Ara Denise Johnson was five years old when she vanished from her family’s mobile home in Big Sandy, Texas, on April 2, 1986. Her father checked on her between 1:00 and 2:30 a.m. and found her sleeping; when the family awoke between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m., Ara and the orange bedspread she had been under were gone. The mobile home’s back door was open, but there were no signs of forced entry and no one reported hearing anything unusual during the night.

Authorities soon treated the disappearance as a possible kidnapping and the FBI joined the inquiry two days later because the abductor might have crossed state lines. Tracker dogs and local searches turned up no trace of Ara. Years later, convicted child killer David Elliot Penton was named a person of interest because his crimes fit the period, but he has not been charged in connection with Ara’s disappearance. The case remains unsolved and open, and Ara’s family continues to seek answers.

If anyone remembers that neighborhood or has information about Ara or the night she disappeared, please share what you know.