She Disappeared In 1999 After Visiting Her Mother At A Beauty Salon, And Her Car Was Found Abandoned Several Months Later, With The Groceries She Bought The Day She Went Missing Still Inside
In 1999, China Videon was 16-years-old and living in Christiana, Tennessee. While attending Riverdale High School as a junior, she also worked at a supermarket known as the Bi-Lo grocery store, which is now Publix.
That year, she purchased her own car: a 1999 Mazda Protege with tinted windows and license plate number 784PGX. China didn’t own a cell phone, but she had a pager and would always stay in touch with her mother, Suzanne.
So, when China vanished after running some errands on October 19, 1999, her disappearance baffled investigators.
Before she went missing, China worked a shift at the Bi-Lo, located in Murfreesboro, before picking up her paycheck. Later that same night, she went out to get groceries and gas in her Mazda.
China was last seen at Just Image beauty salon, where she was visiting her mom. The salon was in the Jackson Heights Plaza of Christiana, her hometown.
Following that final sighting, China was never seen or heard from again. She was reported missing to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department by her mother after she didn’t make it home.
Police did not begin investigating her disappearance until 48 hours later due to department policy. At first, investigators also suspected China had left on her own volition with an adult male.
Authorities initially said that she was seen inside the residence of two men who worked at the grocery store as managers. However, this wasn’t confirmed.
Another early potential sighting was at the Golden Gallon convenience store, located at 2610 South Church Street. China was supposedly seen there, yet once police attempted to review surveillance footage, it was recorded over.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children – pictured above is China
Suzanne contacted the Center for Missing and Exploited Children and started distributing flyers with China’s face to raise awareness of her case.
Following months of no answers, China’s car was discovered abandoned in June 2000 at an apartment complex in Nashville, Tennessee. The vehicle reportedly appeared as though it had been there since the day China vanished, with her belongings and the groceries she bought still inside.
Authorities processed the car for evidence, but no signs of a struggle or fingerprints were found.
Five years later, in 2015, investigators reportedly believed China was murdered and claimed to have two suspects, who were only referred to as TJ and Chris. TJ spent over 10 years living in Goose Creek, South Carolina, working on James Island. Meanwhile, Chris resided in Alabama.
Despite this announcement, no arrests were ever made, and in 2021, police shared how China’s case has puzzled them for decades.
“I was in the unit at the time. I was actually one of the early detectives that assisted with the investigation,” said Captain Britt Reed of the Rutherford County Criminal Investigation Department.
“It was different back then because we didn’t have the use of social media, and we had to rely on basically going out and trying to find contacts and talking to people.”
And even though China’s picture had been posted, it was a long time before investigators had any leads.
“We didn’t really have anything new come to us until we found her car several months later in an apartment complex in Antioch,” Captain Reed recalled, referring to the neighborhood in Nashville.
“We’ve had persons of interest that we’ve looked at, and it’s still an open investigation.”
At the time, Captain Reed stated he wouldn’t quit searching for clues that might’ve been overlooked.
“At this point, anything could be of value to us,” he noted.
China was five foot three, weighed 120 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing denim overalls, a white shirt, and a silver watch.
Anyone with information related to her case is urged to contact the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office at (615) 904-3038.
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