Ameera Deadrick was 8 years old when she was last reported seen on November 16, 2016, in Waco, Texas, although some accounts suggest she may have last been seen as early as 2014. She had been staying with her father and his girlfriend after spending the summer of 2013 with them; her mother, Tiara McWilliams, says the father then refused to return Ameera and no formal custody agreement existed.

Ameera’s father was later jailed, and in 2017 McWilliams learned that no one had seen Ameera for months and filed an official missing persons report. The father told investigators he had given Ameera to a woman known only as Tootie or Linda, reportedly in Waco, but that lead has not yielded concrete information. Waco and Houston authorities continue to investigate with few new developments. If anyone knew Ameera’s whereabouts, who Tootie or Linda might be, or has other information, please share it with investigators.