Valerie Ann Short was 24 when she traveled from St. Augustine, Florida, to Tucson, Arizona, in the summer of 1998 to visit her ex-husband and their two young daughters. That trip is the last time her Florida family heard from or saw her. The exact date she vanished is uncertain, and the last confirmed official contact was with the Tucson police in the summer of 1999; after that, traces of her stopped.

Valerie was described at the time as a white female, 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing about 110 to 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She had two ankle tattoos — a flower and a heart with the name John — and there is some indication she may have traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her sister reported her missing in March 1999; Valerie was entered into a national law enforcement database but was removed in 2002 for reasons the family never learned. Her ex-husband later told the family he believed Valerie had returned to Florida; he has since died.

Does anyone have information about Valerie’s movements in Arizona or New Mexico in 1998–1999, or recall seeing someone who matches her description?