Jaisle Elizabeth Thomas was 17 and a junior at Tucker High School when she disappeared in Henrico County, Virginia, in April 1998. Of South Indian descent, she worked part time at a local Ukrop’s and was described as intelligent, religious and responsible. She told her family on April 12 that she planned to drive to the University of Richmond library for research; the last confirmed sighting was the evening before, April 11, about 8:30 p.m. near the grocery store where she worked.

That afternoon her white Mitsubishi was found abandoned on the Willey Bridge over the James River at about 3:20 p.m. The car contained many personal items — her wallet with driver’s license and cash, her work uniform, a recent paycheck, a camera, her Bible and her sneakers. The only notable item missing was her car keys. A search of the river beneath the bridge produced no evidence. Her family says she would not have run away and notes she missed church and work commitments and a planned family trip.

No credible explanation has been published for what happened after she left for the library. Did anyone see Jaisle or her car in the hours between her last sighting and when the vehicle was found on the bridge?