When LaQuanta Riley was born in 1984, her mother, Pam Bolden, was just 16-years-old. So, her aunt Katie Smith primarily raised her. Still, LaQuanta always stayed in touch with her mom and had five siblings.
In 2002, she went on to graduate from Redan High School – located in Stone Mountain, Georgia – and earned a full scholarship to attend college. She had plans to study forensic science.
LaQuanta was known by her loved ones as a compassionate and bubbly person who loved cooking and listening to music.
Yet, before her adult life could really even start, 19-year-old LaQuanta vanished on December 7, 2003.
That year, she had been living with a roommate in Eufaula, Alabama, but during the holiday season, she ultimately decided to move out. She retrieved her belongings from her apartment on December 5, 2003, before moving in with her aunt and cousin – who lived in the 1500 block of Hill Street in Montgomery, Alabama.
Then, on December 7, LaQuanta reportedly left her aunt’s home at about 11:30 p.m. and got into a car with unknown people. The vehicle was described as either a Ford Taurus or a Chevrolet Caprice, which was dark green and had four doors.
Afterward, LaQuanta was driven to her mother’s home – located about three miles from her aunt’s residence – and upon arriving, she met her brother at the door. She also asked for a jacket.
At that point, LaQuanta’s brother asked who was driving the green vehicle, and she claimed it was someone she’d met “around the street.”
However, after she took a jacket and got back in the car, LaQuanta went missing and was never seen again.
Facebook – pictured above is LaQuanta
Her mother ultimately reported her missing three days later and stated it would be out of character for LaQuanta to just leave.
After filing the missing person’s report, LaQuanta’s mom, Pam, began hanging flyers and relentlessly searching for her daughter. Then, a cryptic voicemail was left on her answering machine – which she believed was from LaQuanta.
Pam claimed she could hear a man in the background and that it was hard to understand what LaQuanta was saying. So, she thinks her daughter was met with foul play.
“She is distraught on here. She’s asking for help; I don’t know what she’s saying. She’s crying so hard,” Pam said of the voicemail.
During the investigation of LaQuanta’s disappearance, authorities also reportedly found that LaQuanta’s name was being used to rent an apartment located in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
So, Pam traveled there and actually talked with one of the apartment building’s residents – who claimed that LaQuanta lived right down the hall. Additionally, the resident reportedly stated that LaQuanta had asked to use his phone following an argument but that she moved out of the apartment shortly before Pam arrived in town.
Since then, there have been no other leads in LaQuanta’s case, and she has remained missing for over 20 years.
Her mother has since founded the Riley Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides local assistance and support to the families of missing people.
“We’re going to be the voices for them. Whatever we can do to get the faces of the missing in the public and to be a support to the families left behind to grieve,” Pam said.
She also continues to meet with local officials and lawmakers, sharing LaQuanta’s story and raising awareness about the case – holding onto hope that one day, it will be closed.
“I do this because there was help from other people that allowed me to be here today. I’ve had help in Montgomery but I’ve also had help all across the country from New York, Texas, you name it. So, I’ll be there to help others the best way I know how,” Pam stated.
At the time she vanished, LaQuanta was five foot eight, weighed 200 pounds, and had black hair and brown eyes.
She was last seen wearing stonewashed blue jeans, a yellow and green Ecko shirt, and yellow and green Reebok sneakers.
If you have any information regarding her disappearance, you are urged to contact the Montgomery Police Department at (334) 625-2810.
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