Tracy Sue Walker was 15 when she vanished from Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette, Indiana, in the last week of July 1978. Family members spent decades with unanswered questions after she failed to return home from the mall.

In April 1985 skeletal remains of a young female were found in a garbage dumping area near an abandoned mine shaft in the Big Wheel Gap area of Elk Valley, Campbell County, Tennessee. The remains were long unidentified as Baby Girl until forensic genetic genealogy led to a positive identification in 2022; the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification confirmed the remains were Tracy Sue Walker. Investigators believe she was abducted by a group of older men, thought to be working temporarily in the Lafayette area, who left the state with her and killed her in the Elk Valley area. Authorities say the group may have been well organized and that Tracy might not have been their only victim.

No arrests have been announced and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues to seek information. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. If anyone knew Tracy, saw her at Tippecanoe Mall in July 1978, or has information about men working in the area who left the state, please come forward.