In the early morning hours of January 13, 2005, 35-year-old Sherry Lynette Stout was last seen in the vicinity of the 200 block of South Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey. At the time of her disappearance, she was with her one-year-old daughter. The circumstances surrounding Sherry's disappearance remain largely unknown, and she is considered an endangered missing person.
Sherry is described as a Black female, 5'3' tall, and weighing between 130 and 135 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She has pierced ears. Some reports indicate she may have been in the company of an unknown Black male on the day she vanished.
A significant development in the case occurred in June 2009, four and a half years after Sherry and her daughter disappeared. The little girl was found safe in the Bronx, New York. It was discovered that her father, Laquan Gilliam, had left her with a family, asking them to care for her as a favor. He provided them with a false name for the child and promised to return in a few days, but he never did. Subsequently, Gilliam was arrested and incarcerated on drug charges. The family who had been caring for the child was unaware she was a missing person and had raised her as their own. After their attempts to locate her biological family were unsuccessful due to the false name, DNA testing eventually confirmed her identity, and she was reunited with her cousins.
Despite the recovery of her daughter, there has been no trace of Sherry Stout since 2005. The investigation into her disappearance has remained active, with law enforcement following up on leads over the years. In 2018, investigators received a tip that Sherry might be buried at a former residence in Charlotte County, Virginia. A search of the property was conducted with K-9 units, metal detectors, and personnel from the Virginia State Police and a volunteer search and rescue team. Unfortunately, the search yielded no evidence of Sherry's whereabouts. The case remains a painful mystery for her loved ones, who continue to hope for answers. The overview of the case is a mother who vanished with her young child, the child being found years later, but the mother's whereabouts still unknown, leaving a family with partial but incomplete closure. The Elizabeth Police Department continues to investigate and asks anyone with information to come forward.Last Seen: Jan 13, 2005
