Annalycia Maria Cruz vanished under mysterious circumstances.

 

In the small town of Chiloquin, Oregon, tragedy struck on July 9, 1994. A seven-month-old baby named Annalycia Maria Cruz vanished under mysterious circumstances.

That afternoon, Annalycia’s mother’s boyfriend, William Russell Spear, took her along on a fishing trip. Traveling without a car seat, the baby rode in an open backpack. After fishing, Spear stopped at Clyde’s Market and left Annalycia in the car for just a few minutes while he went inside to buy an apple. When he returned, Annalycia was gone.

Spear drove home and asked her mother if she had picked up the baby. They searched the market, asked around, but did not call the police until nearly an hour later, at 6:19 p.m. Investigators retraced Spear’s steps, but there was no concrete evidence of what happened to Annalycia.

One clue came from a gas station attendant in Sprague River, Oregon. Spear had stopped there before the fishing trip, and the attendant remembered hearing a baby crying in the car. Tragically, that attendant passed away just a few days after Annalycia’s disappearance.

Years later, in 1995, Annalycia’s mother filed a $4 million lawsuit against Spear, claiming his negligent babysitting led to her daughter’s disappearance. The lawsuit was dismissed due to lack of evidence. Spear remains a person of interest, but police have found no definitive evidence linking him to a crime.

Investigators believe foul play may have been involved, and over the years, the case has taken them out of state in search of leads. Despite decades passing, Annalycia has never been found, and she would now be 31 years old.

Annalycia’s disappearance is a haunting reminder of how quickly a moment can turn into a lifetime of unanswered questions. Her case remains unsolved, and authorities continue to appeal for information.

What do you think might have happened to Annalycia Cruz, and could someone still hold the key to solving this mystery today?