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Missing Girl: Madelyn, Age 5

By Alexis BellawPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Years ago, I had worked such a tragic case. It was cold and late at night when I received a call from a distraught couple. They had said that their daughter was missing. She was 5-years-old and seemed like a happy kid when one would see her out with her parents.

We never found her. Fifteen years later and it still haunts me. When I come across a missing child case I think of that little girl. She was such a sweetheart. A body was never discovered. She just vanished.

October 31, 2016, I received another call from the same parents. They said something weird had happened. Their daughter had called them, now age 20, and told them that she had just graduated from college. She wanted them to be proud of her. Her parents' voices were shaky and fearful. I told them I was coming over and I wanted them to tell me everything so I could help.

When we were talking, they didn't tell me much. It was as if they were hiding something. I wasn't able to gather enough information to do anything, so I told them if they got any more information to call me and left.

Mom's Perspective

My daughter was so loved by everyone. She was the sweetest girl around for only being 5. My husband treated her like a queen. She was my prized possession. I felt like everyone was trying to take her from me.

The night breeze was cold. It was the beginning of winter. My husband was asleep and I was sitting in the kitchen having a late night cup of coffee. I had trouble sleeping and for some reason coffee made me tired.

My daughter, Madelyn, had sleepily shuffled her tiny feet into the kitchen where I sat.

"Mommy?" she called for me.

"Madie? You're supposed to be in bed," I said while I placed my warm cup of coffee on the bar and walked closer to her. I crouched down to her height and placed my hand on her soft, chubby face.

"What's a matter, baby?" I asked her.

"I had a bad dream, mommy. Mason was in it and he was chasing me with a bad thing," she started to cry.

I pulled her into a hug and reassured her, "Oh, baby, it's alright. Mommy won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I'll take away the pain."

She swallowed her saliva and was trying to make the snot that dripped from her nose go back in. She was a mess at that point and I felt miserable.

I led her back to her room and tucked her in. Her bed was a pretty pink with three fluffy, white pillows. She only slept on one. She curled up while I played with her hair until she was calm and about to fall asleep.

"I love you," I expressed before grabbing one of her other pillows and forcing it down on her little head. I held it tightly as she squirmed and tried to wriggle free. She wasn't nearly strong enough.

She tried until her little body gave out when it wasn't getting enough oxygen to stabilize her in such a panicked state. I removed the pillow and kissed her forehead.

I knew what I did was wrong. I took her lifeless body and hid her under the old house we lived in. I tore the wood planks that were placed so neatly under the back porch and dragged Madelyn under. I even made sure to bring tools, so I could board it back up.

After boarding it back up, I got my flower seeds and placed them around the front of the back porch. I usually only did the sides of the porch, but to help cover her rotting corpse, I planted more flowers in the front where I had just freshly put up the boards.

To cover my tracks I ran back inside to my sleeping husband.

"She's gone! I can't find Madie anywhere!" I screamed at my husband, I made my fear sound realistic.

He jumped up really quick and frantically looked around for his baby. He couldn't find her, of course. The next step was to call the police.

The detective that answered gave this case everything he had once he had proven our daughter was actually missing. He waited a few days. He was hoping she just was playing hide or seek or something.

He never found her, though, clearly. It nearly broke my husband. He wasn't himself. He was grieving her badly and the only thing that kept him alive was the hope she was still out there.

Now here we were 15 years later and my husband's phone rings. It was an unknown number, but he answered.

"Hello?" he said.

His eyes widened and he quickly put the call on speaker. I was confused.

"College was so much fun! I wish you were here to see me with my degree, Dad! Aren't you proud of me?" A woman was beaming.

"Who is that?" I asked as my entire body was filling with fear.

"Is that Mom? Dad, she did a bad thing." Her voice got dark as she spoke. It couldn't be Madelyn. I had killed her so long ago. There was no way.

The phone clicked and my husband quickly dialed 911. He told the detective she had called, but he left out the last thing she had said. Maybe he was confused.

My mind was spinning and I quickly became very emotionless. I didn't say very much at all. I said a few words and was done. My husband spoke the most, but even he didn't have much to say after the short phone call.

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About the Creator

Alexis Bellaw

20-year-old momma of two precious little girls writing my feelings out and publishing them to you. I hope you enjoy my content!

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