Jan 27, 2026
Jan 27, 2026
Wilda
Mae Benoit
14
14
5'0 inches
100 lbs
White
Female
In the small community of Creole, Louisiana, the summer of 1992 holds a painful memory for the family of Wilda Mae Benoit. At just fourteen years old, Wilda was known as a typical teenager who enjoyed makeup and football games. Her life took an unexpected turn when she suffered a shoulder injury that required hospitalization. On July 23, 1992, she was released from the hospital and returned to her family’s residence, where she was living with her aunt and uncle. Heavily sedated from the surgery and on medication for the pain, the young girl was last seen resting in her bedroom that evening. When morning arrived, Wilda was gone, vanishing from the presumed safety of her home without a trace. The initial response from law enforcement classified Wilda's case as that of a teenage runaway, a conclusion that her family never believed. This theory was supported by the discovery that her jewelry box was missing from the home. However, her loved ones insisted that she would not have left on her own accord, pointing to her fear of the dark as a compelling reason she would not have ventured out alone at night. They firmly believe that if she did leave, it was with someone else. In the years following her disappearance, there were suggestions that Wilda might have traveled to Florida, though the basis for this speculation remains unclear. Her family was left to grapple with the conflicting narratives and the agonizing uncertainty of what happened to their daughter. Decades have passed since Wilda Mae Benoit was last seen. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as being 5 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, pierced ears, and dimples. There are conflicting reports about what she was wearing, with some accounts mentioning a hospital gown and others describing black and white shorts with a long-sleeved green shirt. In an effort to bring national attention to her case, Wilda’s story was featured in the music video for Soul Asylum's song "Runaway Train," a plea to the public for information on missing children. Despite this exposure, no substantial leads ever materialized. The case of Wilda Mae Benoit remains unsolved, a quiet and lingering mystery from a small Louisiana town. The overview of this case is one of profound sadness and unanswered questions, centering on a vulnerable young girl who disappeared from her home under perplexing circumstances, leaving her family in a state of perpetual grief and hope for answers.
Jul 23, 1992
Creole
Louisiana
Creole
Cameron Parish Sheriff's Office
337-775-5111
05/16/2026