the
areas around the house to waterways and dams. Despite efforts, there was no trace of William.

It is also suspected that William may have been abducted in connection to a paedophile ring, as it
was reported by ‘A Current Affair’ that up to 20 registered sex offenders were living in the area
surrounding Kendall where William had gone missing.

It has been over two years since William Tyrell went missing and the police have yet to come to
conclusion as to what happened to William as no trace of the young boy has appeared. The police
keep investigation into William’s disappearance as a priority and would treat the case as if he’s alive
until they have evidence proving otherwise. William Tyrell is currently six years old and was last seen
wearing a spider-man suit.

8. Madeleine Beth McCann

Born on 12th May 2003 in Leicester, England, Madeleine Beth McCann is the daughter of Gerry and
Kate McCann and older sister to her younger twin siblings. Madeleine was only three years old when
she and her family, along with the families of her parents’ friends all took a holiday together to Praia
da Luz in Portugal. [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/02/mccanns200802]

On 3rd May 2007, it was during this holiday that Madeleine and her siblings, along with other
children were left asleep in their apartment which was located on the ground-floor while the nine
adults went out for dinner together. Parents of the children took turns checking on the children
through the patio doors left closed but unlocked by the McCanns but when Kate went to check on
the children, she found Madeleine to be missing from her bed.
[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/apr/11/madeleinemccann]

It was reported by one of the Tapas Seven, Jane Tanner, and four other witnesses that they had seen
a man carrying a small child who was dressed in light-coloured pink pyjamas, similar to Madeleine’s.
[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/madeleine-four-witnesses-say-they-saw-suspect-pictured-in-
new-poster-campaign-6682592.html]

Robert Murat became the Portuguese police’s first suspect after a journalist informed the police
about the constant questions Murat had been asking about the case. Murat’s house and belongings
were search but nothing was found to link him to the case. However, police later claimed that
Madeleine’s DNA was found at Murat’s house. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
489408/Madeleines-DNA-Murats-house-police-claim.html]

The McCanns were also brought under suspicion and were labelled as suspects after several
inconsistencies between their statements were reported. Reported by a family representative, it was
said that officers believe they have found traces of Madeleine’s blood in the car hired by McCanns’
that later disappeared. They aren’t ‘formally cleared’ of the claim.
[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/kate-gerry-mccann-not-totally-9782804]

To date, there are no promising leads as to where Madeleine may be. It has been over 10 years since
Madeleine disappeared. Madeleine turned 14-years-old this year.

9. Andrew Gosden

Born 10th July 1993 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, Andrew Gosden was an exceptional
student and bright mathematician. He was greatly regarded as a star student in his school and up
until his disappearance; Andrew studied at The McAuley Catholic High School and had a perfect
attendance record. [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/family-plea-to-missing-star-pupil-1-
2470550]

However, on 14th September 2007 when Andrew was only fourteen years old, he had a difficult time
waking up for school and was grumpy. He left his home as per schedule to wait for his school bus but
once his parents had also left the house for work and his sister gone to school, he returned back and
changed out of his uniform and left the house once more with a bag over his shoulder but school
was not his destination. Instead, Andrew withdrew £200 from his bank account and bought a one-
way ticket to London from Doncaster Railway Station. The ticket operator recalled Andrew as the
boy had refused a return ticket despite not costing much more than a one-way ticket. The CCTV
footage was the last of Andrew. And it wasn’t until later in the day when police was finally informed
of his disappearance. [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/20/family.children]

Initial searches led the police to the train station and from there, to London where they checked the
CCTV footage of Andrew at King’s Cross and by that time, the trail had gone dry. River Thames was
also searched but there was no clue to Andrew’s whereabouts.
[http://www.bromleytimes.co.uk/news/car-offer-to-help-find-missing-teen-with-links-to-sidcup-
and-chislehurst-1-1393185]
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/england/south_yorkshire/7692363.stm]
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-13361554]

The case had several aspects that could not be explained. But by far, the most crucial part of this
case is the mysterious man who visited Leominster Police Station in 2008 to talk to an officer with
information regarding Andrew. However, before the police officer arrived to meet the man, he had
already left and has not come back ever since.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7752378.stm]
[http://helpustofindandrew.weebly.com/in-the-press.html]

10. Sky Metalwala

Sky Elijah Metalwala was born on 6th September 2009 in Bellevue, Washington, U.S. to immigrant
parents as their second child. His father, Solomon Metalwala, is from Pakistan, and Julia Biryukova, is
Russian-born Ukrainian. Both Solomon and Julia were known to have domestic disputes and were
also charged with reckless endangerment when they left two-months-old Sky alone in a car in a
Target parking lot for over an hour when the outdoor temperature was 27 °F.
[http://www.kirklandreporter.com/news/investigators-still-havent-ruled-out-missing-toddlers-
parents-who-struggled-with-heated-past-part-1/] [http://www.kirklandreporter.com/news/missing-
toddlers-parents-alleged-abuse-neglect-against-each-other-part-2/]

Throughout 2010, Julia was committed into mental hospitals three times. Shortly after she was first
released, Solomon filed for divorce. The two of them went back and forth in their divorce as Julia
accused him of been abusive while Solomon denied and claimed her mental problems had made her
unstable and incapable of taking care of their children due to her OCD. However, court gave Julia full
custody of her children. [http://www.kirklandreporter.com/news/134429073.html]
[http://www.bellevuereporter.com/news/134426738.html?mobile=true]

Amidst this, on 6th November 2011, Sky woke up sick and Julia decided to take him and his sister to
Overlake Medical Centre in Bellevue. However, while heading to the centre on the Washington State
Route 520 expressway, the car ran out of gas. Julia left Sky in the car and left to get help with Maila.
Over one hour later, they returned to the car and Sky was gone.
[http://archive.seattleweekly.com/home/944912-129/sky-biryukova-metalwala-months-police-
terry]

Once police arrived, they searched the area around the car but found nothing. Police began to doubt
Julia. When questioned, Julia refused to answer but gave access to her home, car and computer for
investigation. Nothing was found and car was not forcefully entered. Solomon’s house was also
search but nothing was found. [http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/police-missing-boy-not-
seen-for-2-weeks/]

Over the years, Julia reportedly called Solomon out for not telling the truth himself but on her
lawyer’s orders, ignored several questions asked about that morning. There have been no leads or
traces of Sky found. It has been over 5 years since Sky disappeared. He would turn 8-years-old this
year. [http://www.redmond-reporter.com/news/police-begin-to-question-the-story-of-missing-
boys-mother-update/][http://q13fox.com/2016/11/04/sky-metalwala-disappearance/]