Trudy Appleby
Eleven-year-old Trudy Appleby vanished from Moline, Illinois on a hot summer day. A family friend was named a person of interest but was never charged. Her body has never been found.
On August 21, 1996, eleven-year-old Trudy Appleby was last seen near her home in Moline, Illinois. She had told a friend she was going swimming at a spot along the Mississippi River.
Trudy never came home. Despite extensive searches of the river and surrounding areas, no trace of her was found.
In 2013, a family friend named William 'Ed' Smith was publicly identified as a person of interest after police received new information. Smith denied involvement and was never charged.
The case remains open with Moline police. Trudy's family continues to seek answers about what happened to the girl on that August afternoon.
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Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- NamUs (namus.nij.ojp.gov) — the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System accepts information on missing persons cases
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in Illinois, or the state bureau of investigation
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