Davette Kathryn Gaunt, 33, vanished from Vista, California on January 1, 1993 under suspicious circumstances while embroiled in a contentious custody dispute with her boyfriend, Christopher McDonald, over their two-year-old daughter. Gaunt had been living with McDonald on Anza Avenue; shortly after she was last seen he moved a new girlfriend into the house and did not report her missing. A witness did not come forward until May 1993, fearful Gaunt had been murdered.

Investigators suspected foul play early but lacked enough evidence to file charges. McDonald briefly raised the child before sending her to live with his parents in Massachusetts. Authorities believe Gaunt was killed and her body disposed of in either northern San Diego or Riverside County, but her remains have never been found.

The case was reopened in 2011 and reinvestigated, with witnesses re-interviewed and new information developed. Gaunt’s body remains missing and the circumstances of her disappearance are unresolved.

If anyone knew Davette, her movements in Vista around New Year 1993, or has information about where she might have been taken, please come forward.