An individual has been apprehended regarding the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl who went missing 29 years ago after requesting her parents’ permission to visit a ‘friend.’
Jamison ‘Jamie’ Fisher, aged 50, was arrested on Wednesday and is facing charges for the murder of Trudy Appleby, who was last seen in the vicinity of her home in Moline, Illinois, on August 21, 1996.
Fisher is accused of kidnapping Trudy and strangling her to death.
He is facing three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death, local authorities announced Thursday.
News of Fisher’s arrest comes just one week before the 29th anniversary of Trudy’s disappearance.
Fisher was first identified as a person of interest in the 2020 investigation and is presently detained in the Scott County Jail, where he was already being held due to unrelated narcotics charges from a July arrest.
Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said Thursday that Trudy’s remains have still not been recovered and that the search is active and ongoing.
Trudy Appleby was last seen alive near her home in Moline, Illinois, on August 21, 1996
Trudy was 11 years old when she disappeared on the morning of August 21, 1996.
She was last seen climbing into a silver or gray box-style car driven by a white male at around 9:30am.
Trudy was wearing a black, one-piece swimsuit, spandex shorts, blue tennis shoes, socks, and a t-shirt. She also had a beach towel with her.
Police said Trudy had asked her father if she could go swimming with a friend on the nearby Campbell’s Island, but her father said no.
Phone records indicated she had made arrangements to go anyway, according to investigators.
The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remained unsolved for nearly thirty years, with law enforcement consistently reiterating their commitment to providing closure for her family.
Law enforcement has conducted hundreds of interviews, executed multiple search warrants, confiscated vehicles, and carried out excavations in their ongoing efforts to unravel the case.
Jamison ‘Jamie’ Fisher, 50, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with Appleby’s murder
Police said Trudy had asked her father if she could go swimming with a friend on the nearby Campbell’s Island, but her father said no
For years, police appeared to have hit a dead end. However, in 2017, the investigation picked up momentum.
In that year, authorities publicly named William ‘Ed’ Smith as a person of interest, alleging that he might have been the last individual seen with Trudy.
By 2020, Fisher and a third man, David L. Whipple, were also identified as potential suspects.
Whipple – a registered sex offender, convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl – was Smith’s son-in-law, and Fisher was a lifelong family friend of the Smiths, police said.
Smith died in 2014 and Whipple in 2022. Police previously said they believed Fisher was the only person alive who could tell them what happened to Trudy.
The backyard of Fisher’s home was excavated in 2023, but the search came up empty-handed. He denied any involvement in her disappearance at the time.
Police believe Trudy was kidnapped, strangled to death and her remains dumped in an unknown location
Chief Gault said Wednesday’s breakthrough came after decades of rigorous investigative work, which will continue in the weeks and months ahead.
He said detectives will be pursuing all new leads, including clues that could help locate Trudy’s remains.
‘The arrest of Fisher marks a turning point in this mystery that has spanned nearly three decades,’ said Gault.
‘While nothing can bring back young Trudy to her family, the relentless pursuit of justice honors her memory and the unwavering support of her loved ones and our community.
‘The Moline Police Department is committed to seeking the truth for Trudy and her family and to ensuring that justice is served.’
Trudy’s family has not yet publicly responded to the news of Fisher’s arrest.
There had been hope that perhaps Trudy was still alive. She’d be 40 years old
Each year, they’ve held a candlelight vigil in Moline, praying for answers and trying to keep her story alive.
‘We’ve gone around the Sun another time, and we still don’t have Trudy laid to rest,’ Trudy’s uncle, Ray Eddleman, said last year.
‘Every day of the year is a day that I’m missing Trudy. Every day I think of her. Every day, a thought one way or another crosses my mind.’
Moline Detective Michael Griffin hinted that investigators were close to making a breakthrough.
‘We are coming for you,’ said Griffin. ‘Your time is up, and we’ll see you soon.’
Her family is due to gather again for a vigil on August 21 outside the Moline Police Department.
Fisher has not yet entered a plea.
