Eight-year-old Gloria Kim Smith vanished from Oak Island, North Carolina, in June 1988 while on vacation with her family. She was from Fayetteville and was last seen playing in waist-deep ocean water near Kings Lynn Drive, wearing a white tank top and blue shorts, under the supervision of her 16-year-old stepsister. The stepsister reportedly fell asleep on the beach and awoke to find Gloria gone.

Rescue teams and law enforcement conducted immediate and extensive searches, but no trace of Gloria was found. Investigators initially considered accidental drowning but, because no body was recovered, the Oak Island Police Department has kept the case open and also treats abduction as a possibility. The disappearance has never been resolved and remains a painful mystery for the family and community.

Did anyone on Oak Island in June 1988 see a young girl matching Gloria’s description near Kings Lynn Drive or recall anything that might help investigators?