Three-year-old Aaron Cody Stepp disappeared from a Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood on March 11, 1997. He was last seen around 7:00 p.m. playing in a neighbor’s backyard on Hosack Street. At the time his mother, Robyn Stepp, was due to be released from prison the next day after serving 17 months for theft convictions. Cody was living with his aunt, Mickey Stepp, who had physical and legal custody, and his grandmother, Janice Stiles.

Both adults later gave conflicting accounts of Cody’s whereabouts during the critical period: Mickey said Cody stayed with Stiles while she ran an errand, and Stiles said Mickey had taken him along. Neighbors reported not seeing Cody for many months before his reported disappearance, there were no recent photos of him in the home, and investigators found no clothing or personal items tied to Cody. A nurse also testified that Mickey had brought another child for vaccinations months earlier, claiming it was Cody, which raised further questions. Authorities suspected foul play but lacked enough evidence to charge anyone. A possible sighting in Pennsylvania in July 1997 produced no definitive results, and both the aunt and grandmother have since died. Robyn Stepp, now in hospice care, has been told information by a private investigator that leads her to believe Cody is likely deceased, though the Columbus Police Department has not closed the case.

Does anyone have verifiable information about Cody Stepp or his movements in March 1997 that could help bring answers?