In the winter of 2003, a bright and ambitious 19-year-old named LaQuanta Riley had her future ahead of her. Having graduated with honors, she had earned a full scholarship to college and dreamed of a career in forensic science or criminal justice. Known for her bubbly and compassionate personality, LaQuanta was a young woman who loved music, cooking, and played the clarinet in school.
She had recently moved from Eufaula, Alabama, back to Montgomery after a disagreement with a roommate around Thanksgiving. A few days before she vanished, she had called her mother, audibly upset, to arrange a ride, but her mother was unable to pick her up at that moment. LaQuanta found another way and was staying temporarily with her aunt in Montgomery.
On the night of December 7, 2003, at about 11:30 p.m., LaQuanta was seen getting into a dark green four-door car, possibly a Ford Taurus or a Chevrolet Caprice. The car first took her to her mother's house, where she ran in to get a jacket. Her younger brother, who answered the door, didn't recognize the car and asked who she was with. LaQuanta told him it was just a friend from the neighborhood before getting back into the vehicle and riding off into the night. That was the last time her family ever saw her. She left behind her purse and money, and her mother reported her missing three days later. LaQuanta was last seen wearing stonewashed blue jeans, a yellow and green Ecko shirt, and matching Reebok sneakers. She has distinctive tattoos: 'RIP Mesha' on one bicep and 'LaQuanta' on the other, as well as piercings in her ears and tongue.
In the weeks that followed LaQuanta's disappearance, a chilling and enigmatic clue surfaced when her mother received a message on her answering machine. The message was indistinct, but it sounded like a young woman's voice saying either 'leave me alone' or 'let me go home.' In the background, a man's voice could be heard saying LaQuanta's name before the call abruptly ended. The call was never successfully traced. Another lead emerged when it was discovered that an apartment in Stone Mountain, Georgia—the town where LaQuanta graduated from high school—had been rented in her name. When her mother traveled to the apartment complex, a resident claimed to have seen a woman matching LaQuanta's description, stating she had recently moved out after an argument. Despite these leads, the investigation has yielded no definitive answers, and LaQuanta's case remains unsolved. The family continues to hold out hope, believing that people in the Montgomery area may have information that could bring them the closure they have sought for so many years.Last Seen: Dec 7, 2003
