1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,440 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:18,120 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,420 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages and is intended for a mature 4 00:00:22,420 --> 00:00:23,620 audience. 5 00:00:23,620 --> 00:00:34,560 Listener discretion is advised. 6 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,160 Hello everyone and welcome back. 7 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:38,880 Welcome back everyone. 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,780 I am your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 9 00:00:41,780 --> 00:00:44,900 And I am your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 10 00:00:44,900 --> 00:00:48,080 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases. 11 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,840 And missing person cases. 12 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,320 Okay, Eli's back this week. 13 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,960 Yes I am, grateful to be here. 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:01:00,480 Okay, so this week we are focusing on a missing persons case, correct? 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:01,480 Mm-hmm. 16 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:03,520 Alright, let's get started. 17 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:04,520 Okay, great. 18 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:10,040 So today I have a missing person case, but just as a content warning at the top, this 19 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:16,000 case does involve children and there is a brief mention of sexual assault. 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:21,180 Today I have for you the unresolved missing person case of Teekah Lewis, which takes place 21 00:01:21,180 --> 00:01:26,120 in January of 1999 in Tacoma, Washington. 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,240 But first a little bit about Teekah. 23 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,460 Teekah was two years old in 1999. 24 00:01:31,460 --> 00:01:34,760 She was born July 4th, 1996. 25 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,520 She would be 26 years old today. 26 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,180 Teekah is part Chippewa and part Black. 27 00:01:40,180 --> 00:01:44,760 She was three feet tall and weighed 35 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. 28 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,320 She loves Starbursts, French fries, and Winnie the Pooh. 29 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,840 Her family called her My Little Old Lady. 30 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:55,080 Teekah was shy and everyone knew her as a mommy's girl. 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,080 And now a timeline of events. 32 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:04,820 On Saturday, January 23rd, 1999, Teekah and around 16 family members went to go Moonlight 33 00:02:04,820 --> 00:02:11,440 Bowling at the New Frontier Lanes located at 4702 Center Street in Tacoma, Washington. 34 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:16,240 Today a jack-in-the-box and a Home Depot sit where the bowling alley once stood. 35 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,800 The family arrives at 830 and the bowling alley is packed with families. 36 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,600 Witnesses remarked that there were no more parking spaces in the parking lot. 37 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:30,040 Teekah's family was bowling in lanes 7 and 8 at the 32-lane bowling alley. 38 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:31,720 Tika was playing in the arcade. 39 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,960 She was carrying her new purse she had gotten for Christmas. 40 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,640 It was filled with Starbursts and change that an uncle had given her. 41 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:42,800 With the help of an uncle, she was able to win a teddy bear from a claw machine which 42 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,240 she promptly gave to her 10-month-old baby sister. 43 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:53,280 Between 1015 and 1030 PM, Teekah was playing on the racing arcade game Cruisin' World, 44 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,720 which was about six feet from the exit. 45 00:02:55,720 --> 00:03:00,320 Teresa Czapieswki, Teekah's mother, was standing with her and watching her. 46 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:06,560 When it was Teresa's turn to bowl, her then-boyfriend Fred Biggs stood by and watched Teekah. 47 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:13,240 When it was Fred's turn to bowl, Teekah's uncle, Tim Czapiewski, stood near Teekah. 48 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:18,240 Tim turned around to watch Fred throw his ball, and when he turned back around, Teekah 49 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:19,440 was gone. 50 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,080 Family immediately begin to look for her. 51 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,880 They check the bathrooms, they check behind the arcade games. 52 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,780 Teresa even steps outside in the parking lot and calls for Teekah. 53 00:03:30,780 --> 00:03:35,540 When they don't find any sign of the girl, they immediately alert the bowling alley security 54 00:03:35,540 --> 00:03:38,160 guard who is an off-duty police officer. 55 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:42,760 The bowling alley makes an announcement, and the bowling alley is thoroughly checked. 56 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:47,840 They check behind the bowling lanes, they check in the bathrooms, behind the machines. 57 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,200 Again, everyone is looking for Teekah. 58 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,320 Within 15 minutes, police begin to arrive. 59 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:58,520 Police block the parking lot and search every car that leaves the parking lot that evening. 60 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,780 Teekah's mother, Teresa, is in a panic. 61 00:04:01,780 --> 00:04:05,640 She says, quote, someone had to pick her up and run out the door. 62 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:06,740 She's a mommy's girl. 63 00:04:06,740 --> 00:04:09,520 She wouldn't wander off, end quote. 64 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,920 Police and volunteers, including eight dog handlers, begin searching for Teekah through 65 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:14,920 the night. 66 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,120 They cover 1.5 miles around the bowling alley and also launch a helicopter with heat-seeking 67 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,760 capabilities, and there is no trace of Teekah found. 68 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:29,060 Pierce County Sheriff Sergeant Cindy Fajardo says, quote, there's no concrete evidence 69 00:04:29,060 --> 00:04:30,440 about what happened. 70 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,080 She vanished into thin air, end quote. 71 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,480 So police are working through the night searching for Teekah. 72 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:43,560 So into Sunday, January 24th, police are quickly able to rule out a parental kidnapping, as 73 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:49,440 Teekah's father, Robert Lewis, was serving time at the McNeil Island Correctional Center. 74 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,880 He is woken up at around 4 a.m. 75 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:56,680 Robert says, quote, the detective said my daughter was missing from the bowling alley. 76 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,880 Then he asked if I knew anything about it. 77 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:00,680 I said, how could I know anything? 78 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:04,240 I've been up here ever since 1997, end quote. 79 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,520 The FBI and the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children joined the search for 80 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:09,720 Teekah. 81 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,980 Searchers begin to go door to door to homes and businesses. 82 00:05:13,980 --> 00:05:18,920 Police also set up a tip line for Teekah, and they receive about 75 tips within the first 83 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:20,660 24 hours. 84 00:05:20,660 --> 00:05:25,320 Police finish their searching around 5 p.m. Sunday evening and announce that Teekah had 85 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:26,320 been abducted. 86 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,080 They are sure she just didn't wander off. 87 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,840 Teresa says, quote, just bring my daughter back. 88 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:33,240 I want my daughter back. 89 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,040 I will do anything to get my daughter back, end quote. 90 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:44,200 On Monday, January 25th, more FBI agents join the case and police start to focus on Teresa. 91 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:49,720 They give her a polygraph test and according to Teresa, quote, they ask stupid questions 92 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,800 like what's your name and were you involved with her taking? 93 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:55,000 I've got other kids. 94 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,560 Why would I just take one of them, end quote. 95 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:02,000 Police tell media that they're not focusing on the family, but, quote, we want to rule 96 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,640 them out, end quote. 97 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:08,120 Teresa believes that Teekah was kidnapped by someone who wanted a mixed race baby. 98 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,680 Teresa tells police that a woman had asked another member of their family if she could 99 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:18,120 hold her baby, but police say they have accounted for this woman's whereabouts for Saturday 100 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:19,120 night. 101 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,580 Teresa says, quote, all I want is my daughter back. 102 00:06:22,580 --> 00:06:24,440 Someone in that bowling alley saw something. 103 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:29,120 I just want them to call Tacoma police and don't be scared, end quote. 104 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:34,640 On Tuesday, January 26th, police still have no strong leads and they ask that anyone at 105 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:40,360 the bowling alley Saturday night that took any photos or video to bring it to police. 106 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,880 Police also drag a pond that is nearby the bowling alley, but don't find anything. 107 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,660 Police will also search an area across the street from the bowling alley. 108 00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:52,240 During the initial search, two dogs had hit on this area. 109 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:57,360 As police comb the area, they find under a bush a bundle of men's clothes. 110 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:02,280 Police are unsure if it's related to Teekah's disappearance, but they collect it as evidence. 111 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:06,080 Police don't believe the clothes have been there for long as there's no mold or mildew 112 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:07,080 on them. 113 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,120 In the bundle, they find three items. 114 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:15,880 A Boat Works brand, hip length, navy blue wool coat with green lining. 115 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:20,400 The coat is a size large and has markers on the label from a local thrift shop called 116 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:21,840 Value Village. 117 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:24,340 A pair of off-white jeans. 118 00:07:24,340 --> 00:07:28,220 The waist was 34 inches and the length was 32. 119 00:07:28,220 --> 00:07:32,440 The jeans were stained with blue or purple ink and were Lee jeans. 120 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,880 And the third item was a new Columbia button down flannel shirt. 121 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:42,120 The shirt had blue and green plaid on a white background with yellow highlights. 122 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:48,320 On Wednesday, January 27th, police give Teresa a second polygraph test to wrap up loose ends, 123 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:49,600 according to them. 124 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,580 Police also give another family member a polygraph, but decline to say who it is. 125 00:07:54,580 --> 00:07:58,320 Police also pull the phone records for the payphone at the bowling alley for Saturday 126 00:07:58,320 --> 00:07:59,400 evening. 127 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:04,200 On Thursday, January 28th, police announced that Teresa has been cleared. 128 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,760 Tacoma police spokesperson Jim Mathis says, quote, she is not a suspect. 129 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,600 At this point, nobody else has been cleared, end quote. 130 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:17,500 Police also asked the public's help to find the owner of the clothes they found on Tuesday. 131 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:22,740 On Saturday, January 30th, so this is one week that Teekah has been missing, a candlelight 132 00:08:22,740 --> 00:08:25,280 vigil is held for Tika at the bowling alley. 133 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:31,400 Teekah's grandmother, Mary Czapiewski, says, quote, this is to tell you, sweetheart, we 134 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,380 want to tell you that we all love you and miss you very, very much. 135 00:08:35,380 --> 00:08:39,660 And for the persons who took her, how do you live with yourself knowing you have taken 136 00:08:39,660 --> 00:08:43,220 Teekah away from people who love her dearly, end quote. 137 00:08:43,220 --> 00:08:48,900 Police say that they have received 500 tips in Teekah's case, but none have led to the toddler. 138 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:54,800 On Monday, February 1st, police, desperate for a break, ask a psychic for help. 139 00:08:54,800 --> 00:09:00,620 Now, this psychic had helped police find the body of Cindy Allinger. 140 00:09:00,620 --> 00:09:06,160 The psychic points police to an area near the East Gate of Fort Lewis McCord, but nothing 141 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:08,340 related to Teekah is found there. 142 00:09:08,340 --> 00:09:13,780 On Saturday, February 6th, so this is two weeks now Teekah has been missing, Teekah's case 143 00:09:13,780 --> 00:09:19,220 appears on America's Most Wanted and dozens of tips are called in after the program airs. 144 00:09:19,220 --> 00:09:21,740 But again, nothing leads to Teekah. 145 00:09:21,740 --> 00:09:27,620 On Tuesday, February 23rd, so this is one month now that Teekah has been missing. 146 00:09:27,620 --> 00:09:32,300 Teekah's family hold a Chippewa prayer service to mark the one month of her being gone. 147 00:09:32,300 --> 00:09:37,980 Tacoma police still have 10 detectives assigned to the case full time with help from the FBI. 148 00:09:37,980 --> 00:09:42,060 Police are working on IDing and interviewing everyone who is at the bowling alley that 149 00:09:42,060 --> 00:09:43,060 night. 150 00:09:43,060 --> 00:09:47,860 Police say they only have a handful more to find of around the 300 people there. 151 00:09:47,860 --> 00:09:52,020 Detective Lindbergh says, quote, usually in an investigation this size, we have the name 152 00:09:52,020 --> 00:09:53,340 of the suspect. 153 00:09:53,340 --> 00:09:56,060 We just don't know what it is yet, end quote. 154 00:09:56,060 --> 00:10:01,540 The next day on February 24th, police ask that anyone that was at the bowling alley 155 00:10:01,540 --> 00:10:07,060 on January 23rd, who has not been interviewed by police to please come forward. 156 00:10:07,060 --> 00:10:11,820 Specifically, police are interested in talking to other kids that were at the bowling alley 157 00:10:11,820 --> 00:10:13,320 that evening. 158 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:17,740 And then over the next few months, police will continue to work the case, but it will 159 00:10:17,740 --> 00:10:19,220 be scaled back. 160 00:10:19,220 --> 00:10:22,340 There'll be less detectives assigned to it. 161 00:10:22,340 --> 00:10:27,740 The family will continue to hold vigils and fundraisers for reward money, but there are 162 00:10:27,740 --> 00:10:31,880 no leads and there's no signs of Teekah over the months. 163 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:39,100 In July of 1999, New Frontier Bowling closes and the property is developed and the property 164 00:10:39,100 --> 00:10:41,620 next door is developed. 165 00:10:41,620 --> 00:10:47,100 When construction is happening, police actually inform the construction crews to be on a lookout 166 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:51,300 for anything that could be related to Teekah's disappearance. 167 00:10:51,300 --> 00:10:56,340 And police were hopeful that something would turn up in that construction, but nothing 168 00:10:56,340 --> 00:10:57,740 ever does. 169 00:10:57,740 --> 00:11:03,820 On January 23rd of 2000, so this is one year, police say that over the last year, they have 170 00:11:03,820 --> 00:11:06,380 received over 700 tips. 171 00:11:06,380 --> 00:11:11,060 They are most interested in one that came from a 17-year-old boy who was at New Frontier 172 00:11:11,060 --> 00:11:12,060 Bowling. 173 00:11:12,060 --> 00:11:15,340 The teen saw two men standing near Teekah. 174 00:11:15,340 --> 00:11:23,860 The first guy is described as 30s or 40s, 5'11", around 200 pounds, brown hair, thick 175 00:11:23,860 --> 00:11:28,220 mustache, a large nose, and a pock-marked face. 176 00:11:28,220 --> 00:11:35,260 The second man is described as in his 30s or 40s, 5'9", around 200 pounds, has long 177 00:11:35,260 --> 00:11:41,020 black hair, and he was wearing dirty jeans and a gray jacket with a sports logo. 178 00:11:41,020 --> 00:11:46,420 Detective Larry Lindberg, the head of Tacoma's missing person unit, says, quote, they looked 179 00:11:46,420 --> 00:11:50,820 like they were following her as she walked toward the front desk area, end quote. 180 00:11:50,820 --> 00:11:53,620 And this would be Teekah he was referencing here. 181 00:11:53,620 --> 00:11:57,820 Police also received a tip from a woman who was pulling into the bowling alley parking 182 00:11:57,820 --> 00:12:01,880 lot around 1030, around the time Teekah disappeared. 183 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:08,460 She says a 1980s or 90s model Grand Am was speeding out of the parking lot as she was 184 00:12:08,460 --> 00:12:09,460 coming in. 185 00:12:09,460 --> 00:12:12,900 The car almost hit her and it fishtailed as it sped off. 186 00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:14,580 That's how fast it was moving. 187 00:12:14,580 --> 00:12:19,540 She didn't get a license plate, but said it was possibly maroon, had four doors, tinted 188 00:12:19,540 --> 00:12:22,180 windows, and a spoiler on the back. 189 00:12:22,180 --> 00:12:26,420 Police want to ID the two men the teen saw and the driver of the vehicle. 190 00:12:26,420 --> 00:12:30,940 At this point, police do not believe that Teekah's family was involved in her disappearance 191 00:12:30,940 --> 00:12:32,420 at all. 192 00:12:32,420 --> 00:12:37,180 Family will hold a candlelight vigil for Teekah on the one year anniversary, and this is something 193 00:12:37,180 --> 00:12:42,540 that will happen every year continuing into 2022. 194 00:12:42,540 --> 00:12:47,680 Teekah's younger sister looks so much like her that a neighbor had recently called police 195 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:53,800 to say that Teekah wasn't missing, but she was home playing in the front yard with her mother. 196 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:59,220 And then the next kind of significant update comes in May of 2001. 197 00:12:59,220 --> 00:13:03,100 So this is over two years that Teekah has been missing. 198 00:13:03,100 --> 00:13:07,820 The body of a decapitated four year old was found in Kansas City, Missouri. 199 00:13:07,820 --> 00:13:12,060 She's known as Precious Doe and police will send in Teekah's DNA. 200 00:13:12,060 --> 00:13:18,100 Because the artist's composition of Precious Doe looked so much like Teekah's age enhanced 201 00:13:18,100 --> 00:13:19,100 photo. 202 00:13:19,100 --> 00:13:25,620 Ultimately, Teekah will be ruled out by DNA and Precious Doe is ultimately IDed as Erica 203 00:13:25,620 --> 00:13:29,300 Green on May 5th, 2005. 204 00:13:29,300 --> 00:13:35,940 In April of 2006, so this is seven years, the family's private investigator that they 205 00:13:35,940 --> 00:13:43,460 had hired to look for Teekah found a girl living in Texas that looks like Teekah and her sisters. 206 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:48,060 When the PI shows Teresa a photo of the woman the girl was living with, Teresa said she 207 00:13:48,060 --> 00:13:50,420 recognized her from the bowling alley. 208 00:13:50,420 --> 00:13:56,460 The FBI is unconvinced that this girl is Teekah, but they still test her DNA. 209 00:13:56,460 --> 00:14:01,300 And in June of 2006, the results come back that it is not Teekah. 210 00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:07,780 In January of 2008, so this is nine years, Teekah's family released more photos and videos 211 00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:11,760 of her hoping to jog someone's memory on the case. 212 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:16,380 Police hope that the passage of time would make someone more likely to talk. 213 00:14:16,380 --> 00:14:21,420 Detective Brad Graham says, quote, we want to reach out to people here who knew somebody 214 00:14:21,420 --> 00:14:26,620 who changed their demeanor or attitude level or suspicion level that night or the days 215 00:14:26,620 --> 00:14:27,980 following. 216 00:14:27,980 --> 00:14:33,120 We want people to reexamine their conscious and revisit that night, end quote. 217 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:39,960 In January of 2010, at the 11 year candlelight vigil, a man approaches Teresa and tells her 218 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,140 he had a vision of where Teekah was buried. 219 00:14:43,140 --> 00:14:48,260 Teresa turns this information over to police and it's so detailed that police end up digging 220 00:14:48,260 --> 00:14:54,180 an eight by 12 foot hole in the native plant garden in Point Defiance Park. 221 00:14:54,180 --> 00:14:55,440 Nothing is found there. 222 00:14:55,440 --> 00:15:01,900 On July 4th, 2011, on Teekah's 15th birthday, police asked the public for help IDing the 223 00:15:01,900 --> 00:15:08,780 driver of the Grand Am and police believe that the vehicle was involved in Teekah's disappearance. 224 00:15:08,780 --> 00:15:15,620 In January of 2012, so 13 years now that Teekah has disappeared, Detective Lindsay Wade went 225 00:15:15,620 --> 00:15:19,700 back through all 700 tips received in the case. 226 00:15:19,700 --> 00:15:24,060 She finds three tips of other children being approached by a stranger. 227 00:15:24,060 --> 00:15:28,220 The first tip happens on November 29th, 1998. 228 00:15:28,220 --> 00:15:31,180 So this would be two months before Teekah disappeared. 229 00:15:31,180 --> 00:15:36,020 A father is bowling at New Frontier Lanes in a league and his son is playing in the 230 00:15:36,020 --> 00:15:37,020 arcade. 231 00:15:37,020 --> 00:15:40,380 The boy goes to the bathroom and is sexually assaulted. 232 00:15:40,380 --> 00:15:44,820 The suspect was a white guy with brown curly hair and a beard. 233 00:15:44,820 --> 00:15:47,740 He wore a hat with the word husky on it. 234 00:15:47,740 --> 00:15:53,260 The second tip is a few weeks before Teekah's disappearance, a family was bowling at New 235 00:15:53,260 --> 00:15:58,420 Frontier Lanes and their six-year-old son was playing in the arcade, but his mom could 236 00:15:58,420 --> 00:16:00,140 watch him from her lane. 237 00:16:00,140 --> 00:16:04,680 The mom looked up to see a white man with brown hair holding her son's wrist and talking 238 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:05,680 to him. 239 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:10,740 As the mom goes to confront the man, he was telling people that he was the boy's father. 240 00:16:10,740 --> 00:16:14,340 And the third tip comes hours before Teekah disappeared. 241 00:16:14,340 --> 00:16:20,100 A father and his two kids were at the Oakland Madrona Park, which is about a half a mile 242 00:16:20,100 --> 00:16:21,700 away from the bowling alley. 243 00:16:21,700 --> 00:16:26,380 The dad notices a white guy with brown hair motioning for his children to come inside 244 00:16:26,380 --> 00:16:27,380 the bathroom. 245 00:16:27,380 --> 00:16:33,060 The dad chases this guy and he speeds off in a blue 1995 Grand Am. 246 00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:37,860 Detective Lindsay Wade says, quote, I can't say for certain if all these incidents are 247 00:16:37,860 --> 00:16:41,620 related or if they are related to Teekah's disappearance. 248 00:16:41,620 --> 00:16:45,860 There's a possibility that they are given the Pontiac Grand Am, end quote. 249 00:16:45,860 --> 00:16:51,720 In July of 2012, so this is 13 and a half years since Teekah has been missing, police 250 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,820 searched the home of John William Black. 251 00:16:53,820 --> 00:16:59,980 He had pleaded guilty to child luring at another Tacoma bowling alley in 2010. 252 00:16:59,980 --> 00:17:05,560 Police say that John William Black had made comments that led police to become suspicious 253 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:07,340 of him and search his home. 254 00:17:07,340 --> 00:17:12,140 But police failed to find anything related to Teekah and police ultimately rule him out 255 00:17:12,140 --> 00:17:13,700 as a suspect. 256 00:17:13,700 --> 00:17:20,300 And then in January of 2020, so this is 21 years now that Teekah has been missing, police 257 00:17:20,300 --> 00:17:25,780 have a new push to ID the brown haired man with a pockmarked face that the teenager had 258 00:17:25,780 --> 00:17:28,620 seen the night that Teekah disappeared. 259 00:17:28,620 --> 00:17:34,620 Detective Steve Riopel was reviewing the case and realized the man has never been ID'd. 260 00:17:34,620 --> 00:17:39,440 The teen who originally saw it spoke to local news but stayed anonymous. 261 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:43,500 He says, quote, we'd gone to that bowling alley plenty of times. 262 00:17:43,500 --> 00:17:47,540 It's the kind of place where people can go with their families and kids just roam. 263 00:17:47,540 --> 00:17:51,140 I had to use the restroom, so I went towards where the restrooms were. 264 00:17:51,140 --> 00:17:55,380 This rude guy bumped into me with this little girl and he was white. 265 00:17:55,380 --> 00:17:56,860 The little girl was mixed. 266 00:17:56,860 --> 00:18:01,220 I just thought it was a father rushing his daughter to the restroom, end quote. 267 00:18:01,220 --> 00:18:08,020 And this guy, then a teen, says that he remembers this interaction because the guy had hit his 268 00:18:08,020 --> 00:18:10,860 shoulder with so much force but didn't even apologize. 269 00:18:10,860 --> 00:18:13,580 He was in such a rush to move. 270 00:18:13,580 --> 00:18:18,480 The man was wearing blue jeans and a blue checker flannel shirt. 271 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:22,660 Detective Riopel says, quote, about a week after Teekah's disappearance, they were filming 272 00:18:22,660 --> 00:18:25,180 a reenactment down at the bowling alley. 273 00:18:25,180 --> 00:18:29,980 And someone who was standing there watching noticed a person with a pockmarked face was 274 00:18:29,980 --> 00:18:32,420 also watching the reenactment. 275 00:18:32,420 --> 00:18:37,220 And the witness who called it in thought he was acting strange, end quote. 276 00:18:37,220 --> 00:18:43,580 And that's really all that we know about the disappearance of Teekah Lewis. 277 00:18:43,580 --> 00:18:50,180 So if you know anything about what happened to Teekah Lewis in January of 1999, or if you 278 00:18:50,180 --> 00:18:55,460 know the identity of this man with brown hair and a pockedmarked face that was living in 279 00:18:55,460 --> 00:19:01,940 Tacoma, Washington in 1999 or around that area, you are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 280 00:19:01,940 --> 00:19:08,300 at 1-800-220-8477. 281 00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:13,420 And the sources from today's podcast come from the News Tribune. 282 00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:18,420 And I personally read over 50 articles from the News Tribune on this case. 283 00:19:18,420 --> 00:19:22,020 So they really covered this case from the beginning. 284 00:19:22,020 --> 00:19:28,580 The Olympian, the Lewis River News and Kalama Bulletin, Longview Daily News, South Florida 285 00:19:28,580 --> 00:19:36,340 Sun Sentinel, Springfield News Sun, Tri-City Herald, the Kansas City Star, the Columbian, 286 00:19:36,340 --> 00:19:39,680 Fox 13 Seattle and the Charlie Project. 287 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,420 So that is the case of Teekah Lewis. 288 00:19:42,420 --> 00:19:49,300 Yeah, I mean, you kind of spelled it out for everyone. 289 00:19:49,300 --> 00:19:53,500 I just want to know who the person in the Grand Am is. 290 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:55,540 Yeah. 291 00:19:55,540 --> 00:20:01,420 I feel like that's the major key here, right? 292 00:20:01,420 --> 00:20:02,740 Yeah, definitely. 293 00:20:02,740 --> 00:20:10,420 I think whoever is driving the Grand Am holds something in this case, for sure. 294 00:20:10,420 --> 00:20:13,300 This man with brown hair. 295 00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:21,060 I have some questions because originally when they talked about this teen, what he saw, 296 00:20:21,060 --> 00:20:23,660 he said there were two men. 297 00:20:23,660 --> 00:20:28,500 And when the detective goes back in 2020 to kind of review these things, he says that 298 00:20:28,500 --> 00:20:30,540 this brown haired man hadn't been ID'd. 299 00:20:30,540 --> 00:20:36,340 So I wonder if the other man had been ID'd and ruled out. 300 00:20:36,340 --> 00:20:42,900 I question that if they were together because originally when they presented this tip, it 301 00:20:42,900 --> 00:20:49,220 sounded like these men were standing together and were kind of moving in tandem around Teekah's 302 00:20:49,220 --> 00:20:51,640 movements. 303 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:56,060 And it sounded like this case had a lot of attention at the time. 304 00:20:56,060 --> 00:20:58,180 Or is that not true? 305 00:20:58,180 --> 00:21:04,780 No, this case, I think was really popular in Washington. 306 00:21:04,780 --> 00:21:07,980 I think it got a lot of local coverage. 307 00:21:07,980 --> 00:21:13,700 I did see some articles, you know, all the way to Chicago and in Ohio. 308 00:21:13,700 --> 00:21:16,060 So like it did get some national coverage. 309 00:21:16,060 --> 00:21:21,980 But a lot of people in the city of Tacoma remember this case pretty clearly. 310 00:21:21,980 --> 00:21:25,740 Yeah I imagine that if you were near it, it would be hard to forget. 311 00:21:25,740 --> 00:21:26,740 Yeah. 312 00:21:26,740 --> 00:21:28,940 I saw the pictures of her already. 313 00:21:28,940 --> 00:21:30,940 Very sweet. 314 00:21:30,940 --> 00:21:33,900 Definitely. 315 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:39,300 We say it every recording session, every episode, just like what happened here? 316 00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:40,300 How? 317 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:41,300 I don't know. 318 00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:48,980 I guess this is a more of just a bigger statement on life, but the fragility of existence from 319 00:21:48,980 --> 00:21:54,980 moment to moment because he turned or she who was with her again? 320 00:21:54,980 --> 00:21:55,980 Her uncle? 321 00:21:55,980 --> 00:21:56,980 Yeah, it was her uncle. 322 00:21:56,980 --> 00:21:58,940 Yeah, he turned and then turned back. 323 00:21:58,940 --> 00:22:00,540 I don't know. 324 00:22:00,540 --> 00:22:09,860 I think doing this podcast with you has made me realize the fragility of moment to moment 325 00:22:09,860 --> 00:22:14,940 and how quickly your life can change when something like this happens to it. 326 00:22:14,940 --> 00:22:16,980 And like change you forever. 327 00:22:16,980 --> 00:22:17,980 Forever. 328 00:22:17,980 --> 00:22:25,300 It's like the moment something like that happens, you are forever changed. 329 00:22:25,300 --> 00:22:30,500 In doing the podcast, you know, we're just around the stories more. 330 00:22:30,500 --> 00:22:32,020 So I don't know. 331 00:22:32,020 --> 00:22:37,420 It's clear to me the impact that things like this have on people. 332 00:22:37,420 --> 00:22:38,820 Absolutely. 333 00:22:38,820 --> 00:22:44,700 I have a lot of friends and you included who would be called a little old lady. 334 00:22:44,700 --> 00:22:46,020 I loved that. 335 00:22:46,020 --> 00:22:51,020 Yeah, this story really resonated with me because I was a kid who grew up in bowling 336 00:22:51,020 --> 00:22:52,020 alleys. 337 00:22:52,020 --> 00:22:53,500 Yeah, I know everything about her. 338 00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:58,700 Honestly, I got a little teary eyed because I've, you know, heard stories about you as 339 00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:02,140 a kid down to the way that she eats. 340 00:23:02,140 --> 00:23:08,940 Like Ali still loves candy and french fries and stuff. 341 00:23:08,940 --> 00:23:09,940 Yeah, I do. 342 00:23:09,940 --> 00:23:12,540 If you opened up my purse right now, there would be Starburst in there. 343 00:23:12,540 --> 00:23:16,820 Yeah, that was probably why I had the reaction of like, she sounds awesome. 344 00:23:16,820 --> 00:23:18,820 I want to hang. 345 00:23:18,820 --> 00:23:19,820 Your characteristics. 346 00:23:19,820 --> 00:23:26,380 But yeah, it's like a kid who, you know, my mom was in a bowling league and I was in bowling 347 00:23:26,380 --> 00:23:27,380 leagues. 348 00:23:27,380 --> 00:23:28,960 I was in the bowling alley a lot. 349 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:35,340 So this case really struck me because it was a place where kids were allowed to roam, you 350 00:23:35,340 --> 00:23:41,660 know, like we were allowed to play at the arcade and they know that and that's what's 351 00:23:41,660 --> 00:23:51,380 that's one of the things that makes me really upset like it like people who like abusers. 352 00:23:51,380 --> 00:23:56,300 But in this case, like Teekah was always with somebody in her family, you know, she was 353 00:23:56,300 --> 00:23:57,300 young. 354 00:23:57,300 --> 00:23:58,300 She was two. 355 00:23:58,300 --> 00:24:00,060 She couldn't be by herself yet. 356 00:24:00,060 --> 00:24:06,860 But yeah, in just that moment of turning around to watch somebody throw a bowling ball, which 357 00:24:06,860 --> 00:24:07,860 is so natural. 358 00:24:07,860 --> 00:24:15,020 It like that's what makes me think that for that for it to happen that quickly, multiple 359 00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:21,860 eyes need to be on that child and that adult and a plan needs to be in place. 360 00:24:21,860 --> 00:24:24,100 So it can like happen like that. 361 00:24:24,100 --> 00:24:29,100 Another kind of question that I have that I just wonder if they are related or not in 362 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:34,460 this case, just because I have been spending so much time with it recently. 363 00:24:34,460 --> 00:24:44,340 The clothes that were found shortly after Teekah disappeared, one of the items was a blue 364 00:24:44,340 --> 00:24:47,900 flannel button down. 365 00:24:47,900 --> 00:24:55,980 And the teen says that the guy that he saw, you know, rushing past him was wearing like 366 00:24:55,980 --> 00:24:58,340 a blue checkered shirt. 367 00:24:58,340 --> 00:25:01,320 So I wonder, like, are those things related? 368 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:02,780 What happened with those clothes? 369 00:25:02,780 --> 00:25:06,340 Were there was there any fibers found evidence found? 370 00:25:06,340 --> 00:25:07,820 Are they related to the case? 371 00:25:07,820 --> 00:25:08,820 Are they not? 372 00:25:08,820 --> 00:25:11,940 I, you know, you can go back and test them again. 373 00:25:11,940 --> 00:25:13,020 Like, I don't know. 374 00:25:13,020 --> 00:25:18,020 I don't know, but I, I do know that this is a nightmare. 375 00:25:18,020 --> 00:25:20,780 So like, it's a nightmare scenario. 376 00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:21,780 Complete nightmare. 377 00:25:21,780 --> 00:25:22,780 Yeah. 378 00:25:22,780 --> 00:25:27,060 And, you know, detectives kind of remarked again and again that this is, you know, this 379 00:25:27,060 --> 00:25:30,260 is not typical of a child abduction. 380 00:25:30,260 --> 00:25:32,620 You know, it's normally family related. 381 00:25:32,620 --> 00:25:37,100 Like a stranger isn't going to take your child nine times out of 10. 382 00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:38,100 Yeah. 383 00:25:38,100 --> 00:25:41,900 And for this circumstance, like for parents to be so close in a packed place, nobody to 384 00:25:41,900 --> 00:25:45,820 see anything, it's just like this shouldn't have happened. 385 00:25:45,820 --> 00:25:47,460 This doesn't happen, but it did. 386 00:25:47,460 --> 00:25:49,140 And what a nightmare. 387 00:25:49,140 --> 00:25:50,540 What a complete nightmare. 388 00:25:50,540 --> 00:25:57,680 Again, if you know anything about Teekah Lewis's disappearance, her whereabouts today, or the 389 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:05,340 identity of the man with brown hair and the pocked marked face, please call Crime Stoppers 390 00:26:05,340 --> 00:26:10,460 at 1-800-220-8477. 391 00:26:10,460 --> 00:26:13,940 And while you're getting ready to go to your next show, if you could just give us a little 392 00:26:13,940 --> 00:26:15,780 review, five stars. 393 00:26:15,780 --> 00:26:24,380 If you're in Apple reviews, leaving us a worded review is the quickest way to my heart to 394 00:26:24,380 --> 00:26:26,060 becoming a celebrity in our household. 395 00:26:26,060 --> 00:26:29,800 So it also makes us more like visible. 396 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:30,800 It totally does. 397 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,260 It helps other people find us. 398 00:26:32,260 --> 00:26:38,620 And as I've mentioned before a thousand times, the goal of this podcast is just to get these 399 00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:41,420 names into as many ears as possible. 400 00:26:41,420 --> 00:26:46,880 So just by reviewing, you're doing a small part in helping with that mission. 401 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:48,820 So thank you so much. 402 00:26:48,820 --> 00:26:53,120 We're going to be posting pictures of Teekah on our Instagram. 403 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:57,660 If you're not following us there, you can find us on Instagram at Cold and Missing. 404 00:26:57,660 --> 00:26:59,720 But that's all I have. 405 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:01,620 Have a good week and stay safe, y'all. 406 00:27:01,620 --> 00:27:08,820 Stay safe, y'all.