Tanisha Watkins, 2: Vanished In 1984 While Playing In Front Yard
When a toddler goes missing under mysterious circumstances, most investigative agencies exhaust all efforts. The extent to which authorities in Austin, Texas searched for two-year-old Tanisha Watkins is unclear, but the little girl has been missing for decades without any regular updates shared with the public.
It was just a few days after the New Year celebrations when little Tanisha Watkins vanished on January 5, 1984. This tragic story began that winter afternoon around 1:30 p.m. when Tanisha was reportedly playing outside of her home. Tanisha and her mother lived with the mother’s grandmother in a mobile home in southeast Austin. The toddler was reportedly playing on a swing in the front yard as her mother was sweeping their rugs inside of the home.
Tanisha Watkins was left unattended but her mother could see her from inside. However, while cleaning, she took her eyes away from Tanisha for just a few minutes and when she looked back toward the yard, the little girl was gone. Panicked, the mother searched for her daughter with a neighbor for approximately two hours before contacting the authorities.
Investigators are said to have spoken with a witness who claimed on the day Tanisha went missing, they saw her walking on Riverside Drive with a man who was described as having a slender build, a beard, and wearing a green Army hat. However, a search of the area did not turn up any evidence that was helpful in locating little Tanisha Watkins.
There have been questions about this bearded man over the years, and some reports state that he was never mentioned in news reports about this case back in the 1980s. The blog True Crime Diva claimed that this alleged suspect was never mentioned in early news reports and it wasn’t until 2001 that this information was shared.
At the time of her disappearance, Tanisha Watkins stood 3 feet tall and weighed 42 pounds. She had black/dark brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white shirt with red pants and velcro sneakers. Her middle name is “Lorraine” and her hair was styled in braided pigtails. She would be 40-years-old at the time of this publication. Tanisha’s fingerprints, DNA, and dental records are not on file.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at (512) 974-5250 or their local authorities. The agency case number is 840002711.
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Sources
NamUs
The Doe Network
Texas Department of Public Safety
Fox 7 Austin
The Charley Project
True Crime Diva
