Amir D’Rod Jennings was 18 months old when he vanished from Columbia, South Carolina, in the late fall of 2011. He was last seen around Thanksgiving with his mother, Zinah Damaris Jennings. Concern grew when his maternal grandmother reported both mother and child missing in early December after getting evasive answers about Amir’s whereabouts.

On Christmas Eve, Zinah Jennings was found after a single-car crash in Columbia but Amir was not with her. Officers searching her vehicle reported finding a blanket stained with Amir’s blood, a shovel, and some of the child’s clothing; cadaver dogs indicated the scent of human remains in the trunk and backseat. Zinah gave inconsistent accounts of Amir’s location and was later arrested on unlawful conduct toward a child charges. She was convicted and sentenced to ten years, released after serving four years, and has not cooperated with authorities about Amir’s location.

The search involved local, state, and federal agencies but Amir has never been found and the case remains open.