72: MISSING: Trudy Appleby

Detective Perspective

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

5 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

On the morning of August 21, 1996, Trudy Appleby, an 11-year-old girl from Moline, Illinois, missed her scheduled 9:00 AM phone call with her best friend. Thirty minutes later, Trudy was seen getting into a car, believed to be a Chevy Celebrity, with a white man in his twenties. She was never seen again.

Trudy's father came home during his lunch break and made lunch for Trudy, assuming she was out playing with friends. But when he returned at the end of the workday, the lunch was still on the table, untouched—and Trudy was nowhere to be found.

A massive investigation was launched, and persons of interest were eventually identified, however, Trudy has never been located. It’s been more than 28 years since Trudy vanished, and investigators are still searching for her...

Trudy Appleby was last seen at around 9:30 AM on the morning of August 21, 1996, near her home located near 41st Street and 23rd Avenue in East Moline, Illinois. A witness reported seeing her getting into a gray or silver four-door Chevrolet Celebrity with a white man, now believed to be William “Ed” Smith.

At the time, Trudy was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit, spandex shorts, blue tennis shoes, socks, and a t-shirt. She was also carrying a beach towel.

Law enforcement has named three persons of interest in the case: William “Ed” Smith, David Whipple, and Jamison “Jamie” Fisher. To date, no one has been charged in connection with Trudy’s disappearance. Police believe they are just missing a few key details to solve the case.

Anyone with information about Trudy Appleby’s case is encouraged to contact the Moline Police Department at 309-534-2140 or Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities at 309-762-9500. There is currently a $10,000 reward for information.

Editor: Shannon Keirce
Research/Writing: Haley Gray

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Transcript

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0:00.0	On the morning of August 21, 1996,
0:11.8	Trudy Appleby, an 11-year-old girl from Moline, Illinois, missed her scheduled 9 a.m. phone call with her best friend.
0:18.8	30 minutes later, Trudy was seen getting into a car believed to be a
0:22.2	Chevy celebrity with a white man in his 20s. She was never seen again. Trudy's father came home
0:28.5	during his lunch break and made lunch for Trudy, assuming she was out playing with friends. But when he
0:33.3	returned at the end of the workday, the lunch was still on the table untouched, and Trudy was
0:37.9	nowhere to be found. A massive investigation was launched, and a person of interest was eventually
0:43.2	identified, however, Trudy has never been located. It's been more than 28 years since Trudy
0:48.9	vanished, and investigators are still pressuring the community because they believe someone
0:53.6	knows something, and at the same time, they continue to Detective Perspective.
1:30.4	My name is Derek Lavasser.
1:31.8	I'm a licensed private investigator and former police detective.
1:35.2	Each week I'll be covering an unsolved case and story format.
1:38.1	I'll then give you my perspective on the investigation
1:40.4	and provide contact information for the individuals or organizations connected to the case
1:45.2	so that if you have any tips, you can contact them directly, and maybe you can help solve a case.
1:50.2	So if you're someone who's interested in true crime specifically unsolved cases, and you would
1:54.6	like to hear my opinion on those investigations, please consider subscribing whether you're
1:58.6	watching on YouTube or listening on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever platform you use.
2:03.9	Okay, so another case involving a child never gets easier.
2:08.8	Whether I was an investigator working this case or covering it here on one of the podcasts, hate it.
2:15.1	Just don't like it as a parent.
	...

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