Nadia Kersh, a 23-year-old mother, was last seen on November 3, 2008, in Homewood, Alabama. She left her job as a cashier at Tria Market around 1:00 p.m. with the intention of picking up her one-year-old son from his daycare. However, Nadia never arrived at the daycare and has not been seen or heard from since. The day after she vanished, her red Chrysler Sebring convertible was discovered abandoned in an alley in west Birmingham.
Three days later, her purse was found under an overpass on some railroad tracks, approximately 100 yards from where her car had been located. The discovery of her personal belongings, coupled with the fact that she would never have willingly left her son, led investigators to suspect foul play from the early stages of the investigation.
The investigation into Nadia's disappearance led authorities to focus on her personal relationships. In May 2010, a year and a half after she went missing, Joacquas Megauil Haywood, a man who had previously dated Nadia, was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with her case. Authorities stated he had been a person of interest since the beginning of the investigation and theorized that he had killed her during a burglary. A witness reported seeing a man in a black SUV, similar to the one Haywood drove, enter Nadia's apartment shortly before she arrived home. The witness then heard a cry and a crash. Despite this, the case against Haywood faced legal challenges.
In the summer of 2011, the capital murder charges against Joacquas Haywood were dropped. A judge ruled that his constitutional right to a speedy trial had been violated and noted that two pieces of evidence had not been tested for DNA. Haywood was released after spending 15 months in custody. Authorities have stated that the murder charges could be refiled if more evidence comes to light. Nadia, who was born in Russia and spent her early years in an orphanage, was described as a trusting and devoted mother. Her case remains an active and unresolved investigation, leaving her family and community with unanswered questions about the day she vanished. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance, including the abandoned car and discarded purse, along with the arrest and subsequent release of a suspect, create a perplexing and sorrowful mystery. To this day, Nadia Kersh has never been found.Last Seen: Nov 3, 2008
