My Cousin Sent Me This Cute Family Photo—But I Recognized The Dress From A Missing Persons Poster

I didn’t even think before clicking Kera’s message. Another happy family update. Barefoot kids standing in a sunny field, strands of rural grass swaying behind them. She’d written the usual caption: “Look how much they’ve grown.” I almost scrolled past—but something stopped me. In the center of the photo, a small girl stood stiffly in bright yellow boots. She wasn’t smiling like the others. Her tiny hands were curled awkwardly in front of her, as though hiding something. Then my stomach flipped. The dress. Blue gingham. Frilly sleeves. A tiny red apple stitched on the chest. I’d seen it before—six months ago, plastered on a gas station window in Tulsa. Ava M. Gordon, 3. Missing. I zoomed in. The same stitching. The same faint stain near the neckline. My pulse roared in my ears. “Where’d you get the dress Lily’s wearing?” I texted Kera instantly. No reply. I called. Kera’s voice came breathless, like she’d just sprinted. “What dress?” My throat tightened. “You know which one—the one Lily’s wearing in that picture.” Silence. “It came from a box of hand-me-downs,” Kera finally said. “Cheap thing. No idea where from.” “Who gave you the box?” She hesitated. “I… I forget.” But Kera doesn’t… CONTINUE READING…