She Vanished In 1998, Leaving Her 2-Year-Old Daughter Behind In Her Abandoned Car
On April 26, 1998, Traci Pittman Kegley, a 30-year-old mother from Elmore County, Alabama, vanished, leaving her 2-year-old daughter behind in her abandoned car. To this day, her disappearance remains unsolved and continues to puzzle community members.
The Life Of Traci Pittman Kegley
Traci, born in Montgomery, Alabama, tied the knot with her ex-husband, Greg Kegley, in 1993, settling down in her hometown. Three years later, the couple welcomed a daughter together in November 1995.
Yet, by 1997, Traci and Greg decided to split up, and in 1998, their reportedly amicable divorce was finalized. Traci was forced to find both a new home and job, and in the end, she moved back in with her parents near Eclectic, Alabama.
Traci was able to land a job at a local dentist’s office, which she was set to start on April 27, 1998. However, two days before she could begin her new position, she went missing.
The Day Traci Disappeared
On April 26, 1998, Traci took her 2-year-old daughter to run an errand in her car, a white 1993 Geo Storm. Then, as the sun set and the afternoon turned into the evening, they stopped at a BP gas station in Wetumpka, located close to the intersection of Highway 231 North and Redland Road.
Traci was captured on surveillance footage as she pumped her gas, heading into the store afterward to pay. Still, what happened next remains a mystery, as Traci seemed to disappear into thin air.
The following day, a local resident discovered her car abandoned on Old Georgia Road, across from the T&H Grocery. Traci’s daughter was found alone inside, and she was unharmed.
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The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office was contacted, and upon arriving at the scene, authorities realized Traci’s purse had been left behind. The engine was reportedly still running; the radio was softly humming, and the windows had been rolled down a couple of inches.
Investigators first thought that Traci had been heading back to her parent’s home, but part of Highway 170 was undergoing construction, meaning she probably would’ve taken a different route back.
The police subsequently launched multiple searches, even using divers to scour nearby quarries. Nonetheless, these efforts yielded no clues, and Traci’s case has remained unsolved ever since.
Her parents put up billboards throughout the local area to raise awareness about her case and ask that anyone with information come forward. They also offered a monetary reward.
Traci’s case was transferred to the Abalama State Bureau of Investigation within one year, and to this day, the question of what exactly happened to her still lingers.
Most recently, in 2018, investigators searched 300 acres of land in Elmore County and found potential evidence in a body of water. At the time, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Captain Joe Herman confirmed there were suspects in Traci’s disappearance.
“We know who you are, and if you don’t come to see us very soon, we will be coming to see you,” stated District Attorney Randall Houston.
However, what came of this potential evidence is unclear, and in 2023, 19th Circuit District Attorney C.J. Robinson said Traci’s case “is not closed by any means, shape, or form.”
“I feel like we got really close a couple of years ago. We couldn’t quite get to where we needed to go,” Robinson detailed.
There have been no further developments in Traci’s case, but Robinson claimed authorities are constantly looking at new ways to investigate her disappearance and the evidence they currently have.
A Facebook page entitled “Justice for Traci Pittman Kegley” has been created to highlight her case. Traci’s mother, Linda Pittman, has also explained how it wasn’t like Traci, who she remembers as “the most caring and sweetest person ever,” to just leave.
“We miss her something terrible and hope one day we will find answers,” Linda said.
Traci was five foot ten, weighed 140 pounds, and had brown hair and hazel/green eyes. She was last seen wearing a white floral top, pink shorts, and white tennis shoes.
Anyone with information regarding her case is urged to contact Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at (334) 215-STOP.
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