Tristen Alan Myers Top Row and Bottom Left: Tristen, circa 2000; Bottom Center and Right: Age-progression at age 16 (circa 2012) Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: October 5, 2000 from Roseboro, North Carolina Classification: Non-Family Abduction Date Of Birth: July 16, 1996 Age: 4 years old Height and Weight: 31, 38 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Blond hair, blue eyes. Tristen has scars on the left side of his neck and on the top of his head. He has a speech impediment. His leg has been previously broken. Tristens nickname is Buddy. Some agencies spell his first name Tristan. Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black t-shirt, blue jeans and white Mickey Mouse sneakers. Medical Conditions: Tristen may require medical attention, particularly psychiatric attention. He had severe behavioral problems at the time of his disappearance and was thought to be suffering from attention deficit disorder, though the condition had not been formally diagnosed. He is described as emotionally and physically underdeveloped. Details of Disappearance Tristen moved to Roseboro, North Carolina in August 2000 to live with his great-aunt and great-uncle. He wandered away from his familys residence on October 5, 2000 while his great-aunt was napping and has never been heard from again. Tristen was accompanied by his dogs Sasha, a black Doberman puppy, and Buck, a tan three-legged Chihuahua mix, at the time of his disappearance. An extensive search was conducted in a ten-acre section of wooded land near Tristens home shortly after his disappearance. No evidence concerning his whereabouts was located and the search was scaled down on October 10, five days after he was last seen. Buck returned to Tristens house later that day and the search was resumed, but authorities were unable to locate the child. Sasha walked back to the house on October 14. Neither dog showed any signs of having been in the woods. Tristen never returned. Tristens great-aunt and great-uncle say he was angry and disruptive while he lived with them. He hit other children and bit and scratched himself. He attacked and killed one of their dogs eleven days prior to his disappearance, and was taken to a psychiatric hospital to undergo a battery of tests. Doctors found that Tristen was emotionally and physically underdeveloped, but they were unable to do a complete evaluation of him as he could not seem to understand simple directions, and could speak only a few words. Three days after being released from the hospital, Tristen wandered away from his guardians home. A neighbor found him half a mile away at a farm and returned him. Three days after that, he vanished for the final time. In February 2003, authorities thought Tristen had been found when a man named Ricky Quick abandoned a six-year-old boy, whom he said was his son, Eli Quick, at a hospital in Evanston, Illinois. Photographs of both Ricky and Eli are posted below this case summary. Eli was unkempt, filthy, and generally appeared to be uncared-for. He suffered behavior problems, was unable to answer simple questions about his background, and spoke of several different mothers. Authorities notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, suspecting that he might be a missing child. Eli bore a strong physical resemblance to Tristen, and had similar scars and a speech defect like Tristen has. However, DNA testing proved conclusively that he and Tristen were not the same person. Eli was eventually identified as Timothy Robert Trandel, whose mother, Laura Ann Trandel, had given him to Ricky when he was an infant. Timothy was given over to the care of an aunt afterwards; Lauras parental rights were terminated and Timothys aunt applied to adopt him. She is already raising several of Lauras other children. Tristen was born in Mississippi, the child of a fifteen-year-old exotic dancer and an unknown father. His mother was killed in a car accident in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Tristens grandparents originally had custody of him, but he was sent to live with other relatives after his grandfather accidentally ran over him with a car while drunk. A year later he went to live with his great-aunt and great-uncle. He disappeared from there. Authorities believe Tristen was probably either abducted by a stranger, or fell into a pond and drowned. His case remains unsolved. Left: Eli Quick; Right: Ricky Quick Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Sampson County Sheriffs Office 910-592-4141 Source Information The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children Child Protection Education Of America Americas Most Wanted The Winston-Salem Journal The Chicago Sun-Times The Denver Post CNN Child Seek Network NBC 5 WMAQ TV Chicago NBC 17 News Child Search Ministries ABC 7 Chicago The Daily Record WRAL News
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 03:41:34 +0000