Violet Matory was 9 when she disappeared from Compton, California, on July 20, 1977. A fire that day destroyed the family home; Violet’s mother, Earlene Williams, was found inside and had been strangled before the fire. None of the children were located in the burned house and a trail of blood leading away from the scene suggested someone had been injured and possibly left by car.

Investigators later received reports that Violet, her sisters Ivy and Yolanda, and family friend Sir-Kristopher Marshall were seen with Earlene’s estranged husband, James Williams, at a Denny’s in Grapevine the morning after the fire. James Williams was arrested and charged in connection with Earlene’s death and the children’s disappearance; two trials ended without a verdict and the charges were eventually dropped. Ivy’s remains were found in Corona in 2014, but Violet, Yolanda, and Sir-Kristopher remain missing.

Anyone who knew Violet, her family, or who has information about movements around July 20–21, 1977 is urged to come forward.