Four Years Ago, She Strangely Disappeared While Taking The Trash Out One Night
The strange case of a missing New Hampshire mother has left investigators and her loved ones baffled after she went missing outside of her own apartment.
April Jean Bailey, a 36-year-old mother of three from Nashua, New Hampshire, lived in a basement apartment on Lynn Street with her boyfriend, and she was last seen leaving her residence on the evening of January 15, 2020.
She walked outside that night to take out the trash, and she has not been seen or heard from in the four years since.
It wasn’t until five days later, on January 20, 2020, that April was reported missing. Her family and friends were unable to contact her in the days following her disappearance, which led them to file a missing person report.
Upon following up with the report, investigators found that April’s personal belongings, including her purse and cell phone, had all been left inside her apartment. Yet, she was nowhere to be found.
After April’s disappearance, the case did experience a flurry of tip activity that has since dwindled. First, a body discovered in October 2020 in Concord was believed to be Bailey. However, the remains were ultimately identified to be another woman.
Then, in April 2021, authorities with the Nashua Police Dive Team and New Hampshire State Police K-9 units conducted a water search at the Joyce Park and Wildlife Sanctuary following a different tip. However, no evidence linked to April’s disappearance was uncovered.
One year after April went missing, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) also got involved in the investigation.
Both the FBI and the Nashua Police Department called the disappearance “suspicious” and are still actively investigating.
Ornavi – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
“We are still relentlessly investigating the circumstances surrounding April’s disappearance, and any information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, may be important to finding her,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Divison Joseph R. Bonavolonta.
“We thank those who have already provided information, and we urge other members of our community to come forward so we can bring April home to her family.”
According to the FBI, April had ties to two other regions– Boston, Massachusetts, and Glen Falls, New York. But, how these locations are connected to her case was not disclosed.
April also reportedly battled substance abuse in the past, although her family claimed that she was clean and sober at the time of her disappearance. Moreover, her loved ones are adamant that she wouldn’t just leave on her own volition. April’s daughter, Savahna Bailey, still cannot understand how her mother disappeared while completing a common household chore for everyone across the nation: taking out the trash.
“It’s not that long of a walk. What could have happened in that short span of a walk?” Savahna wondered.
She also still holds onto hope that she will one day hear from her mother. However, as time passes by, Savahna cannot help but grow more concerned.
“I get phone calls from random numbers, and sometimes I’ll be like, ‘Is this it? Am I going to get a phone call from my mom that I’ve been waiting for?’ But, it never is,” she said.
“I feel like, after two years, if there wasn’t foul play, we would have found something, but we haven’t found anything. Sometimes, it’s the first thing on my mind; sometimes, it’s the last thing on my mind when I go to sleep. She’s a person. She might have had substance abuse issues, but she deserves to be found.”
April is five foot three, weighs 130 pounds, and has black hair and blue eyes. She would be 40 years old today.
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing either black sweatpants or dark-colored pajama pants, slippers, and a black fur jacket. April also had a butterfly tattoo on her right shoulder and tattoos of the names “Damien,” “Savahna,” and “Manuel.”
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Nashua Police Department at (603) 594-3500 or the FBI Boston Division at (857) 386-2000.
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