MOLINE, Ill. — It has now been 28 years since Trudy Appleby was seen leaving her Moline home. Family members keep her story alive as they continue to search for their loved one, along with searching for answers.
Trudy was 11 years old at the time of her disappearance, making her 39 years old today. Every year, her family host a vigil on the day she went missing—Aug. 21—to remember Trudy and bring attention to her case.
On Aug. 21, 2024, community members gathered in downtown Moline, united in their search for the truth. Trudy's uncle, Ray Eddleman, voiced the frustration shared by many.
"Here we are again, unfortunately. Why are we still doing this after 28 years?" Eddleman said.
Moline Police Detective Michael Griffin emphasized law enforcement's continuing efforts to close the case.
"We continue to work on it, we continue to get a lot of community support, and we'll continue to do that until we get justice for the Appleby family," Griffin said.
However, police said the investigation has been hampered by a lack of cooperation.
"Those with knowledge of the case, they're not coming forward. We're getting half-truths from some, stonewalled by others. They're protecting a child predator," Griffin said.
The passage of time has not lessened the pain for Trudy’s family. Anita Parkinson, Trudy’s aunt, expressed her gratitude for the continued efforts of the police.
"I can't describe what that means to us to have the police still working on this case," she said.
Eddleman echoed these sentiments, noting the personal connection the investigators have with Trudy’s case.
"They don't see Trudy as a case; they see Trudy as an 11-year-old girl, and they take this whole thing personally," he said.
Appleby was last seen leaving her home in Moline on Aug. 21, 1996. She was reportedly last seen around 9:30 a.m. that day with a white male in his 20s, in a gray box-style car similar to a Chevrolet Cavalier.
She was wearing a black, one-piece swimsuit, spandex shorts, blue tennis shoes, socks, and a t-shirt. She also had a beach towel with her.
Police have named persons of interest over the years, including two men in 2020, and continue to conduct property searches in connection to the case. In August 2023, just weeks before the date of Trudy's disappearance, police searched a Colona property for any answers on the case. Unfortunately, they came up empty-handed.
Moline police said at the time of the 2023 search that they would "continue to investigate the unsolved disappearance of Trudy Appleby until we reach a conclusion, regardless of the time that passes."