On Saturday, March 1, 2014, two-year-old Myra Lewis was playing in her front yard until around 11 a.m. Then, she was gone.
Myra’s mother, Ericka Lewis, told investigators that she was leaving to go shopping when she last saw her daughter. Myra and her sister were outside playing, and she told them to go inside where their father, Gregory Lewis, was staying with their one-month-old baby and playing video games.
When Ericka returned at around 3 p.m., she noted that Myra was missing and asked Gregory about her whereabouts. He told Ericka that he thought Myra had gone with her and the couple began looking for her. They first checked with Myra’s paternal grandmother Antoinette Lewis. She lived next door and Myra would sometimes play in her yard, according to a report from WLBT.
Myra wasn’t at her grandmother’s home, so Gregory went to look for her using his ATV and the family dogs in hopes they might find her by scent, though the dogs were not trained to track. When he was unsuccessful, he contacted the police to report her disappearance. He and Ericka believe that a stranger took their daughter.
Her mother pleaded with the public for help in locating her daughter:
“I just need help … finding her. Whoever has her, just bring her home, please.That’s my baby--that’s not your baby.”
Local, state, and federal law enforcement brought in tracking dogs and searched the property plus about 4-5 square miles around it, but more than five hours had already passed since Myra had been discovered missing. A pond located across the street from the Lewis family home was also searched in case the child had wandered there and met with harm. No traces of her were found and her scent wasn't noted beyond the fence around the home.
“We had helicopters, dogs, men and women on foot, volunteers from the community, every law enforcement agency that you can think of. It was an exhaustive search.” - Sheriff Randy Tucker, speaking to WAPT
However, all did not seem right at the Lewis home, resulting in the other children being removed for a time while the investigation continued. Three weeks after Myra’s disappearance, Ericka Lewis was arrested on multiple parole violations, according to (now former) District Attorney Michael Guest. The charges included failure to pay court costs and supervision fees and felon in possession of a firearm. Gregory Lewis claimed to not know about his wife’s previous convictions.
Eight years have passed and there have still been no leads in the case. The area where officers originally searched for Myra is now dangled in dead vines and overgrown with tall weeds. According to Sheriff Randy Tucker with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, there has been no information that has furthered their investigation or brought them any closer to locating young Myra.
Sheriff Tucker says that his department has attempted to maintain close contact with Myra’s parents during the years since her disappearance, but the family has since moved from the area. Neither his department nor journalists have been able to locate them since 2019. Sheriff Tucker noted they haven’t been very forthcoming with police during the search for their daughter and refused to speak with reporters during the investigation. Now, they are gone.
However, no charges have been filed against anyone in the Lewis family and no accusations have been publicly raised that they played a part in their daughter’s disappearance. Their reluctance to speak out could be related to other personal factors rather than any involvement in their daughter going missing.
At the time she vanished, Myra was wearing a turquoise sweater with a bear on the front, off-white or khaki pants, and pink tennis shoes. She was 34 inches tall and weighed 27 pounds.
A new age progression to 10 years old has recently been issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
There is still a $20,000 reward being offered for any information leading to the recovery of Myra Lewis. If you have any information that might help further the investigation into her disappearance, please contact the Madison Country Sheriff’s office at 601-859-2345 or contact your local FBI field office.
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