25 years later, search continues for missing Georgia woman: NPR

Sky’Kemmia Pate was only 8 years old when she was last seen on September 4, 1998 at her home in Unadilla, Georgia. 25 years later, her family still hopes for her safe return as they continue search efforts for her. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Hide caption

Toggle label

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Sky’Kemmia Pate was only 8 years old when she was last seen on September 4, 1998 at her home in Unadilla, Georgia. 25 years later, her family still hopes for her safe return as they continue search efforts for her.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Sky’Kemmia Pate was just 8 years old when she disappeared from her family’s porch on September 4, 1998 in Unadilla, Georgia – a town about 45 miles outside of Macon.

Over two decades have passed since then and Shy’Kemmia (or Shy Shy as her family and friends called her) has not been seen or heard from since. But Veronica Pate believes her daughter is still alive all these years later – hoping the police or someone knows where she is.

“She’s been missing for 25 years, but I still feel like she’s out there somewhere,” Pate told NPR.

Shy Shy was playing outside when her older sister, LaSwanda, drove off to fill up her car with gas before her family headed to a high school football game, her mother said.

But when her sister returned home, she noticed that Shy Shy had disappeared. At first, her family thought she had gone to a soccer game with a friend. But as night fell, panic began to set in.

“We were scared because [this] “It was something we weren’t used to,” Pate said.

For months, police officers and family members went door to door across Unadilla, looking for signs of Shy Shy.

Police officers from neighboring counties assisted in the initial search, while residents of the neighborhood where Shy Shy grew up opened their doors and assisted in the search effort. But nothing ever came of it.

Shy Shy would have turned 34 last month. And despite the years that have passed, efforts to find them are far from complete.

NCMEC Age Progression shows what Shy’Kemmia Pate might look like today at age 34.

Shy Shy’s sister LaSwanda was the last person to see her. “I drove by the house and saw her sitting on the porch,” LaSwanda said. “She waved at me. I went up the street to get gas for the car and… pic.twitter.com/XhEAg1FDVo

— National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (@MissingKids) November 3, 2023

“Someone out there knows something,” Randy Lamberth, an investigator with the Dooly County, Georgia, sheriff’s office, told NPR.

Lamberth, who served as lead investigator on the case from the beginning, says the sheriff’s department – with help from both the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children – is constantly combing through new and old leads Hoping to find her takes a break in the case to bring Shy Shy home to her family.

“We followed up on this [leads] and contacted those agencies to see what they had,” Lamberth said.

He told NPR that his office has continued to receive multiple tips over the years from across the state and even from as far away as Detroit. But so far those responsible have not been able to show any promising results.

Research shows that people of color often disappear

About two dozen advocates for Native American communities gathered in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday, October 10, 2022. The state will observe Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day on May 5, a solemn day intended to draw greater attention to the disproportionate number of Indigenous peoples who have disappeared or been subjected to violence. Morgan Lee/AP Hide caption

Toggle label

Morgan Lee/AP

About two dozen advocates for Native American communities gathered in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday, October 10, 2022. The state will observe Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day on May 5, a solemn day intended to draw greater attention to the disproportionate number of Indigenous peoples who have disappeared or been subjected to violence.

Morgan Lee/AP

According to research by the National Crime Information Center, more than 546,000 people were reported missing in the United States last year.

And while Black people only make up about 13% of the U.S. population, nearly 40% of all missing person cases involve people of color, according to data from the Black and Missing Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of missing people of color.

“Until you have concrete information about what happened to the missing person, we cannot give up hope of finding them,” Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, told NPR.

Wilson emphasized that time is of the essence in missing person cases, with the first 24 to 48 hours being the most important in the search. Wilson says the longer a person waits to file the first report, the more information can be lost in the search.

In Shy Shy’s case, her family and friends quickly contacted authorities to begin searching for her that same day.

“Whether they are found alive or dead, we must continue to search for the missing person so that their families get the answers they deserve,” she added.

Decades later, investigators still rely on the public’s help

Investigators and national authorities say they continue to pursue dozens of leads in the case, hoping someone will uncover what happened to Shy Shy 25 years ago.

And thanks to new technology, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a new age-appropriate photo showing what she would look like as an adult in the hopes that someone will recognize her.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a new age-graded photo this year showing what 8-year-old Shy’Kemmia Pate would look like at age 33 in the hopes that someone would recognize her. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Hide caption

Toggle label

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

“Our age progression images have played a critical role in reuniting missing children with their families,” Angeline Hartmann, communications director for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, told local Atlanta television station 11Alive.

Veronica says that regardless of the outcome, she hopes she can reunite with her daughter and do whatever it takes to bring her home.

“Even if she doesn’t want to come back here … I just want this stamp to say she was found, and I never gave up looking for her,” Pate said. “And no matter how long it takes, I won’t stop looking for my daughter.”

Tens of thousands of black women disappear every year.  This website tells their stories

Wilson shares these sentiments.

“Shy Shy’s family deserves answers about what happened to her,” Wilson said. “She disappeared over two decades ago. But we continue to hope that they get the response they deserve… we hope that we bring them home.”