On the afternoon of August 15, 1999, 11-year-old Teresa Dean left her home on Lawrence Drive in Macon, Georgia, telling her mother she was going to a nearby friend’s house to see puppies. She never arrived at the friend’s home; a relative reported her missing about 11:00 p.m. that night.

Teresa was wearing a blue and white striped button-down shirt, pink or orange knit pants, and clear gel-style sandals. She had brown hair, blue eyes, pierced ears with gold ball earrings, and a speech impediment. Police from three counties searched wooded areas and nearby mining pits with no sign of her. Several people were interviewed and polygraphed early on; the mother’s former fiancé later said he was a suspect and had failed a polygraph, though he was never formally named in the case and was later convicted on unrelated charges. Investigators have explored possible links to two other 11-year-old girls who disappeared from trailer parks in Alabama, and authorities continue to regard Teresa’s disappearance as involving foul play.

Students and the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office used drones and other technology in a renewed search effort in 2025, but no arrests have been announced. Does anyone have information about Teresa, her movements that afternoon, or the neighborhood on Lawrence Drive in 1999?