In the summer of 1995, a 26-year-old mother named Fonda Lockridge vanished from Grand Rapids, Michigan, leaving behind her two young daughters and a family desperate for answers. On the evening of June 15, 1995, Fonda left her home around 11:00 p.m. to walk to a local party store at the corner of Oakdale and Eastern. This would be the last time she was seen by her immediate family.
A day later, on the night of June 16, a relative spotted her at the intersection of Hall and Prospect and lent her five dollars. After this brief encounter, Fonda was never seen or heard from again. Her sister, concerned by her uncharacteristic absence and lack of communication, reported her missing to the Grand Rapids Police Department. Fonda's daughters, who were only six years old and 15 months old at the time, were left with few memories of their mother and were raised by their aunt.
The investigation into Fonda's disappearance uncovered a disturbing pattern of violence against women in the Grand Rapids area during that time. Between 1993 and 1996, a total of thirteen women were murdered and four, including Fonda, went missing. A significant number of these women were known to be involved in sex work, a life that Fonda was also a part of at the time of her disappearance. This connection has led to speculation that her case may be linked to the others, though no definitive evidence has ever been established. Many of the murdered women were last seen along Division Avenue, a street close to where Fonda was last spotted. The string of killings abruptly ceased in October of 1996, leaving a cloud of fear and unanswered questions over the community.
Years later, a potential breakthrough in some of these cases emerged with the identification of Garry Artman, a man linked by forensic genealogy to the 1996 murder of another woman, Sharon Hammack. Before his death in January 2024, Artman reportedly confessed to multiple murders, including several in Grand Rapids. While investigators believe it is likely Artman was responsible for Fonda's disappearance, they have not been able to definitively tie him to her case or rule out other possibilities. The lack of concrete evidence and the passage of time have made finding answers incredibly difficult. The Grand Rapids Police Department continues to hold the case open, but for Fonda's daughters and the rest of her loved ones, her disappearance remains a painful and unresolved tragedy. The case is a somber reminder of a dark period in the city's history and the lasting impact of a missing loved one.Last Seen: Jun 15, 1995
