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Case Description

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Michelle Wells, a 13-year-old girl, disappeared from Detroit, Michigan, on January 1, 1982. Michelle, who was biracial with Native American and Caucasian heritage, was last seen leaving a residence she had been visiting. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as being 5'0" tall and weighing around 100 pounds, with red or auburn hair. Unfortunately, there is little known about the circumstances of her disappearance, and the case remains unsolved.

Despite efforts by the autho ...Read More
Last Seen: Jan 01, 1982

Victim Details

Nov 30, 2018

Mar 19, 2024

Michelle

Wells

55

13

60 inches

65 inches

100 lbs

200 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Female

On the first day of 1982, in the city of Detroit, Michigan, a 13-year-old girl named Michelle Wells seemingly vanished without a trace. Michelle, a young teenager of American Indian/Alaska Native and White/Caucasian descent with red or auburn hair, was last seen leaving a residence she was visiting. The day that marked a new year for the world became the beginning of an enduring and painful mystery for Michelle's family. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as being between 5 feet and 5 feet 5 inches tall. The simple and chilling circumstance of her being last seen walking away from a home has left decades of unanswered questions for those who knew and loved her. The years that followed Michelle's disappearance have not yielded the answers her family has desperately sought. The Detroit Police Department has been the primary agency investigating her case, but details regarding the investigation or any potential leads have not been widely publicized. Information about what clothing she was wearing or any personal items she may have had with her on that January day is not publicly available, adding another layer of difficulty to the already cold case. The passage of time has transformed the initial, urgent search into a long, quiet period of waiting and wondering, a state of limbo that has been the unfortunate reality for her loved ones for more than four decades. The case of Michelle Wells is a poignant and heartbreaking story of a child who disappeared, leaving a void in the lives of her family. The lack of resolution has meant a lifetime of uncertainty and grief for those she left behind. The official investigation remains open, a silent testament to a life interrupted and a mystery unsolved. The overview of the case is a stark and sorrowful one: a 13-year-old girl was visiting a residence in Detroit, she was seen leaving, and was never heard from again, leaving a family to navigate the decades without knowing what became of their beloved Michelle.

Jan 01, 1982

Detroit

Michigan

Wayne County

No

42045

Detroit Police Department

Detroit

Michigan

Wayne County

48226

Shannon Jones

Sergeant

1301 3rd St, Michigan

3135961800

Local

Law Enforcement

181130-0135

Detroit Police Department

10660

Red/Auburn

Unknown

Unknown

06/01/2026


Area Last Seen: