Jessica Phelps was a four‑year‑old who vanished from her front yard on Maryland Avenue in Flint, Michigan, on July 1, 1997. Her mother had briefly gone inside after returning from McDonald’s; when she came back out, Jessica was gone. Neighbors and hundreds of volunteers searched the neighborhood and local waterways, and the case was even featured on America’s Most Wanted, but initial tips did not lead to her location.

On April 2, 1998, a road commission worker found the skeletal remains of a child in a culvert in Atlas Township, about 15 miles from where Jessica disappeared. Clothing items matched what she had been wearing, and dental records two days later confirmed the remains were hers. Because of prolonged exposure, investigators could not determine a definitive cause of death, though authorities believe she was likely asphyxiated on the day she vanished. Her death was ruled a homicide.

The Flint Police Department continues to classify the case as an active cold case; no arrests have been made. Did anyone in the area at the time recall unusual activity or people around Maryland Avenue that summer?