This weekend marks 25 years since the disappearance of four-year-old Jaquilla Scales from her home in the 1600 block of N. Volutsia in Wichita, a few blocks west of 15th & Hillside.
Described by those who knew her as having an “old soul,” Scales lived with her great-grandmother Mattie, her mother Eureka, and her two-year-old brother, in a small pink house.
On the night of her disappearance, Jaquilla vanished from her bed; she'd been seen throughout the night, as recently as 12:30 a.m. on September 5, 2001, but by 3:00 a.m. she was gone.
Jaquilla was a happy, energetic child with an infectious laugh. Her great-grandmother nicknamed her "Grammy-Boo" because she was a bit bossy. The family would tease Jaquilla in a loving way, calling her a little old woman because of her personality and bossiness. Jaquilla loved to show off her dolls, and her colorful hair barrettes.
Jaquilla Scales: age progression
Wichita Police Department
On the evening of September 4, 2001, Jaquilla's mother was going staying at a friend's place for the night. Earlier in the day, Jaquilla had gone to her first day of preschool. Both Jaquilla and Marcus fell asleep quickly after Mattie put them to bed a little after 8:00 p.m.
Mattie checked the back door that was in the bedroom, leading outside. The door was broken and there was no way to lock it, but the family had a Chow-chow named Bebe (pronounced 'baybay'); they trusted the dog would bark if anyone came near, and Bebe often slept in the backyard and would alert them to anyone.
A little after midnight, Mattie awoke feeling chilly so she turned off the air-conditioner, checked on the kids, and went back to sleep.
A few hours later, Mattie awoke with a feeling that something was wrong; she then saw the door leading outside was wide open. Next to her, Marcus was sleeping, but Jaquilla was not in the bedroom anymore. Mattie checked the rest of the home but didn't see Jaquilla anywhere. After 4:00 a.m., Mattie called 911 to report Jaquilla's disappearance.
Police investigators initially believed Jaquilla had wandered off, but Mattie disagreed. Detectives asked Mattie if Jaquilla was maybe with her mom, or if another family member could have come and taken her.
No one had heard the dog bark, and no one heard nor saw an intruder.
Despite an extensive community-wide search, no trace of Jaquilla nor anything that may have belonged to her was ever found. Investigators even used dogs and helicopters in the search, but there were no clues.
Within a week of Jaquilla's disappearance, New York City was attacked on 9/11, and her case lost all media attention.
A quarter-century has gone by, and Scales has never been found. Theories abound: did she wander off and was then abducted outside the home? Was she kidnapped in her own bedroom with two other people in the room not noticing?
Detectives ruled out all family members as suspects. Jaquilla's DNA is in a national database in case she's ever located. Eureka believes her daughter is still alive and was brought up by her captor.
Jaquilla has black hair and brown eyes, with a brown birthmark on the left side of her face, and a scar on the upper part of her right leg.
She was last seen wearing a knee-length floral nightshirt and tan barrettes in her hair.
