In 2009, Alyssa McLemore, a member of the Aleut tribe and a mother of a young daughter, was 21 years old and living in Kent, Washington.
Alyssa McLemore with her daughter (Blog Talk Radio)
On April 9 Alyssa's grandmother Barbara McLemore called to tell her that her mother, Gracie McLemore, who was suffering from scleroderma, was taking a turn for the worse. Alyssa told her grandmother she was coming home to be with her mother. She never arrived, however, and her mother died three days later never having said goodbye to her daughter.
Although the family isn't clear on the timeline, they did file a missing person's report but were told by police that nothing could be done until 24 hours had passed.
The next day, on the evening of April 10th at 9:15 pm, a 10-second phone call was made to 911 from Alyssa's phone. The dispatcher heard a woman frantically asking for help, but the line went dead before she could respond.
The police tried to track the call but were unable to do so successfully, as the phone did not have a GPS tracker. They believed the call was made in Kent and confirmed on 911 call records that the phone number belonged to Alyssa. The phone went out of service a few days later.
Two sightings of Alyssa on the day she disappeared were eventually reported. One witness spotted her near 30th Avenue South and Kent-Des Moines Road on Kent’s West Hill, where she was approached by a green 1990s model pickup truck. The witness believed the truck had an out-of-state license plate.
Another witness told police Alyssa was with a Caucasian man in his 50s or 60s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 175 to 185 pounds. The man reportedly drove a green pickup and it appeared that they were familiar with one another.
Police are still searching for any information regarding Alyssa's disappearance and the case remains open and unsolved.
Every single time there's a body found on the news, there's a pause. It's literally like you're dead for a moment because you have to wonder, ‘Is it Alyssa?’ I think I've called the coroner more than anybody should in a lifetime.Tina Russell, aunt of Alyssa McLemore (theworld.org)
