She Left For School In 2003 But Disappeared Before She Could Board Her School Bus And Has Been Missing For Over 20 Years
In 2003, Tabitha Tuders of Nashville, Tennessee, was just 13-years-old. She had two siblings, and her father worked as a local truck driver; meanwhile, her mother worked in the school cafeteria at Tom Joy Elementary School.
The family of five lived on Lillian Street in the neighborhood of East Nashville, and at the time, Tabitha was attending Bailey Middle School.
As a young teen, she sang in the Eastland Baptist Church choir and volunteered regularly. Tabitha was also known as an innocent girl who preferred to spend time with her family – especially her mother, Debra.
“The only time we were apart was at work and school. We were inseparable. She didn’t act like a normal 13-year-old. She was 13, but sometimes she acted like she was 8. She would rather just be here with us than do anything else,” Debra detailed.
Yet, on April 29, 2003, everything changed when Tabitha left for school and vanished before she could board her school bus.
That Tuesday morning began like any other. Tabitha’s father, Bo, woke her up before he left for work.
“I woke Tabitha up, told her I loved her, and I’d see her this evening. She said, ‘Okay, daddy, I love you,'” Bo recalled.
Then, she reportedly left her home at approximately 7:50 a.m. and walked toward her bus stop – located at 14th Street and Boscobel Street. But while the walk from Tabitha’s house to her bus stop should have only taken about 10 minutes, she never got on the bus that day or arrived at Bailey Middle School.
Later that afternoon, when Tabitha didn’t arrive home, her parents reached out to the school. It was then they learned that she’d been absent from her classes and contacted local police to file a missing person report.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children – pictured above is Tabitha
Tabitha was reported missing just before 6:00 p.m., and within only a couple of hours, authorities began conducting extensive searches of her neighborhood. Witnesses claimed to have seen Tabitha reading while she walked to her bus stop that morning and didn’t think she appeared to be in a rush.
Additionally, a young boy who had been waiting for his school bus on 15th Street and Boscobel Street reportedly spotted Tabitha entering a vehicle with an unidentified man.
The boy described the man as being Black, in his mid-thirties, and wearing a baseball cap. After Tabitha reportedly entered the car, which was red, it drove up a hill headed toward 14th Street.
At first, authorities were unsure how credible the boy’s sighting was. However, a missing children organization known as the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, which is based in Missouri, ultimately brought in tracker dogs, and the canines were able to track Tabitha’s scent up the hill. This aligned with the boy’s account.
Back in 2008, Tabitha’s parents expressed their disbelief that their daughter would ever willingly get into a car with a stranger. This pushed them to believe that she was possibly abducted.
“I don’t think it was anybody that she knew. Tabitha wouldn’t even get into the car with my neighbor without asking me first,” Debra stated.
Still, detectives declined to confirm or deny the boy’s witness account.
“We’re not saying the boy lied or that it’s a misstatement. We’ve just never been able to corroborate his story as fact,” Sgt. Mike Norton said.
Tabitha’s disappearance was initially classified as a runaway teen. As time passed, authorities came to suspect that foul play was involved.
The day she vanished, she left all of her personal belongings – such as her clothing, house key, makeup, and $20 in cash – behind in her bedroom.
Nonetheless, it’s now been over 20 since Tabitha disappeared, and her case remains unsolved.
In 2020, there was renewed hope for answers when authorities searched a property located in Hickman County, which was reportedly linked to a person of interest in her disappearance. However, nothing came of this lead.
Then, in 2021, a new detective was assigned to Tabitha’s disappearance, and an age-progressed photo of Tabitha was released in 2022.
“Last time we saw her, she was 13-years-old. It’s hard for us to get that image out of our mind,” her father, Bo, said.
Debra claimed that she still holds onto hope that her daughter is alive.
“I know there’s a fifty-fifty chance she may not be with us anymore, but I try not to go that far because I like to believe in my heart she’s still alive. I feel like she’s still here,” Debra explained.
Bo also shared his belief that he will someday see his little girl again.
“He knows where she’s at, and He knows what happened to her, too. It’s like if I don’t see her here, I’ll see her when I get up there if she’s up there, or He’ll let me know what happened to her,” Bo stated.
Tabitha has sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a birthmark on her stomach. She would be 34-years-old today.
If you have any information regarding her disappearance or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Nashville Metro Police Department at (615) 862-8600.
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