Lamika Tene Manners was 12 when she and her mother, Barbara Heyward Manners, were last seen by relatives in Brooklyn, New York, in May 1985. Lamika was described as 5 feet 1 inch and about 90 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. After that month neither mother nor daughter were heard from again.

On May 18, 1985, a severely burned woman was found beside westbound Interstate 95 near Exit 18 in Westport, Connecticut. That victim—known for decades as Fairfield County Jane Doe—was identified in November 2024 through DNA and forensic genetic genealogy as Barbara Heyward Manners, age 33 when she was killed. An autopsy showed a blow to the head inflicted shortly before the body was set on fire. Personal items recovered included Russler blue jeans, a wool wrap-around sweater, and a pack of Salem cigarettes.

Barbara’s identification formally links her homicide to Lamika’s disappearance, but there has been no sign of Lamika since May 1985 and her case remains unsolved. If anyone has information about Lamika’s whereabouts or remembers the Manners family in Brooklyn in 1985, please come forward.