Eight Years Ago, She Mysteriously Disappeared After Leaving Her Apartment To Walk To The Store One Night
In 2016, Ebonee Spears was a 30-year-old mother living in New Hanover County, North Carolina. She was the youngest of four siblings and also had a daughter who turned 13 that year.
Together, she and her daughter resided in an apartment complex known as The Pointe at Taylor Estates, which is located on the corner of North 4th and Nixon Streets in Wilmington.
The summer prior, in 2015, Ebonee was also diagnosed with Lupus– an autoimmune disease in which an individual’s immune system attacks their own tissues and organs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Due to this, Ebonee was prescribed medication, as well as an antidepressant, since she had suffered worsening mental health.
So, on January 14, 2016, her parents were reportedly very concerned about her mental state. That evening, Ebonee had actually met both her parents and her boyfriend in the parking lot of the Wilmington Police Department station– located in the 600 block of Bess Street.
Ebonee’s parents reportedly wanted the police to have her committed to a hospital for psychiatric treatment. This prompted paramedics to arrive on the scene. However, Ebonee was not transported to the hospital.
Rather, within an hour, Ebonee seemed to be “lucid” again. That’s why her parents allowed her to return home and stay the night with her daughter at their home on Prices Lane in Wilmington.
Then, the following morning of January 15, 2016, Ebonee and her parents had breakfast together before her father dropped her off at an appointment on Brooklyn Lane. She and her parents also made plans to eat dinner together that evening.
But, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Ebonee called to cancel their dinner plans. This was the last time her loved ones ever heard from her again.
Later that night, Ebonee was seen outside the Community Boys & Girls Club, which is located on Nixon Street. There, she was reportedly acting paranoid and telling staffers that someone had been following her.
Mulderphoto – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Afterward, Ebonee was next spotted at the police station, which was located just a few blocks away. While at the station, she reportedly asked to use a phone to place a call and appeared disoriented. However, Ebonee was not able to make the call, and she paced back and forth for around 10 minutes before leaving the station– without accepting help from police officers.
Then, surveillance camera footage captured Ebonee walking to her apartment complex. And at about 10:45 p.m., she was last seen asking a neighbor for a cigarette.
At the time, Ebonee’s neighbor claimed not to have any, which prompted Ebonee to leave. She reportedly planned to visit a nearby store to buy some cigarettes but never returned home that evening and has been missing ever since.
At 11:00 p.m., Ebonee’s boyfriend reportedly arrived at her apartment and let himself in. Her car was still parked outside, and her purse was found inside the unit. But her cell phone wasn’t anywhere to be found, and when her boyfriend tried to call her cell, he was sent straight to voicemail.
Ebonee’s boyfriend reportedly waited two hours to see if she would return home before phoning her parents. So, the following afternoon of January 16, 2016, Ebonee’s parents contacted authorities at the Wilmington Police Department and reported her missing.
Since then, the cause of Ebonee’s disappearance has remained unknown, and her loved ones have continued searching for answers.
Last year, her mother, Harriet Rivers, detailed how heartwrenching it is to go on without knowing what happened to her daughter.
“When I think about it coming up on seven years and we still don’t know nothing, it’s just unbelievable,” Harriet said in a 2023 interview with WECT6.
“How can anyone endure not knowing nothing about a family member that’s been missing– beyond a year really– but seven years?”
According to Ebonee’s family, she was also known to be a devoted mother and loving family member. So, they believe it’d be extremely uncharacteristic of her to just leave without any warning.
“She’s loving, always happy, always caring,” said Terence Spears, Ebonee’s nephew, who fondly recalled his trips to Chuck E. Cheese with Ebonee when he was just a toddler.
“She’d call me and say, ‘Hey mom,’ just to talk and check in on each other every day. That’s just what I truly, truly miss,” Harriet recalled of her daily conversations with her daughter.
But sadly, there have been few developments since Ebonee vanished in 2016. And while Harriet still holds onto hope that she may one day be reunited with Ebonee, she also knows that she may have to say goodbye to her daughter.
“I’m not fearful of that phone call because I would know, one way or the other, if she’s with us or if she’s not. Just a phone call, either way,” Harriet said.
Ebonee is five foot seven, weighs 150 pounds, and has brown eyes and black hair that is dyed blonde. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, brown leather Timberland boots, and a pink knit cap.
There is currently a $5,000 reward being offered for anyone who provides information that leads to the discovery of Ebonee.
If you have any information regarding her case or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Wilmington Police Department at (910) 343-3600.
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