On May 28, 2006, three-year-old Jewel Mahavia Strong was last seen in the waters of Jetty Beach at Saint Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. She was on a raft with an adult cousin when it overturned. While her cousin was rescued, Jewel disappeared and has not been seen since. An extensive search of the ocean and surrounding areas by land, air, and sea was conducted for two weeks but yielded no trace of the child. At the time of her disappearance, Jewel was a resident of Morrow, Georgia.
Authorities with the Bay County Sheriff's Office have consistently maintained that Jewel most likely drowned and was carried out to sea. This conclusion was reached after the exhaustive initial search failed to locate her. Despite the official stance, Jewel's body has never been recovered. The case officially remains unsolved.
In contrast to the official theory, Jewel's family firmly believes she was abducted and is still alive. Her parents, Ray and Simona Strong, have actively pursued their own investigation, fueled by what they believe were multiple sightings of their daughter on video surveillance. These alleged sightings occurred at a J.C. Penney and a Golden Corral in Jacksonville, Florida, and a Walgreens in Orlando, Florida. However, in September 2007, authorities announced that they had identified the girl in the Orlando Walgreens video and confirmed she was not Jewel, with the child's family providing documentation to prove her identity. Despite this, Jewel's family continues to believe the other sightings were legitimate and have since relocated to Jacksonville to continue their search, believing she may be in the Orlando area.
Last Seen: May 28, 2006
