Katharina Buczek
In 1986, Anthonette Christine Cayedito was nine years old and lived with her mother, Penny, and younger sister, Wendy, in Gallup, New Mexico– a territory of the Navajo Indian nation.
The trio had an apartment near Route 66, where Anthonette– who was nicknamed Squirrel– often took on a lot of responsibility. Her mother and father’s relationship had dissolved, so Anthonette often pitched in a lot in her home.
However, on April 6, 1986, the quaint Gallup community of just eighteen thousand people was gut-wrenched by Anthonette’s mysterious disappearance.
It all began that evening when Penny went out to a bar with friends and left her two daughters home with a babysitter. Then, at about midnight, Penny returned home, relieved the babysitter, and went to bed.
But, at about 3:00 a.m., Wendy alleges that she and her sister heard a knock on their front door. Anthonette took the lead and asked who was on the other side, and a male voice claimed he was their Uncle Joe.
The girls did have an Uncle Joe, so Anthonette opened the door. Tragically, though, she was reportedly snatched up by two men and thrown into the back of a brown van Wendy had never seen before.
Still, Wendy was just five years old at the time and went back to bed. So, it was not until the next morning, when Penny awoke at 7:00 a.m. to get the kids ready for church, that she realized Anthonette was missing.
Penny immediately spoke with her neighbors while trying to stay calm. But, when no one had a clue where her eldest daughter was, she contacted the police.
Facebook; pictured above is a photo of Anthonette from 1986
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